Today is July 31 2014

Jump for Jelly Beans Day: More

• Mutt's Day: More
  
• National Chili Dog Day: More
  Last Thursday of July
• Uncommon Instruments Awareness Day: More
• World Ranger Day: More
• National Raspberry Cake Day: More

• In 1876, The US Coast Guard officers' training school established (New Bedford MA)
  From Wikipedia: 'Founded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is the military academy of the United States Coast Guard. Located in New London, Connecticut, it is the smallest of the five federal service academies. The academy provides education to future Coast Guard officers in one of eight major fields of study.
  
  Unlike the other service academies, admission to the academy does not require a congressional nomination. Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as cadets. Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Coast Guard in exchange for an obligation of five years active duty service upon graduation. This obligation increases if the cadet chooses to go to flight school or graduate school. Approximately 250 cadets enter the academy each summer with about 200 cadets graduating. Graduates are commissioned as ensigns. The academic program grants a Bachelor of Science degree in one of eight majors, with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a holistic education of academics, physical fitness, character and leadership. Cadets are required to adhere to the academy's "Honor Concept," "Who lives here reveres honor, honors duty," which is emblazoned in the halls of the academy's entrance.
  
  The academy's motto is Scientiæ cedit mare, which is Latin for "the sea yields to knowledge" (the trident, emblem of the Roman god Neptune, represents seapower).
  
  The Academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, ABET, and AACSB for its various programs'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube 9current): More
• In 1893, Henry Perky patents shredded wheat.
  From Wikipedia: 'Henry Drushel Perky (7 December 1843 – 29 June 1906) was a lawyer, businessman, promoter and inventor. Perky is the inventor of shredded wheat.
  
  Sometime in the early 1890s, at a Nebraska hotel, Perky — who suffered from diarrhea — encountered a man similarly afflicted, who was eating boiled wheat with cream. The idea cooked for a while in Perky’s mind, and in 1892, he took his idea of a product made of boiled wheat to his friend, William H. Ford, in Watertown, New York — a machinist by trade. Here they developed the machine for making what Perky called "little whole wheat mattresses", known worldwide as shredded wheat. They presented the machine at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, probably while Perky was trying to drum up buyers for his cylindrical steel rail passenger car.
  
  His original intention was to sell the machines, not the biscuits. He returned to Denver and began distributing the biscuits from a horse-drawn wagon in an attempt to popularize the idea. There he founded the Cereal Machine Company. In 1895, Perky received United States Patent Number 548,086, dated 15 October 1895.
  
  The biscuits proved more popular than the machines, so Perky moved East and opened his first bakery in Boston, Massachusetts and then in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1895, retaining the name of The Cereal Machine Company, and adding the name of the Shredded Wheat Company.
  
  Whether he developed his ideas on nutrition before the machine or after, Perky was a food faddist who believed the fundamental issue was how to nourish a man so that his condition will be natural. Although John Harvey Kellogg and Charles William Post are better known, Perky was a pioneer of the "cookless breakfast food" and it was he who first mass-produced and nationally distributed ready-to-eat cereal. By 1898, shredded wheat was being sold all over North and South America and Europe.
  
  In 1901, drawn by the idea of inexpensive electrical power for baking, and the natural draw of a popular tourist attraction, he hired Edward A. Deeds to build a new plant at Niagara Falls, New York. Deeds became a director of the National Food Company. Perky invited a large number of notables to a special luncheon. Canadian author Pierre Berton describes the bill of fare: "...a Shredded Wheat drink, Shredded Wheat biscuit toast, roast turkey stuffed with Shredded Wheat, and Shredded Wheat ice cream". The factory itself was called the "Palace of Light", and was white-tiled, air-conditioned, well-lit with floor to ceiling windows, and equipped with showers, lunchrooms (a free lunch for women – men had to pay 10¢), and auditoriums for the employees. It even had a roof garden with a view of the falls. A representation of the factory appeared on the Shredded Wheat boxes for decades'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1928, MGM's lion Jackie (current is Leo) roared for the first time. He introduced MGM's first talking picture, 'White Shadows on the South Seas'. The Lions:
  1 Slats (1924–1928), 2 Jackie (1928–1956)
  3 Telly (1927–1932) and Coffee (1932–1934),
  4 Tanner (1934–1956),
  5 George (1956–1958),
  6 Leo (1957–present).
  From Wikipedia: 'Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of its predecessors, Goldwyn Pictures, featured in the studio's production logo, which was created by the Paramount Studios art director Lionel S. Reiss.
  
  Since 1917 (and when the studio was formed by the merger of Samuel Goldwyn's studio with Marcus Loew's Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer's company in 1924), there have been seven different lions used for the MGM logo. Though MGM has referred to all of the lions used in their trademark as "Leo the Lion", only the current lion, in use since 1957, was actually named "Leo"'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1930, The radio mystery program 'The Shadow' airs for the first time. It was CBS's Detective Story Hour.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in 1930s pulp novels, and then in a wide variety of media. One of the most famous adventure heroes of the 20th century United States, The Shadow has been featured on the radio, in a long-running pulp magazine series, in comic books, comic strips, television, serials, video games, and at least five films. The radio drama included episodes voiced by Orson Welles.
  
  Originally simply a mysterious radio narrator which hosted a program designed to promote magazine sales for Street and Smith Publications, The Shadow was developed into a distinctive literary character, later to become a pop culture icon, by writer Walter B. Gibson in 1931. The character has been cited as a major influence on the subsequent evolution of comic book superheroes, particularly Batman.
  
  The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street and Smith radio program Detective Story Hour developed in an effort to boost sales of Detective Story Magazine. When listeners of the program began asking at newsstands for copies of "That Shadow detective magazine", Street and Smith decided to create a magazine based around The Shadow and hired Gibson to create a character concept to fit the name and voice and write a story featuring him. The first issue of The Shadow Magazine went on sale on April 1, 1931, a pulp series.
  
  On September 26, 1937, The Shadow radio drama, a new radio series based on the character as created by Gibson for the pulp magazine, premiered with the story "The Deathhouse Rescue", in which The Shadow was characterized as having "the power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." As in the magazine stories, The Shadow was not given the literal ability to become invisible.
  
  The introduction from The Shadow radio program "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!", spoken by actor Frank Readick Jr., has earned a place in the American idiom. These words were accompanied by an ominous laugh and a musical theme, Camille Saint-Saëns' Le Rouet d'Omphale ("Omphale's Spinning Wheel", composed in 1872). At the end of each episode The Shadow reminded listeners that, "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay... The Shadow knows!'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube (Detective Story Hour): More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1942, Harry James and his Orchestra recorded 'I’ve Heard that Song Before'. Helen Forrest provided vocals.
  From Wikipedia: '"I've Heard That Song Before" is a 1942 popular song with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was introduced by Martha O'Driscoll (dubbed by Margaret Whiting) in the 1942 film Youth on Parade.
  
  It was recorded by Harry James and his Orchestra with Helen Forrest on vocal on July 31, 1942. This was the last day of recording before the Musician Union's ban. The recording was issued on Columbia 36668 and became a number one hit on both the pop and the Harlem Hit Parade in the USA in early 1943. This version of the song can be heard in Woody Allen's movie Hannah and Her Sisters'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1948, At Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) is dedicated.
  From Wikipedia: 'John F. Kennedy International Airport was originally Idlewild Airport (IATA: IDL, ICAO: KIDL, FAA LID: IDL) after the Idlewild Beach Golf Course that it displaced. It was built to relieve LaGuardia Airport, which was overcrowded soon after opening in 1939. Construction began in 1943, and about $60 million was initially spent of governmental funding, but only 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land on the site of the Idlewild Golf Course were earmarked for use.
  
  The project was renamed Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport in 1943, after a Queens resident who had commanded a Federalized National Guard unit in the southern United States and died in late 1942. In March 1948 the New York City Council changed the name to New York International Airport, Anderson Field, but the common name was "Idlewild" until 1963'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1948, The USS Nevada is sunk by an aerial torpedo after surviving hits from two atomic bombs (as part of post-war tests at Bikini Island) and being used for target practice by three other ships.
  From Wikipedia: USS Nevada (BB-36), the second United States Navy ship to be named after the 36th state, was the lead ship of the two Nevada-class battleships; her sister ship was Oklahoma. Launched in 1914, the Nevada was a leap forward in dreadnought technology; four of her new features would be included on almost every subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the "all or nothing" armor principle. These features made Nevada the first US Navy "super-dreadnought".
  
  'Nevada then returned to Pearl Harbor after a brief stint of occupation duty in Tokyo Bay. Nevada was surveyed and, at 32? years old, was deemed too old to be kept in the post-war fleet. As a result, she was assigned to be a target ship in the first Bikini atomic experiments (Operation Crossroads) of July 1946. The experiment consisted of detonating two atomic bombs to test their effectiveness against ships. Nevada was the bombardier's target for the first test, codenamed 'Able', which used an air-dropped weapon. To help distinguish the target from surrounding vessels, Nevada was painted a reddish-orange. However, even with the high-visibility color scheme, the bomb fell about 1,700 yd (1,600 m) off-target, exploding above the attack transport Gilliam instead. Due in part to the miss, Nevada survived. The ship also remained afloat after the second test—'Baker', a detonation some 90 ft (27 m) below the surface of the water—but was damaged and extremely radioactive from the spray. Nevada was later towed to Pearl Harbor and decommissioned on 29 August 1946.
  
  After she was thoroughly examined, Iowa and two other vessels used Nevada as a practice gunnery target on 31 July 1948. The ships did not sink Nevada, so she was given a coup de grâce with an aerial torpedo hit amidships'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1964, Ranger 7 photographs the moon.
  From Wikipedia: 'Ranger 7 was the first American space probe to successfully transmit close images of the lunar surface back to Earth. It was also the first completely successful flight of the Ranger program. Launched on July 28, 1964, Ranger 7 was designed to achieve a lunar-impact trajectory and to transmit high-resolution photographs of the lunar surface during the final minutes of flight up to impact. The spacecraft carried six television vidicon cameras - two wide-angle (channel F, cameras A and B) and four narrow-angle (channel P) - to accomplish these objectives. The cameras were arranged in two separate chains, or channels, each self-contained with separate power supplies, timers, and transmitters so as to afford the greatest reliability and probability of obtaining high-quality video pictures. Ranger 7 transmitted over 4,300 photographs during the final 17 minutes of its flight. After 68.6 hours of flight, the spacecraft landed between Mare Nubium and Oceanus Procellarum. This landing site was later named Mare Cognitum. The velocity at impact was 1.62 miles per second, and the performance of the spacecraft exceeded hopes. No other experiments were carried on the spacecraft'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 2012, Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the most medals won at the Olympics. His 22 (18 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) hers 14 (6 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze),
  From Wikipedia: 'As of February 2014, American swimmer Michael Phelps has won the most Olympic medals with 22 (18 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze). Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina has won the most medals in individual events, with 14 (6 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze). Ole Einar Bjørndalen is the most decorated Winter Olympian, with 8 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze (a total of 13 medals).
  
  For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps originally stated he would never do eight events again, and would instead try new events. Phelps said, "I keep saying I want to go down and start sprinting, but Bob really isn't so keen on that ... I don't think that's going to happen ... Over the next four years, I'd like to try some different events, maybe not do some of the events I did here." However, at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, the qualifying meet for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Phelps qualified in the same eight events that he swam in Beijing in 2008. He later dropped the 200-meter freestyle from his program, as he stated he wanted to focus on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. During the trials, Phelps finished first in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and second in the 400-meter individual medley. In making his fourth Olympic team, Phelps holds the record for men for the most Olympic appearances in swimming representing the United States'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Tomorrow being the last Thursday in July, it will be 'National Chili Dog Day'. July being hot dog month, I believe we have exploited the frankfurter about as far as we can. We have eaten them in various ways on buns, in batter and in that childhood delight of a marriage with beans.

Speaking of dogs,tomorrow will be 'Mutt's Day'. I love all dogs (and cats), mutt is my favorite breed. I know, I know, but this is my post and I can stretch things a little, if I want to.

We had Jelly Bean Day back in April, but tomorrow we are to be a little more animated to support 'Jump for Jelly Beans Day'. Sounds right to me. Burn calories while eating. I hope, since April you have been holding all the black one's back for me.

After our hot dog dinner we will have music, so bring your musical instrument, no matter how odd. It will be 'Uncommon Instruments Awareness Day'. So bring your Kazoo, washboard, jug or whatever and, get down.

You might want to invite a friend for food and music. It will also be 'World Ranger Day'. Your favorite forest or park ranger would enjoy an alfresco lunch or late afternoon riparian repast.

Think you have a good idea, one that will make you money? In 1790 the first U.S. patent was issued (new process to produce potash). BTW, the statement 'Everything that can be invented has been invented' was not really said by a patent office official back in 1901.

If you have turned on the old Phil co radio and let the tubes warm up, you can set with the lights turned down, under the eerie glow of the light from the radio dial and listen to the first radio broadcast of 'The Shadow' on July 31 1930. From the words, 'Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow Knows' to 'The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay... The Shadow knows!', you almost expected to hear his evil laugh from some dark corner of your living room.

No. 1 song

• A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles: More
  'Rag Doll'has been displaced by 'A Hard Day's Night', which will hold the no. 1 spot until August 15 2014, when 'Everybody Loves Somebody', takes over.

Top movie

• Marnie More
  Having displaced 'The Moon-Spinners', it will be there until the weekend box office of August 9 1964 when, 'The Night of the Iguana', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: July 31 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: July 31 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 31st July More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 31st July More
• On-This-day.com history 31st July More
• On-This-day.com music history 31st July More
• Wikipedia.com: History July 31 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