Today is November 6 2014

National Nachos Day: More

• National Men Make Dinner Day: More
  First Thursday of November
• Saxophone Day: More
  Birthday of the it's inventor, Adophe Sax.
• International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict: More
  UN awareness day.
• Marooned Without a Compass Day: More
• National Basketball Day: More
  Birthday of it's creator, James Naismith

• In 1528, Spanish conquistador Alvar N£¤ez Cabeza de Vaca becomes the first known European to set foot in what would later become Texas.
  From Wikipedia: 'Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (Jerez de la Frontera, c. 1488/1490/1492 – Seville, c. 1557/1558/1559/1560) was a Spanish explorer of the New World, and one of four survivors of the 1527 Narváez expedition. During eight years of traveling across the US Southwest, he became a trader and faith healer to various Native American tribes before reconnecting with Spanish colonial forces in Mexico in 1536. After returning to Spain in 1537, he wrote an account, first published in 1542 as La Relación ("The Relation", or in more modern terms "The Account"), which in later editions was retitled Naufragios ("Shipwrecks"). Cabeza de Vaca has been considered notable as a proto-anthropologist for his detailed accounts of the many tribes of American Indians that he encountered.
  
  In 1527, the explorer named Pánfilo de Narváez was sent by Spain’s King Charles I to explore the unknown territory which the Spanish called La Florida (present-day Florida in the United States). Cabeza de Vaca was attached to this expedition as the expedition’s treasurer. Records indicate that he also had a military role as one of the chief officers on the Narváez expedition, noted as sheriff or marshal. On June 17, 1527, the fleet of five ships set sail towards the province of Pánuco (which was on the western border of Florida). When they stopped in Hispaniola for supplies, Narváez lost approximately 150 of his men, who chose to stay on the island rather than continue with the expedition.
  
  The expedition continued to Cuba, where Cabeza de Vaca took two ships to recruit more men and buy supplies. Their fleet was battered by a hurricane, resulting in the destruction of both ships and loss of most of Cabeza de Vaca’s men. Narváez arrived days later to pick up the survivors. By February 1528, the remaining ships and men resumed their expedition, reaching Florida in April. They anchored near what is now known as the Jungle Prada Site in St. Petersburg claiming this land as a possession of the Spanish empire.
  
  After communicating with the Native Americans, the Spanish heard rumours that a city named Apalachen was full of food and gold. Against the advice of Cabeza de Vaca, Narváez decided to split up his men. Some 300 were to go on foot to Apalachen and the other would sail to Pánuco. Apalachen had no gold but had only corn, but the explorers were told a village known as Aute, about 5 or 9 days away, was rich. They pushed on through the swamps, harassed by the Native Americans. A few Spanish men were killed and more wounded. When they arrived in Aute, they found that the inhabitants had burned down the village and left. But the fields had not been harvested, so at least the Spanish scavenged food there. After several months of fighting native inhabitants through wilderness and swamp, the party decided to abandon the interior and try to reach Pánuco.
  
  Slaughtering and eating their remaining horses, they gathered the stirrups, spurs, horseshoes and other metal items. They fashioned a bellows from deer hide to make a fire hot enough to forge tools and nails. They used these in making five primitive boats to use to get to Mexico. Cabeza de Vaca commanded one of these vessels, each of which held 50 men. Depleted of food and water, the men followed the coast westward. But when they reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, the powerful current swept them out into the Gulf, where the five rafts were separated by a hurricane. Some were lost forever, including that of Narváez.
  
  Two crafts with about 40 survivors each, including Cabeza de Vaca, wrecked on or near Galveston Island (now part of Texas). Out of the 80 or so survivors, only 15 lived past that winter. The explorers called the island Malhado (“Ill fate” in Spanish), or the Island of Doom. They tried to repair the rafts, using what remained of their own clothes as oakum to plug holes, but they lost the rafts to a large wave'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1869, The first official intercollegiate American football game took place. Rutgers College defeats Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey), 6-4.
  From Wikipedia: 'In what some regard as the very first game ever played of intercollegiate football, a contest was held between teams from Rutgers College (now Rutgers University) and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). The 1869 game between Rutgers and Princeton is important in that it is the first documented "football" game between two American colleges. Rutgers won the game by a score of 6–4
  
  The Princeton/Rutgers game was undoubtedly different from what we today know as American football, as there was no running with the ball, each team included 25 players, and the ball was perfectly spherical. The first game which included running with the ball, 11-man sides, an oval-shaped ball, and tackling to end a play occurred on June 4, 1875, between Harvard University and Tufts University'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube (oldest known footage of a college football game1903): More
• In 1928, Colonel Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor.
  From Wikipedia: 'Col. Jacob Schick (September 16, 1877 – July 3, 1937) was an American inventor and entrepreneur who patented the first electric razor and started the Schick Dry Shaver, Inc. razor company. Schick became a Canadian citizen in 1935 to avoid an investigation by the Joint Congressional Committee on Tax Evasion and Avoidance after he moved most of his wealth to a series of holding companies in the Bahamas.
  
  Jacob Schick's first business venture, the Magazine Repeating Razor Co. (Founded 1925) sold a razor with injection cartridge blades designed much like a repeating rifle, where the blades were sold in clips that could be loaded into the razor without touching the blade. This business provided the necessary capital to develop his electric razor concept when he sold it to the American Chain and Cable Company in 1928.
  
  Successfully patented first electric razor in November, 1923. Also patented the General Jacobs Boat for use in shallow water, and an improved pencil sharpener'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube (1950 commercials): More
• In 1935, Edwin Armstrong presents his paper 'A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation' to the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers.
  From Wikipedia: 'Edwin Howard Armstrong (December 18, 1890 – January 31, 1954) was an American electrical engineer and inventor, best known for developing FM (frequency modulation) radio. He held 42 patents and received numerous awards, including the first Medal of Honor awarded by the Institute of Radio Engineers (now IEEE), the French Legion of Honor, the 1941 Franklin Medal and the 1942 Edison Medal. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and included in the International Telecommunication Union's roster of great inventors.
  
  In early 1928 Armstrong began researching the capabilities of frequency modulation. Although there were few others involved in FM research at this time, he did have knowledge of a project being conducted by RCA engineers, who were investigating whether FM shortwave transmissions were less susceptible to fading than AM. In 1931 these engineers conducted a successful FM shortwave link transmitting the Schmeling-Stribling fight broadcast from California to Hawaii, and noted at the time that the signals seemed to be less affected by static, but the project made little further progress.
  
  Working in secret in the basement laboratory of Columbia's Philosophy Hall, Armstrong slowly developed what eventually resulted in wide-band FM, in the process discovering significant advantages over the earlier "narrow-band" FM transmissions. He was granted five U.S. patents covering the basic features of new system on December 26, 1933. Initially, the primary claim was that his FM system was effective at filtering out the noises produced in receivers by vacuum-tubes.
  
  Armstrong had a standing agreement to give RCA the right of first refusal to his patents. In 1934 he made a presentation of his new system to RCA president Sarnoff. Sarnoff was somewhat taken aback by its complexity, as he had hoped it would be possible to eliminate static merely by adding a simple device to existing receivers. From May 1934 until October 1935 Armstrong conducted field tests of his FM technology from an RCA laboratory located on the 85th floor of the Empire State Building in New York City. An antenna attached to the building's spire transmitted signals for distances up to 80 miles (130 km). These tests helped demonstrate FM's static-reduction and high-fidelity capabilities. However RCA, which was heavily invested in perfecting television broadcasting, chose not to invest in FM, and instructed Armstrong to remove his equipment.
  
  Denied the marketing and financial clout that RCA would have brought, Armstrong decided to finance his own development and form ties with smaller members of the radio industry, including Zenith and General Electric, to promote his invention. Armstrong thought that FM had the potential to replace AM stations within 5 years, which he promoted as a boost for the radio manufacturing industry, then suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, since making existing AM radio transmitters and receivers obsolete would necessitate that stations buy replacement transmitters and listeners purchase FM-capable receivers. In 1936 he published a landmark paper in the Proceedings of the IRE that documented the superior capabilities of using wide-band FM. (This paper would be reprinted in the August 1984 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE.) A year later, a paper by Murray G. Crosby (inventor of Crosby system for FM Stereo) in the same journal provided further analysis of the wide-band FM characteristics, and introduced the concept of "threshold", demonstrating that there is a superior signal to noise ratio when the signal is stronger than a certain level'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1935, The first flight of the Hawker Hurricane, with its K5083 first prototype. This British fighter brought down more enemy planes during WW II than any other British plane.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s-1940s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although overshadowed by the Supermarine Spitfire, the aircraft became renowned during the Battle of Britain, accounting for 60% of the RAF's air victories in the battle, and served in all the major theatres of the Second World War.
  
  The 1930s design evolved through several versions and adaptations, resulting in a series of aircraft which acted as fighters, bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers (also called "Hurribombers") and ground support aircraft. Further versions known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications which enabled operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts, known as "Hurricats". More than 14,583 Hurricanes were built by the end of 1944 (including at least 800 converted to Sea Hurricanes and some 1,400 built in Canada by Canadian Car and Foundry)'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1947, The TV news show 'Meet the Press' premiers. It is still being run. No. of seasons 66 No. of episodes 17,590 (as of May 18, 2015). It is the longest-running program in television history.
  From Wikipedia: 'Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program that is broadcast on NBC. It is the longest-running program in U.S. television history, though its current format bears little resemblance to the one it debuted with on November 6, 1947. Like similar shows that have followed it, Meet the Press specializes in interviews with national leaders on issues of politics, economics, foreign policy and other public affairs, along with panel discussions that provide opinions and analysis. It originates from NBC's Washington, D.C. studios.
  
  The longevity of Meet the Press can be illustrated in consideration of the fact that the program debuted during what was only the second official "network television season" for American television. One historical landmark of the program is that it was the first on which a sitting U.S. President, Gerald Ford, appeared on a live television network news program, which occurred on the November 9, 1975, broadcast.
  
  The program has been hosted by 12 different moderators to date, beginning with creator Martha Rountree. The show's moderator since 2014 is Chuck Todd, who also serves as political director for NBC News.
  
  Currently, the hour-long program airs in most markets on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. live in the Eastern Time Zone and on tape delay elsewhere. Meet the Press is also occasionally pre-empted due to network coverage of sports events held outside of the U.S. The program is also rebroadcast on Sundays at 2:00 p.m., and Mondays at 2:00 a.m. and sometimes 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time on MSNBC, whose audio feed is also simulcast on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. The program is also syndicated by Westwood One to various radio stations around the United States, as well as on C-SPAN Radio as part of its replays of the Sunday morning talk shows'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Tomorrow's food holiday is 'National Nachos Day'. Love 'um. I guess I always thought that Nachos were around when the Spanish conquistadors took back other things, like Tacos and Chocolate, to Spain from Central America. Not so. 'Nachos originated in the city of Piedras Negras, Mexico. One night in 1943, the wives of ten U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan arrived at a restaurant called Victory Club after it had already closed for the evening. Restaurant employee Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya quickly put together what he had left in the kitchen for the women, and called the dish "Nachos Especiales." Word about this tasty treat quickly spread throughout Mexico and Texas. Anaya went on to open his own nacho restaurant and his original na cho recipe was printed in St. Anne's Cookbook in 1954.'.

OK, guys, tomorrow is for you. Well, I say for you. It depends on how good of a job you do on 'National Men Make Dinner Day'. This occurs on the first Thursday of November each year. There are several rules. These are the three most important. You cannot make BBQ. You cannot send for pizza or other take out. You must use at least four ingredients. Even with these handicaps, I bet you can come up with something. When I was a kid, my father had his specialties, although my mom did most of the cooking.

Strike up the band. Tomorrow is 'Saxophone Day'. It is on the birthday of it's inventor, Adophe Sax.

Tomorrow is also an UN awareness day. 'International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict'. UN awareness day.

Here is one you can play with. Tomorrow is 'Marooned Without a Compass Day'. In my research, I can find multiple agreement of the event and day, but no agreement as to what it represents. One idea is that it is a time to get your bearings if you feel disoriented in life. A second, is a day on which to exhibit your orienteering skills. Seems to me, that either makes sense. You need to know where you are physically and mentally at all times

Tomorrow is also 'National Basketball Day'. It celebrates the birthday of it's creator, James Naismith in 1861.

Saint Augustine once said 'What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.' The dictionary says time is 'the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.'. That's a whole lot to think about. I don't know the future and the now just turned into the past while I was writing. I feel much more comfortable in the past. Using that as a segway, let's look at November 6 in the past.

In 1528, Spanish conquistador de Vaca becomes the first known European to set foot in what would later become Texas. Rumor has it, that he Messed With Texas and ended up in Mexico.

In 1869, the first official intercollegiate American football game took place. Rutgers College defeated Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey), 6-4. In those early days, the game was more like a cross between Soccer and Rugby.

In 1928, Colonel Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor.

In 1947, The TV news show 'Meet the Press' premiers.

No. 1 song

• We'll Sing in the Sunshine - Gale Garnett: More
  'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' has been displaced by 'We'll Sing in the Sunshine', which will hold the no. 1 spot until November 7 1964, when 'Last Kiss', takes over.

Top movie

• The Naked Kiss More
  Having displaced 'Mary Popins', it will be there until the weekend box office of November 8 1964 when, 'Kitten with a Whip', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: November 6 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: November 6 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 6th November More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 6th November More
• On-This-day.com history 6th November More
• On-This-day.com music history 6th November More
• Wikipedia.com: History November 6 More

Food:
National Peanut Butter Lover's Month
National Georgia Pecan Month
National Pepper Month
Other:
National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
National American Indian Heritage Month
National Bladder Health Awareness Month
National Candle Month
National Child Mental Health Month
National Diabetes Awareness Month
National Epilepsy Awareness Month
National Family Caregivers Month
National Fragrance Month
National Healthy Skin Month
National Home Care Month
National Lifewriting Month
National Long Term Care Awareness Month
National Marrow Awareness Month
National Military Family Month
National Native American Heritage Month
National Novel Writing Month
National Pet Awareness Month
National Scholarship Month
National Senior Pet Month

November is:

November origin (from Wikipedia): 'November is the eleventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with the length of 30 days. November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar. November retained its name (from the Latin novem meaning 'nine') when January and February were added to the Roman calendar. '

'November is a month of spring in the Southern Hemisphere and autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, November in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of May in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa.'

November 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