Today is July 29 2015

National Lasagna Day: More
National Chicken Wing Day: More

• Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day : More
  An old custom to sacrifice some cheese to bait the mouse trap.
• Rain Day Festival: More
  A holiday in Waynesburg, PA since 1874, when a drug store owner took a customers 'It always rains on my birthday' (July 29) comment to heart and made himself, his store and the town famous.
• Lipstick Day: More
  'Red Lipstick Day' is in May.

• Animal and Pets
  • International / Global Tiger Day: More
    Tiger conservation since 2010 by the International Tiger Forum.

• In 1588, At the Battle of Gravelines, English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.
  From Wikipedia: The Spanish Armada (Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, literally "Great and Most Fortunate Navy") was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. The strategic aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Tudor establishment of Protestantism in England, with the expectation that this would put a stop to English interference in the Spanish Netherlands and to the harm caused to Spanish interests by English and Dutch privateering.
  
  'The small port of Gravelines was then part of Flanders in the Spanish Netherlands, close to the border with France and the closest Spanish territory to England. Duke Medina Sidonia tried to re-form his fleet there and was reluctant to sail further east knowing the danger from the shoals off Flanders, from which his Dutch enemies had removed the sea marks. The English had learned more of the Armada's strengths and weaknesses during the skirmishes in the English Channel and had concluded it was necessary to close within 100 yards to penetrate the oak hulls of the Spanish ships. They had spent most of their gunpowder in the first engagements and had, after the Isle of Wight, been forced to conserve their heavy shot and powder for a final attack near Gravelines. During all the engagements, the Spanish heavy guns could not easily be run in for reloading because of their close spacing and the quantities of supplies stowed between decks, as Francis Drake had discovered on capturing the damaged Rosario in the Channel. Instead the gunners fired once and then jumped to the rigging to attend to their main task as marines ready to board enemy ships, as had been the practice in naval warfare at the time. In fact, evidence from Armada wrecks in Ireland shows that much of the fleet's ammunition was never spent. Their determination to fight by boarding, rather than cannon fire at a distance, proved a weakness for the Spanish; it had been effective on occasions such as the battles of Lepanto and Ponta Delgada (1582), but the English were aware of this strength and sought to avoid it by keeping their distance.
  
  With its superior manoeuvrability, the English fleet provoked Spanish fire while staying out of range. The English then closed, firing repeated and damaging broadsides into the enemy ships. This also enabled them to maintain a position to windward so that the heeling Armada hulls were exposed to damage below the water line. Many of the Spanish gunners were killed or wounded by the English broadsides, and the task of manning the cannon often fell to the regular foot soldiers on board, who did not know how to operate the guns. The ships were close enough for sailors on the upper decks of the English and Spanish ships to exchange musket fire. After eight hours, the English ships began to run out of ammunition, and some gunners began loading objects such as chains into cannons. Around 4:00 pm, the English fired their last shots and were forced to pull back.
  
  Five Spanish ships were lost. The galleass San Lorenzo, flagship of Don Hugo de Moncada, ran aground at Calais and was taken by Howard after murderous fighting between the crew, the galley slaves, the English who eventually killed all Spanish and slaves, and the French, who ultimately took possession of the wreck. The galleons San Mateo and San Felipe drifted away in a sinking condition, ran aground on the island of Walcheren the next day, and were taken by the Dutch. One carrack ran aground near Blankenberge; another foundered. Many other Spanish ships were severely damaged, especially the Portuguese and some Spanish Atlantic-class galleons (including some Neapolitan galleasses) which had to bear the brunt of the fighting during the early hours of the battle in desperate individual actions against groups of English ships. The Spanish plan to join with Parma's army had been defeated and the English had gained some breathing space, but the Armada's presence in northern waters still posed a great threat to England'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1907, Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9, 1907, and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Brownsea Island Scout camp began as a boys' camping event on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, southern England, organised by Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell to test his ideas for the book Scouting for Boys. Boys from different social backgrounds participated from 1 to 8 August 1907 in activities around camping, observation, woodcraft, chivalry, lifesaving and patriotism. Recognised as the world's first Scout camp, the event is regarded as the real origin of the worldwide Scout movement.
  
  Up to the early 1930s, camping by Boy Scouts continued on Brownsea Island. In 1963, a formal 50-acre (200,000 m2) Scout campsite was opened by Olave Baden-Powell, when the island became a nature conservation area owned by the National Trust. In 1973, a Scout Jamboree was held on the island with 600 Scouts.
  
  The worldwide centenary of Scouting took place at the Brownsea Island Scout camp, celebrating 1 August 2007, the 100th anniversary of the start of the first encampment. Activities by The Scout Association at the campsite include four Scout camps and a Sunrise Ceremony'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1938, Olympic National Park, located in Washington, is established.
  From Wikipedia: 'Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the state of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. Within the park there are three distinct ecosystems which are sub-alpine forest and wildflower meadow, temperate forest, and the rugged Pacific Shore. These three different ecosystems are in pristine condition and have outstanding scenery.
  
  U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt originally created Mount Olympus National Monument on 2 March 1909. It was designated a national park by President Franklin Roosevelt on June 29, 1938. In 1976, Olympic National Park became an International Biosphere Reserve, and in 1981 it was designated a World Heritage Site. In 1988, Congress designated 95 percent of the park as the Olympic Wilderness'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1950, Disney's 'Treasure Island' was released.
  From Wikipedia: 'Treasure Island is a 1950 live action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. It stars Bobby Driscoll as Jim Hawkins, and Robert Newton as Long John Silver. Treasure Island is notable for being Disney's first completely live-action film and the first screen version of Treasure Island made in color. It was filmed in England on location and at Denham Film Studios, Buckinghamshire'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1957, Jack Paar's Tonight show premieres. He is the fifth host, the original being Steve Allen in 1956.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show broadcast from the Rockefeller Center in New York City and airing on NBC since 1954. It is the world's longest-running talk show, and the longest running, regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States. It is the third-longest-running show on NBC, after the news-and-talk shows Today and Meet the Press.
  
  Over the course of more than 60 years, The Tonight Show has undergone only minor title changes. It aired under the name Tonight for several of its early years, eventually settling on The Tonight Show after the seating of long-time host Johnny Carson in 1962. In later decades, network programmers, advertisers, and the show's announcers would refer to the show by including the name of the host; for example, it is currently announced as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In 1957, the show briefly tried a more news-style format. It has otherwise remained a talk show throughout its run.
  
  The Tonight Show began broadcasting in 1954. It has had six official hosts, beginning with Steve Allen (1954–57), followed by Jack Paar (1957–62), Johnny Carson (1962–92), Jay Leno (1992–2009, 2010–14), Conan O'Brien (2009–10), and Jimmy Fallon (2014–present). It has had several recurring guest hosts, a practice especially common during the Paar and Carson eras.
  
  Johnny Carson is the longest-serving host to date. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson aired for 30 seasons between October 1962 and May 1992. Leno, however, has the record of having hosted the greatest number of total televised episodes. Leno's record accounts for the fact that unlike Carson (who only produced new shows three days a week), Leno never used guest hosts (except Katie Couric, once) and produced new shows five days a week; Leno himself was also Carson's primary guest host for the last five years of Carson's tenure, giving him even more episodes to his credit.
  
  Outside of its brief run as a news show in 1957, O'Brien is the shortest-serving host. O'Brien hosted 146 episodes over the course of less than eight months. Current host Fallon took the helm on February 17, 2014. Fallon had previously hosted Late Night, and before Late Night he was a popular member of the cast on Saturday Night Live'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1958, To compete with Russia - President Dwight Eisenhower signs the act to create NASA.
  From Wikipedia: 'The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
  
  President Dwight D. Eisenhower established NASA in 1958 with a distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958, disestablishing NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency became operational on October 1, 1958.
  
  Since that time, most US space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and later the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles. The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program (LSP) which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for unmanned NASA launches.
  
  NASA science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System, advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program, exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic spacecraft missions such as New Horizons, and researching astrophysics topics, such as the Big Bang, through the Great Observatories and associated programs. NASA shares data with various national and international organizations such as from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1963, Peter, Paul and Mary's 'Blowin' In The Wind' was released.
  From Wikipedia: '"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962 and released as a single and on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. Although it has been described as a protest song, it poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind".
  
  In 1994, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked number 14 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
  
  "Blowin' in the Wind" was first covered by the Chad Mitchell Trio, but their record company delayed release of the album containing it because the song included the word death, so the trio lost out to Peter, Paul and Mary, who were represented by Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman. The single sold a phenomenal 300,000 copies in the first week of release and made the song world famous. On August 17, 1963, it reached number two on the Billboard pop chart, with sales exceeding one million copies. Peter Yarrow recalled that, when he told Dylan he would make more than $5,000 (equivalent to $39,000 in 2015) from the publishing rights, Dylan was speechless. Peter, Paul and Mary's version of the song also spent five weeks atop the easy listening chart'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 2005, Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.
  From Wikipedia: 'Eris (minor-planet designation 136199 Eris) is the most massive and second-largest dwarf planet known in the Solar System. It is also the ninth-most-massive known body directly orbiting the Sun, and the largest known body in the Solar System not visited by a spacecraft. It is measured to be 2,326 ± 12 kilometers (1,445.3 ± 7.5 mi) in diameter. Eris is 27% more massive than dwarf planet Pluto, though Pluto is slightly larger by volume. Eris's mass is about 0.27% of the Earth's mass.
  
  Eris was discovered in January 2005 by a Palomar Observatory–based team led by Mike Brown, and its identity was verified later that year. It is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO) and a member of a high-eccentricity population known as the scattered disk. It has one known moon, Dysnomia. As of February 2016, its distance from the Sun is 96.3 astronomical units (1.441×1010 km; 8.95×109 mi), roughly three times that of Pluto. With the exception of some comets, Eris and Dysnomia are currently the second-most-distant known natural objects in the Solar System, the farthest object being V774104 discovered in November 2015 at 103 AU.
  
  Because Eris appeared to be larger than Pluto, NASA initially described it as the Solar System's tenth planet. This, along with the prospect of other objects of similar size being discovered in the future, motivated the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term planet for the first time. Under the IAU definition approved on August 24, 2006, Eris is a "dwarf planet", along with objects such as Pluto, Ceres, Haumea and Makemake, thereby reducing the number of known planets in the Solar System to eight, the same as before Pluto's discovery in 1930. Observations of a stellar occultation by Eris in 2010 showed that its diameter was 2,326 ± 12 kilometers (1,445.3 ± 7.5 mi), not significantly different from that of Pluto. After New Horizons measured Pluto's diameter as 2372±4 km in July 2015, it was determined that Eris is slightly smaller in diameter than Pluto'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Two food holidays for tomorrow:
- 'National Lasagna Day'.
[The Hankster says] Garfield and I are ready to set down to a big plate of lasagna anytime.

- 'National Chicken Wing Day'.
[The Hankster says] I found a few places giving free or discounted wings up in Buffalo NY. I didn't see any around Houston. Might be worth calling your favorite wing place to see.


Here is one holiday when you give up some food. Tomorrow is 'Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day '.
[The Hankster says' An old custom to sacrifice some cheese to bait the mouse trap. Seems like some 16th or 17th century cheese monger had a bright idea to sell a little more cheese.

Tomorrow is the 'Rain Day Festival'. A holiday in Waynesburg, PA since 1874, when a drug store owner took a customers 'It always rains on my birthday' (July 29) comment to heart and made himself, his store and the town famous.
[The Hankster says] Yep, about 82 percent of the time, it rains on July 29 in that city.

Ladies, choose your makeup carefully tomorrow, it will be lipstick Day'. 'Red Lipstick Day' is in May.
[The Hankster says] I found an item of interest. During WW II, in England, many items were rationed. Lipstick was not one of them. Winston Churchill thought it was a morale booster, both for the ladies and the men.


Awareness / Observance Days on: July 29
o Animal and Pets
- 'International / Global Tiger Day'. Tiger conservation since 2010 by the International Tiger Forum.


Historical events in the past on: July 29

In 1588, At the Battle of Gravelines, English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.

In 1907, Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9, 1907, and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement.

In 1938, Olympic National Park, located in Washington, is established.

In 1950, Disney's 'Treasure Island' was released.

In 1957, Jack Paar's Tonight show premieres. He is the fifth host, the original being Steve Allen in 1956.

In 1958, To compete with Russia - President Dwight Eisenhower signs the act to create NASA.

In 2005, Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.

No. 1 song

• Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds: More
  'I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)' has been displaced by 'Mr. Tambourine Man', which will hold the no. 1 spot until July 31 1965, when '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones', takes over.

Top movie

• The Sound of Music More
  Having displaced 'Cat Ballou', it will be there until the weekend box office of Aug. 1 1965 when, 'Ship of Fools', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: July 29 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: July 29 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 29th July More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 29th July More
• On-This-day.com history 29th July More
• On-This-day.com music history 29th July More
• Wikipedia.com: History July 29 More

Monthly holiday / awareness days in

Food
Eggplant Month
Garlic Month
Lettuce Month
Melon Month
National Baked Bean Month
National Blueberries Month
National Bison Month
National Culinary Arts Month
National Grilling Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Ice Cream Month
National Horseradish Month
National Hot Dog Month
National July Belongs to Blueberries
Nectarine Month
Sandwich Generation Month
Wheat Month

Health and Well-being
Alopecia Month for WomebnHealth and Well-Being
Bereaved Parents Awareness Month
Eye Injury Prevention Month Link
Fragile X Awareness Month
Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month
Herbal / Prescription Interaction Awareness Month
International Group B Strep Awareness Month
International Women with Alopecia Month
Juvenille Arthritis Awareness Month
National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month
National Cord Blood Awareness Month
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
National Outdoor Month
National Picnic Month
National Recreation and Parks Month
National Share a Sunset with Your Lover Month
Social Wellness Month
Worldwide Bereaved Parents Month

Animal and Pets
Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
National 'Doghouse Repairs Month

Other
Air-Conditioning Appreciation
Anti Boredom Month
Bioterrorism/Disaster Education and Awareness Month
Cell Phone Courtesy Month
Dog Days
Family Golf Month
Family Reunion Month
Fireworks Safety Month
Independent Retailer Month
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
International Zine Month
National Black Family Month
National Child-Centered Divorce Month
National Make A Difference to Children Month
National Parks and Recreation Month
National Vacation Rental Month
National Wheelchair Beautification Month
Smart Irrigation Month
Tennis Month
Tour de France Month
UV Safety Month
Women's Motorcycle Month

July is:

July origin (from Wikipedia): Named by the Roman Senate in honor of Julius Caesar.
"is the seventh month of the year (between June and August) in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honor of the Roman general, Julius Caesar, it being the month of his birth. Prior to that, it was called Quintilis. It is, on average, the warmest month in most of the Northern hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer) and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere (where it is the second month of winter). The second half of the year commences in July. In the Southern hemisphere, July is the seasonal equivalent of January in the Northern hemisphere."

July 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