Today is August 15 2015

National Lemon Meringue Pie Day: More
Julia Child's Birthday: More
August 15 1912.

• National Relaxation Day: More
  
• International Geocaching Day: More Third Saturday in August. From Wikipedia: 'Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called geocaches or caches, anywhere in the world.'
• I Love Cowboys and Cowgirls Day: More
• National Failures Day : More
  On the same day as relaxation day.
• Chauvin Day: More
  This is the man Nicolas Chauvin who's belief and fervor for military duty (France under Napoleon) gave rise to the term Chauvinist. When qualified as in Male Chauvinist it takes on a more specific meaning for blind, unquestioned extreme conviction to a cause or belief.

• Health
  • Senior’s Week: More
    August 15-23 in Australia-Queensland.
• Animal and Pets
  • International Homeless Animals Day: More
    Third Saturday of August by the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) .
  • National Honey Bee Day: More
    Third Saturday in August. Since 2009 by American Beekeepers to promote and educate public about the bee industry.
  • Check the Chip Day: More
    A reminder to get an id chip for your pet and to verify that it is still working properly.
• Other
  • Mother's Day in Costa Rica: More
  • Victory over Japan Day: More

• In 1057, Macbeth, the King of Scotland, was killed by the son of King Duncan and not in his bed as in the Shakespeare's play.
  From Wikipedia: 'Mac Bethad mac Findlaích (Modern Gaelic: MacBheatha mac Fhionnlaigh; Medieval Gaelic: Mac Bethad mac Findlaích; anglicised as Macbeth, and nicknamed Rí Deircc, "the Red King"; died 15 August 1057) was King of the Scots (also known as the King of Alba, and earlier as King of Moray and King of Fortriu) from 1040 until his death. Recent evidence is indicating he spent much of his time in and around the Forres area of Moray, defeating his cousin Duncan, then king of Moray, in battle at nearby Pitgaveny. He is best known as the subject of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth and the many works it has inspired, although the play is not an accurate portrait of the historical king'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1877, Thomas Edison wrote to the president of the Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh, PA. The letter stated that the word, 'hello' would be a more appropriate greeting than 'ahoy' when answering the telephone.
  From Wikipedia: 'The use of hello as a telephone greeting has been credited to Thomas Edison; according to one source, he expressed his surprise with a misheard Hullo. Alexander Graham Bell initially used Ahoy (as used on ships) as a telephone greeting. However, in 1877, Edison wrote to T.B.A. David, the president of the Central District and Printing Telegraph Company of Pittsburgh:
  
  Friend David, I do not think we shall need a call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away.
  
  What you think? Edison - P.S. first cost of sender and receiver to manufacture is only $7.00.
  
  By 1889, central telephone exchange operators were known as 'hello-girls' because of the association between the greeting and the telephone'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
• In 1935, Will Rogers (cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, newspaper columnist, social commentator and stage and motion picture actor.) and Wiley Post (first man to fly solo around the world) are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.
  
  -A t Wikipedia (Rogers): More
  From Wikipedia: 'William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, newspaper columnist, social commentator, and stage and motion picture actor.
  
  Known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son", Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"), and wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns. By the mid-1930s, the American people adored Rogers. He was the leading political wit of his time, and was the highest paid Hollywood movie star. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska'.
  
  - At Wikipedia (Post): More
  From Wikipedia: 'Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935) was a famed American aviator during the interwar period, the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high-altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits and discovered the jet stream. On August 15, 1935, Post and American humorist Will Rogers were killed when Post's aircraft crashed on takeoff from a lagoon near Point Barrow in the Territory of Alaska.
  
  Post's Lockheed Vega aircraft, the Winnie Mae, was on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center from 2003 to 2011. It is now featured in the "Time and Navigation" gallery on the second floor of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.'
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1848, The dental chair was patented by M. Waldo Hanchett.
  - At iandikaileyagnew: More
  - On YouTube (Dentistry An Oral History ): More
• In 1939, The Wizard of Oz has it's Hollywood premiere at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical comedy-drama fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. The co-stars are Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton, with Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe and Clara Blandick, Terry the dog (billed as Toto), and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins.
  
  Notable for its use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and unusual characters, over the years, it has become an icon of American popular culture. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to Gone with the Wind. It did win in two other categories, including Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow" and Best Original Score by Herbert Stothart. However, the film was a box office disappointment on its initial release, earning only $3,017,000 on a $2,777,000 budget, despite receiving largely positive reviews. It was MGM's most expensive production at that time, and did not completely recoup the studio's investment and turn a profit until theatrical re-releases starting in 1949.
  
  After the preview in San Luis Obispo in early July, The Wizard of Oz was officially released in August 1939 at its current 101-minute running time'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opens in upstate New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1970, Patricia Palinkas becomes 1st woman pro football player (Orlando). She was a place-kick holder
  From Wikipedia: 'The Woodstock Music and Art Fair—informally, the Woodstock Festival or simply Woodstock—was a music festival attracting an audience of over 400,000 people, scheduled over three days on a dairy farm in New York state from August 15 to 17, 1969, but which ran over four days to August 18, 1969.
  
  Billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music", it was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre (240 ha; 0.94 sq mi) dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel. Bethel, in Sullivan County, is 43 miles (69 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, in adjoining Ulster County.
  
  During the sometimes rainy weekend, 32 acts performed outdoors before an audience of 400,000 people. It is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history, as well as the definitive nexus for the larger counterculture generation.
  
  Rolling Stone listed it as one of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.
  
  The event was captured in the Academy Award winning 1970 documentary movie Woodstock, an accompanying soundtrack album, and Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock", which commemorated the event and became a major hit for both Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Matthews Southern Comfort'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1979, 'Apocalypse Now', directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen, is released
  From Wikipedia: 'Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war adventure film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen. The film follows the central character, Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Sheen), on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Brando), who is a renegade, and presumed insane.
  
  The screenplay by John Milius and Coppola updates the setting of Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness to that of the Vietnam War. It also draws from Michael Herr's Dispatches and Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972).
  
  Apocalypse Now was released to universal acclaim. It was honored with the Palme d'Or at Cannes and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama. It is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. The film was also ranked No. 14 in the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound greatest films poll in 2012. The film ranks #7 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. In 2000, Apocalypse Now was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, for films deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".
  
  The film has been noted for the problems encountered while making it -- chronicled in the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Lemon Meringue Pie Day'.
[The Hankster says] Mounds of meringue please.

We also recognize 'Julia Child's Birthday' tomorrow. August 15 1912.


Tomorrow is 'National Relaxation Day'. Third Saturday in August.
[The Hankster says] Yes, a thousand times yes.

There is a followup. 'National Failures Day '. On the same day as relaxation day.
[The Hankster says] I can only think of one failure on this day and that is the failure to take it easy.

International Geocaching Day'. From Wikipedia 'Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called geocaches or caches, anywhere in the world.'

It is 'I Love Cowboys and Cowgirls Day' tomorrow.

Tomorrow 'Chauvin Day'. This is the man Nicolas Chauvin who's belief and fervor for military duty (France under Napoleon) gave rise to the term Chauvinist. When qualified as in Male Chauvinist it takes on a more specific meaning for blind, unquestioned extreme conviction to a cause or belief.


Awareness / Observance Days on: August 15
o Health
- 'Senior’s Week'. August 15-23 in Australia Queensland.

o Animal and Pets
- ' International Homeless Animals Day'. Third Saturday of August by the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) .

- 'National Honey Bee Day'. Third Saturday in August. Since 2009 by American Beekeepers to promote and educate public about the bee industry.

- 'Check the Chip Day'. A reminder to get an Id chip for your pet and to verify that it is still working properly.

o Other
- 'Mother's Day in Costa Rica'.


Historical events in the past on: August 15

In 1057, Macbeth, the King of Scotland, was killed by the son of King Duncan and not in his bed as in Shakespeare's play. Willie also misrepresented his reign.

In 1877, Thomas Edison wrote to the president of the Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh, PA. The letter stated that the word, 'hello' would be a more appropriate greeting than 'ahoy' when answering the telephone as Alex Bell suggested.

In 1935, Will Rogers (cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, newspaper columnist, social commentator and stage and motion picture actor.) and Wiley Post (first man to fly solo around the world) are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.

In 1848, The dental chair was patented by M. Waldo Hanchett.

In 1939, The Wizard of Oz has it's Hollywood premiere at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opens in upstate New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era.

In 1970, Patricia Palinkas becomes 1st woman pro football player (Orlando). She was a place-kick holder.

In 1979, 'Apocalypse Now', directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen, is released.

No. 1 song

• I Got You Babe - Sonny and Cher: More
  'I'm Henry VIII, I Am' has been displaced by 'I Got You Babe', which will hold the no. 1 spot until August 28 1965, when 'Help! - The Beatles', takes over.

Top movie

• A Very Special Favor More
  Having displaced 'Ship of Fools', it will be there until the weekend box office of Aug. 29 1965 when, 'Morituri', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: August 15 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: August 15 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 15th August More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 15th August More
• On-This-day.com history 15th August More
• On-This-day.com music history 15th August More
• Wikipedia.com: History August 15 More

Monthly holiday / awareness days in August

Food
National Catfish Month
National Goat Cheese Month
National Panini Month
Shop Online For Groceries Month
Rye Month

Health and Well-being
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month
Children's Vision and Learning Month
National Breastfeeding Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
National Minority Donor Awareness Month
National Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month
National Win With Civility Month
Neurosurgery Outreach Month
Psoriasis Awareness Month

Animal and Pets
World Mutt-i-grees Rescue Month

Other
American Artists Appreciation Month
American Adventures Month
American Indian Heritage Month - also Nov.
Black Business Month
LBoomers Making A Difference Month
LBystander Awareness Month
LChild Support Awareness Month
LGet Ready for Kindergarten Month
Happiness Happens Month
Motor Sports Awareness Month
National Read A Romance Month
National Traffic Awareness Month
National Truancy Prevention Month
National Water Quality Month
Tomboy Tools Month
What Will Be Your Legacy Month

August is:

August origin (from Wikipedia): Originally named Sextili (Latin), because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar: under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first month of the year.
"About 700 BC it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 45 BC giving it its modern length of 31 days. In 8 BC it was renamed in honor of Augustus According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt. "

August 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