Today is January 28 2015

National Blueberry Pancake Day: More

• National Kazoo Day: More
  
• National Have Fun At Work Day: More
  Jan. 28 or last Friday of Jan.
• Data Privacy Day: More
• Christa McAuliffe Day: More

• In 1887, In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1896, Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent becomes the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined 1 shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thus exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h).
  From Wikipedia: 'There are many competing claims as to the first speeding ticket ever issued depending whether the claim goes by the first traffic violation or the first paper ticket ever issued. Great Britain may have the earliest claim with the first person to be convicted of speeding, Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, who on 28 January 1896 was fined for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h) in a 2 mph (3.2 km/h) zone. He was fined 1 shilling plus costs. A New York City cab driver named Jacob German was arrested for speeding on May 20, 1899 for driving 12 miles per hour on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. In Dayton, Ohio, police issued a paper ticket to Harry Myers for going twelve miles per hour on West Third Street in 1904.'
  'Another early speeding ticket was issued in 1910 to Lady Laurier, the wife of Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada, in Ottawa, Canada, for exceeding the 10 miles per hour speed limit'. More
• In 1915, An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard as a branch of the United States Armed Forces.
  From Wikipedia: 'The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's seven uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters) and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set. It operates under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, and can be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Navy by the U.S. President at any time, or by the U.S. Congress during times of war. This has happened twice, in 1917, during World War I, and in 1941, during World War II.'
  
  'Created by Congress on 4 August 1790 at the request of Alexander Hamilton as the "Revenue Marine", it is the oldest continuous seagoing service of the United States. As Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton headed the Revenue Marine, whose original purpose was as the collector of customs duties in the nation's seaports. By the 1860s, the service was known as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the term Revenue Marine gradually fell into disuse.'
  
  'The modern Coast Guard was formed by a merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service on 28 January 1915, under the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As one of the country's five armed services, the Coast Guard has been involved in every U.S. war from 1790 to the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1940, The radio show, Beat the Band, made its debut on NBC radio.
  From Wikipedia: 'Beat the Band was a musical quiz show heard on NBC radio from 1940 to 1944 in two distinctly different series. The program popularized the show business catch phrase, "Give me a little traveling music", often uttered on TV a decade later by Jackie Gleason.
  
  'In the first series, broadcast on Sundays at 6:30pm from Chicago, emcee Garry Moore read music-related questions submitted by listeners to band members in the 14-piece Ted Weems Orchestra. Originally sponsored by the General Mills cereal Kix, listeners whose questions were used on the air received $10; those who stumped the band received $20 and a case of Kix. Questions were often posed in the form of puns or riddles.'
  
  'The program's vocalists were Perry Como, Parker Gibbs and Marvel Maxwell. Other cast members included Country Washburn and Elmo Tanner, the Whistling Troubador. This series aired from January 28, 1940 to February 23, 1941'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1956, Elvis Presley makes his first US television appearance.
  From Wikipedia: 'On January 10, 1956, Presley made his first recordings for RCA in Nashville.'
  
  'Parker finally brought Presley to national television, booking him on CBS's Stage Show for six appearances over two months. The program, produced in New York, was hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. After his first appearance, on January 28, introduced by disc jockey Bill Randle, Presley stayed in town to record at RCA's New York studio'. More
• In 1958, The Lego company patents a design of bricks - a design that Lego would continue to use to present.
  From Wikipedia: 'Lego is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks accompanying an array of gears, figurines called minifigures, and various other parts. Lego pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways, to construct objects such as vehicles, buildings, and working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects.'
  
  'The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891–1958), a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. In 1934, his company came to be called "Lego", derived from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means "play well". In 1947, Lego expanded to begin producing plastic toys.In 1949 Lego began producing, among other new products, an early version of the now famous Lego interlocking bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding Bricks"'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1965, The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament.
  From Wikipedia: 'The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for "the one-leafed"), is a flag consisting of a red field with a white square at its centre, in the middle of which is featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf.[1] It is the first ever specified by law for use as the country's national flag'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1973,The TV show 'Barnaby Jones' starring Buddy Ebsen, premieres.
  From Wikipedia: 'Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as a father and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973, to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement. Halfway through the series run, Mark Shera was added to the cast as the cousin of Ebsen's character, who joins the firm'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1985, The song, We Are the World, was recorded. More than 40 artists were involved. The proceeds went toward worldwide hunger prevention.
  From Wikipedia: 'We Are the World is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1986, The 25th Space Shuttle (51L)-Challenger 10 explodes 73 seconds after liftoff.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger (OV-099) (mission STS-51-L) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members, which included five NASA astronauts and two Payload Specialists. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39 EST (16:39 UTC). Disintegration of the vehicle began after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The O-ring failure caused a breach in the SRB joint it sealed, allowing pressurized burning gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the outside and impinge upon the adjacent SRB aft field joint attachment hardware and external fuel tank. This led to the separation of the right-hand SRB' s aft field joint attachment and the structural failure of the external tank. Aerodynamic forces broke up the orbiter.'
  
  'The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the shuttle program and the formation of the Rogers Commission, a special commission appointed by United States President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident. The Rogers Commission found NASA's organizational culture and decision-making processes had been key contributing factors to the accident. NASA managers had known since 1977 that contractor Morton Thiokol's design of the SRBs contained a potentially catastrophic flaw in the O-rings, but they had failed to address this problem properly. They also disregarded warnings (an example of "go fever") from engineers about the dangers of launching posed by the low temperatures of that morning, and failed to adequately report these technical concerns to their superiors'. More
  - On YouTube: More

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Blueberry Pancake Day'.
[The Hankster says] I wish the antioxidants in the Blueberries were anti caloric, but we must suffer the bad with the good. One delicious cake at a time.

Tune up. Tomorrow is 'National Kazoo Day'. It was invented in the 1840s as a legitimate musical instrument. It is a member of the 'membranous' family of instruments. The banjo, and the glass armonica (or harmonica), are the only musical instruments invented in America.
[The Hankster says] I believe that there is really a fourth American musical instrument invented in America. I think it is even in the same family of instruments. It is a piece of cellophane or plastic wrapper pulled tight and blown across. It is almost as fun to play for your friends as sucking on a straw in an empty cup. Hey, maybe there are really five, but these last two were invented to irritate, not to perform a solo in a band.

Again we task our bosses. Tomorrow is 'National Have Fun At Work Day'.
[The Hankster says] Once again, do so, at your own risk.

An awareness day tomorrow. It is 'Data Privacy Day'. Known as 'Data Protection Day in some countries.'
[The Hankster says] Let's be careful out there. Think twice before you give or fail to secure your private information.

A remembrance day tomorrow. It will be 'Christa McAuliffe Day'. She, a school teacher, and six astronauts, died in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Barack Obama once said 'Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.'
[The Hankster says] If we are the ones we have been waiting for then let's get to it. Let's look back to January 28 in the past and see what challenges and changes were sought.

In 1887, In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick.

In 1896, Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent becomes the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined 1 shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thus exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h).

In 1915, An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard as a branch of the United States Armed Forces. It was formed from the merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service. It has been temporarily assigned as part of the US Navy on two occasions, in 1917 (WW I) and 1941 (WW II) 1 by order of the president.

In 1956, Elvis Presley makes his first US television appearance on 'Stage Show'.

In 1958, The Lego company patents a design of bricks - a design that Lego would continue to use to the present.

In 1965, The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament.

In 1973,The TV show 'Barnaby Jones' starring Buddy Ebsen, premieres.

In 1986, The 25th Space Shuttle (51L)-Challenger 10 explodes 73 seconds after liftoff.

No. 1 song

• Downtown - Petula Clark: More
  'I Feel Fine' has been displaced by 'Downtown', which will hold the no. 1 spot until February 6 1965, when 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'', takes over.

Top movie

• My Fair Lady More
  Having displaced 'Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlott', it will be there until the weekend box office of January 31 1965 when, '36 Hours', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: January 28 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: January 28 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 28th January More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 28th January More
• On-This-day.com history 28th January More
• On-This-day.com music history 28th January More
• Wikipedia.com: History January 28 More

Food holidays
Apple and Apricots Month Artichoke and Asparagus Month California Dried Plum Digestive Month Natiionl Candy Month National Egg Month National Hot Tea Month National Soup Month Oatmeal Month
Other holidays and awareness days
Adopt A Rescued Bird Month Bath Safety Month Be Kind to Food Servers Month Birth Defects Month Book Blitz Month Celebration of Life Month Cervical Health Awareness Month Financial Wellness Month Get Organized Month International Brain Teaser Month International Creativity Month National Braille Literacy Month National Clean Up Your Computer Month National Glaucoma Awareness Month National Polka Music Month National Poverty in America Awareness Month National Skating Month National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month National Stalking Awareness Month National Volunteer Blood Donor Month Self-help Group Awareness Month Teen Driving Awareness Month Train Your Dog Month Thyroid Awareness Month Walk Your Dog Month

January is:

January origin (from Wikipedia): 'January is named after Janus, the God of beginnings and transitions; the name has its beginnings in Roman mythology, coming from the Latin word for door since January is the door to the year.'

'January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of winter) and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer). In the Southern hemisphere, January is the seasonal equivalent of July in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa.'

January 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 1965 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

• 2015 Postal Holidays More
• 2015 Official Federal Holidays More

Holidays Worldwide

• List of holidays by country More
• Holidays and Observances around the World More