Today is October 9 2014

National Moldy Cheese Day: More
Submarine-Hoagy-Hero-Grinder Day: More

• Leif Erikson Day: More
  
• Fire Prevention Day: More
• National Chess Day: More
• National Depression Screening Day: More
• World Post Day: More
• World Sight Day: More
• Curious Events Day : More

• In 1000, Leif Ericson discovers 'Vinland' (possibly L'Anse aux Meadows, Canada) reputedly becoming the first European to reach North America.
  From Wikipedia: 'Vinland, Vineland or Winland (Old Norse: Vínland) is the area of coastal North America explored by Norse Vikings, where Leif Erikson first landed in ca. 1000, approximately five centuries prior to the voyages of Christopher Columbus and John Cabot. Vinland was the name given to North America as far as it was explored by the Vikings, presumably including both Newfoundland and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence as far as northeastern New Brunswick (where the eponymous grapevines are found).
  
  In 1960, archaeological evidence of the only known Norse settlement in North America (outside Greenland) was found at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland. Before the discovery of archaeological evidence, Vinland was known only from Old Norse sagas and medieval historiography. The 1960 discovery conclusively proved the pre-Columbian Norse colonization of the Americas. L'Anse aux Meadows may correspond to the camp Straumfjörð mentioned in the Saga of Erik the Red.
  
  Vinland or "Winland" was the name given to part of North America by the Icelandic Norseman Leif Eiríksson, about year 1000. The earliest record of the name Winland is found in Adam of Bremen's Descriptio insularum Aquilonis ("Description of the Northern Islands", ch. 39) written c. 1075. To write it he visited king Svend Estridson, who had knowledge of the northern lands. Adam implies that the name contains Old Norse vín (Latin vinum) "wine" (rendered as Old High German win):
  
  This etymology is retained in the 13th-century Grœnlendinga saga, which provides a circumstantial account of the discovery of Vinland and its being named from the vínber, i.e. "wineberry", a term for grapes or currants (black or red), found there.
  
  There is a long-standing Scandinavian tradition of fermenting berries into wine. The question whether the name refers to actual grapevines (as implied by Adam of Bremen) or just to berries was addressed in a 2010 excavation report on L’Anse aux Meadows. The discovery of butternuts at the site implies that the Norse explored Vinland further to the south, at least as far as St. Lawrence River and parts of New Brunswick, the northern limit for both butternut and wild grapes (Vitis riparia).
  
  There is an alternative suggestion for the name's etymology, brought up by Sven Söderberg in 1898 (first published in 1910). This suggestion involves interpreting the Old Norse name not as vín-land but as vin-land, with a short vowel. Old Norse vin (from Proto-Norse winju) has a meaning of "meadow, pasture"'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1855, Joshua Stoddard of Worcester, Massachusetts, patents first calliope.
  From Wikipedia: 'Joshua C. Stoddard (August 26, 1814 in Pawlet, Vermont – April 4, 1902) was an American inventor. He was educated at the public schools, and became noted as an apiarist. He also turned his attention to inventing, and on October 9, 1855, patented (U.S. Patent 13,668 ) the steam calliope, used on Mississippi steamerboats. It was originally known as a "steam piano", with Stoddard forming the American Steam Piano Company in Worcester. His first instrument, consisting of a steam boiler, a set of valves, and fifteen graded steam whistles played from a pinned cylinder, reportedly could be heard for a range of five miles. The Worcester City Council banned him from playing it within the city limits because it was so loud.
  
  He also invented the Stoddard horse-rake, patented in 1879. More than 100,000 of his rakes were produced. Other inventions included a fruit-paring machine, a hay-tedder and a fire escape system, patented 1884'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1876, Bell makes the first two-way long distance telephone call between Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts.
  From Wikipedia: '"On October 9, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson talked by telephone to each other over a two-mile (3 km) wire stretched between Cambridge and Boston. It was the first wire conversation ever held. Yesterday afternoon the same two men talked by telephone to each other over a 3,400-mile (5,500 km) wire between New York and San Francisco. Dr. Bell, the veteran inventor of the telephone, was in New York, and Mr. Watson, his former associate, was on the other side of the continent. They heard each other much more distinctly than they did in their first talk thirty-eight years ago." — New York Times, Jan 26, 1915'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1888, The Washington Monument officially opens to the general public.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. Located almost due east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, the monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss, is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 554 feet 7 11/32 inches (169.046 m) tall according to the National Geodetic Survey (measured 2013–14) or 555 feet 5 1/8 inches (169.294 m) tall according to the National Park Service (measured 1884). In 1975, construction raised the ground or pavement around the base of the monument the most since 1884, reducing the remaining height to its apex. It is the tallest monumental column in the world if all are measured above their pedestrian entrances, but two are taller when measured above ground, though they are neither all stone nor true obelisks.
  
  Construction of the monument began in 1848, and was halted from 1854 to 1877 due to a lack of funds, a struggle for control over the Washington National Monument Society, and the intervention of the American Civil War. Although the stone structure was completed in 1884, internal ironwork, the knoll, and other finishing touches were not completed until 1888. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m) or 27% up, shows where construction was halted and later resumed with marble from a different source. The original design was by Robert Mills, but he did not include his proposed colonnade due to a lack of funds, proceeding only with a bare obelisk. Despite many proposals to embellish the obelisk, only its original flat top was altered to a pointed marble pyramidion, in 1884. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the first stone was laid atop the unfinished stump on August 7, 1880; the capstone was set on December 6, 1884; and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9, 1888. Upon completion, it became the world's tallest structure, a title previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The monument held this designation until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, France.
  
  The monument was damaged during the 2011 Virginia earthquake and Hurricane Irene in the same year and remained closed to the public while the structure was assessed and repaired. After 32 months of repairs, the National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall reopened the Washington Monument to visitors on May 12, 2014.
  
  As of September 2016, the monument has been closed indefinitely due to reliability issues with the current elevator system'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1935, The radio show 'Cavalcade of America' was first broadcast on CBS radio. It ran for 18 series for 781 ep. from October 9, 1935 to March 31, 1953.
  From Wikipedia: 'Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on television from 1952 to 1957. Originally on CBS, the series pioneered the use of anthology drama for company audio advertising.
  
  Cavalcade of America documented historical events using stories of individual courage, initiative and achievement, often with feel-good dramatizations of the human spirit's triumph against all odds. The series was intended to improve DuPont's public image after World War I. The company's motto, "Maker of better things for better living through chemistry," was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1936, Hoover Dam (was Bolder) begins transmitting electricity to LA.
  From Wikipedia: 'Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. The dam was controversially named after President Herbert Hoover.
  
  Since about 1900, the Black Canyon and nearby Boulder Canyon had been investigated for their potential to support a dam that would control floods, provide irrigation water and produce hydroelectric power. In 1928, Congress authorized the project. The winning bid to build the dam was submitted by a consortium called Six Companies, Inc., which began construction on the dam in early 1931. Such a large concrete structure had never been built before, and some of the techniques were unproven. The torrid summer weather and lack of facilities near the site also presented difficulties. Nevertheless, Six Companies turned over the dam to the federal government on March 1, 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule.
  
  Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume (when it is full). The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction; nearly a million people tour the dam each year. The heavily travelled U.S. 93 ran along the dam's crest until October 2010, when the Hoover Dam Bypass opened'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
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• In 1943, The radio children's show 'Land of the Lost' debuted on ABC radio. From Wikipedia: '... the adventures of two children who traveled underwater with the fatherly fish Red Lantern. Each week the show opened with the line, 'In that wonderful kingdom at the bottom of the sea', and then Red Lantern showed Billy and Isabel where different lost objects were stored beneath the waves'.
  From Wikipedia: 'Land of the Lost was a 1940s radio fantasy adventure, written and narrated by Isabel Manning Hewson, about the adventures of two children who traveled underwater with the fatherly fish Red Lantern. Each week the show opened with the line, "In that wonderful kingdom at the bottom of the sea...", and then Red Lantern showed Billy and Isabel where different lost objects were stored beneath the waves.
  
  The Land of the Lost radio series aired from 1943 to 1948 on the Mutual Broadcasting System and ABC. Betty Jane Tyler was the voice of the young Isabel, and Ray Ives was the voice of Billy. Several actors voiced Red Lantern, including Art Carney, Julius Matthews and William Keene. The announcer was Michael Fitzmaurice, and Cyril Armbrister directed.
  
  With music by John Winters and lyrics by Barbara Miller, Peggy Marshall did the vocal arrangements. Organist Bob Hamilton provided background music.
  
  A pioneer female radio commentor prior to Land of the Lost, Hewson did a food shopping show, Morning Market Basket, on the NBC Red network during World War II. She launched Land of the Lost October 9, 1943, and it was broadcast Saturday mornings at 11:30am on the ABC Blue network until September 22, 1945. In 1944, it also was on ABC Tuesdays at 7:00pm from July 4 until October 3. On October 14, 1945, the series moved to Mutual, where it was heard until July 6, 1946 (Sundays at 3:30 until mid-January and then Saturdays at 11:30am). Sponsored by Bosco, Land of the Lost aired on ABC from October 11, 1947 until the end of the run on July 3, 1948'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1986, The musical 'Phantom of the Opera' by Andrew Lloyd Webber opened in London. It opened on Broadway in 1988. From Wikipedia: 'It is the longest running show in Broadway history by a wide margin, and celebrated its 10,000th Broadway performance on 11 February 2012'.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart with additions from Richard Stilgoe. Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe also wrote the musical's book together. Based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux, its central plot revolves around a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius.
  
  The musical opened in London's West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Michael Crawford (in the title role) won the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. It is the longest running show in Broadway history by a wide margin, and celebrated its 10,000th Broadway performance on 11 February 2012, the first production ever to do so. It is the second longest-running West End musical, after Les Misérables, and the third longest-running West End show overall, after The Mousetrap.
  
  With total estimated worldwide gross receipts of over $5.6 billion (the highest in history) and total Broadway gross of $845 million (surpassed only by The Lion King), Phantom is the most financially successful entertainment event to date. By 2011, it had been seen by over 130 million people in 145 cities across 27 countries, and continues to play in London and New York'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1992, A 13 kilogram (28.7 lb) (est.) fragment of the Peekskill meteorite lands in the driveway of the Knapp residence in Peekskill, New York, destroying the family's 1980 Chevrolet Malibu.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Peekskill meteorite is among the most historic meteorite events on record. Sixteen separate video recordings document the meteorite burning through the Earth's atmosphere, whereupon it struck a parked car in Peekskill, New York. Peekskill is an H6 monomict breccia; its filigreed texture is the result of the shocking and heating following the impact of two asteroids in outer space. The meteorite is of the stony variety and approximately 20% of its mass is tiny flakes of nickel-iron. When it struck Earth, the meteorite weighed 26 pounds (12 kg) and measured one foot (0.30 m) in diameter. The Peekskill meteorite is estimated to be 4.4 billion years old.
  
  The meteorite fell on October 9, 1992 – an event witnessed by thousands across the East Coast. Numerous residents of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. described the "huge greenish fireball." The meteorite broke up over Kentucky and passed over West Virginia and Pennsylvania on its north-northeast trajectory before striking a parked 1980 red Chevy Malibu at approximately 7:50 pm EDT. After traveling through space at a cosmic velocity of 8.8 miles per second (14 km/s), the speed of the meteorite at impact had slowed to 164 miles per hour (264 km/h)'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1965, The Beatles' song 'Yesterday' single goes #1 and stays #1 for 4 weeks.
  From Wikipedia: '"Yesterday" is a song by English rock band The Beatles written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) first released on the album Help! in the United Kingdom in August 1965.
  
  "Yesterday", with the B-side "Act Naturally", was released as a single in the United States in September 1965. While it topped the American chart in October the song also hit the British top 10 in a cover version by Matt Monro. The song also appeared on the UK EP "Yesterday" in March 1966 and the Beatles' US album Yesterday and Today, released in June 1966.
  
  McCartney's vocal and acoustic guitar, together with a string quartet, essentially made for the first solo performance of the band. It remains popular today with more than 2,200 cover versions and is one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music. "Yesterday" was voted the best song of the 20th century in a 1999 BBC Radio 2 poll of music experts and listeners and was also voted the No. 1 pop song of all time by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine the following year. In 1997, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone.
  
  "Yesterday" is a melancholy ballad about the break-up of a relationship. The singer laments for yesterday when he and his love were together, before she left because of something he said. McCartney is the only member of the Beatles to appear on the recording. The final recording was so different from other works by the Beatles that the band members vetoed the release of the song as a single in the United Kingdom, although other artists were quick to do so. It was issued as a single in the US in September 1965 and later released as a single in the UK in 1976'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1989, An official news agency in the Soviet Union reports the l anding of a UFO in Voronezh.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Voronezh UFO incident was an alleged UFO sighting reported in Voronezh, Soviet Union, on September 27, 1989. The incident was allegedly witnessed by a group of children, with other members of the local community, including civil servants, claiming to have seen the craft only. The area has been popular with UFO-hunting tourists.
  
  The story reported by the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) claimed that a group of children had spotted a small ball in the park whilst playing (now Yuzhny Park), which quickly morphed into a disc, which landed near them. Witnesses then reported a "three-eyed alien" and a robot exiting the craft. The alien stared at a horrified onlooker, freezing them in their tracks, before departing and returning five minutes later to abduct a 16-year-old boy, using what was described as a 50 cm-long "pistol tube".
  
  Though the children were the only ones claiming to have witnessed the aliens, Lieut. Sergei A. Matveyev of the Voronezh district police station claimed to have seen the craft. The Interior Ministry said they would dispatch troops to the area should the craft reappear'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 2006, Google purchases the video sharing website YouTube - for $1.65 billion in stock.
  From Wikipedia: 'YouTube is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. The service was created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005. In November 2006, it was bought by Google for US$1.65 billion. YouTube now operates as one of Google's subsidiaries. The site allows users to upload, view, rate, share, and comment on videos, and it makes use of WebM, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, and Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media videos. Available content includes video clips, TV show clips, music videos, audio recordings, movie trailers, and other content such as video blogging, short original videos, and educational videos.
  
  Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, but media corporations including CBS, the BBC, Vevo, Hulu, and other organizations offer some of their material via YouTube, as part of the YouTube partnership program. Unregistered users can watch videos on the site, but registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos and add comments to videos. Videos deemed potentially offensive are available only to registered users affirming themselves to be at least 18 years old. In July 2016, the website was ranked as the second most popular site by Alexa Internet, a web traffic analysis company.
  
  YouTube earns advertising revenue from Google AdSense, a program which targets ads according to site content and audience. The vast majority of its videos are free to view, but there are exceptions, including subscription-based premium channels, film rentals, as well as YouTube Red, a subscription service offering ad-free access to the website and access to exclusive content made in partnership with existing users'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
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Again tomorrow we have two food holidays. These two compliment each other. Tomorrow is 'Submarine-Hoagy-Hero-Grinder Day'. While you are making that tubular version of the Dagwood sandwich, you will need some cheese. Got you covered. Tomorrow is also 'National Moldy Cheese Day'. Not on my sandwich you say. We are talking about Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola and the like. This is not an awareness day concerning the need to remove that hard fuzzy, green shrunken thing that was once a slice of American Cheese, that slipped down behind the vegetable bin at the back of the refrigerator.

Tomorrow we celebrate the first European who probably did make it to what is now the North American Continent. Tomorrow is 'Leif Erikson Day'. In no effort to slight the achievements of others, Columbus never did make it to the continent. He would have hit what is Now Florida on one of his several voyages, but made a last minute course change.

Tomorrow is 'Fire Prevention Day'. Check your smoke alarms and thank a fire person for their efforts.

Tomorrow is also 'National Chess Day'. Played it as a kid. I would probably get beat in the first three moves now.

We have two awareness days tomorrow. It will be 'National Depression Screening Day' and 'World Sight Day'.

Tomorrow is also ' Curious Events Day'. No, you may not list my posts among those days, but feel free to find another.

John B. Priestly once said: "A good holiday is one spent among people whose notions of time are vaguer than yours." It may be fun to respond to the moment. Let's see how our ancestors handled their moment, back on October 9th in the past:

In 1855, Joshua Stoddard patents the first calliope. These are the big steam organs that were on steamboats and pulled on circus wagons. Actually they were first called "Steam Pianos'.

In 1876, Bell makes the first two-way long distance telephone call between Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1888, The Washington Monument officially opens to the general public.

In 1992, A 13 kilogram (28.7 lb) (est.) fragment of the Peekskill meteorite lands in the driveway of the Knapp family's residence in Peekskill, New York, destroying the family's car.

No. 1 song

• Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison: More
  'The House of the Rising Sun' has been displaced by 'Oh, Pretty Woman', which will hold the no. 1 spot until October 17 2014, when 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy', takes over.

Top movie

• Cheyenne Autumn More
  Having displaced 'Mary Poppins', it will be there until the weekend box office of October 11 1964 when, 'Fail-Safe', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: October 9 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: October 9 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 9th October More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 9th October More
• On-This-day.com history 9th October More
• On-This-day.com music history 9th October More
• Wikipedia.com: History October 9 More

Food: Apple Month, Rhubarb Month, Sausage Month, Spinach Lovers Month, National Chili Month, National Popcorn Poppin' Month, National Seafood Month Pear and Pineapple Month, , Vegetarian Month
Other
AIDS Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bullying Prevention Month, Celiac Disease Awareness Month, Class Reunion Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, National Book Month, National Dental Hygiene Month, National Down Syndrome Month, National Spina Bifida Awareness Month, National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month

October is:

October origin (from Wikipedia): October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name (from the Greek meaning 'eight') after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the Romans. "
October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in the Northern hemisphere and spring in the Southern hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to April in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa.

October 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