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Today is January 1 2016

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   I.
Today's Holidays and Historical Events (updated daily)
Today's Food Holiday
  • Apple Gifting Day: More
Other celebrations/observances today:
  • New Year's Day: More
  • Z Day: More
    A day for those who's names are at the the end of the alphabet to go first.
  • Polar Bear Swim Day: More
    Dates and names differ, but it is a tradition in Canada on New Year's Day.
  • Bonza Bottler Day: More
    A free day to do what you like. The day occurs once a month when the month and day are the same, as in 1/1.
  • First Foot Day: More
    From Wikipedia: 'In Scottish and Northern English folklore, the first-foot, also known in Manx Gaelic as quaaltagh or qualtagh, is the first person to enter the home of a household on New Year's Day and a bringer of good fortune for the coming year.'.
  • Commitment Day: More
    Another New Year's Resolution day.
  • New Year's Dishonor List Day: More
    The 2016 list of overused words that should be banned. By the Lake Superior State University.
  • Public Domain Day: More
    The day in many countries that the copyright advances for the new year, putting many media into the public domain..
  • Mummer's Parade: More
    From Wikipedia: 'The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is believed to be the oldest folk festival in the United States. Local clubs (usually called New Years Associations) compete in one of four categories (comics, fancies, string bands, and fancy brigades)'.
  • Tournament of Roses Parade Day: More
    From Wikipedia 'The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses and the Rose Parade presented by Honda, is part of 'America's New Year Celebration' held in Pasadena, California each year on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday). The parade includes flower-covered floats, marching bands, and equestrian units and is followed by the Rose Bowl college football game. It is produced by the nonprofit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association'.
Awareness / Observance Days on: January 1
  • Health
    • National Birth Defects Prevention Month: More
      By the NBDPN Education and Outreach Committee. The 2016 theme is: 'Making Healthy Choices to Prevent Birth Defects - Make a PACT for Prevention'.
  • Other
    • Global Family Day More
Events in the past on: January 1
  • In 1772, The first traveler's checks are issued in London. They were good in about 90 countries. The idea didn't take off well until the American Express Travelers Checks in the 1890's. More
  • In 1788, First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1863, Lincoln signs Emancipation Proclamation. From Wikipedia: 'The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. In a single stroke, it changed the federal legal status of more than 3 million enslaved persons in the designated areas of the South from 'slave' to 'free'. It had the practical effect that as soon as a slave escaped the control of the Confederate government, by running away or through advances of federal troops, the slave became legally free. Eventually it reached and liberated all of the designated slaves. It was issued as a war measure during the American Civil War, directed to all of the areas in rebellion and all segments of the executive branch (including the Army and Navy) of the United States'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1901, The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1902, The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California. More
    - On YouTube (audio): More
  • In 1929, Roy Riegels runs 60 yds the wrong way with Rose Bowl fumble recovery. From Wikipedia: 'On January 1, 1929, the Golden Bears faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, USA. Midway through the second quarter, Riegels, who played center on both offensive and defensive lines and who was then playing in a role similar to that of the modern defensive nose guard or nose tackle, picked up a fumble by Tech's Jack 'Stumpy' Thomason. Just 30 yards away from the Yellow Jackets' end zone, Riegels was somehow turned around and ran 69 yards in the wrong direction.' He was stopped at the 1 yard line.. He came back in the second half and had a stellar game. Tech won by the 2 point safety that occurred when the Bears punt was block at that 1 yard line. More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube (others): More
  • In 1934, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (US bank guarantor) effective. From Wikipedia: 'The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is a United States government corporation providing deposit insurance to depositors in US banks. The FDIC was created by the 1933 Banking Act after the Great Depression to restore trust in the American banking system; more than one-third of banks failed in the years before the FDIC's creation, and bank runs were common'. More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1949, KPRC TV channel 2 in Houston, TX., airs,. KHOU was in March 1953 and KTRK on November 20 1954. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1962, The United States Navy SEALs were established. From Wikipedia: 'The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as the Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command and United States Special Operations Command. One of the SEALs' primary functions is to conduct small-unit maritime military operations which originate from, and return to a river, ocean, swamp, delta, or coastline'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1966, Simon and Garfunkel's 'Sounds of Silence' reaches #1. It's initial release did not do well and the team broke up until the producer re-released a re-mix with increased instrumental background. More
    On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1970, The Unix time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT. It is used in many UNIX and like systems (LINUX). From Wikipedia: 'Unix time (also known as POSIX time or Epoch time) is a system for describing instants in time, defined as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970,'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1983, The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet. From Wikipedia: 'The Internet Protocol (IP) is the principal communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet'. More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube (IP Address and How It Works - 4 class, we are moving to 6): More
  • In 1995, Cartoonist Gary Larson finishes the last 'Far Side' cartoon, which he started in 1980. From Wikipedia: 'The Far Side is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, (often twisted) references to proverbs, or the search for meaning in life'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'Apple Gifting Day'.
[The Hankster says] Apples arn't just for teachers anymore.


Other celebrations/observances tomorrow

Tomorrow is 'New Year's Day'.

It's 'Z Day'. tomorrow.
[The Hankster says] Nope, not an invasion from space. A day for those who's names are at the the end of the alphabet to go first.

Alone the lines of 'are they crazy'. Tomorrow is 'Polar Bear Swim Day'. Dates and names differ, but it is a tradition in Canada on New Year's Day.
[The Hankster says] Not even a big toe. And the little toe isn't keen on it either.

Another 'Bonza Bottler Day' tomorrow. A free day to do what you like. The day occurs once a month when the month and day are the same, as in 1/1.

We Southerners must have are blackeyed peas for good luck on New Year's day. It was different in old England and Scotland., Tomorrow is 'First Foot Day'. From Wikipedia: 'In Scottish and Northern English folklore, the first-foot, also known in Manx Gaelic as quaaltagh or qualtagh, is the first person to enter the home of a household on New Year's Day and a bringer of good fortune for the coming year.'.

Can you spell New Year's resolution. Tomorrow is 'Commitment Day'.
[The Hankster says] Can't fool me. I know a trap when I see it.

Tomorrow is 'New Year's Dishonor List Day'. The 2016 list of overused words that should be banned. By the Lake Superior State University. Some of 2016's words are: So, Conversation, problematic, stakeholder, pricepoint, walk it back, vape,.
[The Hankster says] So, I think this is really necessary.

Some new stuff is going to get freed up tomorrow. It will be 'Public Domain Day'. The day in many countries that the copyright advances for the new year, putting many media into the public domain..

It's 'Mummer's Parade' tomorrow. From Wikipedia: 'The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is believed to be the oldest folk festival in the United States. Local clubs (usually called New Years Associations) compete in one of four categories (comics, fancies, string bands, and fancy brigades)'.
[The Hankster says] Mummer: 'an actor in a traditional masked mime, especially of a type associated with Christmas and popular in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries'.

Tomorrow is 'Tournament of Roses Parade Day'. From Wikipedia 'The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses and the Rose Parade presented by Honda, is part of 'America's New Year Celebration' held in Pasadena, California each year on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday). The parade includes flower-covered floats, marching bands, and equestrian units and is followed by the Rose Bowl college football game. It is produced by the nonprofit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association'.


Awareness / Observance Days on: January 1
o Health
- 'National Birth Defects Prevention Month'. By the NBDPN Education and Outreach Committee. The 2016 theme is: 'Making Healthy Choices to Prevent Birth Defects - Make a PACT for Prevention'.

o Other
- 'Global Family Day'.


Historical events in the past on: January 1

In. 1772, The first traveler's checks are issued in London. They were good in about 90 countries. The idea didn't take off well until the American Express Travelers Checks in the 1890's.

In. 1788, First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.

In. 1863, Lincoln signs Emancipation Proclamation. From Wikipedia: 'The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. In a single stroke, it changed the federal legal status of more than 3 million enslaved persons in the designated areas of the South from 'slave' to 'free'. It had the practical effect that as soon as a slave escaped the control of the Confederate government, by running away or through advances of federal troops, the slave became legally free. Eventually it reached and liberated all of the designated slaves. It was issued as a war measure during the American Civil War, directed to all of the areas in rebellion and all segments of the executive branch (including the Army and Navy) of the United States'.

In. 1901, The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister.

In. 1902, The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.

In. 1929, Roy Riegels runs 60 yds the wrong way with Rose Bowl fumble recovery. From Wikipedia: 'On January 1, 1929, the Golden Bears faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, USA. Midway through the second quarter, Riegels, who played center on both offensive and defensive lines and who was then playing in a role similar to that of the modern defensive nose guard or nose tackle, picked up a fumble by Tech's Jack 'Stumpy' Thomason. Just 30 yards away from the Yellow Jackets' end zone, Riegels was somehow turned around and ran 69 yards in the wrong direction.' He was stopped at the 1 yard line.. He came back in the second half and had a stellar game. Tech won by the 2 point safety that occurred when the Bears punt was block at that 1 yard line.

In. 1934, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (US bank guarantor) effective. From Wikipedia: 'The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is a United States government corporation providing deposit insurance to depositors in US banks. The FDIC was created by the 1933 Banking Act after the Great Depression to restore trust in the American banking system; more than one-third of banks failed in the years before the FDIC's creation, and bank runs were common'.

In. 1949, KPRC TV channel 2 in Houston, TX., airs,. KHOU was in March 1953 and KTRK on November 20 1954.

In. 1962, The United States Navy SEALs were established. From Wikipedia: 'The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as the Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command and United States Special Operations Command. One of the SEALs' primary functions is to conduct small-unit maritime military operations which originate from, and return to a river, ocean, swamp, delta, or coastline'.

In. 1966, Simon and Garfunkel's 'Sounds of Silence' reaches #1. It's initial release did not do well and the team broke up until the producer re-released a re-mix with increased instrumental background.

In. 1970, The Unix time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT. It is used in many UNIX and like systems (LINUX). From Wikipedia: 'Unix time (also known as POSIX time or Epoch time) is a system for describing instants in time, defined as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970,'.

In. 1983, The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet. From Wikipedia: 'The Internet Protocol (IP) is the principal communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet'.

In. 1995, Cartoonist Gary Larson finishes the last 'Far Side' cartoon, which he started in 1980. From Wikipedia: 'The Far Side is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, (often twisted) references to proverbs, or the search for meaning in life'.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today (last updated Jan 1 2016 next Jan 2 2016

No. 1 song

  • We Can Work It Out - The Beatles: More
    'Over and Over' has been displaced by 'We Can Work It Out ', which will hold the no. 1 spot until January 29 1966, when 'The Sounds of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel', takes over.

Top movie

  • Thunderball More
    Having displaced 'A Patch of Blue', it will be there until the weekend box office of January 2 1966 when, 'Doctor Zhivago', takes over.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): January 1
   V.
This month January 2016 (updated once a month - last updated - January 1 2016)

Monthly holiday / awareness days in January

Food
California Dried Plum Digestive Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Soup Month
Oatmeal Month

Health
Bath Safety Month
Birth Defects Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Personal Trainer Awareness Month
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
Self-help Group Awareness Month
Self-Love Month
Shape Up US Month
Thyroid Awareness Month

Animal / Pets
Adopt A Rescued Bird Month
Train Your Dog Month
Unchain A Dog Month
Walk Your Dog Month

Other
Be Kind to Food Servers Month
Book Blitz Month
Celebration of Life Month
Financial Wellness Month
Get A Balanced Life Month
Get Organized Month
International Brain Teaser Month
International Change Your Stars Month
International Child-Centered Divorce Awareness Month
International Creativity Month
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month
International Wealth Mentality Month
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month
National Be On-Purpose Month
National Braille Literacy Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Codependency Awareness Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Mentoring Month
National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
National Polka Music Month
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Skating Month
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
National Stalking Awareness Month
Rising Star Month
Teen Driving Awareness Month


January is:

January origin (from Wikipedia): 'January is named after Janus, the God of beginnings and transitions; the name has its beginnings in Roman mythology, coming from the Latin word for door since January is the door to the year.'

'January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of winter) and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer). In the Southern hemisphere, January is the seasonal equivalent of July in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa.'

January at Wikipedia: More

  VI.
TV fifty years ago 1966 (updated yearly - last updated Jan. 1 2016)

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 2016)

Best selling books of 1966 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

  • 2016 Postal Holidays More
  • 2016 Official Federal Holidays More

Holidays Worldwide

  • List of holidays by country More
  • Holidays and Observances around the World More
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