Today is September 2 2014

National Blueberry Popsicle Day: More

• V-J Day: More
  
• National Look Unlimited Day: More
  Day after Labor Day. A day for the Fall home cleaning.
• Bison-ten Yell Day: More
  A play on the word, bicentennial. Honor the person who invented ten verbal signals that could be yelled during a war to alert one's soldiers to the battle plan.

• In 1666, The 'Great Fire of London' breaks out and burns for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings including St Paul's Cathedral. It started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor) on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2 September. the decision to create fire-breaks by the demolition of buildings in the fires path, was delayed by London's Loyd Mayor and allow the fire to become a fire storm.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall. It threatened but did not reach the aristocratic district of Westminster, Charles II's Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants. The death toll is unknown but traditionally thought to have been small, as only six verified deaths were recorded. This reasoning has recently been challenged on the grounds that the deaths of poor and middle-class people were not recorded, while the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims, leaving no recognisable remains. A melted piece of pottery on display at the Museum of London found by archaeologists in Pudding Lane, where the fire started, shows that the temperature reached 1250 °C.
  
  The Great Fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor) on Pudding Lane shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2 September and spread rapidly west across the City of London. The major firefighting technique of the time was to create firebreaks by means of demolition; this, however, was critically delayed owing to the indecisiveness of Lord Mayor of London Sir Thomas Bloodworth. By the time that large-scale demolitions were ordered on Sunday night, the wind had already fanned the bakery fire into a firestorm which defeated such measures. The fire pushed north on Monday into the heart of the City. Order in the streets broke down as rumours arose of suspicious foreigners setting fires. The fears of the homeless focused on the French and Dutch, England's enemies in the ongoing Second Anglo-Dutch War; these substantial immigrant groups became victims of lynchings and street violence. On Tuesday, the fire spread over most of the City, destroying St Paul's Cathedral and leaping the River Fleet to threaten Charles II's court at Whitehall, while coordinated firefighting efforts were simultaneously mobilising. The battle to quench the fire is considered to have been won by two factors: the strong east winds died down, and the Tower of London garrison used gunpowder to create effective firebreaks to halt further spread eastward.
  
  The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming. Evacuation from London and resettlement elsewhere were strongly encouraged by Charles II, who feared a London rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees. Despite numerous radical proposals, London was reconstructed on essentially the same street plan used before the fire'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1775, The USS Hannah, the first American war vessel was commissioned by General George Washington.
  From Wikipedia: 'The schooner Hannah was the first armed American naval vessel of the American Revolution and is claimed to be the founding vessel of the United States Navy. She was a fishing schooner owned by John Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts and was named for his daughter, Hannah Glover. The crew was drawn largely from the town of Marblehead, with much of the ships ammunition being stored in Glover's warehouse now located at Glover's Square in Marblehead before being relocated to Beverly, Massachusetts.
  
  The schooner was hired into the service of the American Continental Army by General George Washington. Washington commissioned Nicholson Broughton to command the Hannah on 2 September 1775 and ordered the vessel to, "...cruize against such vessels as may be found . . . bound inward and outward to and from Boston, in the service of the army, and to take and seize all such vessels, laden with soldiers, arms, ammunition, or provisions . . . which you shall have good reason to suspect are in such service." Hannah set sail from the harbor of Beverly, Massachusetts on 5 September 1775, but fled to the protection of the harbor of Gloucester, Massachusetts two days later under the pursuit of HMS Lively and a second British vessel. Leaving Gloucester Harbor, Hannah captured the British sloop Unit.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube (History of the US Navy): More
• In 1789, The United States Department of the Treasury is founded.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue. The Department is administered by the Secretary of the Treasury, who is a member of the Cabinet. Jacob J. Lew is the current Secretary of the Treasury; he was sworn in on February 28, 2013.
  
  The first Secretary of the Treasury was Alexander Hamilton, who was sworn into office on September 11, 1789. Hamilton was asked by President George Washington to serve after first having asked Robert Morris (who declined, recommending Hamilton instead). Hamilton almost single-handedly worked out the nation's early financial system, and for several years was a major presence in Washington's administration as well. His portrait is on the obverse of the U.S. ten-dollar bill while the Treasury Department building is shown on the reverse'.
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• In 1897, 'McCal's' magazine is first published. It started as 'The Queen' in 1873, renamed in 1897 as 'McCall's Magazine-The Queen of Fashion, and finally shortened to MaCall's.
  From Wikipedia: 'McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873. In 1897 it was renamed McCall's Magazine—The Queen of Fashion (later shortened to McCall's) and subsequently grew in size to become a large-format glossy. It was one of the "Seven Sisters" group of women's service magazines.
  
  McCall's published fiction by such well-known authors as Alice Adams, Ray Bradbury, Gelett Burgess, Willa Cather, Jack Finney, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Barbara Garson, John Steinbeck, Tim O'Brien, Anne Tyler and Kurt Vonnegut.
  
  From June 1949 until her death in November 1962, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a McCall's column, "If You Ask Me". The former First Lady gave brief answers to questions sent in to the magazine.
  
  Starting in May 1951, and lasting until at least 1995, Betsy McCall paper dolls were printed in most issues. Children could cut out the printed dolls and clothing, or for a small fee (10¢ in 1957, 25¢ in 1967) paper dolls printed on cardboard could be ordered. Betsy McCall became so popular that various sized vinyl dolls were produced by Ideal and American Character Dolls.
  
  Another popular feature which ran for many years was the cartoon panel "It's All in the Family" by Stan and Jan Berenstain. A pair of pioneering female illustrators, Jesse Willcox Smith and Neysa McMein, drew dozens of McCall's cover portraits.
  
  Film critic Pauline Kael worked at McCall's from 1965 to 1966, and was reportedly fired after writing a highly unfavorable review of The Sound of Music'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube (Covers): More
• In 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, Speak softly and carry a big stick' at the Minnesota State Fair.
  From Wikipedia: 'Big Stick ideology, Big Stick diplomacy, or Big Stick policy refers to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy: "speak softly, and carry a big stick." Roosevelt described his style of foreign policy as "the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis".
  
  The idea of negotiating peacefully, simultaneously threatening with the "big stick", or the military, ties in heavily with the idea of Realpolitik, which implies a pursuit of political power that resembles Machiavellian ideals. Compare to the term Gunboat diplomacy, as used in international politics by imperial powers'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
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• In 1940, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  From Wikipedia: 'Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the largerppalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park. It is the most visited national park in the United States. On its route from Maine to Georgia, the Appalachian Trail also passes through the center of the park. The park was chartered by the United States Congress in 1934 and officially dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940. It encompasses 522,419 acres (816.28 sq mi; 211,415.47 ha; 2,114.15 km2), making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. The main park entrances are located along U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) at the towns of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina. It was the first national park whose land and other costs were paid for in part with federal funds; previous parks were funded wholly with state money or private funds'.
  - At TN.gov: More
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• In 1945, Combat ends in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The the Instrument of Surrender of Japan is signed by Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and accepted aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Provisional Government of the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Dominion of New Zealand. The signing took place on the deck of USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
  
  The date is sometimes known as Victory over Japan Day, although that designation more frequently refers to the date of Emperor Hirohito's Gyokuon-hoso (Imperial Rescript of Surrender), the radio broadcast announcement of the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1963, The Angels become the first white all-female group to have a No.1 record. The song was 'My Boyfriend's Back'.
  From Wikipedia: '"My Boyfriend's Back" was a hit song in 1963 for the Angels, an American girl group. It was written by the songwriting team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer (a.k.a. FGG Productions who later formed the group The Strangeloves). The recording, employing the services of drummer Gary Chester, was originally intended as a demo for The Shirelles, but ended up being released as recorded. The result was a single that spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number two on the R&B Billboard.
  
  The song is a word of warning to a would-be suitor who, after the narrator of the song rebuffed his advances, went on to spread nasty rumors accusing the narrator of romantic indiscretions. Now, the narrator declares, her boyfriend is back in town and ready to settle the score, and she tells the rebuffed would-be suitor to watch his back.
  
  Other musicians on the record included Herbie Lovelle on drums, Billy Butler, Bobby Comstock, and Al Gorgoni on guitar, and Bob Bushnell overdubbing on an electric and an upright bass. This song also features a brass section as well.
  
  The song begins with a spoken recitation from the lead singer that goes: "He went away, and you hung around, and followed me every night. And when I wouldn't go out with you, you said things that weren't very nice."
  
  The album version features the line: "Hey. I can see him comin'/ Now you better start a runnin'". before the instrumental repeat of the bridge section and a repeat of one stanza from the refrain, before the coda section.
  
  The inspiration for the song was when co-writer Bob Feldman overheard a conversation between a high school girl and the boy she was rebuffing'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1969, The first ATM machine (Docuteller) goes into service, at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York.
  From Wikipedia: 'A cash machine, also known as an automated teller machine (ATM, American, British, Australian, Malaysian, South African, Singaporean, Indian, Maldivian, Hiberno, Philippine and Sri Lankan English), automated banking machine (ABM, Canadian English), cashpoint, cashline, minibank, bankomat or colloquially hole in the wall (British English) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables the customers of a financial institution to perform financial transactions, particularly cash withdrawal, without the need for a human cashier, clerk or bank teller.
  
  According to the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), there are now close to 3 million cash machines installed worldwide.
  
  After looking first hand at the experiences in Europe, in 1968 the cash machine was pioneered in the US by Donald Wetzel, who was a department head at a company called Docutel. Docutel was a subsidiary of Recognition Equipment Inc of Dallas, Texas, which was producing optical scanning equipment and had instructed Docutel to explore automated baggage handling and automated petrol pumps. In 1969 a venture capital consortium purchased Docutel with the aim of bringing its cash machine to market without delay. By 1974, Docutel had acquired 70 percent of the US market but following the worldwide recession and its reliance on a single product line, Docutel lost its independence and merged with the US subsidiary of Olivetti.
  
  Witzel's idea was recognised by the United States Patent Office for having invented the cash machine under US Patent # 3,761,682 , filled in October 1971 and granted in 1973. However the US patent record cites at least three previous applications from Docutel, all relevant to the development of the cash machine and where Wetzel does not figure, namely US Patent # 3,662,343 , US Patent # 3651976 and US Patent # 3,68,569 . These patents are all credited to Kenneth S. Goldstein, MR Karecki, TR Barnes, GR Chastian and John D. White.
  
  On September 2, 1969, Chemical Bank installed the first cash machine in the US at its branch in Rockville Centre, New York. The first cash machines were designed to dispense a fixed amount of cash when a user inserted a specially coded card. A Chemical Bank advertisement boasted "On Sept. 2 our bank will open at 9:00 and never close again." Chemical's cash machine, initially known as a Docuteller was designed by Donald Wetzel and his company Docutel. Chemical executives were initially hesitant about the electronic banking transition given the high cost of the early machines. Additionally, executives were concerned that customers would resist having machines handling their money. In 1995, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History recognised Docutel and Wetzel as the inventors of the networked cash machine'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 2013, The new eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic, being the widest bridge in the world.
  From Wikipedia: 'The eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge was a construction project to replace an unsafe portion of the Bay Bridge with a new self-anchored suspension bridge (SAS) and a pair of viaducts. The bridge is located in the U.S. state of California, and crosses the San Francisco Bay between Yerba Buena Island and Oakland. It was built between 2002 and 2013, and does not have a name other than the unofficial name of the bridge as a whole ("San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge"). The eastern span replacement is the most expensive public works project in California history, with an estimated cost of $6.4 billion. Originally scheduled to open in 2007, several problems delayed the opening until September 2, 2013. With a width of 258.33 ft (78.74 m), comprising 10 general purpose lanes, it is currently the world's widest bridge, according to Guinness World Records.
  
  The Bay Bridge has two major sections: the western suspension spans and their approach structures between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island (YBI), and the structures between YBI and the eastern terminus in Oakland. The original eastern section was composed of a double balanced cantilever span, five through-truss spans, and a truss causeway.
  
  The original spans of the bridge east of Yerba Buena Island became the subject of concern after a section collapsed during the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989. The replacement span is engineered to withstand the largest earthquake expected over a 1500-year period, and it was expected to last at least 150 years with proper maintenance'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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Did you enjoy your Cherry Epsicle on 'Cherry Popsicle Day' a few days ago? If so, you will like tomorrow. It will be 'National Blueberry Popsicle Day'. They were called Epsicle's for about 18 years, before they were renamed. Why? In 1905 young Master Frank Epperson (age 11), forgot his fruit flavored drink (the one with the stir stick in it) on his front porch in winter.: home made Popsicle. Oops, I meant Epsicle.

Tomorrow 'V-J Day' (Victory over Japan) marks the day in 1945 that the formal document of surrender was signed by the Japanese on-board the U.S.S Missouri.. The surrender had been announced on August 14. This ended WW II, as 'V-E Day' (Victory in Europe Day) occurred on May 8 1945.

You might want to save the Popsicle for a cool down after your, I'm sure, very active Fall cleaning tomorrow. It will be 'National Look Unlimited Day'. The day after Labor Day is set aside for a final look-over to straighten things out and convince yourself that you really don't need all that stuff you set back during Spring cleaning. You know, the stuff for which you were sure you could find some use. It's easy to recognize. It's at the bottom of the stack, under the newer stuff you are sure you can use.

In the past, on September 2:

In 1666, The Great Fire of London began at 2am in Pudding Lane. Before it was done, 80% of London was destroyed.

In 1789 The US Congress founded the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

In 1940, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated.

In 1944, Navy aviator George H. W. Bush (Pres. 41, not 43) and his squadron were attacked on a torpedo bombing run. His plane was set afire. He completed his bombing mission but had to ditch in the sea. He was picked up four hours later. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

In 1969, the first ATM machine, ever, goes into service, at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York.

No. 1 song

• Where Did Our Love Go - The Supremes: More
  'Everybody Loves Somebody' has been displaced by 'Where Did Our Love Go', which will hold the no. 1 spot until Sept. 5 2014, when 'The House of the Rising Sun', takes over.

Top movie

• Mary Poppins More
  Having displaced 'A Hard Day's Night', it will be there until the weekend box office of October 4 1964 when, 'Cheyenne Autumn', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: September 2 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: September 2 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 2nd September More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 2nd September More
• On-This-day.com history 2nd September More
• On-This-day.com music history 2nd September More
• Wikipedia.com: History September 2 More

Baby Safety Month, Better Breakfast Month, Classical Music Month, Fall Hat Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, International Square Dancing Monthk Little League Month, National Biscuit Month, National Blueberry Popsicle Month, National Chicken Month, National Cholesterol Education Month, National Courtesy Month, National Honey Month, National Mushroom Month, National Organic Harvest Month, National Papaya Month, National Piano Month, National Potato Month, National Rice Month, Self Improvement Month

September is:

September origin (from Wikipedia): Originally September (Latin septem, "seven") was the seventh of ten months on the oldest known Roman calendar.
September in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of March in the Southern Hemisphere.
After the calendar reform that added January and February to the beginning of the year, September became the ninth month, but retained its name. It had 29 days until the Julian reform, which added a day.

September 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