Today is April 17 2015

National Cheeseball Day: More

• National Haiku Poetry Day: More
  A form of non-rhyming Japanese poetry.
• National Ellis Island Family History Day: More
  This is the day in 1907 when the most immigrants passed through the facility.
• Nothing Like A Dame Day: More
  Celebrates the ladies of the theater/movies/etc..
• World Hemophilia Day: More
  Awareness and fund raiser day for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.
• National Bat Appreciation Day: More
• National Day of Silence: More
  Since 1996. An bullying and harrassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.

• In 1492, Spain and Christopher Columbus sign a contract for him to sail to Asia to get spices.
  From Wikipedia: 'In the April 1492 "Capitulations of Santa Fe", King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella promised Columbus that if he succeeded he would be given the rank of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and appointed Viceroy and Governor of all the new lands he could claim for Spain. He had the right to nominate three persons, from whom the sovereigns would choose one, for any office in the new lands. He would be entitled to 10 percent of all the revenues from the new lands in perpetuity. Additionally, he would also have the option of buying one-eighth interest in any commercial venture with the new lands and receive one-eighth of the profits.
  
  Columbus was later arrested in 1500 and dismissed from his posts. He and his sons, Diego and Fernando, then conducted a lengthy series of court cases against the Castilian crown, known as the pleitos colombinos, alleging that the Crown had illegally reneged on its contractual obligations to Columbus and his heirs. The Columbus family had some success in their first litigation, as a judgment of 1511 confirmed Diego's position as Viceroy, but reduced his powers. Diego resumed litigation in 1512, which lasted until 1536, and further disputes continued until 1790.'
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1907, The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
  From Wikipedia: 'Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants to the United States as the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with land reclamation between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the site of Fort Gibson and later a naval magazine. The island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965, and has hosted a museum of immigration since 1990'.
  
  Between 1905 and 1914, an average of one million immigrants per year arrived in the United States. Immigration officials reviewed about 5,000 immigrants per day during peak times at Ellis Island. Two-thirds of those individuals emigrated from eastern, southern and central Europe. The peak year for immigration at Ellis Island was 1907, with 1,004,756 immigrants processed. The all-time daily high occurred on April 17, 1907, when 11,747 immigrants arrived'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
  - On YouTube: More
  - On YouTube: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1924, Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B Mayer Co merged to form MGM.
  From Wikipedia: 'In 1924, movie theater magnate Marcus Loew had a problem. He had bought Metro Pictures Corporation in 1919 for a steady supply of films for his large Loew's Theatres chain. With Loew's lackluster assortment of Metro films, Loew purchased Goldwyn Pictures in 1924 to improve the quality. However, these purchases created a need for someone to oversee his new Hollywood operations, since longtime assistant Nicholas Schenck was needed in New York headquarters to oversee the 150 theaters. Approached by Louis B. Mayer, Loew addressed the situation by buying Louis B. Mayer Pictures on April 17, 1924. Mayer became head of the renamed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with Irving Thalberg as head of production'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1930, DuPont scientist Elmer K. Bolton invents neoprene using Julius Nieuwland's divinyl acetylene.
  From Wikipedia: 'Elmer Keiser Bolton (June 23, 1886 – July 30, 1968) was an American chemist and research director for DuPont, notable for his role in developing neoprene and directing the research that led to the discovery of nylon.'
  
  'Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene exhibits good chemical stability and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range. Neoprene is sold either as solid rubber or in latex form, and is used in a wide variety of applications, such as laptop sleeves, orthopedic braces (wrist, knee, etc.), electrical insulation, liquid and sheet applied elastomeric membranes or flashings, and automotive fan belts'.
  
  'Neoprene was invented by DuPont scientists on April 17, 1930 after Dr Elmer K. Bolton of DuPont attended a lecture by Fr Julius Arthur Nieuwland, a professor of chemistry at the University of Notre Dame. Nieuwland's research was focused on acetylene chemistry and during the course of his work he produced divinyl acetylene, a jelly that firms into an elastic compound similar to rubber when passed over sulfur dichloride. After DuPont purchased the patent rights from the university, Wallace Carothers of DuPont took over commercial development of Nieuwland's discovery in collaboration with Nieuwland himself. Arnold Collins at DuPont focused on monovinyl acetylene and reacted the substance with hydrogen chloride gas, manufacturing chloroprene.
  
  DuPont first marketed the compound in 1931 under the trade name DuPrene, but its commercial possibilities were limited by the original manufacturing process, which left the product with a foul odor. A new process was developed, which eliminated the odor-causing byproducts and halved production costs, and the company began selling the material to manufacturers of finished end-products. To prevent shoddy manufacturers from harming the product's reputation, the trademark DuPrene was restricted to apply only to the material sold by DuPont. Since the company itself did not manufacture any DuPrene-containing end products, the trademark was dropped in 1937 and replaced with a generic name, neoprene, in an attempt "to signify that the material is an ingredient, not a finished consumer product"'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1935, The radio show 'Lights Out' debuted with stories of horror and the supernatural. It ran until 1952.
  From Wikipedia: 'Lights Out is an American old-time radio program devoted mostly to horror and the supernatural.
  
  Created by Wyllis Cooper and then eventually taken over by Arch Oboler, versions of Lights Out aired on different networks, at various times, from January 3, 1934 to the summer of 1947 and the series eventually made the transition to television. Lights Out was one of the earliest radio horror programs, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1937, Daffy Duck's first appearance, in Porky's Duck Hunt.
  From Wikipedia: 'Daffy first appeared in Porky's Duck Hunt, released on April 17, 1937. The cartoon was directed by Tex Avery and animated by Bob Clampett. Porky's Duck Hunt is a standard hunter/prey pairing for which Leon Schlesinger's studio was famous, but Daffy (barely more than an unnamed bit player in this short) was something new to moviegoers: an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.
  
  This early Daffy is less anthropomorphic and resembles a "normal" black duck. In fact, the only aspects of the character that have remained consistent through the years are his voice characterization by Mel Blanc and his black feathers with a white neck ring. Blanc's characterization of Daffy holds the world record for the longest characterization of one animated character by his or her original actor: 52 years.
  
  The origin of Daffy's voice is a matter of some debate. One often-repeated "official" story is that it was modeled after producer Leon Schlesinger's tendency to lisp. However, in Mel Blanc's autobiography, That's Not All Folks!, he contradicts that conventional belief, writing, "It seemed to me that such an extended mandible would hinder his speech, particularly on words containing an s sound. Thus 'despicable' became 'desthpicable'".'
  
  Daffy's slobbery, exaggerated lisp was developed over time, and it is barely noticeable in the early cartoons. In Daffy Duck and Egghead, Daffy does not lisp at all except in the separately drawn set-piece of Daffy singing "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" in which just a slight lisp can be heard.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1961, At the 33rd Academy Awards:
  From Wikipedia: More
  Best Picture is, The Apartment
  -- At Wikipedia: More
  -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
  -- On YouTube: More
  Best Actor is Burt Lancaster for 'Elmer Gantry'
  -- At Wikipedia: More
  -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
  -- On YouTube: More
  Best Actress is Elizabeth Taylor for 'Butterfield 8'
  -- At Wikipedia: More
  -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
  -- On YouTube: More
  Best Supporting Actor is Peter Ustinov for 'Spartacus'
  Best Supporting Actress is Shirley Jones for 'Elmer Gantry'
  Best Song is Never on Sunday from 'Never on Sunday'
  -- At Wikipedia: More
  -- On YouTube: More
• In 1964, The Ford Mustang makes its debut.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Ford Mustang is an American automobile manufactured by Ford. It was originally based on the platform of the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. The original 1962 Ford Mustang I two-seater concept car had evolved into the 1963 Mustang II four-seater concept car which Ford used to pretest how the public would take interest in the first production Mustang. The 1963 Mustang II concept car was designed with a variation of the production model's front and rear ends with a roof that was 2.7 inches shorter. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, and thus dubbed as a "1964½" by Mustang fans, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A] The Mustang has undergone several transformations to its current sixth generation'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1967, 'The Joey Bishop Show' (late night talk show) debuted on ABC-TV.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Joey Bishop Show is an American talk show that had its first broadcast on ABC on April 17, 1967, hosted by Joey Bishop and featuring Regis Philbin in his first ongoing role with national television exposure, as Bishop's sidekick/announcer (similar to Ed McMahon's job with Johnny Carson). Created to challenge The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the show lasted 33 months, with the lastshow airing on December 26, 1969'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1970, Apollo 13 returned to Earth safely.
  From Wikipedia: 'Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the American Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the Moon. The craft was launched on April 11, 1970, at 13:13 CST from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, but the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded two days later, crippling the Service Module (SM) upon which the Command Module (CM) depended. Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water, and the critical need to make makeshift repairs to the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to Earth on April 17'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1973, Federal Express (now FedEx) begins operations, offering better options for overnight and cross-country shipping.
  From Wikipedia: 'FedEx Corporation is an American global courier delivery services company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "FedEx" is a syllabic abbreviation of the name of the company's original air division, Federal Express, which was used from 1973 until 2000. The company is known for its overnight shipping service, but also for inventing a system that could track packages and provide real-time updates on package location (to help in finding lost packages), a feature that has been copied by most of the other carrier services.
  
  From Wikipedia: Federal Express:
  
  The company started overnight operations on April 17, 1973, with fourteen Dassault Falcon 20s that connected twenty-five cities in the United States. Fred Smith's childhood friend, John Fry of Ardent Studios, sent Ardent partner Terry Manning to the Federal Express home office on Democrat Road near the Memphis Airport with the first package to be put into the system. That night, 186 packages were carried. Services included both overnight and two-day package and envelope delivery services, as well as Courier Pak. Federal Express began to market itself as "the freight service company with 550-mile-per-hour delivery trucks". However, the company began to experience financial difficulties,
  
  Federal Express installed its first drop box in 1975 which allowed customers to drop off packages without going to a company local branch. In 1976, the company became profitable with an average volume of 19,000 parces'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
  - On YouTube: More

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Cheeseball Day'.
[The Hankster says] Glazed Spiral Ham a few days ago, now cheeseballs. Did I mist the holidays 2015? I thinking of a new toy called Mr. Cheeseball Head. A few crackers for ears, sliced olives for eyes, thin carrot sticks for eyebrows, a cherry tomato for a nose and some pimiento for a mouth and bean sprouts for hair. I'm hoping for quick renewals.

We are still in Poetry Month. Tomorrow is 'National Haiku Poetry Day'. A form of non-rhyming Japanese poetry.

'National Ellis Island Family History Day'. This is the day in 1907 when the most immigrants passed through the facility (11,747).

Tomorrow's 'Nothing Like A Dame Day' celebrates the sassy ladies of the theater/movies/etc..
[The Hankster says] The phrase comes from 'There Is Nothing Like a Dame' a song from the musical South Pacific.

Awareness days tomorrow:
- 'World Hemophilia Day'. Awareness and fund raiser day for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.
- 'National Bat Appreciation Day'.
- 'National Day of Silence'. Since 1996. An bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.

Amy Poehler once said 'As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.'
[The Hankster says[ History is the record of ideas. Some events came of collaboration and others of force. I believe the former can overcome the latter. People, ideas, events; seems like a typical day, maybe even April 17 in the past.

In 1492, Spain and Christopher Columbus sign a contract for him to sail to Asia to get spices.

In 1924, Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B Mayer Co merged to form MGM.

In 1930, DuPont scientist Elmer K. Bolton invents neoprene.

In 1935, The radio show 'Lights Out' debuted with stories of horror and the supernatural. It ran until 1952.

In 1937, Daffy Duck made his first appearance, in Porky's Duck Hunt.

In 1961, At the 33rd Academy Awards,
- Best Picture is 'The Apartment'.
- Best Actor is Burt Lancaster for 'Elmer Gantry'.
- Best Actress is Elizabeth Taylor for 'Butterfield 8'.
- Best Supporting Actor is Peter Ustinov for 'Spartacus'.
- Best Supporting Actress is Shirley Jones for 'Elmer Gantry'.
- Best Original Song is 'Never on Sunday' from 'Never on Sunday'.

In 1964, The Ford Mustang makes its debut.

In 1967 - 'The Joey Bishop Show' (late night talk show) debuted on ABC-TV.

In 1970 - Apollo 13 returned to Earth safely.

In 1973, FedEx begins operations, offering options for overnight and cross-country shipping.

No. 1 song

• I'm Telling You Now - Freddie & The Dreamers: More
  'Can't You Hear My Heartbeat' has been displaced by 'I'm Telling You Now', which will hold the no. 1 spot until Apr 24 1965, when 'Game of Love - Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders', takes over.

Top movie

• Girl Happy More
  Having displaced 'The Sound of Music', it will be there until the weekend box office of April 18 1965 when, 'In Harm's Way', takes over.

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

Food Holiday:
Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage Month
Cranberries and Gooseberries Month
Fresh Florida Tomato Month
National BLT Sandwich Month
National Florida Tomato Month
National Food Month
National Garlic Month
National Grilled Cheese Month
National Pecan Month
National Soft Pretzel Month
National Soy Foods Month

Other:
Alcohol Awareness Month
Arab American Heritage Month
Celebrate Diversity Month
Community Spirit Days
Counseling Awareness Month
Defeat Diabetes Month
Emotional Overeating Awareness Month
Fair Housing Month
Genocide and Human Rights Awareness Month
Global Child Nutrition Month
Informed Woman Month
International Amateur Radio Month
International Customer Loyalty Month
International Guitar Month
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month
Jazz Appreciation Month
Keep America Beautiful Month
Library Snapshot Month
Listening Awareness Month
Mathematics Education Month
Month of the Military Child
Month of the Young Child
Multicultural Communication Month
National African American Women's Fitness Month
National Anxiety Month
National Autism Awareness Month
National Cancer Control Month
National Card and Letter Writing Month
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
National Decorating Month
National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
National Donate Life Month
National Facial Protection Month
National Frog Month
National Garden Month
National Greyhound Adoption Month
National Heartworm Awareness Month
National Humor Month
National Knuckles Down Month
National Landscape Architecture Month
National Minority Health Month
National Multiple Birth Awareness Month
National Occupational Therapy Month
National Parkinson's Awareness Month
National Pest Management Month
National Pet First Aid Awareness Month
National Poetry Month
National Rebuilding Month
National Safe Digging Month
National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month
National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
National Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)'s Education and Awareness Month
National Sjogren's Syndrome Awareness Month
National Welding Month
National Youth Sports Safety Month
Occupational Therapy Month
Parliamentary Law Month
Pharmacists War on Diabetes Month
Physical Wellness Month
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month
Prevention of Lyme Disease in Dogs Month
Rosacea Awareness Month
School Library Media Month
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month of Action
Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month
Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
Tomatillo and Asian Pear Month
Women's Eye Health and Safety Month
Workplace Conflict Awareness Month
World Habitat Awareness Month
Worldwide Bereaved Spouses Awareness Month

April is:

April origin (from Wikipedia):
'The Romans gave this month the Latin name Aprilis but the derivation of this name is uncertain. The traditional etymology is from the verb aperire, 'to open', in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to 'open', which is supported by comparison with the modern Greek use of (anoixis) (opening) for spring. Since some of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddess Venus, her Veneralia being held on the first day, it has been suggested that April was the second month of the earliest Roman calendar, before Ianuarius and Februarius were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC. It became the fourth month of the calendar year (the year when twelve months are displayed in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC, when it also was given 29 days. The 30th day was added during the reform of the calendar undertaken by Julius Caesar in the mid-40s BC, which produced the Julian calendar.'

April 'is commonly associated with the season of spring in parts of the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to October in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa.'

April 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