<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):
* 'National Taffy Day'.
- From Wikipedia:
'Taffy is made by stretching or pulling a sticky mass of boiled sugar,
butter or vegetable oil, flavorings, and coloring until it becomes
aerated (meaning that tiny air bubbles are produced, resulting in a
light, fluffy and chewy candy). When this process is complete, the
taffy is rolled, cut into small pastel-coloured pieces and wrapped in
wax paper to keep it soft. It usually has a fruity flavor, but other
flavors are common as well, including molasses and the classic
unflavored taffy.
Salt water taffy was a noted invention of New Jersey, United States,
and became a common souvenir of many coastal resort towns. Modern
commercial taffy is made primarily from corn syrup, glycerin and butter.
The pulling process, which makes the candy lighter and chewier, consists
of stretching out the mixture, folding it over and stretching it out
again. Although salt water in its manufacture at all. In the nearby
Philadelphia regional dialect, the term "taffy", without "salt water"
before it, used to refer to a lollipop or sucker.
[The Hankster says] No, no. I think I mentioned last year that this is Taffy Day and not Daffy Day. You can just forget all those comments about my post that you were going to make. And keep those sticky fingers off the keyboard.
<> Other holidays / celebrations
* 'National Lucky Penny Day'. Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you'll have good luck.
[The Hankster says] I guess there was a time when finding a penny was lucky. Now days, it just means one more coin to throw into the penny jar. And what is so hard about finding them. I can get as many as I want from my vacuum cleaner.
* 'Title Track Day'. A celebration of those music albums who's
name and title song (track) made it to the top.
[The Hankster says] in that case I'm looking for the title track, This Album is Free of Charge.
<> Awareness / Observances:
o Health
* 'Bike Day in Canada'.
Since 2015. Currently on the fourth Monday In May. A focus on
biking as a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
* 'International Day to End Obstetric Fistula'.
- From Wikipedia: Obstetric fistula (or vaginal fistula) is a medical condition in which
a fistula (hole) develops between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care
is not available. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) defines
obstetric fistula as,
“A childbirth injury that has been largely neglected, despite the
devastating impact it has on the lives of affected girls and women.
It is usually caused by prolonged, obstructed labour, without timely
medical intervention—typically an emergency Caesarean section. During
unassisted, prolonged, obstructed labour, the sustained pressure of the
baby’s head on the mother’s pelvic bone damages soft tissues, creating a hole—or
fistula—between the vagina and the bladder and/or rectum. The pressure
deprives blood flow to the tissue, leading to necrosis. Eventually, the
dead tissue comes away, leaving a fistula, which causes a constant
leaking of urine and/or faeces through the vagina.”
It is considered a disease of poverty because of its tendency to occur
in women in poor countries who do not have health resources comparable
to developed nations. An estimated 2 million women in sub-Saharan Africa,
Asia, the Arab region, and Latin America and the Caribbean are living
with this injury, and some 50,000 to 100,000 new cases develop
each year'.
* 'Children’s Hospice Week'. May 23-29 in Great Britain. awareness and fundraising week for children with life-shortening conditions and their families and
the palliative care services that support them.
* 'Spinal Health Week'. May 23-29 in Australia. Sponsored by Chiropractors’
Association of Australia (National) Limited (CAA). The emphasis is on
spinal care. The campaign theme is: BACK YOUR INNER ATHLETE
* 'Healthy and Safe Swimming Week'. May 23-29 in the U.S.A during the week before Memorial Day. Sponsored by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This day was formerly Recreational Water Illness and Injury (RWII) Prevention Week,
o Animal and Pet:
* 'World Turtle Day'.
- From Wikipedia: The purpose of World Turtle Day, May 23, sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, is to bring attention to, and increase
knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage
human action to help them survive and thrive.
World Turtle Day is celebrated around the globe in a variety of ways,
from dressing up as turtles or wearing green summer dresses, to saving
turtles caught on highways, to research activities. Turtle Day lesson
plans and craft projects encourage teaching about turtles in classrooms.
o Other:
* 'Victoria Day in Canada'. Monday on or before May 24 in Canada.
- From Wikipedia: Celebrates the birthday of the reigning Canadian monarch however,
the date does not change with the change of monarch, being instead
fixed on the birthday of Queen Victoria, the sovereign at the time
of Canadian Confederation and establishment of dominion status in
1867. Some French-Canadians celebrate instead Adam Dollard des Ormeaux
a French-Canadian hero from the New France times.
Statutory holiday in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest
Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec (coincides with National Patriots'
Day), Saskatchewan, and Yukon. A holiday in New Brunswick under the Days
of Rest Act.
Not a statutory holiday in the eastern maritime provinces of Nova
Scotia, and Prince Edward Island or in Newfoundland and Labrador.
<> Historical events on May 23
* In 1788, South Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution
as the eighth American state.
- From Wikipedia:
'South Carolina is a state in the southeastern
region of the United States. The state is bordered to the north by North
Carolina, to the south and west by Georgia across the Savannah River,
and to the east by the Atlantic Oc
The Province of South Carolina became a slave society after rice and
indigo became established as commodity crops. From 1708, a majority of
the population were slaves, many born in Africa.
South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation
and the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on May 23, 1788.
South Carolina became the first state to vote to secede from the Union
on December 20, 1860. After the American Civil War, it was readmitted
into the United States on June 25, 1868.
South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and the 23rd most populous U.S.
state. Its GDP as of 2013 was $183.6 billion, with an annual growth rate
of 3.13%. South Carolina comprises 46 counties. The capital and
largest city is Columbia with a 2013 population of 133,358; the Greenville-
Anderson-Mauldin metropolitan area had a 2013 population of 850,965'." .
* In 1785, Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals.
- From Wikipedia: 'Bifocals are eyeglasses with two distinct optical powers. Bifocals
are commonly prescribed to people with presbyopia who also require a
correction for myopia, hyperopia, and/or astigmatism.'
'Benjamin Franklin is generally credited with the invention of bifocals.
Historians have produced some evidence to suggest that others may have
come before him in the invention; however, a correspondence between
George Whatley and John Fenno, editor of The Gazette of the United States,
suggested that Franklin had indeed invented bifocals, and perhaps 50
years earlier than had been originally thought. Since many inventions
are developed independently by more than one person, it is possible that
the invention of bifocals may have been such a case. Nonetheless, Benjamin
Franklin was among the first to wear bifocal lenses, and Franklin's
letters of correspondence suggest that he invented them independently,
regardless of whether he was the first to invent them.
John Isaac Hawkins, the inventor of trifocal lenses, coined the term
bifocals in 1824 and credited Dr. Franklin.
In 1955, Irving Rips of Younger Optics created the first seamless or"invisible" bifocal, a precursor to all progressive lenses." .
* In 1829, Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
- From Wikipedia:
'Cyrill Demian (1772–1849) of Armenian origin, made his living as an
organ and piano maker, with his two sons Karl and Guido, in Mariahilfer
Straße No. 43 in Vienna, Austria. On May 6, 1829, Cyrill and his two
sons presented a new instrument to the authorities for patent - the
accordion. The patent was officially granted on May 23 1829.
Demian's Accordion Description:
Its appearance essentially consists of a little box with feathers of
metal plates and bellows fixed to it, in such a way that it can easily
be carried, and therefore traveling visitors to the country will
appreciate the instrument.
It is possible to perform marches, arias, melodies, even by an amateur
of music with little practice, and to play the loveliest and most
pleasant chords of 3, 4, 5 etc. voices after instruction.
The advent of the accordion is the subject of debate among researchers.
Many credit Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann, as the inventor of the
accordion, while others give the distinction to Cyrill Demian an Armenian
from the Romanian city of Gherla (ancient Armenopolis) living in Vienna,
who patented his Accordion in 1829, thus coining the name. A modification
of the Handäoline, Demian’s invention
comprised a small manual bellows and five keys, although, as Demian noted
in a description of the instrument, extra keys could be incorporated into
the design. Numerous variations of the device soon followed." .
* In 1873, The Canadian Parliament establishes the North-West
Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- From Wikipedia:
'The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian police force. It
was established in 1873, and in 1904 the name was changed to Royal
Northwest Mounted Police. In 1920 it merged with the Dominion Police
to become the current Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald first began planning a permanent
force to patrol the Northwest Territories after the Dominion of Canada
purchased the territory from the Hudson's Bay Company. Reports from Army
officers surveying the territory led to the recommendation that a force
of 100 to 150 mounted riflemen could maintain law and order. The Prime
Minister first announced the force as the North West
Mounted Rifles but concern from the United States of America fearing a
military buildup led the Prime Minister to rename the force the
North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) when formed in 1873.
The police was established by an act of legislation from the Temporary
North-West Council the first territorial government of the Northwest
Territories. The Act was approved by the Government of Canada and
established on May 23, 1873, by Queen Victoria, on the advice of her
Canadian Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, with the intent of bringing
law and order to, and asserting sovereignty over, the Northwest
Territories. The need was particularly urgent given reports of American
whiskey traders, in particular those of Fort Whoop-Up, causing trouble
in the region, culminating in the Cypress Hills Massacre. The new force
was initially to be called the North West Mounted Rifles, but this
proposal was rejected as sounding too militaristic in nature, which
Macdonald feared would antagonize both aboriginals and Americans;
however, the force was organized along the lines of a cavalry regiment
in the British Army, and was to wear red uniforms." .
* In 1940, Frank Sinatra records, I'll Never Smile Again' with Tommy Dorsey.
- From Wikipedia:
'"I'll Never Smile Again" is a 1940 song written by Ruth Lowe.
The most successful and best-known version of the song was recorded
by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with vocals provided by Frank Sinatra
and The Pied Pipers. This recording was released as a Victor 78, 26628A,
in 1940. This version stayed at number one for 12 weeks on Billboard,
from July 27 to October 12, 1940, and was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982. The song was also released by Tommy
Dorsey on V-Disc, V-Disc 582A, with Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers
on vocals, in February, 1946. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra also
recorded a version of the song in 1940 on RCA Bluebird'." .
* In 1960, The Everly Brothers recorded, Cathy's Clown.
- From Wikipedia:
'"Cathy's Clown" is a popular song, written and recorded by The Everly
Brothers, in which the singer informs Cathy that he "don't want your
love anymore."
The musicians included the Everlys on guitars, Floyd Cramer on piano,
Floyd Chance on bass and Buddy Harman on drums. The distinctive drum
sound was achieved by recording the drums with a tape loop, making it
sound as if there were two drummers.
"Cathy's Clown" was The Everly Brothers' first single for Warner Bros.,
after spending three years on Archie Bleyer's Cadence label. It sold
eight million copies worldwide, spending five weeks at number one on the
U.S. Billboard Hot
100 chart and one week on the R&B charts. It spent seven weeks at number
one in the UK Singles Chart in May and June 1960. It would become the
Everly Brothers' biggest hit single and their third and final US Number
One. Billboard ranked it as the No. 3 song of the year for 1960.
In 2004, the song was ranked 149th on the Rolling Stone magazine's listof The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
* In 1995, Java releases the first version of its programming language.
- From Wikipedia:
'Java is a general-purpose computer programming language that is
concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, and specifically designed
to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. It is intended
to let application developers "write once, run anywhere" (WORA),
meaning that compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support
Java without the need for recompilation
Java was originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems
(which has since been acquired by Oracle Corporation) and released in
1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language
derives much of its syntax from C and C++, but it has fewer low-level
facilities than either of them'." .
No. 1 song
Top movie
Monthly holiday / awareness days in May
Food
Aramanth Month - Grain of the month
Gifts From The Garden Month
International Mediterranean Diet Month
National Barbeque Month
National Egg Month
National Hamburger Month
National Mediterranean Diet Month
National Salad Month
National Salsa Month
National Sweet Vidalia Onions Month
National Vinegar Month
Health
ALS Awareness Month - (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease)
APS Awareness Month - Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
Arthritis Awareness Month
Asthma Awareness Month
Better Hearing and Speech Month
Borderline Personality Disorder Month
Brain Tumor Awareness Month
Celiac Awareness Month
Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) Awareness Month
Family Wellness Month
Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month
Food Allergy Action Month
Global Health and Fitness Month
Heal the Children Month
Healthy Vision Month
Huntington's Disease Awareness Month
Lupus Awareness Month
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month
National Better Hearing Month
National Hepatitis Awareness Month
National High Blood Pressure Education Month
National Meditation Month
National Mental Health Month
National Osteoporosis Prevention Month
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
National Physiotherapy Month
National Stroke Awareness Month
National Toddler Immunization Month
National Tuberous Sclerosis Month
National Water Safety Month
National Youth Traffic Safety Month
Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month
Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month
Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month
Preeclampsia Awareness Month
Skin Cancer Awareness Month
Spiritual Literacy Month
Strike Out Strokes Month
Tay-Sachs and Canavan Diseases Month
Tourettes Syndrome Awareness Month
Toxic Encephalopathy and Chemical Injury Awareness Month
Ultra-violet Awareness Month
Women's Health Care Month
World Lyme Disease Awareness Month
Animal / Pet
Chip Your Pet Month
Gardening for Wildlife Month
Go Fetch! Food Drive for Homeless Animals Month
National Guide Dog Month
National Pet Month
National Service Dog Eye Examination Month
Pet Cancer Awareness Month
Other
American Wetlands Month
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Building Safety Month
Clean Air Month
Creative Beginnings Month
Family Reunion Month
Get Caught Reading Month
Global Civility Awareness Month
Golf Month
Haitian Heritage Month
Home Schooling Awareness Month
International Audit Month
International Business Image Improvement Month
International Victorious Woman Month
Jewish-American Heritage Month
Latino Books Month
Motorcycle Safety Month
Mystery Month
National Bike Month
National Foster Care Month
National Good Car Keeping Month
National Inventors Month
National Photo Month
National Smile Month
Personal History Month
Social Security Education Awareness Month
Tennis Month
Textile Month
Young Achievers of Tomorrow Month
May is:
May origin (from Wikipedia):
The month May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified
with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was
held in May. Conversely, the Roman poet Ovid provides a second etymology,
in which he says that the month of May is named for the maiores, Latin for
'elders,' and that the following month (June) is named for the iuniores, or 'young people'
May
'
is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.
May is a month of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere (Summer in Europe). Therefore May in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa.
'
May 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 1966 More
Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More