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Today is May 20 2015

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

National Quiche Lorraine Day: More

Other celebrations/observances today:
  • National Pick Strawberries Day: More
  • National Be a Millionaire Day: More
  • Eliza Doolittle Day: More
  • World Metrology Day: More
    Celebrates the Metre Convention of May 20 1875. It concerns the science of measurement as ti applies to industrial, commercial and societal uses.
Awareness / Observance Days on: May 20
  • Health
    • Emergency Medical Services for Children Day: More
      During National EMS Week. Highlighting the differences in EMS requirements for children.
    • National Myeloma Day: More
      In Australia, a fund raiser for Myeloma research and treatment. The disease is a malignant tumor of the bone marrow.
  • Other
    • Josephine Baker Day : More
      Established in 1951 by the NAACP in recognition the dancer, singer, actress, and civil rights activist.
Events in the past on: May 20
  • In 1570, Flemish cartographer and geographer Abraham Ortelius publishes the first modern atlas.
    From Wikipedia: 'Abraham Ortelius (also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 14 April 1527 – 28 June 1598) was a Flemish cartographer and geographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World). He is also believed to be the first person to imagine that the continents were joined together before drifting to their present positions.'

    On 20 May 1570, Gilles Coppens de Diest at Antwerp issued Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the "first modern atlas" (of 53 maps'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1873, Levi Strauss patents blue jeans.
    From Wikipedia: 'Jeans are trousers, a type of garment, typically made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of pants, called "blue jeans," which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in partnership with Levi Strauss and Co. in 1871 and patented by Jacob W. Davis and Levi Strauss on May 20, 1873. Prior to the Levi Strauss patented trousers, the term "blue jeans" had been long in use for various garments (including trousers, overalls, and coats), constructed from blue colored denim.'

    'Levi Strauss, as a young man in 1851, went from Germany to New York to join his older brothers who ran a goods store. In 1853, he moved to San Francisco to open his own dry goods business. Jacob Davis was a tailor who often bought bolts of cloth from the Levi Strauss and Co. wholesale house. In 1872, Davis wrote to Strauss asking to partner with him to patent and sell clothing reinforced with rivets. The copper rivets were to reinforce the points of stress, such as pocket corners and at the bottom of the button fly. Levi accepted Davis's offer, and the two men received US patent No. 139,121 for an "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings" on May 20, 1873.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1875, International Bureau of Weights and Measures formed.
    From Wikipedia: 'The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (French: Bureau international des poids et mesures), is an international standards organisation, one of three such organisations established to maintain the International System of Units (SI) under the terms of the Metre Convention (Convention du Mètre). The organisation is usually referred to by its French initialism, BIPM'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1883, Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
    From Wikipedia: 'The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) began in the afternoon of August 26, 1883 (with origins as early as May of that year), and culminated with several destructive eruptions of the remaining caldera. On August 27, two-thirds of Krakatoa collapsed in a chain of titanic explosions, destroying most of the island and its surrounding archipelago. Additional alleged seismic activity continued to be reported until February 1884, though reports of those after October 1883 were later dismissed by Rogier Verbeek's investigation. It was one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded history, with at least 36,000 deaths being attributed to the eruption itself and the tsunamis it created. Significant additional effects were also felt around the world'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1891, Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope first displayed.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device. The Kinetoscope was designed for films to be viewed by one individual at a time through a peephole viewer window at the top of the device. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector but introduced the basic approach that would become the standard for all cinematic projection before the advent of video, by creating the illusion of movement by conveying a strip of perforated film bearing sequential images over a light source with a high-speed shutter. A process using roll film first described in a patent application submitted in France and the U.S. by French inventor Louis Le Prince, the concept was copied by U.S. inventor Thomas Edison in 1889, and subsequently developed by his employee William Kennedy Laurie Dickson between 1889 and 1892. Dickson and his team at the Edison lab also devised the Kinetograph, innovative motion picture camera with rapid intermittent, or stop-and-go, film movement, to photograph movies for in-house experiments and, eventually, commercial Kinetoscope presentations.

    A prototype for the Kinetoscope was shown to a convention of the National Federation of Women's Clubs on May 20, 1891. The first public demonstration of the Kinetoscope was held at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences on May 9, 1893. Instrumental to the birth of American movie culture, the Kinetoscope also had a major impact in Europe; its influence abroad was magnified by Edison's decision not to seek international patents on the device, facilitating numerous imitations of and improvements on the technology. In 1895, Edison introduced the Kinetophone, which joined the Kinetoscope with a cylinder phonograph. Film projection, which Edison initially disdained as financially nonviable, soon superseded the Kinetoscope's individual exhibition model. Many of the projection systems developed by Edison's firm in later years would use the Kinetoscope name.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1899, The first traffic ticket in the US: New York City taxi driver Jacob German was arrested for speeding while driving 12 miles per hour on Lexington Street.
    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.'
    - At Wikipedia: More
  • In 1927, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York aboard 'Spirit of St. Louis'.
    From Wikipedia: 'Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974), nicknamed Slim, Lucky Lindy, and The Lone Eagle, was an American aviator, author, inventor, military officer, explorer, and social activist.

    In 1927, at the age of 25, Lindbergh emerged from the virtual obscurity of a U.S. Air Mail pilot to instantaneous world fame as the result of his Orteig Prize-winning solo nonstop flight from Roosevelt Field on New York's Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France. He flew the distance of nearly 3,600 statute miles (5,800 km) in a single-seat, single-engine, purpose-built Ryan monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis.

    Lindbergh was the 19th person to make a Transatlantic flight, the first being the Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown from Newfoundland in 1919. But Lindbergh's flight was almost twice the distance. The record-setting flight took 33 1/2 hours. Lindbergh, a U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve officer, was also awarded the nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his historic exploit.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1932, Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.
    From Wikipedia: 'At the age of 34, on the morning of May 20, 1932, Earhart set off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland with a copy of the Telegraph-Journal, given to her by journalist Stuart Trueman, intended to confirm the date of the flight. She intended to fly to Paris in her single engine Lockheed Vega 5B to emulate Charles Lindbergh's solo flight. Her technical advisor for the flight was famed Norwegian American aviator Bernt Balchen who helped prepare her aircraft. He also played the role of "decoy" for the press as he was ostensibly preparing Earhart's Vega for his own Arctic flight. After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes during which she contended with strong northerly winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems, Earhart landed in a pasture at Culmore, north of Derry, Northern Ireland. The landing was witnessed by Cecil King and T. Sawyer. When a farm hand asked, "Have you flown far?" Earhart replied, "From America." The site now is the home of a small museum, the Amelia Earhart Centre'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1939, The song 'Three Little Fishies' by Kay Kyser becomes #1.
    From Wikipedia: '"Three Little Fishies" is a song, recorded by Kay Kyser and His Band, with words by Josephine Carringer and Bernice Idins and music by Saxie Dowell. The song tells the story of three fishes, who defy their mother's command of swimming only in a meadow, by swimming over a dam and on out to sea, where they encounter a shark, which the fish describe as a whale. They flee for their lives and return to the meadow in safety.

    The song was a US No. 1 hit in 1939. It was released in the UK as a 78 by British comedian Frankie Howerd, on the short-lived Harmony label, in 1949. The recording was re-issued as a single in the 1980s. It was revived in 2012 by Ray Stevens for inclusion in his 108-song box set, The Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music'.#1.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1941, Harry James and his orchestra recorded 'You Made Me Love You'.
    From Wikipedia: '"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" is a popular song. The music was written by James V. Monaco, the lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. The song was published in 1913. It was introduced in the Broadway revue The Honeymoon Express and used in the 1973 revival of the musical Irene.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1942, The song, I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo, was recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.
    From Wikipedia: '"(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" is a #1 popular song recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1942. It was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren and published in 1942. It was featured in the musical film Orchestra Wives and was recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, featuring Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton and The Modernaires, who released it as an A side 78 in 1942, 27934-A. The B side was "At Last"'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1964, Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
    From Wikipedia: 'The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the thermal radiation left over from the time of recombination in Big Bang cosmology. In older literature, the CMB is also variously known as cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) or "relic radiation". The CMB is a cosmic background radiation that is fundamental to observational cosmology because it is the oldest light in the universe, dating to the epoch of recombination. With a traditional optical telescope, the space between stars and galaxies (the background) is completely dark. However, a sufficiently sensitive radio telescope shows a faint background glow, almost isotropic, that is not associated with any star, galaxy, or other object. This glow is strongest in the microwave region of the radio spectrum. The accidental discovery of the CMB in 1964 by American radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson was the culmination of work initiated in the 1940s, and earned the discoverers the 1978 Nobel Prize.'

    'In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson at the Crawford Hill location of Bell Telephone Laboratories in nearby Holmdel Township, New Jersey had built a Dicke radiometer that they intended to use for radio astronomy and satellite communication experiments. On 20 May 1964 they made their first measurement clearly showing the presence of the microwave background, with their instrument having an excess 4.2K antenna temperature which they could not account for. After receiving a telephone call from Crawford Hill, Dicke famously quipped: "Boys, we've been scooped." A meeting between the Princeton and Crawford Hill groups determined that the antenna temperature was indeed due to the microwave background. Penzias and Wilson received the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1983, First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.
    From Wikipedia: /AIDS was first clinically observed in 1981 in the United States. The initial cases were a cluster of injection drug users and gay men with no known cause of impaired immunity who showed symptoms of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a rare opportunistic infection that was known to occur in people with very compromised immune systems. Soon thereafter, additional gay men developed a previously rare skin cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Many more cases of PCP and KS emerged, alerting U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a CDC task force was formed to monitor the outbreak'.

    In the beginning, the CDC did not have an official name for the disease, often referring to it by way of the diseases that were associated with it, for example, lymphadenopathy, the disease after which the discoverers of HIV originally named the virus. They also used Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections, the name by which a task force had been set up in 1981. In the general press, the term GRID, which stood for gay-related immune deficiency, had been coined. The CDC, in search of a name, and looking at the infected communities coined "the 4H disease," as it seemed to single out homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs, and Haitians. However, after determining that AIDS was not isolated to the gay community, it was realized that the term GRID was misleading and AIDS was introduced at a meeting in July 1982. By September 1982 the CDC started using the name AIDS'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Quiche Lorraine Day'.
[The Hankster says] Nope, no cheese in this quiche. It is an egg and cream custard pie, with a bottom crust and lots and lots of bacon.

If you want a fruit dessert, you will need to pick them yourselves. Tomorrow is 'National Pick Strawberries Day'.

I'm not offering the winning number, but tomorrow is 'National Be a Millionaire Day'.
[The Hankster says] This day is like handing an educational toy to a kid. It's something they need but don't want to consider. On this day you must plan for your financial future with sound financial goals.

Make sure you use your most bestest grammar tomorrow for Eliza Doolittle Day'.
[The Hankster says] Let's not drop those 'h's' or let out with a loud expletive..

Awareness / Observance Days on: May 20

o Health
- 'Emergency Medical Services for Children Day'. During National EMS Week. Highlighting the differences in EMS requirements for children.

- 'National Myeloma Day'. In Australia, a fund raiser for Myeloma research and treatment. The disease is a malignant tumor of the bone marrow.

o Other
- 'Josephine Baker Day '. Established in 1951 by the NAACP in recognition the dancer, singer, actress, and civil rights activist.

- 'World Metrology Day'. Celebrates the Metre Convention of May 20 1875. It concerns the science of measurement as ti applies to industrial, commercial and societal uses.


Edmund Hillary once said 'No one remembers who climbed Mount Everest the second time.'
[The Hankster says] A quick look at May 20 in the past, may show us that the 'also rans' had their mark on history also. Their just harder to find, due to our all too human categorization of worth.

In 1570, Flemish cartographer and geographer Abraham Ortelius publishes the first modern atlas.

In 1873, Levi Strauss patents blue jeans.

In 1875, The International Bureau of Weights and Measures was formed.

In 1883, Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more

than 36,000 people. In 1891, Thomas Edison's prototype Kinetoscope was first displayed.

In 1899, The first traffic ticket in the US: New York City taxi driver Jacob German was arrested for speeding while driving 12 miles per hour on Lexington Street.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York aboard the 'Spirit of St. Louis'.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.

In 1939, The song 'Three Little Fishies' by Kay Kyser becomes #1.

In 1941, Harry James and his orchestra recorded 'You Made Me Love You'.

In 1942, The song, I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo, was recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.

In 1964, Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.

In 1983, First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.

In 2008, The U.S. Congress passed a resolution that designated Frank Sinatra Day to honor his contributions to American culture.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today (last updated May 16 2015 next May 29 2015

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.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): May 20
   V.
This month May 2015 (updated once a month - last updated - may 1 2015)

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

  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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