Today is August 18 2015

National Ice Cream Pie Day: More

• National Mail Order Catalog Day: More
  In remembrance of the first Montgomery Wards mail order catalog in 1872 It was a single page at time, but grew into over 500. The Sears catalog came later.
• Bad Poetry Day: More
• Helium Discovery Day: More
  During a solar eclipse in 1868 two scientists, French astronomer Pierre Jules C‚sar Janssen (French) and Joseph Norman Lockyer (English) independently discover a new element (Helium) when spectroscopic data from the Sun is analyzed. Helium was later discovered on Earth by Scottish chemist William Ramsay.

• Other
  • National Tree Planting Day in Pakistan: More
  • Vietnam Veterans' Day in Australia (Long Tan Day): More
    The day commemorates those Australians who fought in Vietnam .The date commemorates the Battle of Long Tan during the Vietnam War.

• In 1587, Virginia Dare, granddaughter of Governor John White of the Colony of Roanoke, becomes the first English child born in the Americas.
  From Wikipedia: 'Virginia Dare (born August 18, 1587, date of death unknown) was the first Englishman or Englishwoman born in the British Colonies in the New World. She was born to English parents Ananias Dare and Eleanor White (also spelled Ellinor or Elyonor) and named after the Virginia Colony.
  
  What became of Virginia and the other colonists remains a mystery. The fact of her birth is known because John White, Virginia's grandfather and the governor of the colony, returned to England in 1587 to seek fresh supplies. When White eventually returned three years later, the colonists were gone.
  
  During the past four hundred years, Virginia Dare has become a prominent figure in American myth and folklore, symbolizing different things to different groups of people. She has been featured as a main character in books, poems, songs, comic books, television programs, and films. Her name has been used to sell different types of goods, from vanilla products to wine and spirits. Many places in North Carolina and elsewhere in the Southern United States have been named in her honor'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
• In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was established on Roanoke Island in what is today's Dare County, North Carolina, United States. It was a late 16th-century attempt by Queen Elizabeth I to establish a permanent English settlement. The colony was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh.
  
  The colonists disappeared during the Anglo-Spanish War, three years after the last shipment of supplies from England. Their disappearance gave rise to the nickname "The Lost Colony." There has been no conclusive evidence as to what happened to the colonists.
  
  White sailed for England in late 1587, although crossing the Atlantic at that time of year was a considerable risk. Plans for a relief fleet were delayed first by the captain's refusal to return during the winter, and then the attack on England of the Spanish Armada and the subsequent Anglo-Spanish War. Every able English ship joined the fight, leaving White without a means to return to Roanoke at the time.:125–26 In the spring of 1588, White managed to acquire two small vessels and sailed for Roanoke; however, his attempt to return was thwarted when the captains of the ships attempted to capture several Spanish ships on the outward-bound voyage (in order to improve their profits). They themselves were captured and their cargo seized. With nothing left to deliver to the colonists, the ships returned to England.:125–26 The discovery of the word "Croatoan" carved onto a stockade board
  
  Because of the continuing war with Spain, White was unable to mount another resupply attempt for an additional three years. He finally gained passage on a privateering expedition that agreed to stop off at Roanoke on the way back from the Caribbean. White landed on August 18, 1590, on his granddaughter's third birthday, but found the settlement deserted. His men could not find any trace of the 90 men, 17 women, and 11 children, nor was there any sign of a struggle or battle.:130–33
  
  The only clue was the word "CROATOAN" carved into a post of the fence around the village. All the houses and fortifications had been dismantled, which meant that their departure had not been hurried. Before he had left the colony, White instructed them that, if anything happened to them, they should carve a Maltese cross on a tree nearby, indicating that their absence had been forced. There was no cross, and White took this to mean that they had moved to Croatoan Island (now known as Hatteras Island), but he was unable to conduct a search. A massive storm was forming and his men refused to go any further; the next day, they left'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1868, French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium.
  From Wikipedia: 'Pierre Jules César Janssen (22 February 1824 – 23 December 1907), also known as Jules Janssen, was a French astronomer who, along with the English scientist Joseph Norman Lockyer, is credited with discovering the gaseous nature of the solar chromosphere, and with some justification the element helium.
  
  In 1868 Janssen discovered how to observe solar prominences without an eclipse. While observing the solar eclipse of August 18, 1868, at Guntur, Madras State (now in Andhra Pradesh), British India, he noticed bright lines in the spectrum of the chromosphere, showing that the chromosphere is gaseous. Present in the spectrum of the Sun, though not immediately noticed or commented upon, was a bright yellow line later measured to have a wavelength of 587.49 nm. This was the first observation of this particular spectral line, and one possible source for it was an element not yet discovered on the earth. From the brightness of the spectral lines, Janssen realized that the chromospheric spectrum could be observed even without an eclipse, and he proceeded to do so.
  
  On 20 October of the same year, Joseph Norman Lockyer in England set up a new, relatively powerful spectroscope. He also observed the emission spectrum of the chromosphere, including the same yellow line. Within a few years, he worked with a chemist and they concluded that it could be caused by an unknown element, after unsuccessfully testing to see if it were some new type of hydrogen. This was the first time a chemical element was discovered on an extraterrestrial body before being found on the earth. Lockyer and the English chemist Edward Frankland named the element with the Greek word for the Sun, (helios)'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1920, Women's suffrage became guaranteed with the ratification of 19th amendment
  From Wikipedia: 'The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920. Until the 1910s, most states disenfranchised women. The amendment was the culmination of the women's suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote. It effectively overruled Minor v. Happersett, in which a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment did not give women the right to vote.
  
  The Nineteenth Amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878 by Senator Aaron A. Sargent. Forty-one years later, in 1919, Congress approved the amendment and submitted it to the states for ratification. It was ratified by the requisite number of states a year later, with Tennessee's ratification being the final vote needed to add the amendment to the Constitution. In Leser v. Garnett (1922), the Supreme Court rejected claims that the amendment was unconstitutionally adopted'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1956, Elvis Presley's 'Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel' reaches #1 on the Cash Box chart and stays their for 4 weeks.
  From Wikipedia: '"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded originally by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton on August 13, 1952 in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, "Hound Dog" was Thornton's only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R and B charts, including seven weeks at #1. Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog" is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2
  
  "Hound Dog" has been recorded more than 250 times. The best-known version of "Hound Dog" is the July 1956 recording by Elvis Presley, which is ranked No. 19 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time; it is also one of the best-selling singles of all time. Presley's version, which sold about 10 million copies globally, was his best-selling song and "an emblem of the rock 'n' roll revolution". It was simultaneously No. 1 on the US pop, country, and R and B charts in 1956, and it topped the pop chart for 11 weeks — a record that stood for 36 years. Presley's 1956 RCA recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988, and it is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".
  
  "Hound Dog" has been at the center of controversies and several lawsuits, including disputes over authorship, royalties, and copyright infringement by the many answer songs released by such artists as Rufus Thomas and Roy Brown. From the 1970s onward, the song has been featured in numerous films, including Grease, Forrest Gump, Lilo and Stitch, A Few Good Men, Hounddog, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Nowhere Boy'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1962, Peter, Paul and Mary's 'If I Had A Hammer' was released.
  From Wikipedia: '"If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" is a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the progressive movement, and was first recorded by The Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman. It was a number 10 hit for Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962 and then went to number three a year later when recorded by Trini Lopez.
  
  The Weavers released the song under the title "The Hammer Song" as a 78 single in March 1950 on Hootenanny Records, 101-A, backed with "Banks of Marble"'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1982, The LA Dodgers defeat Chicago Cubs after 21 innings of play that started previous day.
  - At FamousDaily: More
• In 1983, Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 people and causing over US$1 billion in damage (1983 dollars).
  From Wikipedia: 'Hurricane Alicia was the costliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic since Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Alicia was the third depression, the first tropical storm, and the only major hurricane of the 1983 Atlantic hurricane season. It struck Galveston and Houston, Texas directly, causing $2.6 billion (1983 USD; US$6.18 billion 2016) in damage and killing 21 people; this made it the worst Texas hurricane since Hurricane Carla in 1961. In addition, Alicia was the first billion-dollar tropical cyclone in Texas history.
  
  Hurricane Alicia was the first hurricane to hit the United States mainland since Hurricane Allen in August 1980. The time between the two storms totaled three years and eight days (1,103 days). Hurricane Alicia became the last major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) to strike Texas until the stronger Hurricane Bret in 1999 made landfall. Alicia was the first storm for which the National Hurricane Center issued landfall probabilities.
  
  Hurricane Alicia was notable for the delayed post storm evacuation of Galveston Island (since the eye of the storm traveled the evacuation route up Interstate 45 from Galveston to Houston). The hurricane was also notable for the shattering of many windows in downtown Houston by loose gravel from the roofs of new skyscrapers and by other debris, prompting changes to rooftop construction codes'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Ice Cream Pie Day'.
[The Hankster says] No, no, we are not talking Pie à la mode. Nice in it's own way, but we are talking about a gram or crushed cookie pie crust and filled with ice cream. Sort of a round opened faced ice cream sandwich in a pan.


Remember when. Tomorrow is 'National Mail Order Catalog Day'. In remembrance of the first Montgomery Wards mail order catalog in 1872. It was a single page at first, but grew into over 500 pages. The Sears catalog came later.

Tomorrow is 'Bad Poetry Day'.
[The Hankster says] I decided not to burst into rhyme, so it will really be a good poetry day for you.

Get out the balloons. Tomorrow is 'Helium Discovery Day'. During a solar eclipse in 1868 two scientists, French astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen (French) and Joseph Norman Lockyer (English) independently discover a new element (Helium) when spectroscopic data from the Sun is analyzed. Helium was later discovered on Earth by Scottish chemist William Ramsay.


Awareness / Observance Days on: August 18
o Other
- 'National Tree Planting Day in Pakistan'.

- 'Vietnam Veterans' Day in Australia (Long Tan Day)'. The day commemorates those Australians who fought in Vietnam .The date commemorates the Battle of Long Tan during the Vietnam War.


Historic events in the past on: August 18

In 1587, Virginia Dare, granddaughter of Governor John White of the Colony of Roanoke, becomes the first English child born in the Americas.

In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted.

In 1920, Women's suffrage became guaranteed with the ratification of the19th amendment More

In 1956, Elvis Presley's 'Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel' reaches #1 on the Cash Box chart and stays their for 4 weeks.

In 1982, The LA Dodgers defeat Chicago Cubs after 21 innings of play that started the previous day.

In 1983, Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 people and causing over US$1 billion in damage (1983 dollars).

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