Today is October 17 2014

National Pasta Day: More

• National Edge Day: More
  
• National Mulligan Day: More
• National Mammography Day : More Third Friday in October
• National Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Day Odyssey: More
• Black Poetry Day: More
• Wear Something Gaudy Day: More
• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: More
  UN resolution (1993) 'to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries'
• Four Prunes Day : More

• In 1835, At the Provisional Government of Texas, a proposed resolution was made to establish the law enforcement body known as the Texas Rangers.
  From Wikipedia: 'The historical roots of today's Texas Ranger Division trace back to the first days of Anglo-American settlement of what is today the State of Texas, when it was part of the Province of Coahuila y Tejas belonging to the newly independent country of Mexico. The unique characteristics that the Rangers adopted during the force's formative years and that give the division its heritage today—characteristics for which the Texas Rangers would become world-renowned—have been accounted for by the nature of the Rangers' duties, which was to protect a thinly populated frontier against protracted hostilities, first with Plains Indian tribes, and after the Texas Revolution, hostilities with Mexico.
  
  Texas historian T.R. Fehrenbach explains the Rangers' uniqueness:
  
  The Rangers were to be described many times, at first as state troops, later as a police force or constabulary. During most of the 19th century they were neither. They were apart from the regular army, the militia or national guard, and were never a true police force. They were instead one of the most colorful, efficient, and deadly band of irregular partisans on the side of law and order the world has seen. They were called into being by the needs of a war frontier, by a society that could not afford a regular army. Texans passed in and out of the Rangers regularly; in the early years a very high proportion of all west Texans served from time to time. If they bore certain similarities to Mamelukes and Cossacks, they were never quite the same. By the early 1820s, the Mexican War of Independence had subsided, and some 600 to 700 families had settled in Texas—most of them from the United States. Because there was no regular army to protect the citizens against attacks by native tribes and bandits, in 1823, Stephen F. Austin organized small, informal armed groups whose duties required them to range over the countryside, and who thus came to be known as "rangers". Around August 4, 1823, Austin wrote that he would "... employ ten men ... to act as rangers for the common defense ... the wages I will give said ten men is fifteen dollars a month payable in property ..." John Jackson Tumlinson Sr., the first alcalde of the Colorado district, is considered by many historians of the Texas Rangers to be the first killed in the line of duty. While there is some discussion as to when Austin actually employed men as "rangers", Texas Ranger lore dates the anniversary year of their organization to this event.
  
  However, the Texas Rangers were not formally constituted until 1835. Austin returned to Texas after having been imprisoned in Mexico City and helped organize a council to govern the group. On October 17, at a consultation of the Provisional Government of Texas, Daniel Parker proposed a resolution to establish the Texas Rangers. He proposed creating three companies that would total some 60 men and would be known by "uniforms" consisting of a light duster (clothing) and an identification badge made from a Mexican Peso. They were instituted by Texan lawmakers on November 24. On November 28, 1835 Robert McAlpin Williamson was chosen to be the first Major of the Texas Rangers. Within two years the Rangers grew to more than 300 men.
  
  In their early days, Rangers performed tasks of protecting the Texas Frontier against Indian attacks on the settlers. During the Texas Revolution, they served mainly as scouts, spies, couriers, and guides for the settlers fleeing before the Mexican Army and performed rear guard during the Runaway Scrape and general support duties. These minor roles continued after independence, when the region became the Republic of Texas under President Sam Houston. Houston, who had lived with the Cherokee for many years (and who had taken a Cherokee wife), favored peaceful coexistence with Indians, a policy that left little space for a force with the Rangers' characteristics.
  
  This situation changed radically when Mirabeau B. Lamar became president of the Republic of Texas in December 1838. Lamar had participated in skirmishes with the Cherokee in his home state of Georgia; like most Texians, he had not forgotten the support the Cherokee had given the Mexicans at the Cordova Rebellion against the Republic. He favored the eradication of Indians in Texas—a view that he shared with Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Thomas Rusk. Lamar saw in the Rangers the perfect tool for the task, and he obtained permission from the Texas Legislature to raise a force of 56 Rangers, along with other volunteer companies. During the following three years, he engaged the Rangers in a war against the Cherokee and the Comanche and succeeded in weakening their territorial control'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1907, Guglielmo Marconi's company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland.
  From Wikipedia: 'At the turn of the 20th century, Marconi began investigating the means to signal completely across the Atlantic in order to compete with the transatlantic telegraph cables. Marconi established a wireless transmitting station at Marconi House,
  
  Rosslare Strand, Co. Wexford in 1901 to act as a link between Poldhu in Cornwall, England and Clifden in Co. Galway, Ireland. He soon made the announcement that the message was received at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland (now part of Canada) on 12 December 1901, using a 500-foot (150 m) kite-supported antenna for reception—signals transmitted by the company's new high-power station at Poldhu, Cornwall. The distance between the two points was about 2,200 miles (3,500 km). It was heralded as a great scientific advance, yet there also was—and continues to be—considerable skepticism about this claim. The exact wavelength used is not known, but it is fairly reliably determined to have been in the neighborhood of 350 meters (frequency ˜850 kHz). The tests took place at a time of day during which the entire transatlantic path was in daylight. We now know (although Marconi did not know then) that this was the worst possible choice. At this medium wavelength, long distance transmission in the daytime is not possible because of heavy absorption of the skywave in the ionosphere. It was not a blind test; Marconi knew in advance to listen for a repetitive signal of three clicks, signifying the Morse code letter S. The clicks were reported to have been heard faintly and sporadically. There was no independent confirmation of the reported reception, and the transmissions were difficult to distinguish from atmospheric noise. (A detailed technical review of Marconi's early transatlantic work appears in John S. Belrose's work of 1995.) The Poldhu transmitter was a two-stage circuit.
  
  Marconi began to build high-powered stations on both sides of the Atlantic to communicate with ships at sea, in competition with other inventors. In 1904, a commercial service was established to transmit nightly news summaries to subscribing ships, which could incorporate them into their on-board newspapers. A regular transatlantic radio-telegraph service was finally begun on 17 October 1907 between Clifden Ireland and Glace Bay, but even after this the company struggled for many years to provide reliable communication to others'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1919, RCA is incorporated as the Radio Corporation of America.
  From Wikipedia: 'The incorporation of the assets of Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America (including David Sarnoff), the Pan-American Telegraph Company, and those already controlled by the United States Navy led to a new publicly held company formed by General Electric (which owned a controlling interest) on October 17, 1919. The following cooperation among RCA, General Electric, the United Fruit Company, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) brought about innovations in high-power radio technology, and also the founding of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in the US. The Army and the Navy granted RCA the former American Marconi radio terminals that had been confiscated during the War. Admiral Bullard received a seat on the Board of Directors of RCA for his efforts in establishing RCA. The result was federally-created monopolies in radio for GE and the Westinghouse Corporation and in telephone systems for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1939, The movie 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', starring Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur, is released.
  From Wikipedia: 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American political comedy-drama film, starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur, about a newly appointed United States Senator who fights against a corrupt political system. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was controversial when it was released, but also successful at the box office, and made Stewart a major movie star. The film features a bevy of well-known supporting actors and actresses, among them Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell and Beulah Bondi.
  
  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning for Best Original Story. Considered one of the greatest films of all time, in 1989, the Library of Congress added the movie to the United States National Film Registry, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1956, The movie 'Around the World in 80 Days', based on the book by Jules Verne, starring David Nivon and Cantinflas premieres in New York.
  From Wikipedia: 'Around the World in 80 Days (sometimes spelled as Around the World in Eighty Days) is a 1956 American epic science fiction-adventure film starring David Niven and Cantinflas, produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists.
  
  The epic picture was directed by Michael Anderson and produced by Mike Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay was written by James Poe, John Farrow, and S. J. Perelman based on the classic novel of the same name by Jules Verne. The music score was composed by Victor Young, and the Todd-AO 70 mm cinematography (shot in Technicolor) was by Lionel Lindon. The film's seven-minute-long animated title sequence, shown at the end of the film, was created by award-winning designer Saul Bass.
  
  The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
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• In 1961, The New York Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's 'Le Bateau' upside-down It wasn't corrected until December 3rd.
  From Wikipedia: 'Le Bateau ("The Boat") is a paper-cut from 1953 by Henri Matisse. The picture is composed from pieces of paper cut out of sheets painted with gouache, and was created during the last years of Matisse's life.
  
  Le Bateau caused a minor stir when the Museum of Modern Art, New York, which housed it, hung the work upside-down for 47 days in 1961 until Genevieve Habert, a stockbroker, noticed the mistake and notified a guard. Habert later informed the New York Times who in turn notified Monroe Wheeler, the Museum's art director. As a result, the artwork was rehung properly.
  
  The museum currently houses the piece in the "Final Works of Henri Matisse" exhibition'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
• In 1988, The song 'Handle With Care' the, Traveling Wilbury's is their first release. The group starred Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 2006, The United States population reaches 300 million.
  From Wikipedia: 'For the first time since 1940, the 2010 Census is a short-form-only census, as the decennial long form has been replaced by the American Community Survey. This was the first census that recorded a population exceeding 300 million. Because of the 72-year rule, this census will be available for public inspection on April 1, 2082'.
  From Wikipedia: '"Handle with Care" is the first track from the Traveling Wilburys 1988 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, and the group's most successful single. Writing credits are shared by all five band members, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan.
  
  The single reached #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #21 on the UK singles chart and #3 on the ARIA Chart.
  
  The song received a highly positive retrospective review from Allmusic journalist Matthew Greenwald, who described the song as "one of the most memorable records of the 1980s." Greenwald wrote: "Musically, the song is built around a descending, folk-rock chord pattern and some fine major-key chorus movements. George Harrison handles the verses, and there are also two excellent bridges featuring Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. Orbison's section capitalizes on his awesome, operatic vocal pipes, and the effect is wonderful." The opening chords are reminiscent of Jeff Lynne's "10538 Overture", the ELO single from 1972'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More

Tomorrows food holiday is 'National Pasta Day:' The average American (and we all know there is no such thing) eats about 20 lbs of pasta a year. Italian's eat, on the average, about 60 lbs. I've seen no averages on Italian Americans. As for myself, I love carbs. I would rather worry about a way to decrease my spare-tire, than to have the doctor worry about increasing the inside diameter of my clogged arteries. Of course, there are these two novel concepts, called 'moderation' (I hate the word diet) and exercise. Perhaps with exercise and a little meat and a little veggie, you can have a good compromise, for your body and your desires.

If you have not taken my advice, above, you may feel a little out of sorts tomorrow. Not to worry, it will be 'Four Prunes Day'. This day remembers a simpler time when 4 prunes was all the doctor prescribed for irregularity. I love prunes, but here is certainly one place where you want to adhere to the moderation concept.

Need that second chance to hit that ball a little straighter or not throw that interception, well tomorrow is 'National Mulligan Day'.. A Mulligan, in sports, is just that second chance. Each sport has it's Mulligan, and he/she is of course the original.

Since this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we have another related awareness day tomorrow. It will be 'National Mammography Day'.

We started by talking about fuel for the body. Tomorrow you can also think about fuel for transportation. Tomorrow is 'National Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Day Odyssey'.

Tomorrow we celebrate 'Black Poetry Day'.

For those of you who know me, I am sure you realize that I am not a slave to fashion. So, tomorrow's 'Wear Something Gaudy Day' appeals to me greatly.

We also have a UN awareness day tomorrow, 'International Day for the Eradication of Poverty'. It is a UN resolution (1993): 'to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries'. Today is World Food Day. Wouldn't it be great to solve the problems for both food and poverty?

Denise Tanner once said: 'Time is a very healing place, one in which you can grow.' It seems to me that, since time won't stand still for any man, that if we are to take benefit of it's healing properties, then we must remember it, so as to adjust our 'now' to the good or bad, of the 'then'. So, let us look for a healing place, which might have been October 17 in the past:

In 1835, The first resolution formally creating the Texas Rangers was approved. Originally it was a volunteer group. In the 1930's, it was brought under state regulation.

In 1907, Guglielmo Marconi's company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland. Before then we had the mail ships and the transatlantic cable.

In 1934, The radio show 'The Aldrich Family' premieres. It was a situation comedy with the son, Henry, getting into all the teenage boy problems of that age. You all know when your mother is really upset with you, right? She uses your full name as an attention getter. This show started off with 'Henry! Henry Aldrich! Coming mother' as the led-in. As a kid there were three notable entertainment related jabs that I had to suffer. This radio show was one of them. The others were the song 'Dance With Me Henry' and Herman's Hermit's song 'I'm Henry The Eighth I Am'.

In 1961, The NY Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's 'Le Bateau' upside-down It wasn't corrected until December 3rd, 47 days later. It art is in the eye of the beholder, then one museum employee, must have been standing on his head.

In 2006, The United States population reaches 300 million. It was 200 million in 1967 and is estimated to be 400 million in in 2043.

No. 1 song

• Do Wah Diddy Diddy - Manfred Mann: More
  'Oh, Pretty Woman' has been displaced by 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy', which will hold the no. 1 spot until October 31 2014, when 'We'll Sing in the Sunshine', takes over.

Top movie

• Fail-Safe More
  Having displaced 'Cheyenne Autumn', it will be there until the weekend box office of October 18 1964 when, 'Send Me No Flowers', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: October 17 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: October 17 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 17th October More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 17th October More
• On-This-day.com history 17th October More
• On-This-day.com music history 17th October More
• Wikipedia.com: History October 17 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