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Today is June 16 2015

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

National Fudge Day: More
Fresh Veggie Day: More

Other celebrations/observances today:
  • Bloomsday : More
    Irish holiday. Celebrates dated events in the James Joyce novel Ulysses. The name of the day from a main character Leopold Bloom.
  • Morticians Day: More
Awareness / Observance Days on: June 16
  • Other
    • International Day of the African Child: More
      Since 1991.
Events in the past on: June 16
  • In 1858, Abraham Lincoln says 'A house divided against itself cannot stand'.
    From Wikipedia: 'The House Divided Speech was an address given by Abraham Lincoln (who would later become President of the United States) on June 16, 1858, at what was then the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, upon accepting the Illinois Republican Party's nomination as that state's United States senator. The speech became the launching point for his unsuccessful campaign for the Senate seat held by Stephen A. Douglas; this campaign would climax with the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858.

    Mr. Lincoln's remarks in Springfield created an image of the danger of slavery-based disunion, and it rallied Republicans across the North. Along with the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address, this became one of the best-known speeches of his career.

    The best-known passage of the speech is:

    A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1884, At Coney Island, in Brooklyn, NY, the first roller coaster in America opened. It was the 'Switchback Railway'.
    From Wikipedia: 'The original Switchback Railway at Coney Island was the first roller coaster designed as an amusement ride in America. It was designed by LaMarcus Adna Thompson in 1881 and constructed in 1884. It appears Thompson based his design, at least in part, on the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway which was a coal-mining train that had started carrying passengers as a thrill ride in 1827.

    For five cents, riders would climb a tower to board the large bench-like car and were pushed off to coast 600 ft (183 m) down the track to another tower. The car went just over 6 mph (9.7 km/h). At the top of the other tower the vehicle was switched to a return track or "switched back" (hence the name).

    This track design was soon replaced with an oval complete-circuit ride designed by Charles Alcoke and called the Serpentine Railway. In 1885 Phillip Hinkle developed a lift system which appeared in his ride called Gravity Pleasure. The Gravity Pleasure also featured cars in which the passengers could face forward instead of in the awkward bench-like seats of the first two roller coasters.

    Not to be outdone, in 1886 LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented his design of coasters that included dark tunnels with painted scenery. Thompson built many more roller coasters across the country which were called "The L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway". Some of these operated until 1954.

    Many of these early coasters were torn down and replaced by larger ones, and soon most roller coasters built before the 1930s had been demolished. But modern roller coaster companies are now resurrecting old "woodies" and building what they call "hybrid" roller coasters, which combine the safety and sturdiness of steel structures with the classic feel of wooden tracks'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1903, The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Ford Motor Company (commonly referred to simply as Ford) is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903'.

    The company went public in 1956 but the Ford family, through special Class B shares, still retain 40 percent voting rights'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1903, Pepsi Cola company forms.
    From Wikipedia: 'The original trademark application for Pepsi-Cola was filed on September 23, 1902 with registration approved on June 16, 1903. In the application's statement, Caleb Bradham describes the trademark and indicated that the mark was in continuous use for his business since August 1, 1901. The Pepsi-Cola's description is a flavoring syrup for soda water. The trademark expired on April 15, 1904.

    During the Great Depression, Pepsi gained popularity following the introduction in 1936 of a 12-ounce bottle. With a radio advertising campaign featuring the jingle "Pepsi-Cola hits the spot / Twelve full ounces, that's a lot / Twice as much for a nickel, too / Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you", arranged in such a way that the jingle never ends. Pepsi encouraged price-watching consumers to switch, obliquely referring to the Coca-Cola standard of 6.5 ounces per bottle for the price of five cents (a nickel), instead of the 12 ounces Pepsi sold at the same price. Coming at a time of economic crisis, the campaign succeeded in boosting Pepsi's status. From 1936 to 1938, Pepsi-Cola's profits doubled.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1909, Glenn Curtiss sells the first airplane.
    From Wikipedia: 'Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early as 1904, he began to manufacture engines for airships. In 1908 Curtiss joined the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA), a pioneering research group, founded by Alexander Graham Bell at Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia to build flying machines.

    Curtiss made the first officially witnessed flight in North America, won a race at the world's first international air meet in France, and made the first long-distance flight in the United States. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. His company built aircraft for the U.S. Army and Navy, and, during the years leading up to World War I, his experiments with seaplanes led to advances in naval aviation. Curtiss civil and military aircraft were predominant in the inter-war and World War II eras'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1952, The TV comedy show 'My Little Margie', starring Gale Storm, debuted on CBS-TV.
    From Wikipedia: 'My Little Margie is an American situation comedy starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D. Reed.

    My Little Margie premiered on CBS as the summer replacement for I Love Lucy on June 16, 1952, under the sponsorship of Philip Morris cigarettes (when the series moved to NBC for its third season in the fall of 1953, Scott Paper Company became its sponsor). In an unusual move, the series—with the same leads—aired original episodes on CBS Radio, concurrently with the TV broadcasts, from December 1952 through August 1955. Only 23 radio broadcasts are known to exist in recorded form'.

    Set in New York City, the series stars Gale Storm as 21-year-old Margie Albright and former silent film star Charles Farrell as her widowed father, 50-year-old Vern Albright. They share an apartment at the Carlton Arms Hotel. Vern Albright is the vice-president of the investment firm of Honeywell and Todd, where his bosses are George Honeywell (Clarence Kolb) and Todd (George Meader). Roberta Townsend (Hillary Brooke) is Vern's girlfriend, and Margie's boyfriend is Freddy Wilson (Don Hayden). Mrs. Odetts (played by Gertrude Hoffmann on TV, Verna Felton on radio) is the Albrights' next-door neighbor and Margie's sidekick in madcap capers reminiscent of Lucy and Ethel in I Love Lucy. When Margie realizes she has blundered or gotten into trouble, she makes an odd trilling sound. Michael Richards of Seinfeld cites this as the inspiration for the occasional odd vocal utterances of his character on the program'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1960, The movie 'Psycho', starring Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, and Vera Miles, opens in New York City.
    From Wikipedia: 'Psycho is a 1960 American psychological horror thriller directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, and written by Joseph Stefano, starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, John Gavin, Vera Miles and Martin Balsam, and was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The film centers on the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane (Leigh), who ends up at a secluded motel after stealing money from her employer, and the motel's disturbed owner-manager, Norman Bates (Perkins), and its aftermath.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube (trailer): More
  • In 1963, Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 Mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
    From Wikipedia: 'Vostok 6 was the first human spaceflight mission to carry a woman, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, into space.

    The spacecraft was launched on June 16, 1963. While Vostok 5 had been delayed by technical problems, Vostok 6's launch proceeded perfectly with no difficulties at all. Data was collected on the female body's reaction to spaceflight. Like other cosmonauts on Vostok missions, she maintained a flight log, took photographs, and manually oriented the spacecraft. Her photographs of the horizon from space were later used to identify aerosol layers within the atmosphere. The mission, a joint flight with Vostok 5, was originally conceived as being a joint mission with two Vostoks each carrying a female cosmonaut, but this changed as the Vostok program experienced cutbacks as a precursor to the retooling of the program into the Voskhod program. Vostok 6 was the last flight of a Vostok 3KA spacecraft'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube (Russian): More
  • In 1978, The movie 'Grease' is released, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
    From Wikipedia: 'Grease is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Randal Kleiser and produced by Paramount Pictures. The film is an adaptation of Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs' 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing and Jeff Conaway.

    Released on June 16, 1978, the film was successful both critically and financially at the box office, becoming the highest grossing film of the year. As of 2016, the film remains the highest-grossing movie musical in the United States. Its soundtrack album ended 1978 as the second-best selling album of the year in the U.S., behind the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever, another film starring Travolta. The soundtrack is also the top-selling soundtrack in history. The film was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Original Song. A sequel, Grease 2, was released in 1982, featuring few cast members reprising their roles'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube (trailer): More
  • In 2012, China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.
    From Wikipedia: 'Shenzhou 9 was a manned spacecraft flight of China's Shenzhou program, launched at 18:37:24 CST (10:37:24 UTC), 16 June 2012. Shenzhou 9 was the second spacecraft and first manned spacecraft to dock with the Tiangong 1 space station, which took place on 18 June. The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft landed at 10:01:16 CST (02:01:16 UTC) on 29 June in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The mission's crew included the first Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang. The next planned mission was Shenzhou 10, which launched on 11 June 2013.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

Tomorrow we have two food holidays:
- 'National Fudge Day'.
{the Hankster says] Ah, fudge. Well that is the way it was originally. The mild expletive came before the confection. A chef was making some caramel one day. He over cooked it. Both his remark and then the confection was fudge.

- 'Fresh Veggie Day'.
{the Hankster says] You carnivores hoping to dodge this one, think again. Tomorrow is 'Eat Your Vegetables Day'.


Tomorrow is Bloomsday '. Irish holiday. Celebrates dated events in the James Joyce novel Ulysses. The name of the day from a main character Leopold Bloom.

Tomorrow is 'Morticians Day'.
{the Hankster says] Not sure if this is one of those hug 'um days or not. I think a handshake and a thank you will do nicely. Just as well be friendly now. You can't hide from them forever.These people are here to follow up on the first part of Ben F's. famous axiom. You are suffering the taxes part now.


We have an awareness day tomorrow. it will be 'International Day of the African Child'. Since 1991.


Historical events in the past on: June 16

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln says 'A house divided against itself cannot stand'.

In 1884, At Coney Island, in Brooklyn, NY, the first roller coaster in America opened. It was the 'Switchback Railway '.

In 1903, The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.

In 1903, Pepsi Cola company forms.

In 1909, Glenn Curtiss sells the first airplane.

In 1952, The TV comedy show 'My Little Margie', starring Gale Storm, debuted on CBS-TV.

In 1960, The movie 'Psycho', starring Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, and Vera Miles, opens in New York City.

In 1963, Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 Mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.

In 1978, The movie 'Grease' is released, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

In 2012, China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today (last updated June 12 next Jun 19 2015

No. 1 song

  • Help Me, Rhonda - The Beach Boys: More
    'Back in My Arms Again' has been displaced by 'Help Me, Rhonda', which will hold the no. 1 spot until June 19 1965, when 'I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) - The Four Tops', takes over.

Top movie

  • Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines More
    Having displaced 'The Sound of Music (reclaims the top again and)', it will be there until the weekend box office of June 27 1965 when, 'Von Ryan's Express', takes over.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): June 16
   V.
This month June 2015 (updated once a month - last updated - June 1 2015)

Monthly holiday / awareness days in June

Food
Country Cooking Month
Dairy Alternatives Month
Georgia Blueberry Month
Dairy Month
June is Turkey Lovers Month
National Candy Month
National Ice Tea Month
National Soul Food Month
National Steakhouse Month
Sorghum Month

Health and Well-Being
Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month
Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome Awareness Month (APS)
Cancer From The Sun Month
Cataract Awareness Month
Child Vision Awareness Month
International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
International Men's Month
National Aphasia Awareness Month
National Congenital Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month
National Safety Month
National Scoliosis Awareness Month
National Smile Month
Mens Health Education and Awareness Month
Migraine Awareness Month
Pharmacists Declare War on Alcoholism Month
Potty Training Awareness Month
Professional Wellness Month
PTSD Awareness Month
Scleroderma Awareness Month
Sports America Kids Month
Student Safety Month
Vision Research Month
World Infertility Month

Animal and Pets
Adopt-A-Cat Month
National Pet Preparedness Month
National Zoo and Aquarium Month

Other
African-American Music Appreciation Month
Audio Book Appreciation Month
Black Music Month
Caribbean-American Heritage Month
Children's Awareness Month
Effective Communications Month
Entrepreneurs 'Do It Yourself' Marketing Month
Fashion in Colonial Virginia Month
Fireworks Safety Month
Great Outdoors Month
International Surf Music Month
June is Perennial Gardening Month
National Accordion Awareness Month
National Bathroom Reading Month
National Camping Month
National Caribbean-American Heritage Month
National Rivers Month
National Rose Month
Rebuild Your Life Month
Skyscraper Month
World Naked Bike Ride Month
Women's Golf Month


June is:

June origin (from Wikipedia): Perhaps to honor goddess Juno, or from the Latin word iuniores (younger ones).
"is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. June is the month with the longest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. June in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to December in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the meteorological summer is 1 June. In the Southern hemisphere, the beginning of the meteorological winter is 1 June."

June 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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