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Today is February 16 2015

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   I.
Today's Holidays and Historical Events (updated daily)
Today's Food Holiday

National Almond Day: More

Other celebrations/observances today:
  • President's Day: More
    Third Monday in February
  • National do a Grouch a Favor Day: More
  • Innovation Day: More
  • Kyoto Protocol Day: More
    An awareness day for the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
  • Westminster Kennel Club 139th Annual All Breed Dog Show: More
    Feb 16-17. CNBC and USA Network will be broadcasting some of the show.
  • Australia’s Healthy Weight Week (AU): More
    First day, 16-22, by the Dietitians Association of Australia.
Events in the past on: February 16
  • In 1883, The 'Ladies Home Journal' begins publishing.
    From Wikipedia:' 'Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine published by the Meredith Corporation. It first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. It was the first American magazine to reach 1 million subscribers in 1903. On April 24, 2014, Meredith announced it would stop publishing the magazine as a monthly with the July issue, stating it was "transitioning Ladies' Home Journal to a special interest publication". It is now available quarterly on newsstands only, though its website remains in operation.

    Ladies' Home Journal was one of the Seven Sisters, a group of women's service magazines.'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1923, Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
    From Wikipedia:' 'In 1907, after three hard years for Carter, Lord Carnarvon employed him to supervise Carnarvon's Egyptian excavations in the Valley of the Kings. The intention of Gaston Maspero, who introduced the two, was to ensure ssthat Howard Carter imposed modern archaeological methods and systems of recording.

    Carnarvon financed Carter's work in the Valley of the Kings to 1914, but until 1917 excavations and study were interrupted by the First World War. Following the end of the First World War, Carter aggressively resumed his work. After several years of finding little, Lord Carnarvon became dissatisfied with the lack of results, and in 1922 informed Carter that he had one more season of funding to search the Valley of the Kings and find the tomb.

    On 4 November 1922, Howard Carter's excavation group found steps that Carter hoped led to Tutankhamun's tomb (subsequently designated KV62) (the tomb that would be considered the best preserved and most intact pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings)

    He wired Lord Carnarvon to come, and on 26 November 1922, with Carnarvon, Carnarvon's daughter and others in attendance, Carter made the "tiny breach in the top left hand corner" of the doorway (with a chisel his grandmother had given him for his 17th birthday.) He was able to peer in by the light of a candle and see that many of the gold and ebony treasures were still in place. He did not yet know whether it was "a tomb or merely a cache", but he did see a promising sealed doorway betwe

    The next several months were spent cataloging the contents of the antechamber under the "often stressful" supervision of Pierre Lacau, director general of the Department of Antiquities of Egypt. On 16 February 1923, Carter opened the sealed doorway, and found that it did indeed lead to a burial chamber, and he got his first glimpse of the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun. All of these discoveries were eagerly covered by the world's press, but most of their representatives were kept in their hotels; only H. V. Morton was allowed on the scene, and his vivid descriptions helped to cement Carter's reputation with the British public.

    Carter's own notes and photographic evidence indicate that he, Lord Carnarvon and Lady Evelyn Herbert entered the burial chamber shortly after the tomb's discovery and before the official opening'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1937, Wallace H. Carothers patents nylon.
    From Wikipedia:' 'Wallace Hume Carothers (April 27, 1896 – April 29, 1937) was an American chemist, inventor and the leader of organic chemistry at DuPont, credited with the invention of nylon.

    Carothers was a group leader at the DuPont Experimental Station laboratory, near Wilmington, Delaware, where most polymer research was done. Carothers was an organic chemist who, in addition to first developing nylon, also helped lay the groundwork for neoprene.'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1950, The longest-running prime-time game show, What's My Line, begins on CBS.
    From Wikipedia:' 'What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasks celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations. It is the longest-running U.S. primetime network television game-show. Moderated by John Daly and with panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf, What's My Line? won three Emmy Awards for " Best Quiz or Audience Participation Show" in 1952, 1953, and 1958 and the Golden Globe for Best TV Show in 1962'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1960, The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
    From Wikipedia:' 'USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), a United States Navy radar picket nuclear submarine, was the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation of the Earth (Operation Sandblast), doing so in early 1960. Triton accomplished this objective during her shakedown cruise while under the command of Captain Edward L. "Ned" Beach, Jr. The only member of her class, she also had the distinction of being the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1968, In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service. this first call was only a test of the system.
    From Wikipedia:' 'The first known experiment with a national emergency telephone number occurred in the United Kingdom in 1937, using the number 999. The first city in North America to use a central emergency number (in 1959) was the Canadian city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, which instituted the change at the urging of Stephen Juba, mayor of Winnipeg at the time. Winnipeg initially used 999 as the emergency number, but switched numbers when 9-1-1 was proposed by the United States. In the United States, the push for the development of a nationwide American emergency telephone number came in 1957 when the National Association of Fire Chiefs recommended that a single number be used for reporting fires. In 1967, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended the creation of a single number that could be used nationwide for reporting emergencies. The Federal Communications Commission then met with AT&T in November 1967 in order to choose the number.

    In 1968, the number was agreed upon. AT&T chose the number 9-1-1, which was simple, easy to remember, dialed easily, and worked well with the phone systems in place at the time. Just 35 days after AT&T's announcement, on February 16, 1968, the first-ever 9-1-1 call was placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, from Haleyville City Hall, to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill, at the city's police station'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1968, Elvis Presley receives a gold record for 'How Great Thou Art'.
    From Wikipedia:' 'How Great Thou Art is the twenty-eighth studio album by Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo in February 1967. Recording sessions took place at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 25, 26, 27, and 28, 1966. It peaked at No. 18 on the Top Pop Albums chart. It was certified Gold on February 16, 1968, Platinum and 2x Platinum on March 27, 1992 and 3x Platinum on October 13, 2010 by the RIAA. It won a Grammy Award for 1967 in the Best Sacred Performance category'.
    More
    On YouTube: More
  • In 1978, The first computer bulletin board system was created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois), a dial-up BBS.
    From Wikipedia:' 'A bulletin board system, or BBS, is a computer server running custom software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users through email, public message boards, and sometimes via direct chatting.'

    'The first public dial-up BBS was developed by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess. According to an early interview, when Chicago was snowed under during the Great Blizzard of 1978, the two began preliminary work on the Computerized Bulletin Board System, or CBBS. The system came into existence largely through a fortuitous combination of Christensen having a spare S-100 bus computer and an early Hayes internal modem, and Suess's insistence that the machine be placed at his house in Chicago where it would be a local phone call to millions of users. Christensen patterned the system after the cork board his local computer club used to post information like "need a ride". CBBS officially went online on 16 February 1978. CBBS, which kept a count of callers, reportedly connected 253,301 callers before it was finally retired'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 2006, The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army. It is replaced by the 'Combat Support Hospital'.
    From Wikipedia:' 'The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) refers to a United States Army medical unit serving as a fully functional hospital in a combat area of operations. The units were first established in August 1945, and were deployed during the Korean War and later conflicts. The term was made famous in the television series M*A*S*H, which depicted a fictional MASH unit. The U.S. Army deactivated the last MASH unit on February 16, 2006. The successor to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is the Combat Support Hospital.'

    'A Combat Support Hospital (CSH, pronounced "cash") is a type of modern United States military field hospital. The CSH is transportable by aircraft and trucks and is normally delivered to the Corps Support Area in standard military-owned Demountable Containers (MILVAN) cargo containers. Once transported, it is assembled by the staff into a tent hospital to treat patients. Depending upon the operational environment (e.g., battlefield), a CSH might also treat civilians and wounded enemy soldiers. The CSH is the successor to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.'
    More
    At Wikipedia (Combat Support Hospital): More
    - On YouTube: More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Almond Day'. Native to the Middle East, about 80 percent of the world's crop is now from California.
[The Hankster says] Yes I will again mention that Almonds are only considered nuts from a culinary point. From a botany standpoint It is a 'stone fruit', a drupe. For that reason I will spare you from a repeat of the ditty that starts Sometimes you feel like .....'. No one wants to feel like a drupe, chocolate covered or not.

Tomorrow is 'President's Day'. Third Monday in February.

Feeling magnanimous. You can exercise your fervor tomorrow on 'National do a Grouch a Favor Day'.
[The Hankster says] If you were just too tired and grumpy yourself, to help someone back on the recent Curmudgeon's Day, you have another chance.

Think big. Tomorrow is 'Innovation Day'. A school day on which the students get to choose a project to work on, as long as they deliver.

tomorrow's 'Kyoto Protocol Day' is an awareness day for the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

'Westminster Kennel Club 139th Annual All Breed Dog Show'. Feb 16-17. CNBC and USA Network will be broadcasting some of the show.

A health related awareness day tomorrow is 'Australia’s Healthy Weight Week (AU)'. First day, 16-22, by the Dietitians Association of Australia.

Ray Kroc once said 'The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it.'
[The Hankster says] History records mismatches of time, place and effort. It also records those situations when they all came together. I am sure some of both can be observed on February 16 in the past.

In 1804, U.S. Lieutenant Stephen Decatur leads a military mission that famed British Admiral Horatio Nelson calls the 'most daring act of the age.' He entered Tripoli harbor to destroy an American ship that had run aground and thus keep it from the hands of pirates.

In 1883, The 'Ladies Home Journal' begins publishing.

In 1923, Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

In 1937, Wallace H. Carothers patents nylon.

In 1960, The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.

In 1968, In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service. this first call was only a test of the system.

In 1968, Elvis Presley receives a gold record for 'How Great Thou Art'.

In 1978, The first computer bulletin board system was created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois), a dial-up BBS.

In 2006, The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army. It is replaced by the 'Combat Support Hospital.'.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today

No. 1 song

  • You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - The Righteous Brothers: More
    'Downtown' has been displaced by 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'', which will hold the no. 1 spot until February 27 1965, when 'This Diamond Ring', takes over.

Top movie

  • My Fair Lady, (returns) More
    Having displaced '36 Hours', it will be there until the weekend box office of February 27, 1965 when, 'The Greatest Story Ever Told', takes over.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): February 16
   V.
This month February 2015 (updated once a month - last updated - February 1 2015)

Food Holiday:
Berry Fresh Month Canned Food Month Celebration of Chocolate Month Great American Pie Month National Cherry Month National Grapefruit Month National Fiber Focus Month National Fondue Month National Hot Breakfast Month National Snack Food Month Potato Lover’s Month Sweet Potato Month Other:
American Heart Month An Affair to Remember Month Black History Month Creative Romance Month National Children’s Dental Health Month National Heart Healthy Month National Weddings Month


February is:

February origin (from Wikipedia):
'The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period. They were added by Numa Pompilius about 713 BC. February remained the last month of the calendar year until the time of the decemvirs (c. 450 BC), when it became the second month. At certain intervals February was truncated to 23 or 24 days, and a 27-day intercalary month, Intercalaris, was inserted immediately after February to realign the year with the seasons. Under the reforms that instituted the Julian calendar, Intercalaris was abolished, leap years occurred regularly every fourth year, and in leap years February gained a 29th day. Thereafter, it remained the second month of the calendar year, meaning the order that months are displayed (January, February, March, ..., December) within a year-at-a-glance calendar. Even during the Middle Ages, when the numbered Anno Domini year began on March 25 or December 25, the second month was February whenever all twelve months were displayed in order. The Gregorian calendar reforms made slight changes to the system for determining which years were leap years and thus contained a 29-day February.'

February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 days in leap years.
February is the third month of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, February is the third month of summer (the seasonal equivalent of August in the Northern Hemisphere, in meteorological reckoning).

February at Wikipedia: More

  VI.
TV fifty years ago 1965 (updated yearly - last updated Jan. 1 2015)

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

 VII.
Best selling books fifty years ago (updated yearly - last updated Jan. 1 2015)

Best selling books of 1965 More

VIII.
Fun (Last link added October 1 2014, but content on each site may change daily)
  • 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
  IX.
Other Holiday Sites (Last link added October 1 2014. Link content changes yearly)

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
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