Today is May 18 2015

National Cheese Souffle Day: More

• National Visit Your Relatives Day: More
  
• Victoria Day: More
  In Canada Queen Victoria's birthday is celebrated on the Monday before her birthday on May 24 1819. This begins the spring season.
• National No Dirty Dishes Day: More
• International Museum Day: More
• Accountant's Day or Accounting Day: More

• Health
  • HIV Vaccine Awareness Day: More
    From the web site: 'HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) is observed annually on May 18th. This observance provides an opportunity to recognize and thank the many volunteers, community members, health professionals, and scientists who are working together to find a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine. It is also a day to educate communities across the nation about the importance of preventive HIV vaccine research'.
  • Action for Brain Injury Week: More
    May 18-24 in Great Britain. From the web site: 'To increase awareness and understanding of brain injury and its consequences To initiate activities and campaigns which will reduce the incidence of brain injury To provide information and support for people with brain injuries, their relatives, carers and concerned professional people.'
  • Arthritis Care Week: More
    May 18-24 in Great Britain. From the web site: 'This year Arthritis Care week May 18th -24th has a theme of ‘Keeping Moving’ to encourage everyone, not only those with Arthritis, to join in ‘Keeping Moving’ and support the millions of people around the country who endure the pain of arthritis every day'.
  • Dying Matters Awareness Week: More
    In Great Britain. From the web site: 'Every year in May, Dying Matters and our coalition members host a fantastic range of events and activities around the country with the aim of getting people talking about dying, death and bereavement and making plans for their end of life. This year sees our sixth annual Dying Matters Awareness Week, which runs from 18 - 24 May 2015'.
• Animal and Pets
  • Dog Bite Prevention Week: More
    From the web site: 'National Dog Bite Prevention Week® takes place during the third full week of May each year, and focuses on educating people about preventing dog bites'.
• Other
  • National Safe Boating Week:: More
    Presidential proclamation for the week prior to the Memorial day weekend.

• In 1933, As part of the 'New Deal', President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development to the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected by the Great Depression. The enterprise was a result of the efforts of Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska. TVA was envisioned not only as a provider, but also as a regional economic development agency that would use federal experts and electricity to rapidly modernize the region's economy and society.
  
  T.V.A.'s service area covers most of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small slices of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. It was the first large regional planning agency of the federal government and remains the largest. Under the leadership of David Lilienthal ("Mr. T.V.A."), T.V.A. became a model for America's governmental efforts to seek in assisting the modernization of agrarian societies in the developing world'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1963, The song 'If You Wanna Be Happy' by Jimmy Soul hits #1.
  From Wikipedia: '"If You Wanna Be Happy" is a 1963 song recorded by Jimmy Soul, written by Joseph Royster, Carmella Guida and Frank Guida.'
  
  '"If You Wanna Be Happy" is based on the song "Ugly Woman" by the Trinidadian calypsonian Roaring Lion recorded in 1934. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 18, 1963, as well as the R&B singles chart. It was issued on Guida's S.P.Q.R. label and distributed by London Records, and in the United Kingdom on EMI's Stateside label'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1969, Apollo program: Apollo 10 is launched.
  From Wikipedia: 'Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the United States Apollo space program, and the second (after Apollo 8) to orbit the Moon. Launched on May 18, 1969, it was the F mission: a "dress rehearsal" for the first Moon landing, testing all of the components and procedures, just short of actually landing. The Lunar Module (LM) came to within 8.4 nautical miles (15.6 km) of the lunar surface, the point where the powered descent to the lunar surface would begin. Its success enabled the first landing to be attempted on Apollo 11 in July, 1969'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1974, The song 'The Streak' by Ray Stevens hits #1.
  From Wikipedia: '"The Streak" is a popular country/novelty song written, produced, and sung by Ray Stevens. It was released in March 1974 as the lead single to his album Boogity Boogity. "The Streak" capitalized on the then popular craze of streaking. In 2007 Cledus T. Judd covered "The Streak" on his album "Boogity Boogity - A Tribute to the Comic Genius of Ray Stevens".
  
  One of Stevens' most successful recordings, "The Streak" was his second number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the USA, spending three weeks at the top in May 1974 and reached #3 on the Billboard Country singles chart. A major international hit it also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, spending a single week at the top of the chart in June 1974. In total it sold over five million copies internationally and ranked on Billboard magazine's Top hits of 1974 at number 8.
  
  Each of the three verses starts with a news reporter, played by Stevens, commenting on a streaking incident somewhere around town, and trying to interview one of the witnesses, who always turns out to be the same man, also played by Stevens. A slide whistle can be heard through out the song. The witness tells what he saw and relates how he tried to warn his wife, Ethel, not to look ("Don't look, Ethel!"), but is always too late. After each interview, a chorus is sung by multiple voices; the chorus is the only part of the song that is actually sung; the rest is spoken. After the third interview, the man sees the streaker again, but to his horror the streaker is joined by his wife, and the man changes his tune: "Ethel, you shameless hussy!", as well as "You get your clothes on!", and "Say it isn't so, Ethel!"'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington state.
  From Wikipedia: 'On May 18, 1980, a major volcanic eruption occurred at Mount St. Helens, a volcano located in the state of Washington, United States. The eruption (a VEI 5 event) was the only significant volcanic eruption to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California. The eruption was preceded by a two-month series of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes, caused by an injection of magma at shallow depth below the volcano that created a huge bulge and a fracture system on the mountain's north slope.
  
  An earthquake at 8:32:17 a.m. PDT (UTC-7) on Sunday, May 18, 1980, caused the entire weakened north face to slide away, creating the largest landslide ever recorded. This suddenly exposed the partly molten gas- and steam-rich rock in the volcano to lower pressures. The rock responded by exploding a hot mix of lava and pulverized older rock toward Spirit Lake so fast that it overtook the avalanching north face.
  
  An eruption column rose 80,000 feet (24 km; 15 mi) into the atmosphere and deposited ash in 11 U.S. states. At the same time, snow, ice and several entire glaciers on the volcano melted, forming a series of large lahars (volcanic mudslides) that reached as far as the Columbia River, nearly 50 miles (80 km) to the southwest. Less severe outbursts continued into the next day, only to be followed by other large, but not as destructive, eruptions later that year.
  
  Approximately fifty-seven people were killed directly, including innkeeper Harry R. Truman, photographer Reid Blackburn and geologist David A. Johnston. Hundreds of square miles were reduced to wasteland, causing over a billion U.S. dollars in damage ($2.89 billion in 2015 dollars), thousands of game animals were killed, and Mount St. Helens was left with a crater on its north side. At the time of the eruption, the summit of the volcano was owned by the Burlington Northern Railroad, but afterward the land passed to the United States Forest Service. The area was later preserved, as it was, in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Cheese Souffle Day'.
[The Hankster says] delicious, but a lot of air. I think I will precede it with a veggie Souffle and follow it with a dessert Souffle.

Tomorrow we have one of those, 'check first' days. It will be' National Visit Your Relatives Day'.
[The Hankster says] I'm sure they would love to see you, but for their sake, give them time to clean the house and for your sake, give them time to stock the kitchen.

Tomorrow in Canada it will be 'Victoria Day'. It celebrates Queen Victoria's birthday. The holiday is on the Monday before her birth date on May 24 1819. This begins the spring season.

After a nice meal of veggie, cheese and dessert Souffle's, go out for 'International Museum Day' tomorrow and try to walk it off.

The museum may close early so save time and eat that Souffle on a paper plate tomorrow for ' National No Dirty Dishes Day'.

You might even take your accountant to lunch and write it off as tax preparation on tomorrow's 'Accountant's Day or Accounting Day'.


Awareness / Observance Days on: May 18

o Health
- ' HIV Vaccine Awareness Day'. From the web site: 'HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HAD) is observed annually on May 18th. This observance provides an opportunity to recognize and thank the many volunteers, community members, health professionals, and scientists who are working together to find a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine. It is also a day to educate communities across the nation about the importance of preventive HIV vaccine research'.

- 'Action for Brain Injury Week'. May 18-24 in Great Britain. From the web site: 'To increase awareness and understanding of brain injury and its consequences To initiate activities and campaigns which will reduce the incidence of brain injury To provide information and support for people with brain injuries, their relatives, carers and concerned professional people.'

- 'Arthritis Care Week'. May 18-24 in Great Britain. From the web site: 'This year Arthritis Care week May 18th -24th has a theme of ‘Keeping Moving’ to encourage everyone, not only those with Arthritis, to join in ‘Keeping Moving’ and support the millions of people around the country who endure the pain of arthritis every day'.

- 'Dying Matters Awareness Week'. In Great Britain. From the web site: 'Every year in May, Dying Matters and our coalition members host a fantastic range of events and activities around the country with the aim of getting people talking about dying, death and bereavement and making plans for their end of life. This year sees our sixth annual Dying Matters Awareness Week, which runs from 18 - 24 May 2015'.

o Animal and Pets
- 'Dog Bite Prevention Week'. From the web site: 'National Dog Bite Prevention Week® takes place during the third full week of May each year, and focuses on educating people about preventing dog bites'.

o Other
- 'National Safe Boating Week:'. Presidential proclamation for the week prior to the Memorial day weekend.


John Henrik Clarke once said 'History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are but, more importantly, what they must be.'
[The Hankster says] Let us use May 18 as our starting point. The clock of time and thus history is ticking away.. Let us quickly find our direction and determine if history has taught us 'what we must be'.

In 1933, As part of the 'New Deal', President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an act creating the Tennessee Valley Authority. From Wikipedia: 'to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected by the Great Depression'.

In 1963, The song 'If You Wanna Be Happy' by Jimmy Soul hits #1.

In 1969, As part of the Apollo program, Apollo 10 is launched. From Wikipedia: 'it was the F mission: a 'dress rehearsal' for the first Moon landing, testing all of the components and procedures, just short of actually landing'.

In 1974, The song 'The Streak' by Ray Stevens hits #1.

In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington state.

No. 1 song

• Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter - Herman's Hermits: More
  'Game of Love' has been displaced by 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter', which will hold the no. 1 spot until May 29 1965, when 'Ticket to Ride - The Beatles', takes over.

Top movie

• The Sound of Music (reclaims the top again and) More
  Having displaced 'Brainstorm', it will be there until the weekend box office of June 6 1965 when, 'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: May 18 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: May 18 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 18th May More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 18th May More
• On-This-day.com history 18th May More
• On-This-day.com music history 18th May More
• Wikipedia.com: History May 18 More

Monthly holiday / awareness days in May

Food
Aramanth May Grain of the Month
Gifts From The Garden Month
International / National Mediterranean Diet Month
National Barbeque Month
National Egg Month
National Hamburger Month
National Salsa Month
National Sweet Vidalia Onions Month
National Vinegar Month
National Youth Traffic Safety Month

Health and Well-Being
Descriptions are simple dictionary definitions and are not meant to be a full medical description.
ALS Awareness Month (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
Arthritis Awareness Month
Asthma Awareness Month
Better Hearing and Speech Month (communication disorders)
Borderline Personality Disorder Month
Brain Tumor Awareness Month
Celiac Awareness Month (gluten sensitivity)
Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
EDS Awareness Month ((Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - inherited disorder affecting connective tissues)
Family Wellness Month
Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month (musculoskeletal pain, fatigue,)
Global Civility Awareness Month
Global Health and Fitness Month
Heal the Children Month (provides critical medical care to children all around the world)
Healthy Vision Month
Huntington's Disease Awareness Month (hereditary disease marked by degeneration of the brain cells)
Lupus Awareness Month (chronic, autoimmune disease effecting skin, joints, organs)
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month
National Better Hearing Month
National Hepatitis Awareness Month (inflammation of the liver)
National High Blood Pressure Education Month
Neurofibromatosis / NF Awareness Month (gentic disorder, most concerned with tumors of the nerves)
Lyme Disease Awareness Month (inflammatory disease transmitted by bacteria via ticks)
National Mental Health Month
National Osteoporosis Prevention Month ( brittle and fragile bone disease)
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
National Physiotherapy Month
National Stroke Awareness Month
National Toddler Immunization Month
National Tuberous Sclerosis Month
National Water Safety Month
Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month (genetic condition of Infants, slow growth, weakness)
Preeclampsia Awareness Month (a condition in pregnancy)
Strike Out Strokes Month
Tay-Sachs and Canavan Diseases Month (progressive deterioration of nerve cells )
Tourettes Syndrome Awareness (neurological disorder characterized by involuntary tics)
Women's Health Care Month

Environmental
American Wetlands Month
Clean Air Month
Gardening for Wildlife Month

Other
APS Awareness Month (American Physical Society)
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Building Safety Month
Creative Beginnings Month
Drum Month (music)
Get Caught Reading Month
Golf Month
Haitian Heritage Month
International Audit Month
International Business Image Improvement Month
Latino Books Month
Motorcycle Safety Month
National Bike Month
National Foster Care Month
National Good Car Keeping Month
National Inventors Month
National Military Appreciation Month
National Photo Month
National Preservation Month (by The National Register of Historic Places)
National Smile Month
Older Americans Month
Personal History Month
Social Security Education Awareness Month
Tennis Month
Young Achievers of Tomorrow Month

Pets
Chip Your Pet Month
Go Fetch! Food Drive for Homeless Animals Month
National Pet Month
National Service Dog Eye Examination Month
Pet Cancer Awareness Month

May is:

May origin (from Wikipedia):
The month May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. Conversely, the Roman poet Ovid provides a second etymology, in which he says that the month of May is named for the maiores, Latin for 'elders,' and that the following month (June) is named for the iuniores, or 'young people'

May ' is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.
May is a month of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere (Summer in Europe). Therefore May in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. '

May 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