<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):
* 'National Vanilla Ice Cream Day'.
- From Wikipedia (Vanilla ice cream):
'Vanilla is frequently used to flavor ice cream, especially in North
America and Europe. Vanilla ice cream, like other flavors of ice cream, was
originally created by cooling a mixture made of cream, sugar, and vanilla
above a container of ice and salt. The type of vanilla used to flavor ice
cream varies by location. In North America, consumers are interested in a
more prominent, smoky flavor, while in France, they want a more anise-like
flavor. To create the smooth consistency of ice cream, the mixture has to
be stirred occasionally and then returned to the container of ice and salt
to continue the solidification process. According to Iced: 180 Very Cool
Concoctions, many people often consider vanilla to be the default or plain
flavor of ice cream.
Vanilla was first used among the Aztec people. By the 1500s, Spanish
conquistadors, exploring present-day Mexico, had come across Mesoamerican
people who consumed vanilla in their drinks and foods. The vanilla bean was
brought back to Spain with the conquistadors. In Spain, vanilla was used to
flavor a chocolate drink that combined cacao beans, vanilla, corn, water,
and honey The drink eventually spread to France, England, and then all of
Europe by the early 1600s. In 1602, Hugh Morgan, the apothecary of Queen
Elizabeth I, recommended that vanilla should be used separately from cocoa.
Ice cream can be traced back to the Yuan period of the fourteenth century.
There is evidence that ice cream was served in the Mogul Court. The idea of
using a mixture of ice and salt for its refrigerating effects, which is a
part of the process of creating ice cream, originated in Asia. The method
spread from the East to Europe when the Arabs and the Moors traveled to
Spain, between 711 and 1492. Once the refrigerating method of mixing ice
and salt had spread to Europe, the Italians became involved in making ice
cream. By the early eighteenth century, recipes for ice cream had appeared
in France. According to Frozen Desserts: The Definitive Guide to Making Ice
Creams, Ices, Sorbets, Gelati, and Other Frozen Delights, the French
transformed ice cream into a smoother and richer food with the addition of
eggs or egg yolks in the recipe. The first ice cream recipes recorded by
the French in the early eighteenth century did not include egg yolks.
However, by the middle of the eighteenth century, French recipes for ice
cream started to include egg yolks.
When the use of vanilla in foods and drinks became independent of cacao, it
became more prominent in French recipes. The French used vanilla to flavor
French vanilla ice cream. Vanilla ice cream was introduced to the United
States when Thomas Jefferson discovered the flavor in France and brought
the recipe to the United States. During the 1780s, Thomas Jefferson wrote
his own recipe for vanilla ice cream. The recipe is housed at the Library
of Congress'.
[The Hankster says] With a piece of apple pie underneath.
* 'National Hot Dog Day'. . By the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
The North American Meat Institute had one back on July 14.
[The Hankster says] Yep, another one. Hey, it's July and National Hot Dog Month. There are many such days, but counting just makes you hungrier.
* 'Wurst Festival Ever '.
In Phoenix AZ., at Short Leash Hot Dogs.
<> Other holidays / celebrations
* 'Gorgeous Grandma Day'.
[The Hankster says] Ain't they. Gray is a color, not an age.
* 'National Day of the Cowboy'.
The focus is 'Preserving Pioneer Heritage and Cowboy Culture'.
[The Hankster says] National Cow Person doesn't sound correct, so I guess this includes Cowgirls.
<> Awareness / Observances:
o Health
* 'World Sjogren's Day'. By the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation
- From Wikipedia (Sjögren's syndrome):
'Sjögren's syndrome (SjS, SS) is a long term autoimmune disease in which
the moisture-producing glands of the body are affected. This results
primarily in the development of a dry mouth and dry eyes. Other symptoms
can include dry skin, a chronic cough, vaginal dryness, numbness in the
arms and legs, feeling tired, muscle and joint pains, and thyroid problems.
Those affected are at an increased risk (5%) of lymphoma.
While the exact cause is unclear it is believed to involve a combination of
genetics and an environmental trigger such as exposure to a virus or
bacteria. It can occur independently of other health problems (primary
Sjögren's syndrome) or as a result of another connective tissue disorder
(secondary Sjögren's syndrome). The inflammation that results progressively
damages the glands. Diagnosis is by biopsy of moisture producing glands and
blood tests looking for specific antibodies. On biopsy there is typically
lymphocyte within the glands.
Treatment is directed at the person's symptom. For dry eyes artificial
tears, medications to reduce inflammation, or surgery to shut the tear
ducts may be tried. For a dry mouth chewing gum, sipping water, or a saliva
substitute may be used. In those with joint or muscle pain ibuprofen may be
used. Medications that can cause dryness may also be stopped such as
antihistamines.
The disease was described in 1933 by Henrik Sjögren after whom it is named
however, a number of earlier description of people with the symptoms exist.
Between 0.2% and 1.2% of the population are affected, with half having the
primary form and half the secondary form. Females are affected about ten
time as often as males and it commonly begins in middle age. Anyone
however, can be affected. Among those without other autoimmune disorders,
life expectancy is unchanged'.
<> Historical events on July 23
* 'In 1829, In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the
typographer, a precursor to the typewriter. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The typographer, America's first typewriter, was
invented and made by William Austin Burt.
It was patented on July 23, 1829, as U.S. patent No. 5581X. United States
Patent Office documents describe Burt's American machine as the actual
construction of a type writing machine for the first time in any country It
was the first practical typewriting machine ever made in America, although
Pellegrino Turri had made one in Italy in 1808. The patent gave Burt the
full exclusive rights to his new typewriter machine for 14 years, including
vending or selling to others any or all of these rights as he saw fit,
signed by President Andrew Jackson.
All type writing machines, those that used letters of typeface, were
generally given the name typographer from Burt's 1829 patent until 1874 by
subsequent inventors who improved on Burt's machine. The concept ultimately
came to be called The Type-Writer in 1874. The word stayed hyphenated until
the 1880s. William Ozmun Wyckoff, president of the New York State Shorthand
Reporters' Association in 1886, and founder of the Remington Typewriter
Company, publicized the unhyphenated name typewriter It became very well
known, and the public finally accepted this as one word by 1919.
Eventually, Burt's typographer was called a typewriter.
Christopher Latham Sholes is given credit for inventing the first practical
typewriter. He was in fact the fifty-second person or possibly the 112th to
reinvent a type-writing machine - which he called a type-writer. Some of
the type-writing machines invented between Burt's 1829 patented machine and
Sholes' 1867 type-writer are The Projean Machine (1833), The Thurber
Machine (1843), The Foucault Machine (1843), O. T. Eddy's machine (1850),
The Fairbanks machine (1850), J. M. Jones' machine (1850), William Hughes'
machine (1851), John M. Jones mechanical Typographer (1852), Thomas'
typograph (1854), The Beach typewriter (1856), The Francis Typewriter
(1857), The Hansen Machine (1865), The Livermore Printing Device (1863),
Peeler Writing Machine (1866), and The Sholes and Glidden Typewriter (1867)
invented by three men (C. Latham Sholes, Samuel W. Soule, Carlos Glidden).
Thomas Edison is even given credit for an electrified version in 1872'.
* 'In 1880, The 1st commercial hydroelectric power plant (DC) begins, Grand
Rapids, Michigan. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The earliest hydroelectric power generation in the U.S.
was utilized for lighting and employed the better understood direct current
(DC) system to provide the electrical flow. It did not flow far however,
with ten miles being the system's limit solving electricity's transmission
problems would come later and be the greatest incentive to the new
hydroelectric water-power developments.
The first DC powerhouse was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the water
turbine at the Wolverine Chair factory was attached to a dynamo using a
mechanical belt drive to illuminate sixteen street lights. This occurred in
1880, the same year Thomas Edison produced the long-lasting incandescent
filament light bulb, which was a safety and convenience improvement over
existing candles, whale oil lamps and kerosene lamps inside buildings. In
1881, also using DC for lighting at Niagara Falls, Jacob F. Schoellkopf
diverted part of the output from his waterwheel-powered flour mills to
drive one of Charles Brush's improved generators to provide nighttime
illumination for the tourists. Previously the attraction had been
illuminated by burning bright calcium flares but arc-lights proved a better
and cheaper alternative. In 1882, the world's first commercial central DC
hydroelectric power plant provided power for a paper mill in Appleton,
Wisconsin just months later the first investor-owned electric utility,
Edison Illuminating Company, completed the first fossil fueled electrical
power plant in New York City, to compete with hydroelectric power close to
an area of high demand. By 1886, between 40 to 50 hydroelectric stations
were operating in the United States and in Canada, and by 1888 about 200
electric companies relied on hydropower for at least part of their
generation'.
* 'In 1950, 'The Gene Autry Show' premiered on CBS-TV. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Gene Autry Show is an American western/cowboy
television series which aired for 91 episodes on CBS from July 23, 1950
until August 7, 1956, originally sponsored by Wrigley's Doublemint chewing
gum.
Series star Gene Autry had already established his singing cowboy character
on radio and the movies. Now he and his horse Champion were featured in a
weekly television series of western adventures. Gene's role changed almost
weekly from rancher, to ranch hand, to sheriff, to border agent, etc.
Gene's usual comic relief and sidekick, Pat, was played by Pat Buttram,
better known to later television viewers as Mr Haney on Green Acres During
the first season, Gene's sidekick was played by Chill Wills twice (as
Chill) and by Fuzzy Knight four times (as Sagebrush). These two actors even
wore Pat's costume. Alan Hale, Jr. (a.k.a. - The Skipper from Gilligan's
Island) played a bad guy in several episodes of Seasons 1 and 2, but he
also played Gene's sidekick, Tiny, in two episodes of Season 1.
By this time, Autry had established his own production company, Flying 'A'
Productions, and acted as executive director for the series.
The series lasted five seasons. The first four were in black and white, and
the final season (thirteen episodes) was in color. Color was experimented
with in two episodes of the first season. The theme song Back In the Saddle
Again was written by Autry and Ray Whitley and sung by Autry.
Among the guest stars, Nan Leslie and Mike Ragan were cast in different
roles four times from 1950 to 1955. Both also appeared in many other
western series during the 1950s.
Dick Jones was cast in ten episodes of The Gene Autry Show and acted in two
other Flying A Productions, The Range Rider and Buffalo Bill, Jr'.
* 'In 1962, Telstar relays the first publicly transmitted, live
trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Telstar is the name of various communications
satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly
identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10,
1962. It successfully relayed through space the first television pictures,
telephone calls, and fax images, and provided the first live transatlantic
television feed. Telstar 2 launched May 7, 1963. Telstar 1 and 2—though no
longer functional—still orbit the Earth.
Telstar 1 relayed its first, and non-public, television pictures—a flag
outside Andover Earth Station—to Pleumeur-Bodou on July 11, 1962. Almost
two weeks later, on July 23, at 3:00 p.m. EDT, it relayed the first
publicly available live transatlantic television signal. The broadcast was
made possible in Europe by Eurovision and in North America by NBC, CBS,
ABC, and the CBC. The first public broadcast featured CBS's Walter Cronkite
and NBC's Chet Huntley in New York, and the BBC's Richard Dimbleby in
Brussels. The first pictures were the Statue of Liberty in New York and the
Eiffel Tower in Paris. The first broadcast was to have been remarks by
President John F. Kennedy, but the signal was acquired before the president
was ready, so engineers filled the lead-in time with a short segment of a
televised game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs at
Wrigley Field. The batter, Tony Taylor, was seen hitting a ball pitched by
Cal Koonce to the right fielder George Altman. From there, the video
switched first to Washington, DC then to Cape Canaveral, Florida to the
Seattle World's Fair then to Quebec and finally to Stratford, Ontario. The
Washington segment included remarks by President Kennedy, talking about the
price of the American dollar, which was causing concern in Europe. When
Kennedy denied that the United States would devalue the dollar it
immediately strengthened on world markets Cronkite later said that we all
glimpsed something of the true power of the instrument we had wrought."
* 'In 1966, The band 'Napoleon XIV' releases, They're Coming to Take Me
Away, Ha! Ha!. .
- From Wikipedia: 'They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! is a 1966
novelty record by Jerry Samuels, recorded under the name Napoleon XIV and
released on Warner Bros. Records. The song became an instant success in the
United States, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 popular music
singles chart on 13 August and reaching No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
Jerry Samuels was a recording engineer at Associated Recording Studios in
New York at the time when the song was written. He was able to alter the
pitch of a recording without changing the tempo, using a device called a
variable-frequency oscillator (VFO) - for example, making voices higher or
lower. From this came the idea for a song based on the rhythm of the old
Scottish tune The Campbells Are Coming
The lyrics describe the effect on the mental health of an individual after
a break-up. The main character seems to be addressing an ex-girlfriend, and
describes his descent into madness after she has left him. However, the
last verse of the song alludes to his dog running away.
His paranoid thinking makes him believe that he is being pursued by those
nice young men in their clean white coats (i.e., psychiatric attendants)
who are coming to transport him to the funny farm/happy home ( i.e., mental
hospital), and he welcomes them as an end to his misery'.
* 'In 1972, The United States launches Landsat 1, the first Earth-resources
satellite. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Landsat 1, originally named Earth Resources Technology
Satellite 1, was the first satellite of the United States' Landsat program.
It was a modified version of the Nimbus 4 meteorological satellite and was
launched on July 23, 1972 by a Delta 900 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force
Base in California. The near-polar orbiting spacecraft served as a
stabilized, Earth-oriented platform for obtaining information on
agricultural and forestry resources, geology and mineral resources,
hydrology and water resources, geography, cartography, environmental
pollution, oceanography and marine resources, and meteorological phenomena.
The satellite also carried two wide-band video tape recorders (WBVTR)
capable of storing up to 30 minutes of scanner or camera data, giving the
spacecraft's sensors a near-global coverage capability. In 1976, Landsat 1
discovered a tiny uninhabited island 20 kilometers off the eastern coast of
Canada. This island was thereafter designated Landsat Island after the
satellite.
The spacecraft was turned off on January 6, 1978, when cumulative
precession of the orbital plane caused the spacecraft to become overheated
due to near-constant exposure to sunlight'.
* 'In 1985, Commodore unveiled the personal computer Amiga 1000.
- From Wikipedia: 'The Commodore Amiga 1000, also known as the A1000 and
originally simply as the Amiga, is the first personal computer released by
Commodore International in the Amiga line. It combines the 16/32-bit
Motorola 68000 CPU which was powerful by 1985 standards with one of the
most advanced graphics and sound systems in its class, and runs a
preemptive multitasking operating system that fits into 256 kB of read-only
memory and shipped with 256 kB of DRAM. The primary memory can be expanded
internally with a manufacturer supplied 256 kB module for a total of 512 kB
of DRAM. Using the external slot the primary memory can be expanded up to
8.5 MB'.
No. 1 song
Top movie
Monthly holiday / awareness days in July
Food
National Blueberries Month
National Grilling Month
National Honey Month
National Ice Cream Month
National Horseradish Month
National Hot Dog Month
Wheat Month
Health
Alopecia Month for Women
Bereaved Parents Awareness Month
Eye Injury Prevention Month
Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month
International Group B Strep Awareness Month
International Women with Alopecia Month
International Zine Month
Juvenille Arthritis Awareness Month
National Black Family Month
National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month
National Cord Blood Awareness Month
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
Social Wellness Month
Animal / Pets
National 'Doghouse Repairs' Month
Other
Bioterrorism/Disaster Education and Awareness Month
Cell Phone Courtesy Month
Family Golf Month
Independent Retailer Month
National Child-Centered Divorce Month
National Make A Difference to Children Month
National Parks and Recreation Month
National Vacation Rental Month
Smart Irrigation Month
Tour de France Month
Women's Motorcycle Month
July is:
July origin (from Wikipedia): Named by the Roman Senate in honor of Julius Caesar.
"is the seventh month of the year (between June
and August) in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months
with the length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honor of
the Roman general, Julius Caesar, it being the month of his birth. Prior
to that, it was called Quintilis. It is, on average, the warmest month in
most of the Northern hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer)
and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere (where it
is the second month of winter). The second half of the year commences in
July. In the Southern hemisphere, July is the seasonal equivalent of
January in the Northern hemisphere."
July 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