Text size Background

Today is January 4 2016

About     Other days


   I.
Today's Holidays and Historical Events (updated daily)
Today's Food Holiday
  • National Spaghetti Day: More
    From Wikipedia: 'Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning "thin string/ or twine".'
    'In the United States around the end of the 19th century, spaghetti was offered in restaurants as Spaghetti Italienne (which likely consisted of noodles cooked past al dente, and a mild tomato sauce flavored with easily found spices and vegetables such as cloves, bay leaves, and garlic) and it was not until decades later that it came to be commonly prepared with oregano or basil.'
    'Like other pasta, spaghetti is made of milled wheat and water. Italian spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but elsewhere it may be made with other kinds of flour'.
Other celebrations/observances today:
  • Trivia Day: More
    The meaning of trivia has changed since ancient Roman and 15th century English usage, where it was refer to as an educational trio of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The 1902 book, Trivialities (bits of information of little consequence), had an influence on our modern use of the word.
  • National Thank God It’s Monday Day: More
    The first Monday in January.
  • Tom Thumb Day: More
    From Wikipedia: 'Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name "General Tom Thumb", was a dwarf who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum'.
Awareness / Observance Days on: January 4
  • Other
    • World Braille Day: More
      Celebrates the birthday of Louis Braille, the French educator who invented the tactile writing system used by the blind and the visually impaired.
      From Wikipedia: 'Braille characters are small rectangular blocks called cells that contain tiny palpable bumps called raised dots. The number and arrangement of these dots distinguish one character from another'.
    • World Hypnotism Day: More
      Celebrating the 11th annual World Hypnotism Day in Massachusetts. From the website: 'A Gathering of Holistic Professionals for a Day of Information and Entertainment'.
Events in the past on: January 4
  • In 1896, Utah is admitted as the 45th state of the U.S. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1936, Billboard Magazine releases the first music chart that ranks albums by national record sales.
    From Wikipedia: 'The first issue of Billboard was published on November 1, 1884 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called The Billboard Advertiser. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the primary means of advertising.' 'Billboard's editorial changed as technology in recording and playback developed. It covered "marvels of modern technology" like the phonograph, record players and wireless radios. It began covering coin operated entertainment machines in 1899 and created a dedicated section for them called "Amusement Machines" in March 1932. Billboard began covering the motion picture industry in 1907, but ended up focusing on music due to competition from Variety. It created a Billboard radio broadcasting station in the 1920s. The jukebox industry continued to grow through the Great Depression and provided healthy advertising revenues to Billboard. This led to even more editorial focus on music. The proliferation of the phonograph and radio also contributed to its growing music emphasis. Billboard introduced a "Record Buying Guide" in January 1939. In 1940, it introduced "Chart Line," which tracks the best-selling records. This was followed by a chart for jukebox records in 1944 called Music BoxMachine charts'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1957, The TV situation comedy, Blondie, premieres on NBC TV (later on CBS). It ran for 1 season and 26 episodes.
    From Wikipedia: 'Blondie is the first of two TV series based on the comic strip of the same name. It first aired on January 4, 1957, on NBC. Although Penny Singleton had starred in most of the Blondie movies, producers chose Pamela Britton for the title role, with Arthur Lake playing the role of Dagwood Bumstead as he had in the Blondie movie series'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1958, Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from orbit. It had been launched October 4, 1957, Concerning the successful launch: From Wikipedia: 'This surprise success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War'. 'Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth's atmosphere, after travelling about 70 million km (43.5 million miles) and spending three months in orbit'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1962, The first automated (unmanned) subway train is run in New York City NY. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1999, The Euro currency goes into circulation. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 2004, Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars. From Wikipedia: 'Spirit, also known as MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A) or MER-2, is a robotic rover on Mars, active from 2004 to 2010. It was one of two rovers of NASA's ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission. It landed successfully on Mars at 04:35 Ground UTC on January 4, 2004, three weeks before its twin, Opportunity (MER-B), landed on the other side of the planet'. More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 2010, Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, is officially opened.
    From Wikipedia: 'Burj Khalifa (Arabic "Khalifa Tower", known as Burj Dubai before its inauguration, is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest artificial structure in the world, standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft)'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Spaghetti Day'.
From Wikipedia: 'Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning "thin string/ or twine".' 'In the United States around the end of the 19th century, spaghetti was offered in restaurants as Spaghetti Italienne (which likely consisted of noodles cooked past al dente, and a mild tomato sauce flavored with easily found spices and vegetables such as cloves, bay leaves, and garlic) and it was not until decades later that it came to be commonly prepared with oregano or basil.' 'Like other pasta, spaghetti is made of milled wheat and water. Italian spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but elsewhere it may be made with other kinds of flour'.
[The Hankster says] You got to have spaghetti as a bed, so the meatballs don't roll off the plate.


Other celebrations/observances tomorrow:

Tomorrow is 'Trivia Day'. The meaning of trivia has changed since ancient Roman and 15th century English usage, where it was refer to as an educational trio of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The 1902 book, Trivialities (bits of information of little consequence), had an influence on our modern use of the word.
[The Hankster says] The rumors that this is a day to poke fun at my posts, are not true, although, maybe appropriate.

Tired of the holidays? Need to get back to work? Tomorrow is 'National Thank God It’s Monday Day'. The first Monday in January.
[The Hankster says] As my friend Donnie says: 'When you are retired, every day is Saturday', so I will not celebrate. I will however celebrate a week of Saturdays.

It is 'Tom Thumb Day' tomorrow. From Wikipedia: 'Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name "General Tom Thumb, was a dwarf who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum'.


Awareness / Observance Days on: January 4
o Other
- 'World Braille Day'. Celebrates the birthday of Louis Braille, the French educator who invented the tactile writing system used by the blind and the visually impaired. From Wikipedia: 'Braille characters are small rectangular blocks called cells that contain tiny palpable bumps called raised dots. The number and arrangement of these dots distinguish one character from another'.

- 'World Hypnotism Day'. Celebrating the 11th annual World Hypnotism Day in Massachusetts. From the website: 'A Gathering of Holistic Professionals for a Day of Information and Entertainment'.


Historical events in the past on: January 4

In 1896, Utah is admitted as the 45th state of the U.S.

In 1936, Billboard Magazine releases the first music chart that ranks albums by national record sales. From Wikipedia: 'The first issue of Billboard was published on November 1, 1884 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called The Billboard Advertiser. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the primary means of advertising.' 'Billboard's editorial changed as technology in recording and playback developed. It covered "marvels of modern technology" like the phonograph, record players and wireless radios. It began covering coin operated entertainment machines in 1899 and created a dedicated section for them called "Amusement Machines" in March 1932. Billboard began covering the motion picture industry in 1907, but ended up focusing on music due to competition from Variety. It created a Billboard radio broadcasting station in the 1920s. The jukebox industry continued to grow through the Great Depression and provided healthy advertising revenues to Billboard. This led to even more editorial focus on music. The proliferation of the phonograph and radio also contributed to its growing music emphasis. Billboard introduced a "Record Buying Guide" in January 1939. In 1940, it introduced "Chart Line," which tracks the best-selling records. This was followed by a chart for jukebox records in 1944 called Music BoxMachine charts'.

In 1957, The TV situation comedy, Blondie, premieres on NBC TV (later on CBS). It ran for 1 season and 26 episodes. From Wikipedia: 'Blondie is the first of two TV series based on the comic strip of the same name. It first aired on January 4, 1957, on NBC. Although Penny Singleton had starred in most of the Blondie movies, producers chose Pamela Britton for the title role, with Arthur Lake playing the role of Dagwood Bumstead as he had in the Blondie movie series'.

In 1958, Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from orbit. It had been launched October 4, 1957, Concerning the successful launch: From Wikipedia: 'This surprise success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War'. 'Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth's atmosphere, after travelling about 70 million km (43.5 million miles) and spending three months in orbit'.

In 1962, The first automated (unmanned) subway train is run in New York City NY.

In 1999, The Euro currency goes into circulation.

In 2004, Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars. From Wikipedia: 'Spirit, also known as MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover – A) or MER-2, is a robotic rover on Mars, active from 2004 to 2010. It was one of two rovers of NASA's ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission. It landed successfully on Mars at 04:35 Ground UTC on January 4, 2004, three weeks before its twin, Opportunity (MER-B), landed on the other side of the planet'.

In 2010, Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, is officially opened. From Wikipedia: 'Burj Khalifa (Arabic "Khalifa Tower", known as Burj Dubai before its inauguration, is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest artificial structure in the world, standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft)'.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today (last updated Jan 2 2016 next Jan 9 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

  • Doctor Zhivago More
    Having displaced 'Thunderball', it will be there until the weekend box office of January 9 1966 when, 'Agent for H.A.R.M', takes over.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): January 4
   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
Contact: If you wish to make comment, please do so by writing to this: Email address