Tomorrow's food holiday will be 'National Banana Bread Day'.>
From Wikipedia:' 'Banana bread is a type of cake made with mashed bananas, and typically cooked a loaf shape. It is often moist, sweet, and can be described as a quick bread. There are however, some recipes that are closer to traditional-style rye breads.'
'Banana bread first became a standard feature of American cookbooks with the popularization of baking soda and baking powder in the 1930s, separating it from more traditional yeast leavened breads. It appeared in Pillsbury's 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook, and later gained more acceptance with the release of the original Chiquita Banana's Recipe Book in 1950.'
[The Hankster says] Great toasted with a big slab of butter on top. And a tall glass of cold milk. You can sneak some nuts in the bread if you want.
Other celebrations/observances tomorrow:
- 'National Dog Biscuit Day'. AKA: International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day.
From Wikipedia:' 'A dog biscuit is a hard biscuit-based dietary supplement for dogs or other canines, similar to human snack food.
Dog biscuits tend to be hard and dry. Dog biscuits may be sold in a flat bone-shape. Some manufacturers claim the dry and hard biscuit texture helps clean the dog's teeth, promoting oral health.'
'"Dog's bread", made from bran, has been mentioned since at least Roman times.'
'The English dog biscuit appears to be a nineteenth-century innovation.'.
'In later years, dog biscuits began to be made of meat products and were sometimes treated as synonymous with dog food.'.
'Spratt dominated the American market until 1907, when F. H. Bennett, whose own dog biscuits were faring poorly against those of the larger company, had the idea of making them in the shape of a bone. "His 'Maltoid Milk-Bones' were such a success that for the next fifteen years Bennett's Milk-Bone dominated the commercial dog food market in America." In 1931, the National Biscuit Company, now known as Nabisco, bought the company'.
[The Hankster says] caution must be taken in the early morning hours, so that you don't mistake a dog biscuit for a day old piece of banana bread. Fido would love the mix-up, but you may not.
- 'Play Tennis Day'. From Wikipedia:' 'Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball will
not gaina point, while the opposite player will.'
'The rules of tennis have changed little since the 1890s. Two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1961 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and the adoption of the tiebreak in the 1970s. A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point challenge system, which allows a player to contest the line call of a point.'
'Historians believe that the game's ancient origin lay in 12th century northern France, where a ball was struck with the palm of the hand. Louis X of France was a keen player of jeu de paume ("game of the palm"), which evolved into real tennis, and became notable as the first person to construct indoor tennis courts in the modern style. Louis was unhappy with playing tennis outdoors and accordingly had indoor, enclosed courts made in Paris "around the end of the 13th century".'
- 'Curling Is Cool Day'. From Wikipedia:' 'Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called rocks, across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a circu target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones. The purpose is to accumulate the highest score for a game;
points are scored for the stones resting closest to the centre of the house at the conclusion of each end, which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones. A game usually consists of eight or ten ends.
The curler can induce a curved path by causing the stone to slowly turn as it slides, and the path of the rock may be further influenced by two sweepers with brooms who accompany it as it slides down the sheet, using the brooms to alter the state of the ice in front of the stone. A great deal of strategy and teamwork go into choosing the ideal path and placement of a stone for each situation, and the skills of the curlers determine how close to the desired result the stone will achieve. This gives
curling its nickname of "chess on ice".'
'Curling was invented in medieval Scotland, with the first written reference to a contest using stones on ice coming from the records of Paisley Abbey, Renfrewshire, in February 1541. Two paintings, "Winter Landscape with a Bird Trap" and "The Hunters in the Snow" (both dated 1565) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depict Flemish peasants curling—Scotland and the Low Countries had strong trading and cultural links during this period, which is also evident in the history of golf'.
[The Hankster says] Looks like someone is chasing his wayward tea pot over the ice.
Awareness / Observance Days on: February 23
o Animal and Pets
- 'Spay Day USA'. Last Tuesday in February. Created in 1994 by the Doris Day Animal League.
- 'World Spay Day'. Last Tuesday in February. Sponsered by Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.
Historical events in the past on: February 23
- In 1455, The traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
From Wikipedia: 'The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was the first major book printed using mass-produced movable type. It marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book in the West.' Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status. Written in Latin, the Catholic Gutenberg Bible is an edition of the Vulgate, printed by Johannes Gutenberg, in Mainz, in present-day Germany, in
the 1450s. Forty-eight copies, or substantial portions of copies, survive, and they are considered to be among the most valuable books in the world, even though no complete copy has been sold since 1978. The 36-line Bible, believed to be the second printed version of the Bible, is also sometimes referred to as a Gutenberg Bible, but is likely the work of another printer'.
- In 1836, During the Texas Revolution, The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas.
From Wikipedia: 'The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio, Texas United States), killing all of the Texian defenders. Santa Anna's cruelty during the battle inspired many Texians—both Texas settlers and adventurers from the United States—to join the Texian Army.
Buoyedby a desire for revenge, the Texians defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution.'
- In 1886, Charles Martin Hall produces the first samples of man-made aluminum.
From Wikipedia: 'Charles Martin Hall (December 6, 1863 – December 27, 1914) was an American inventor, businessman, and chemist. He is best known for his invention in 1886 of an inexpensive method for producing aluminum, which became the first metal to attain widespread use since the prehistoric discovery of iron. He was one of the founders of ALCOA. Alfred E. Hunt, together with Charles Hall and a group of five other individuals including his partner at the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory, George Hubbard
Clapp, his chief chemist, W.S. Sample, Howard Lash, head of the Carbon Steel Company, Millard Hunsiker, sales manager for the Carbon Steel Company, and Robert Scott, a mill superintendent for the Carnegie Steel Company, Hunt raised $20,000 to launch the Pittsburgh Reduction Company which was later renamed Aluminum Company of America and shortened to Alcoa.'
- In 1896, The Tootsie Roll is invented.
From Wikipedia: 'Tootsie Roll is chocolate that has been manufactured in the United States since 1896. The candy has qualities similar to both caramels and taffy without being exactly either type, and does not melt while being transported during hot summer months.
The manufacturer, Tootsie Roll Industries, is based in Chicago, Illinois.
It was the first penny candy to be individually wrapped.'
'In 1896, its founder Leo Hirshfield, an Austrian immigrant to the United States of America, started his candy business in a small shop located in New York City.'
'According to the company website, the original (and still current) recipe calls for the inclusion of the previous day's batch. "As such, there's (theoretically) a bit of Leo's very first Tootsie Roll in every one of the sixty four million Tootsie Rolls that Tootsie produces each day."'.
- In 1905, The Rotary Club International is formed in Chicago.
From Wikipedia: 'Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated human rights purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. It is a secular organization open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, or political preference. There are 34,282 member clubs worldwide. 1.2 million individuals
called Rotarians have joined these clubs'.
'The first Rotary Club was formed when attorney Paul P. Harris called together a meeting of three business acquaintances in downtown Chicago, USA, at Harris's friend Gustave E. Loehr's office in the Unity Building on Dearborn Street on February 23, 1905.'.
- In 1927, The bill that establishes the 'Federal Radio Commission', later replaced by the 'Federal Communications Commission' which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States, was signed into law.
From Wikipedia: 'The Federal Radio Commission (FRC) was a government body that regulated radio use in the United States from its creation in 1926 until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1934. The Commission was created to regulate radio use "as the public interest, convenience, or necessity" requires. The Radio Act of 1927 superseded the Radio Act of 1912, which had given regulatory powers over radio communication to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. The Radio Act of
1912did not mention broadcasting and limited all private radio communications to what is now the AM band.'.
- In 1939, At the 11th Academy Award:
From Wikipedia: 'The 11th Academy Awards were held on February 23, 1939, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California.[1] It was the first Academy Awards show without any official host. This was also the first ceremony in which a foreign language film (Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion) was nominated for Best Picture.'
From Wikipedia:
Outstanding Production is You Can't Take It With You,
Best Actor is Spencer Tracy for Boys Town,
Best Actoress is Bette Davis for Jezebel,
Best Supporting Actor Walter Brennan for Kentucky,
Best Supporting Actress is Fay Bainter for Jezebel,
Best Song is Thanks for the Memory, from The Big Broadcast of 1938.
- In 1940, Woody Guthrie writes 'This Land is Your Land'.
From Wikipedia: '"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in critical response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on the radio, he wrote a response originally called "God Blessed America". Guthrie varied the lyrics over time, sometimes including more overtly political verses
in line with his sympathetic views of communism than appear in recordings or publications.'.
'In 2002, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry'.
- In 1941, Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
From Wikipedia: 'Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states. '
'Plutonium (specifically, plutonium-238) was first produced and isolated on December 14, 1940, and chemically identified on February 23, 1941, by Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph W. Kennedy, and Arthur Wahl by deuteron bombardment of uranium in the 60-inch (150 cm) cyclotron at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley In the 1940 experiment, neptunium-238 was created directly by the bombardment but decayed by beta emission with a half-life of a little over
two days, which indicated the formation of element 94'.
- In 1942, During World War II, A Japanese submarine fires artillery shells at the California coastline near Santa Barbara.
From Wikipedia: 'The Bombardment of Ellwood during World War II was a naval attack by a Japanese submarine against United States coastal targets near Santa Barbara, California. Though damage was minimal, the event was key in triggering the West Coast invasion scare and influenced the decision to intern Japanese-Americans. The event also marked the first shelling of the North American mainland during the conflict'.
- In 1945, The U.S. flag is raised on Iwo Jima.
From Wikipedia: 'On February 19, 1945, the United States military forces invaded Iwo Jima as part of its island-hopping strategy to defeat Japan. Iwo Jima originally was not a target, but the relatively quick fall of the Philippines left the Americans with a longer-than-expected lull prior to the planned invasion of Okinawa. Iwo Jima is located halfway between Japan and the Mariana Islands, where American long-range bombers were based, and was used by the Japanese as an early warning station, radioing
warnings of incoming American bombers to the Japanese homeland. The Americans, after capturing the island, weakened the Japanese early warning system, and used it as an emergency landing strip for damaged bombers.
Iwo Jima is a volcanic island, shaped like a trapezoid. Marines on the island described it as "a large, gray pork chop". The island was heavily fortified, and the invading United States Marines suffered high casualties. The island is dominated by Mount Suribachi, a 546-foot (166 m) dormant volcanic cone situated on the southern tip of the island. Politically, the island is part of the prefecture of Tokyo. It would be the first Japanese homeland soil to be captured by the Americans, and it was a matter
of honor for the Japanese to prevent its capture. Tactically, the top of Suribachi is one of the most important locations on the island. From that vantage point, the Japanese defenders were able to spot artillery accurately onto the Americans – particularly the landing beaches. The Japanese fought most of the battle from underground bunkers and pillboxes. It was common for Marines to knock out one pillbox using grenades or a flamethrower, only to experience renewed shooting from it a few minutes later,
after more Japanese infantry slipped into the pillbox using a tunnel. The American effort concentrated on isolating and capturing Suribachi first, a goal that was achieved on February 23, 1945, four days after the battle began. Despite capturing Suribachi, the battle continued to rage for many days, and the island would not be declared "secure" until 31 days later, on March 26'.
- In 1947, The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was founded.
From Wikipedia: 'The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations.
Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and as of 2013 works in 164 countries'.
- In 1983, At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, The 'Song of the Year' is Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson for 'Always on My Mind'.
From Wikipedia: '"Always on My Mind" is an American country music song by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson, recorded first by Gwen McCrae (as "You Were Always On My Mind") and Brenda Lee in 1972. Allmusic lists over 300 recorded releases of the song in versions by dozens of performers. While Brenda Lee's version had stalled at #45 on the country charts in 1972, other performers would reach the top 20 in the United States and elsewhere with their own versions: Elvis Presley in 1972; John
Wesley Ryles in 1979; Willie Nelson's Grammy Award winning version in 1982; Pet Shop Boys in 1987'.
- In 2000, At the 42nd Grammy Awards, the 'Song of the Yer' is 'Smooth' by Santana.
From Wikipedia: '"Smooth" is a collaboration between Latin rock band Santana and Matchbox Twenty vocalist Rob Thomas. The song was written by Thomas, DeGaetano, and Itaal Shur, produced by Matt Serletic and sung by Thomas. It won three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Not only was it the final number-one Hot 100 hit of the 1990s, it was also the number-two Hot 100 hit of the 20th century. "Smooth" is the only song to appear on two decade-end
Billboard charts. As of 2013, "Smooth" is ranked the second most successful song of all time by Billboard'.
- In 2004, The 45th Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, is 'Don't Know Why' by Norah Jones.
From Wikipedia: '"Don't Know Why" is a song written by Jesse Harris which
originally appeared on his 1999 album, Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos. It
was the second single by American singer Norah Jones from her debut studio
album Come Away with Me (2002). Although Jones's version only peaked at
number thirty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it was a critical s her that
helped establish her as a respected new artist, and subsequently her album
sold extremely well. The single went on to win three Grammy
Awards in 2003 for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal'.
No. 1 song
Top movie
Monthly holiday / awareness days in February
Food
Barley Month
Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month
Grapefruit Month
National Cherry Month
National Hot Breakfast Month
Health
AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
American Heart Month
International Boost Self-Esteem Month
International Expect Success Month
International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month
Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month
National Condom Month
National Children's Dental Health Month
National Therapeutic Recreation Month
Animal / Pet
Adopt A Rescued Rabbit Month
Beat The Heat Month
Dog Training Education Month
International Hoof-care Month
National Bird Feeding Month
National Pet Dental Health Month
Responsible Pet Owner's Month
Spay/Neuter Awareness Month
Other
Cricket World Cup
International Month of Black Women in The Arts
Library Lovers Month
Love The Bus Month
National African American History / Black History Month
National African American Read-In
National Care About Your Indoor Air Month
National Parent Leadership Month
National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
National Time Management Month
National Weddings Month
National Women Inventors Month
North American Inclusion Month
Relationship Wellness Month
Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
Youth Leadership Month
February is:
February origin (from Wikipedia):
'The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term
februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual
Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman
calendar. January and February were the last two months to
be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally
considered winter a monthless period. They were added by
Numa Pompilius about 713 BC. February remained the last month
of the calendar year until the time of the decemvirs (c. 450 BC),
when it became the second month. At certain intervals February
was truncated to 23 or 24 days, and a 27-day intercalary month,
Intercalaris, was inserted immediately after February to realign
the year with the seasons.
Under the reforms that instituted the Julian calendar, Intercalaris
was abolished, leap years occurred regularly every fourth year,
and in leap years February gained a 29th day. Thereafter, it
remained the second month of the calendar year, meaning the
order that months are displayed (January, February, March,
..., December) within a year-at-a-glance calendar. Even during
the Middle Ages, when the numbered Anno Domini year began
on March 25 or December 25, the second month was February
whenever all twelve months were displayed in order. The
Gregorian calendar reforms made slight changes to the system
for determining which years were leap years and thus contained
a 29-day February.'
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and
Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month
with fewer than 30 days. The month has 28 days in common years
or 29 days in leap years.
February is the third month of meteorological winter in the
Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, February
is the third month of summer (the seasonal equivalent of August
in the Northern Hemisphere, in meteorological reckoning).
February at Wikipedia: More
If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago,
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