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Today is August 8 2016

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Today's Holidays and Historical Events (updated daily)
Today's Food Holiday
  • National Frozen Custard Day: More
    Essentially ice cream but with egg yokes added for taste and creaminess. Created by Elton and Archie Kohr from Coney Island, New-York in 1919 and became a hit in the early 1930's.
    - From Wikipedia (Frozen custard): 'Frozen custard is a cold dessert similar to ice cream, but made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar.

    Egg yolks have been integrated into ice creams since at least the 1690s, though there are several notable invention stories that are associated with modern commercializations of this practice.

    One early commercialization of frozen custard was in Coney Island, New York in 1919, when ice cream vendors Archie and Elton Kohr found that adding egg yolks to ice cream created a smoother texture and helped the ice cream stay cold longer. In their first weekend on the boardwalk, they sold 18,460 cones.

    A frozen custard stand at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago introduced the dessert to a wider audience. Following the fair, the dessert's popularity spread throughout the Midwest; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in particular, became known as the "unofficial frozen custard capital of the world".

    Per capita, Milwaukee has the highest concentration of frozen custard shops in the world and the city supports a long-standing three-way competition between Kopp's Frozen Custard, Gilles Frozen Custard and Leon's Frozen Custard.

    Frozen custard chains in the United States include Culver's, headquartered in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, with outlets in 20 states; Freddy's Frozen Custard andeakburgers, based in Wichita, Kansas, with more than 100 locations nationwide; Andy's Frozen Custard, based in Springfield, Missouri, with over 30 locations; Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis and Abbott's Frozen Custard in Rochester, New York'.
Other celebrations/observances today:
  • National Happiness Happens Day: More
    Founded in 1999 by the 'Secret Society of Happy People'. Originally named 'Admit You’re Happy Day' Their mottos are 'Happiness Happens' and 'Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade'.
  • Bonza Bottler Day: More
    Celebrated every month when the month and day are the same, such as this month's 8/8. Created by Elaine Fremont in 2015.
  • Odie Day: More
    Garfield 's pet dog.
    - From Wikipedia (Odie): 'Odie is a fictional character, who appears in the Jim Davis comic strip Garfield. He has also appeared in Garfield and Friends, The Garfield Show, as well as two live-action/computer-animated feature films, and three fully CGI films.

    Odie was based on a car dealership commercial written by Jim Davis, which featured Odie the Village Idiot. Davis liked the name Odie and decided to use it again. When Garfield was first submitted, Davis called Odie "Spot". He then visited cartoonist Mort Walker to show him his strips, and Walker told Davis "I had a dog named Spot". When Davis asked "Really?", Walker replied "Yes, in Boner's Ark, one of my comic strips". Davis said "Oops!" and changed Odie's name. Odie first appeared in the strip on August 8, 1978; the date is considered his birthday. There has been only one comic strip that celebrates Odie's birthday, in 1995. He was originally a pet to Jon Arbuckle's roommate Lyman, but Lyman disappeared from the series after about five years (with the exception of a one-panel cameo appearance in the strip for Garfield's 10th birthday). The book and television special, Garfield: His 9 Lives, retcons Odie's origins, saying that Jon bought him at a pet store. However this was later retconned itself as in The Garfield Show Lyman returned in the special 4-part episode "Long Lost Lyman" where he was clearly established as Odie's original owner and his long absence was also explained.

    In the motion picture, Odie was adopted by Jon at a veterinarian center'.
Awareness / Observance Days on: August 8
  • Health
    • Haemochromatosis Awareness Week: More
      August 8-14 in Australia. By the Haemochromatosis Australia. Concerns inherited iron overload.
      - From Wikipedia (Iron overload): 'Iron overload, also known as hemochromatosis or haemochromatosis, indicates accumulation of iron in the body from any cause. The most important causes are hereditary haemochromatosis (HHC), a genetic disorder, and transfusional iron overload, which can result from repeated blood transfusions.

      Organs commonly affected by haemochromatosis are the liver, heart, and endocrine glands.

      Routine treatment in an otherwise-healthy person consists of regularly scheduled phlebotomies (bloodletting or erythrocytapheresis). When first diagnosed, the phlebotomies may be fairly frequent, until iron levels can be brought to within normal range. Once iron and other markers are within the normal range, treatments may be scheduled every other month or every three months depending upon the underlying cause of the iron overload and the person's iron load. A phlebotomy session typically draws between 450 to 500 cc whole blood.

      For those unable to tolerate routine blood draws, there is a chelating agent available for use. The drug deferoxamine binds with iron in the bloodstream and enhances its elimination in urine and faeces. Typical treatment for chronic iron overload requires subcutaneous injection over a period of 8–12 hours daily. Two newer iron chelating drugs that are licensed for use in patients receiving regular blood transfusions to treat thalassaemia (and, thus, who develop iron overload as a result) are deferasirox and deferiprone'.
  • Other
    • Earth Over Shoot Day: More
      Forner or Ecological Debt Day. Recent benchmarks: 2013 August 20, 2014 August 19, 2015 August 13, 2016 August 8'.
      - From Wikipedia (Ecological Debt Day): 'Earth Overshoot Day , previously known as Ecological Debt Day, is the date on which humanity’s resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources that year. Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by dividing the world biocapacity (the amount of natural resources generated by Earth that year), by the world ecological footprint (humanity’s consumption of Earth’s natural resources for that year), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in one Gregorian common calendar year:

      ( World Biocapacity / World Ecological Footprint ) × 365 = Ecological Debt Day {\displaystyle ({ ext{World Biocapacity}}/{ ext{World Ecological Footprint}}) imes 365={ ext{Ecological Debt Day}}} {\displaystyle ({ ext{World Biocapacity}}/{ ext{World Ecological Footprint}}) imes 365={ ext{Ecological Debt Day}}}

      When viewed through an economic perspective, EDD represents the day in which humanity enters an ecological deficit spending. In ecology term Earth Overshoot Day illustrates the level by which human population overshoots its environment.

      Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by Global Footprint Network and is a campaign supported by dozens of other nonprofit organizations. Information about Global Footprint Network's calculations and national Ecological Footprints can be found at www.footprintnetwork.org/public '.
Events in the past on: August 8
  • In 1876, Thomas Edison patents (1 of 1093 in the US) the mimeograph. The machine is still used today.
    From Wikipedia: 'The stencil duplicator or mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The mimeograph process should not be confused with the spirit duplicator process.

    Mimeographs, along with spirit duplicators and hectographs, were a common technology in printing small quantities, as in office work, classroom materials, and church bulletins. Early fanzines were printed with this technology, because it was widespread and cheap. In the late 1960s, mimeographs, spirit duplicators, and hectographs began to be gradually displaced by photocopying.

    Thomas Edison received US patent 180,857 for Autographic Printing on August 8, 1876. The patent covered the electric pen, used for making the stencil, and the flatbed duplicating press. In 1880 Edison obtained a further patent, US 224,665: "Method of Preparing Autographic Stencils for Printing," which covered the making of stencils using a file plate, a grooved metal plate on which the stencil was placed which perforated the stencil when written on with a blunt metal stylus.

    The word mimeograph was first used by Albert Blake Dick when he licensed Edison's patents in 1887.

    Dick received Trademark Registration no. 0356815 for the term "Mimeograph" in the US Patent Office. It is currently listed as a dead entry, but shows the A.B. Dick Company of Chicago as the owner of the name.

    Over time, the term became generic and is now an example of a genericized trademark. ("Roneograph," also "Roneo machine," was another trademark used for mimeograph machines, the name being a contraction of Rotary Neostyle)'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1929, A round-the-world flight is begun by the German airship Graf Zeppelin, which was designed (and named after) Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The trip took 12 days 11 hours and covering 21,500 miles in five legs.
    From Wikipedia: 'LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin (Deutsches Luftschiff Zeppelin #127; Registration: D-LZ 127) was a German-built and -operated, passenger-carrying, hydrogen-filled, rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. When it entered commercial service in 1928, it became the first commercial passenger transatlantic flight service in the world. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a count (Graf) in the German nobility. During its operating life, the airship made 590 flights covering more than 1.7 million kilometers (over 1 million miles). It was designed to be operated by a crew of 36 officers and men. The LZ 127 was the longest rigid airship at the time of its completion and was only surpassed by the USS Akron in 1931. It was scrapped for fighter plane parts in 1940.

    At the behest of American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, whose media empire was the major commercial backer of the project with four staffers among the flight's nine passengers, the Graf's "Round-the-World" (Weltrundfahrt 1929) flight in August 1929 officially began and ended at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. As with many of the airship's other flights, however, its expenses were also heavily offset by the carriage of souvenir mail to and/or from Lakehurst, Friedrichshafen, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. A U.S. franked letter flown on the whole trip from Lakehurst to Lakehurst, for instance, required US$3.55 in postage or the equivalent of roughly $45 in current dollars if based on the CPI. The $200,000 Hearst paid for exclusive media rights would currently be the equivalent of $2.5 million if figured on the same basis. Route of Graf Zeppelin's round-the-world flight Built in Friedrichshafen, Germany (47.654°N 9.479°E ) Started at Lakehurst NAS, USA (40.033°N 74.3536°W ) Eastward to Germany (47.654°N 9.479°E ) Eastward to Kasumigaura Naval Air Base, Japan (36.05°N 140.217°E ) Eastward to Los Angeles (33.9425°N 118.408°W ), then back to Lakehurst (40.033°N 74.3536°W ). Returned to Germany (47.654°N 9.479°E )

    As with the October 1928 flight to New York, Hearst correspondent Lady Grace Drummond-Hay was on board making her the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by air. Also representing Hearst among the passenger complement were correspondents Karl von Wiegand and Australian Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins, and photographer/newsreel cameraman Robert Hartmann. The US Government was represented by Naval airshipmen LCDR Charles Rosendahl and LT Jack C. Richardson who flew as official observers. A semi-documentary film entitled "Farewell" was released in 2009 which featured much of the newsreel footage of Lady Drummond-Hay shot by Hartmann during the flight. The film was later aired on the BBC under the title "Around The World by Zeppelin"'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1946, First flight of the Convair B-36, the world's first mass-produced nuclear weapon delivery vehicle, the heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft, with the longest wingspan of any military aircraft, and the first bomber with intercontinental range.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built, at 230 ft (70.1 m). The B-36 was the first bomber capable of delivering any of the nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal from inside its four bomb bays without aircraft modifications. With a range of 10,000 mi (16,000 km) and a maximum payload of 87,200 lb (39,600 kg), the B-36 was the world's first manned bomber capable of intercontinental flight without refuelling.

    Entering service in 1948, the B-36 was the primary nuclear weapons delivery vehicle of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was replaced by the jet-powered Boeing B-52 Stratofortress from 1955. All but five examples were scrapped in the 1950s.

    The B-36 set the standard for range and payload for subsequent U.S. intercontinental bombers'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1960, Brian Hyland's 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' hits number one.
    From Wikipedia: '"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl wearing a revealing polkadot bikini at the beach. It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyland with orchestra conducted by John Dixon.

    Hyland's version hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 8, 1960 and also made the top 10 in other countries, including #8 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached #1 in New Zealand.

    The story told through the three verses of the song is as follows: (1) the young lady is too afraid to leave the locker where she has changed into her bikini; (2) she has made it to the beach but sits on the sand wrapped in a blanket; and (3) she has finally gone into the ocean, but is too afraid to come out, and stays immersed in the water – despite the fact that she's "turning blue" – to hide herself from view.

    Trudy Packer recited the phrases "...two, three, four / Tell the people what she wore", heard at the end of each verse before the chorus; and "Stick around, we'll tell you more", heard after the first chorus and before the start of the second verse.

    At a time when bikini bathing suits were still seen as too risqué to be mainstream, the song prompted a sudden take off in bikini sales and is credited as being one of the earliest contributors to the acceptance of the bikini in society. The early 1960s saw a slew of surf movies and other film and television productions that rapidly built on the song's momentum'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1974, President Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announces his resignation from the office of the President of the United States effective noon the next day.
    From Wikipedia: 'Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974 when he became the only U.S. president to resign the office. Nixon had previously served as a U.S. Representative and Senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.

    Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California. After completing his undergraduate studies at Whittier College, he graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1937 and returned to California to practice law. He and his wife, Pat Nixon, moved to Washington in 1942 to work for the federal government. He subsequently served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II. Nixon was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946 and to the Senate in 1950. His pursuit of the Hiss Case established his reputation as a leading anti-communist, and elevated him to national prominence. He was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 1952 election. Nixon served for eight years as vice president. He waged an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1960, narrowly losing to John F. Kennedy, and lost a race for Governor of California to Pat Brown in 1962. In 1968 he ran again for the presidency and was elected when he defeated Hubert Humphrey.

    Nixon ended American involvement in the war in Vietnam in 1973 and brought the American POWs home. At the same time, he ended military draft. Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 opened diplomatic relations between the two nations, and he initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union the same year. His administration generally transferred power from Washington to the states. He imposed wage and price controls for a period of ninety days, enforced desegregation of Southern schools and established the Environmental Protection Agency. Nixon also presided over the Apollo 11 moon landing, which signaled the end of the moon race. He was reelected by one of the largest landslides in U.S. history in 1972, when he defeated George McGovern.

    The year 1973 saw an Arab oil embargo, gasoline rationing, and a continuing series of revelations about the Watergate scandal. The scandal escalated, costing Nixon much of his political support, and on August 9, 1974, he resigned in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office. After his resignation, he was issued a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford. In retirement, Nixon's work writing several books and undertaking of many foreign trips helped to rehabilitate his image. He suffered a debilitating stroke on April 18, 1994, and died four days later at the age of 81'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1990, Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward.
    From Wikipedia: Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991), codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991), for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) in its combat phase, was a war waged by coalition forces from 34 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.

    'Within 12 hours, most resistance had ended within Kuwait and the royal family had fled, leaving Iraq in control of most of Kuwait. After two days of intense combat, most of the Kuwaiti military were either overrun by the Iraqi Republican Guard, or had escaped to Saudi Arabia. The Emir and key ministers were able to get out and head south along the highway for refuge in Saudi Arabia. Iraqi ground forces consolidated their control of Kuwait City, then headed south and redeployed along the Saudi border. After the decisive Iraqi victory, Saddam initially installed a puppet regime known as the "Provisional Government of Free Kuwait" before installing his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid as Kuwait's governor on 8 August'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):


* 'National Frozen Custard Day'. . Essentially ice cream but with egg yokes added for taste and creaminess. Created by Elton and Archie Kohr from Coney Island, New-York in 1919 and became a hit in the early 1930's. - From Wikipedia (Frozen custard): 'Frozen custard is a cold dessert similar to ice cream, but made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar.

Egg yolks have been integrated into ice creams since at least the 1690s, though there are several notable invention stories that are associated with modern commercializations of this practice.

One early commercialization of frozen custard was in Coney Island, New York in 1919, when ice cream vendors Archie and Elton Kohr found that adding egg yolks to ice cream created a smoother texture and helped the ice cream stay cold longer. In their first weekend on the boardwalk, they sold 18,460 cones.

A frozen custard stand at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago introduced the dessert to a wider audience. Following the fair, the dessert's popularity spread throughout the Midwest Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in particular, became known as the unofficial frozen custard capital of the world

Per capita, Milwaukee has the highest concentration of frozen custard shops in the world and the city supports a long-standing three-way competition between Kopp's Frozen Custard, Gilles Frozen Custard and Leon's Frozen Custard.

Frozen custard chains in the United States include Culver's, headquartered in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, with outlets in 20 states Freddy's Frozen Custard andeakburgers, based in Wichita, Kansas, with more than 100 locations nationwide Andy's Frozen Custard, based in Springfield, Missouri, with over 30 locations Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis and Abbott's Frozen Custard in Rochester, New York'.
[The Hankster says] I wonder if a frozen custard pie, thrown by one of the Three Stooges, would be considered a lethal weapon?


<> Other holidays / celebrations


* 'National Happiness Happens Day'. Founded in 1999 by the 'Secret Society of Happy People'. Originally named 'Admit You’re Happy Day' Their mottos are 'Happiness Happens' and 'Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade'.
[The Hankster says] Ware that smile and pass it on to someone else.


* 'Bonza Bottler Day'. Celebrated every month when the month and day are the same, such as this month's 8/8. Created by Elaine Fremont in 2015.


* 'Odie Day'. Garfield 's pet dog. - From Wikipedia (Odie): 'Odie is a fictional character, who appears in the Jim Davis comic strip Garfield. He has also appeared in Garfield and Friends, The Garfield Show, as well as two live-action/computer-animated feature films, and three fully CGI films.

Odie was based on a car dealership commercial written by Jim Davis, which featured Odie the Village Idiot. Davis liked the name Odie and decided to use it again. When Garfield was first submitted, Davis called Odie Spot He then visited cartoonist Mort Walker to show him his strips, and Walker told Davis I had a dog named Spot When Davis asked Really?, Walker replied Yes, in Boner's Ark, one of my comic strips Davis said Oops! and changed Odie's name. Odie first appeared in the strip on August 8, 1978 the date is considered his birthday. There has been only one comic strip that celebrates Odie's birthday, in 1995. He was originally a pet to Jon Arbuckle's roommate Lyman, but Lyman disappeared from the series after about five years (with the exception of a one-panel cameo appearance in the strip for Garfield's 10th birthday). The book and television special, Garfield: His 9 Lives, retcons Odie's origins, saying that Jon bought him at a pet store. However this was later retconned itself as in The Garfield Show Lyman returned in the special 4-part episode Long Lost Lyman where he was clearly established as Odie's original owner and his long absence was also explained.

In the motion picture, Odie was adopted by Jon at a veterinarian center'.


<> Awareness / Observances:

o Health
* 'Haemochromatosis Awareness Week'. August 8-14 in Australia. By the Haemochromatosis Australia. Concerns inherited iron overload. - From Wikipedia (Iron overload): 'Iron overload, also known as hemochromatosis or haemochromatosis, indicates accumulation of iron in the body from any cause. The most important causes are hereditary haemochromatosis (HHC), a genetic disorder, and transfusional iron overload, which can result from repeated blood transfusions.

Organs commonly affected by haemochromatosis are the liver, heart, and endocrine glands.

Routine treatment in an otherwise-healthy person consists of regularly scheduled phlebotomies (bloodletting or erythrocytapheresis). When first diagnosed, the phlebotomies may be fairly frequent, until iron levels can be brought to within normal range. Once iron and other markers are within the normal range, treatments may be scheduled every other month or every three months depending upon the underlying cause of the iron overload and the person's iron load. A phlebotomy session typically draws between 450 to 500 cc whole blood.

For those unable to tolerate routine blood draws, there is a chelating agent available for use. The drug deferoxamine binds with iron in the bloodstream and enhances its elimination in urine and faeces. Typical treatment for chronic iron overload requires subcutaneous injection over a period of 8–12 hours daily. Two newer iron chelating drugs that are licensed for use in patients receiving regular blood transfusions to treat thalassaemia (and, thus, who develop iron overload as a result) are deferasirox and deferiprone'.

o Other:
* 'Earth Over Shoot Day'. Forner or Ecological Debt Day. Recent benchmarks: 2013 August 20, 2014 August 19, 2015 August 13, 2016 August 8'. - From Wikipedia (Ecological Debt Day): 'Earth Overshoot Day , previously known as Ecological Debt Day, is the date on which humanity’s resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources that year. Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by dividing the world biocapacity (the amount of natural resources generated by Earth that year), by the world ecological footprint (humanity’s consumption of Earth’s natural resources for that year), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in one Gregorian common calendar year:

( World Biocapacity / World Ecological Footprint ) × 365 = Ecological Debt Day {\displaystyle ({\text{World Biocapacity}}/{\text{World Ecological Footprint}})\times 365={\text{Ecological Debt Day}}} {\displaystyle ({\text{World Biocapacity}}/{\text{World Ecological Footprint}})\times 365={\text{Ecological Debt Day}}}

When viewed through an economic perspective, EDD represents the day in which humanity enters an ecological deficit spending. In ecology term Earth Overshoot Day illustrates the level by which human population overshoots its environment.

Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by Global Footprint Network and is a campaign supported by dozens of other nonprofit organizations. Information about Global Footprint Network's calculations and national Ecological Footprints can be found at www.footprintnetwork.org/public '.


<> Historical events on August 8


* 'In 1876, Thomas Edison patents (1 of 1093 in the US) the mimeograph. The machine is still used today. . - From Wikipedia: 'The stencil duplicator or mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The mimeograph process should not be confused with the spirit duplicator process.

Mimeographs, along with spirit duplicators and hectographs, were a common technology in printing small quantities, as in office work, classroom materials, and church bulletins. Early fanzines were printed with this technology, because it was widespread and cheap. In the late 1960s, mimeographs, spirit duplicators, and hectographs began to be gradually displaced by photocopying.

Thomas Edison received US patent 180,857 for Autographic Printing on August 8, 1876. The patent covered the electric pen, used for making the stencil, and the flatbed duplicating press. In 1880 Edison obtained a further patent, US 224,665: Method of Preparing Autographic Stencils for Printing, which covered the making of stencils using a file plate, a grooved metal plate on which the stencil was placed which perforated the stencil when written on with a blunt metal stylus.

The word mimeograph was first used by Albert Blake Dick when he licensed Edison's patents in 1887.

Dick received Trademark Registration no. 0356815 for the term Mimeograph in the US Patent Office. It is currently listed as a dead entry, but shows the A.B. Dick Company of Chicago as the owner of the name.

Over time, the term became generic and is now an example of a genericized trademark. (Roneograph, also Roneo machine, was another trademark used for mimeograph machines, the name being a contraction of Rotary Neostyle)'.


* 'In 1929, A round-the-world flight is begun by the German airship Graf Zeppelin, which was designed (and named after) Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The trip took 12 days 11 hours and covering 21,500 miles in five legs. . - From Wikipedia: 'LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin (Deutsches Luftschiff Zeppelin #127 Registration: D-LZ 127) was a German-built and -operated, passenger-carrying, hydrogen-filled, rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. When it entered commercial service in 1928, it became the first commercial passenger transatlantic flight service in the world. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a count (Graf) in the German nobility. During its operating life, the airship made 590 flights covering more than 1.7 million kilometers (over 1 million miles). It was designed to be operated by a crew of 36 officers and men. The LZ 127 was the longest rigid airship at the time of its completion and was only surpassed by the USS Akron in 1931. It was scrapped for fighter plane parts in 1940.

At the behest of American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, whose media empire was the major commercial backer of the project with four staffers among the flight's nine passengers, the Graf's Round-the-World (Weltrundfahrt 1929) flight in August 1929 officially began and ended at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. As with many of the airship's other flights, however, its expenses were also heavily offset by the carriage of souvenir mail to and/or from Lakehurst, Friedrichshafen, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. A U.S. franked letter flown on the whole trip from Lakehurst to Lakehurst, for instance, required US$3.55 in postage or the equivalent of roughly $45 in current dollars if based on the CPI. The $200,000 Hearst paid for exclusive media rights would currently be the equivalent of $2.5 million if figured on the same basis. Route of Graf Zeppelin's round-the-world flight Built in Friedrichshafen, Germany (47.654°N 9.479°E ) Started at Lakehurst NAS, USA (40.033°N 74.3536°W ) Eastward to Germany (47.654°N 9.479°E ) Eastward to Kasumigaura Naval Air Base, Japan (36.05°N 140.217°E ) Eastward to Los Angeles (33.9425°N 118.408°W ), then back to Lakehurst (40.033°N 74.3536°W ). Returned to Germany (47.654°N 9.479°E )

As with the October 1928 flight to New York, Hearst correspondent Lady Grace Drummond-Hay was on board making her the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by air. Also representing Hearst among the passenger complement were correspondents Karl von Wiegand and Australian Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins, and photographer/newsreel cameraman Robert Hartmann. The US Government was represented by Naval airshipmen LCDR Charles Rosendahl and LT Jack C. Richardson who flew as official observers. A semi-documentary film entitled Farewell was released in 2009 which featured much of the newsreel footage of Lady Drummond-Hay shot by Hartmann during the flight. The film was later aired on the BBC under the title Around The World by Zeppelin'.


* 'In 1946, First flight of the Convair B-36, the world's first mass-produced nuclear weapon delivery vehicle, the heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft, with the longest wingspan of any military aircraft, and the first bomber with intercontinental range. . - From Wikipedia: 'The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built, at 230 ft (70.1 m). The B-36 was the first bomber capable of delivering any of the nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal from inside its four bomb bays without aircraft modifications. With a range of 10,000 mi (16,000 km) and a maximum payload of 87,200 lb (39,600 kg), the B-36 was the world's first manned bomber capable of intercontinental flight without refuelling.

Entering service in 1948, the B-36 was the primary nuclear weapons delivery vehicle of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was replaced by the jet-powered Boeing B-52 Stratofortress from 1955. All but five examples were scrapped in the 1950s.

The B-36 set the standard for range and payload for subsequent U.S. intercontinental bombers'.


* 'In 1960, Brian Hyland's 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' hits number one. . - From Wikipedia: 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl wearing a revealing polkadot bikini at the beach. It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyland with orchestra conducted by John Dixon.

Hyland's version hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 8, 1960 and also made the top 10 in other countries, including #8 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached #1 in New Zealand.

The story told through the three verses of the song is as follows: (1) the young lady is too afraid to leave the locker where she has changed into her bikini (2) she has made it to the beach but sits on the sand wrapped in a blanket and (3) she has finally gone into the ocean, but is too afraid to come out, and stays immersed in the water – despite the fact that she's turning blue – to hide herself from view.

Trudy Packer recited the phrases ..two, three, four / Tell the people what she wore, heard at the end of each verse before the chorus and Stick around, we'll tell you more, heard after the first chorus and before the start of the second verse.

At a time when bikini bathing suits were still seen as too risqué to be mainstream, the song prompted a sudden take off in bikini sales and is credited as being one of the earliest contributors to the acceptance of the bikini in society. The early 1960s saw a slew of surf movies and other film and television productions that rapidly built on the song's momentum'.


* 'In 1974, President Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announces his resignation from the office of the President of the United States effective noon the next day. . - From Wikipedia: 'Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974 when he became the only U.S. president to resign the office. Nixon had previously served as a U.S. Representative and Senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.

Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California. After completing his undergraduate studies at Whittier College, he graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1937 and returned to California to practice law. He and his wife, Pat Nixon, moved to Washington in 1942 to work for the federal government. He subsequently served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II. Nixon was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946 and to the Senate in 1950. His pursuit of the Hiss Case established his reputation as a leading anti-communist, and elevated him to national prominence. He was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 1952 election. Nixon served for eight years as vice president. He waged an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1960, narrowly losing to John F. Kennedy, and lost a race for Governor of California to Pat Brown in 1962. In 1968 he ran again for the presidency and was elected when he defeated Hubert Humphrey.

Nixon ended American involvement in the war in Vietnam in 1973 and brought the American POWs home. At the same time, he ended military draft. Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 opened diplomatic relations between the two nations, and he initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union the same year. His administration generally transferred power from Washington to the states. He imposed wage and price controls for a period of ninety days, enforced desegregation of Southern schools and established the Environmental Protection Agency. Nixon also presided over the Apollo 11 moon landing, which signaled the end of the moon race. He was reelected by one of the largest landslides in U.S. history in 1972, when he defeated George McGovern.

The year 1973 saw an Arab oil embargo, gasoline rationing, and a continuing series of revelations about the Watergate scandal. The scandal escalated, costing Nixon much of his political support, and on August 9, 1974, he resigned in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office. After his resignation, he was issued a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford. In retirement, Nixon's work writing several books and undertaking of many foreign trips helped to rehabilitate his image. He suffered a debilitating stroke on April 18, 1994, and died four days later at the age of 81'.


* 'In 1990, Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward. . - From Wikipedia: Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991), codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991), for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) in its combat phase, was a war waged by coalition forces from 34 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.

'Within 12 hours, most resistance had ended within Kuwait and the royal family had fled, leaving Iraq in control of most of Kuwait. After two days of intense combat, most of the Kuwaiti military were either overrun by the Iraqi Republican Guard, or had escaped to Saudi Arabia. The Emir and key ministers were able to get out and head south along the highway for refuge in Saudi Arabia. Iraqi ground forces consolidated their control of Kuwait City, then headed south and redeployed along the Saudi border. After the decisive Iraqi victory, Saddam initially installed a puppet regime known as the Provisional Government of Free Kuwait before installing his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid as Kuwait's governor on 8 August'.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today (last updated Aug 7 2016 next Aug 13 2016

No. 1 song

  • Lil' Red Riding Hood - Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
    - On YouTube: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    'They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!' has been displaced by 'Lil' Red Riding Hood', which will hold the no. 1 spot until Aug 13 1966, when 'Summer in the City - The Lovin' Spoonful', takes over.
    - From Wikipedia: '"Li'l Red Riding Hood" is a 1966 song performed by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. It was the group's second top-10 hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1966 and No. 2 on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. It was certified gold by the RIAA on August 11, 1966.

    It is a prominent plot element in the 1993 film Striking Distance with Bruce Willis, and is featured in the film Wild Country in 2005 and a cover by Laura Gibson in a 2012 Volvo commercial for its S60T5. The song appeared in the TV show Grimm where it was played at the beginning of the season 3 episode "Red Menace" that aired in 2014'.

Top movie

  • The Man Called Flintstone
    - At Wikipedia:  More
    - On IMDb: More
    - On YouTube (trailer): More
    Having displaced 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ', it will be there until the weekend box office of Aug 14 1966 when, 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (returning again)', takes over.- From Wikipedia: 'The Man Called Flintstone is a 1966 animated feature film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. It was the second Hanna-Barbera feature, after Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964). The film is a theatrical spin-off of the 1960-66 television series, The Flintstones, and is a swan song (series finale) of the show, made immediately following the end of production on the series. The working title of the film was That Man Flintstone, with the film poster featuring Fred in the same pose of the Bob Peak poster for Our Man Flint. The film is a parody of the James Bond films.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): August 8
   V.
This month August 2016 (updated once a month - last updated - August 8 2016)

Monthly holiday / awareness days in August

Food National Catfish Month National Goat Cheese Month Rye Month

Health Children's Eye Health and Safety Month Children's Vision and Learning Month National Breastfeeding Month National Immunization Awareness Month National Minority Donor Awareness Month National Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month Neurosurgery Outreach Month Psoriasis Awareness Month

Animal / Pets

Other American Adventures Month American Artists Appreciation Month American Indian Heritage Month American History Essay Contest Black Business Month Boomers Making A Difference Month Bystander Awareness Month Child Support Awareness Month Get Ready for Kindergarten Month Happiness Happens Month Motor Sports Awareness Month National Read A Romance Month National Traffic Awareness Month National Truancy Prevention Month National Water Quality Month Shop Online For Groceries Month What Will Be Your Legacy Month XXXI Summer Olympics: 5-21


August is:

August origin (from Wikipedia): Originally named Sextili (Latin), because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar: under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first month of the year.
"About 700 BC it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 45 BC giving it its modern length of 31 days. In 8 BC it was renamed in honor of Augustus According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt. "

August 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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