Today is July 18 2014

National Caviar Day : More

• International Mandela Day: More
  
• Chrysanthemum Day: More
  This is the USA holiday, not the holiday of the same name, celebrated in Japan on Sept. 9.
• Richard Bernard 'Red' Skelton Birthday (July 18, 1913). : More
  On Youtube: More
  His characters: More

• In 1768, The Boston Gazette publishes the 'Liberty Song',
  America's 1st patriotic song.
  From Wikipedia: '"The Liberty Song" is a pre-American Revolutionary War song with lyrics by Founding Father John Dickinson and not by Mrs. Mercy Otis Warren, wife of General James Warren, of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The song is set to the tunes of "Heart of Oak", the anthem of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, and "Here's a Health", an Irish song of emigration. The song itself was first published in the Boston Gazette in July 1768.
  
  The song is notable as one of the earliest patriotic songs in the thirteen colonies. Dickinson's sixth verse offers the earliest known publication of the phrase that parallels the motto "united we stand, divided we fall", a patriotic slogan that has prominently appeared several times throughout American history.
  
  The song is also likely to be a variant of the Irish traditional song from which it often takes its tune, "Here's a Health". The lyrics of "The Liberty Song" also hold the same structure.
  
  The lyrics of the song were updated in 1770 to reflect the growing tensions between England and the Colonies. This new version was published in Bickerstaff's almanac, and the title was changed to "The Massachusetts Song of Liberty"'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1942, The German Me-262, the first jet-propelled aircraft to fly in combat, made its first flight.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird") in attack versions, was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944. The Me 262 was faster, and more heavily-armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262 was used in a variety of roles, including light bomber, reconnaissance, and even experimental night fighter versions.
  
  Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied kills, although higher claims are sometimes made. The Allies countered its potential effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing. Engine reliability problems, from the pioneering nature of its Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines—the first ever placed in mass production—and attacks by Allied forces on fuel supplies during the deteriorating late-war situation also reduced the effectiveness of the aircraft as a fighting force. In the end, the Me 262 had a negligible impact on the course of the war as a result of its late introduction and the consequently small numbers put in operational service.
  
  While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of the Second World War, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of a number of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre and Boeing B-47 Stratojet. A number of aircraft have survived on static display in museums, and there have also been several privately built flying reproductions'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1953, Elvis Presley recorded 'My Happiness' as a gift for his mother. It was one of the songs he first recorded with SUn.
  From Wikipedia: '"My Happiness" is a pop music standard which was initially made famous in the mid-twentieth century.
  
  An unpublished version of the melody with different lyrics was written by Borney Bergantine in 1933.
  
  The most famous version of the song, with lyrics by Betty Peterson Blasco, was published for the first time in 1948. The first known recording of this version was in December 1947 by the Marlin Sisters but the song first became a hit in May 1948 as recorded by Jon and Sondra Steele (Damon 11133) (#3) with rival versions by The Pied Pipers (Capitol 1628/15094)1 and Ella Fitzgerald (Decca 24446) entering the charts that June reaching respectively #4 and #8 with the Marlin Sisters version (Columbia 38217) finally charting with a #24 peak that July. A version by John Laurenz (Mercury catalog number 5144, with the flip side "Someone Cares"), entered the Billboard magazine charts on August 7, 1948 where it stayed for 2 weeks, peaking at #26.
  
  Connie Francis — whose favorite song at the age of eight had been the Jon and Sondra Steele version of "My Happiness" — remade the song in a 6 November 1958 session at the Radio Recorders studio in Hollywood, CA produced by Morton Craft and Jesse Kaye; David Rose conducted the orchestra. The song almost became Francis's first #1 hit in the first months of 1959 but was kept at #2 by another remake of a standard: the Platters' version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes".
  
  "My Happiness" is reportedly one of two songs — the other being "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" — Elvis Presley recorded in his first recording session at the Memphis Recording Service (Sun Studios)'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1960, Elvis Presley's, It's Now Or Never, was released.
  From Wikipedia: '"It's Now or Never" is a ballad recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company, in 1960. It is one of two popular songs based on the Italian song "'O Sole mio" (music by Eduardo di Capua), the other being "There's No Tomorrow", recorded by U.S. singer Tony Martin in 1949, which inspired Presley's version. The lyrics were written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold. The single is the second best-selling single by Presley, and one of the best-selling singles of all time.
  
  In the late 1950s, while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army, Presley heard Martin's recording. According to The New York Times, quoting from the 1986 book Behind The Hits, "he told the idea to his music publisher, Freddy Bienstock, who was visiting him in Germany... Mr. Bienstock, who many times found songwriters for Presley, returned to his New York office, where he found songwriters, Mr. Schroeder and Wally Gold, the only people in that day. The two wrote lyrics in half an hour. Selling more than 20 million records, the song became number one in countries all around and was Presley's best selling single ever... a song finished in 20 minutes to a half hour was the biggest song of career."
  
  In 1960, "It's Now or Never" was a number-one record in the U.S., spending five weeks at number one and the UK, where it spent eight weeks at the top in 1960 and an additional week at number one in 2005 as a re-issue, and numerous other countries, selling in excess of 25 million copies worldwide, Elvis Presley's biggest international single ever. Its British release was delayed for some time because of rights issues, allowing the song to build up massive advance orders and to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one, a very rare occurrence at the time. "It's Now or Never" peaked at number seven on the R and B charts.
  
  A live version featuring "'O Sole mio" is available on the 1977 live album Elvis in Concert. "'O Sole mio" is sung by tenor Sherrill Nielson.
  
  In early 2005, the song was re-released along with the other Presley singles in the UK, and again reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for the week of 5 February 2005. The song also appears in the TV mini-series Elvis'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1966, Australian children's television series Play School airs for the first time, going on to become the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second longest running children's show in the world.
  From Wikipedia: 'Play School is an Australian Logie Hall of Fame-winning educational television show for children produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second-longest-running children's show worldwide. An estimated 80% of pre-school children under six watch the programme at least once a week. It is screened four times each weekday on ABC Kids, at 6.00 am, 9.30 am, 12.30 pm and 3.30 pm (from 7 July 2014) and twice daily each weekend at 9.30 am and 3.30 pm'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1968, The Intel Corporation is founded and incorporated in Santa Clara, California.
  From Wikipedia: 'Intel Corporation (better known as Intel, stylized as intel) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Intel is one of the world's largest and highest valued semiconductor chip makers, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most personal computers. Intel supplies processors for computer system manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, HP and Dell. Intel also makes motherboard chipsets, network interface controllers and integrated circuits, flash memory, graphics chips, embedded processors and other devices related to communications and computing. Intel Corporation was founded on July 18, 1968, by semiconductor pioneers Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore and widely associated with the executive leadership and vision of Andrew Grove, Intel combines advanced chip design capability with a leading-edge manufacturing capability'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1976 Nadia Comaneci is first person in Olympic Games to score perfect 10 in gymnastics at the Summer Olympics of 1976.
  From Wikipedia: 'Nadia Elena Comaneci (born November 12, 1961) is a former Romanian gymnast, winner of three gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event. She also won two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. She is one of the best-known gymnasts in the world and is credited with popularizing the sport around the world. In 2000, Comaneci was named as one of the Athletes of the Century by the Laureus World Sports Academy'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1995, 'Dreaming of You' by Selena, released posthumously, became the best-selling Latin album in the United States. It was noted by Billboard magazine as a 'historic event' for Latin music.
  From Wikipedia: 'Dreaming of You is the fifth and final studio album by American singer Selena. Released posthumously on July 18, 1995 by EMI Latin and EMI Records, it was an immediate commercial and critical success, debuting atop the United States Billboard 200—the first predominately Spanish-language album to do so. It sold 175,000 copies on its first day of release in the U.S.—a then-record for a female vocalist. With first week sales of 331,000 units, it became the second-highest first-week sales for a female musician since Nielsen Soundscan began monitoring album sales in 1991. Billboard magazine declared it a "historic" event, while Time said the recording elevated Selena's music to a wider audience. It won Album of the Year at the 1996 Tejano Music Awards and Female Pop Album of the Year at the 2nd annual Billboard Latin Music Awards'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Well, we have been eating good ole American cuisine for a while now, hot dogs, corn fritters, BBQ, local berries, fruit and nuts. So, let's live on the wild side, just this once and celebrate 'National Caviar Day'. OK, I know you are waiting for this. 'This holiday sounds fishy to me'. There, are you satisfied? You made me divert from the normal sound and solemn nature of this post.

What would look better than a bunch of flowers in the center of the dinner table. Why not honor 'Chrysanthemum Day'. This is the US celebration, not the Sept. 9 holiday in Japan.

If you like music with your dinner, you better not live in ancient Rome. Nero started playing that fiddle while Rome burned on this date back in '64. (no, just 64)

If you can devote 67 hours of service to the community, you might celebrate the UN's 'International Mandela Day'. I'm sure someone would appreciate even three or four hours

After dinner set down in front of the big upright radio or TV and listen to 'Richard Bernard (Red) Skelton. He was born on July 18, 1913. Besides the one-liners and pantomimes, his skits with characters like: Bolivar Shagnasty, Cauliflower McPugg, Clem Kadiddlehopper, Freddie the Freeloader, George Appleby, Gertrude and Heathcliffe, Junior the Mean Widdle Kid, San Fernando Red, Sheriff Deadeye, Willie Lump Lump, were my favorites.

No. 1 song

• Rag Doll - The Four Seasons: More
  'Get Around' has been displaced by 'Rag Doll', which will hold the no. 1 spot until July 25 2014, when 'A Hard Day's Night by The Beatles', takes over.

Top movie

• The Moon-Spinners More
  Having displaced 'The Killers', it will be there until the weekend box office of July 26 1964 when, 'Marnie', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: July 18 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: July 18 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 18th July More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 18th July More
• On-This-day.com history 18th July More
• On-This-day.com music history 18th July More
• Wikipedia.com: History July 18 More

National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, National July Belongs to Blueberries Month, National Vacation Rental Month,

July is:

July origin (from Wikipedia): Named by the Roman Senate in honor of Julius Caesar.
"is the seventh month of the year (between June and August) in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honor of the Roman general, Julius Caesar, it being the month of his birth. Prior to that, it was called Quintilis. It is, on average, the warmest month in most of the Northern hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer) and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere (where it is the second month of winter). The second half of the year commences in July. In the Southern hemisphere, July is the seasonal equivalent of January in the Northern hemisphere."

July at Wikipedia: More

If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago, or your 45 RPM record player was broke, you might watch one of these shows on TV.
From this Wikipedia article: More

Best selling books of 1964 More

• Astronomy Picture of the Day: More
• NOAA: - National Hurricane Center - Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook: More
• Listen to Old Radio Shows: (streaming mp3 with schedule) More
• NASA TV: (video feed) More
  NASA TV schedule: More
• Public Domain eBook Links

  Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More

• Podcast: A Moment of Science. Approximately 1 minute general science facts.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Podcast: The Naked Scientists. Current science, medicine, space and other science
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Podcast: Quirks & Quarks. Current science news.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Articles and videos: Universe Today. Current space and astronomy news.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Old Picture of the Day - "Each day we bring you one stunning little glimpse of history in the form of a historical photograph."
  Home page: More
  RSS: More

Below, are listed several holiday sites that I reference in addition to other holiday researches.

US Government Holidays

• 2014 Postal Holidays More
• 2014 Official Federal Holidays More

Holidays Worldwide

• List of holidays by country More
• Holidays and Observances around the World More