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Today is August 20 2016

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Today's Holidays and Historical Events (updated daily)
Today's Food Holiday
  • National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day: More
    Pecan Pie Day was back on July 12.
    - From Wikipedia (Pecan pie): 'Pecan pie is a pie of pecan nuts mixed with a filling of eggs and sugar (typically corn syrup). Variations may include white or brown sugar, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. It is popularly served at holiday meals and is also considered a specialty of Southern U.S. cuisine. Most pecan pie recipes include salt and vanilla as flavorings. Chocolate and bourbon whiskey are other popular additions to the recipe. Pecan pie is often served with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or hard sauce'.
Other celebrations/observances today:
  • National Radio Day: More
    Celebrates radio and the first commercial radio station in the U.S. WWJ. The UNESCO's World Radio Day is on February 13. See more in the history section for 1920.Chinese Valentine's Day
  • Chinese Valentine's Day: More
    aka: Double Seventh Festival. On the 7th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese calendar. The legend is of two lovers who angered the Gods and are allow to meet only once a year (Fairy Of The Magpie Bridge. ).
    - From Wikipedia (Qixi Festival): 'The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in Chinese mythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on the Chinese calendar. It is sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival.

    The festival originated from the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver maid and the cowherd, respectively. The tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han Dynasty. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry. The Qixi festival inspired Tanabata festival in Japan, Chilseok festival in Korea, and Tht Tch festival in Vietnam.
    ,br /> The general tale is about a love story between Zhinü (the weaver girl, symbolizing Vega) and Niulang (the cowherd, symbolizing Altair). Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way). Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day. There are many variations of the story. A variation follows:

    A young cowherd, hence Niulang (literally: "cowherd"), came across a beautiful girl—Zhinü , the Goddess's seventh daughter, who had just escaped from boring heaven to look for fun. Zhinü soon fell in love with Niulang, and they got married without the knowledge of the Goddess. Zhinü proved to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang to be a good husband. They lived happily and had two children. But the Goddess of Heaven (or in some versions, Zhinü's mother) found out that Zhinü, a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The Goddess was furious and ordered Zhinü to return to heaven. (Alternatively, the Goddess forced the fairy back to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds, a task she neglected while living on earth with a mortal.) On Earth, Niulang was very upset that his wife had disappeared. Suddenly, his ox began to talk, telling him that if he killed it and put on its hide, he would be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife. Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the skin, and carried his two beloved children off to Heaven to find Zhinü. The Goddess discovered this and was very angry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way between Altair and Vega. Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar while taking care of their two children (his flanking stars and Aquilae or by their Chinese names Hè Gu 1 and Hè Gu 3). But once a year all the magpies in the world would take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge ( "the bridge of magpies", Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may be together for a single night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon. However, sometimes in the year, there is no stars regarding to the mythology appearing in the sky'.
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube (Fairy Of The Magpie Bridge): More
  • Virtual Worlds Day: More
    Celebrates virtual role playing games
  • International Geocaching Day: More
    On the third Saturday in August.
    - From Wikipedia (Geocaching): 'Geocaching /'d?i?o??kæ???/ is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.

    A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook (with a pen or pencil). The geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, such as toys or trinkets, usually of more sentimental worth than financial. Geocaching shares many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking'.30th Annual AIA Sandcastle Day
  • 30th Annual AIA Sandcastle Day: More
    East Beach in Galveston TX..
Awareness / Observance Days on: August 20
  • Health
    • World Mosquito Day: More
      Celebrates the discovery in 1897, by doctor Sir Donald Ross, that female Anopheles mosquito is responsible for malaria transmission. He won the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery.
      - From Wikipedia (World Mosquito Day): 'World Mosquito Day, observed annually on 20 August, is a commemoration of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross's discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. Ross is responsible for the annual observance, having declared shortly after his discovery that the day should be known as World Mosquito Day in the future.
      br /> The London School of Hygiene amd Tropical Medicine holds Mosquito Day celebrations every year, including events such as parties and exhibitions, a tradition dating back to as early as the 1930s'.
      - On YouTube: More
  • Animal and Pets
    • International Homeless Animals Day: More
      Annually on third Saturday in August by the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR).
    • National Honey Bee Day: More
      Annually on third Saturday in August.
      - From Wikipedia (National Honey Bee Day): 'National Honey Bee Day (formerly National Honey Bee Awareness Day) is an awareness day started by beekeepers in the United States to build community awareness of the bee industry, through education and promotion.

      The event was started in 2009, by a small group of beekeepers who petitioned for and obtained a formal proclamation by the USDA honoring honey bees and beekeeping. In 2010, a non-profit, Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc. was organized to better facilitate and promote the observance. The original date of observation was August 22, 2009 (the fourth Saturday of August), but has since settled permanently on the third Saturday of August'.
  • Other
    • National Lemonade Day: More
      Promoting youth in business.
Events in the past on: August 20
  • In 1858, Charles Darwin first publishes his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace's same theory.
    From Wikipedia: 'By the start of 1856, Darwin was investigating whether eggs and seeds could survive travel across seawater to spread species across oceans. Hooker increasingly doubted the traditional view that species were fixed, but their young friend Thomas Henry Huxley was firmly against the transmutation of species. Lyell was intrigued by Darwin's speculations without realising their extent. When he read a paper by Alfred Russel Wallace, "On the Law which has Regulated the Introduction of New Species", he saw similarities with Darwin's thoughts and urged him to publish to establish precedence. Though Darwin saw no threat, on 14 May 1856 he began writing a short paper. Finding answers to difficult questions held him up repeatedly, and he expanded his plans to a "big book on species" titled Natural Selection, which was to include his "note on Man". He continued his researches, obtaining information and specimens from naturalists worldwide including Wallace who was working in Borneo. In mid-1857 he added a chapter heading; "Theory applied to Races of Man", but then left out this topic. On 5 September 1857, Darwin sent the American botanist Asa Gray a detailed outline of his ideas, including an abstract of Natural Selection, which omitted human origins and sexual selection. In December, Darwin received a letter from Wallace asking if the book would examine human origins. He responded that he would avoid that subject, "so surrounded with prejudices", while encouraging Wallace's theorising and adding that "I go much further than you."

    Darwin's book was only partly written when, on 18 June 1858, he received a paper from Wallace describing natural selection. Shocked that he had been "forestalled", Darwin sent it on that day to Lyell, as requested by Wallace, and although Wallace had not asked for publication, Darwin suggested he would send it to any journal that Wallace chose. His family was in crisis with children in the village dying of scarlet fever, and he put matters in the hands of his friends. After some discussion, Lyell and Hooker decided on a joint presentation at the Linnean Society on 1 July of On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection. On the evening of 28 June, Darwin's baby son died of scarlet fever after almost a week of severe illness, and he was too distraught to attend.

    There was little immediate attention to this announcement of the theory; the president of the Linnean Society remarked in May 1859 that the year had not been marked by any revolutionary discoveries. Only one review rankled enough for Darwin to recall it later; Professor Samuel Haughton of Dublin claimed that "all that was new in them was false, and what was true was old". Darwin struggled for thirteen months to produce an abstract of his "big book", suffering from ill health but getting constant encouragement from his scientific friends. Lyell arranged to have it published by John Murray.

    On the Origin of Species proved unexpectedly popular, with the entire stock of 1,250 copies oversubscribed when it went on sale to booksellers on 22 November 1859. In the book, Darwin set out "one long argument" of detailed observations, inferences and consideration of anticipated objections. In making the case for common descent, he included evidence of homologies between humans and other mammals. Having outlined sexual selection, he hinted that it could explain differences between human races. He avoided explicit discussion of human origins, but implied the significance of his work with the sentence; "Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history."'
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1866, The American Civil War is formally declared over by President Andrew Johnson.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1882, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow. It retold in music the eventual defeat of Napoleon's invasion of Russia and in particular the battle of Borodino (September 7, 1812), which although lost by Russia, delayed Napoleon's armies while the Russians evacuated Moscow and left the French with little to sustain them over the harsh winter. Napoleon then began his retreat.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Year 1812, festival overture in E-flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture, is an overture written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to commemorate Russia's defence of its motherland against Napoleon's invading Grande Armée in 1812.

    The overture debuted in Moscow on 20 August 1882, conducted by Ippolit Al'tani under a tent near the then-unfinished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which also memorialized the 1812 defense of Russia. The overture was conducted by Tchaikovsky himself in 1891 at the dedication of Carnegie Hall. The overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire, ringing chimes, and brass fanfare finale. It has also become a common accompaniment to fireworks displays at outdoor concerts throughout the world. The 1812 Overture went on to become one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works, along with his ballet scores to The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube (1812 Overture): More
    - Battle of Borodino: More
    - On YouTube (Battle of Borodino): More
  • In 1920, The first commercial radio station is introduced in Detroit, Michigan (8MK, WBL, WWJ). It was run by The Detroit News.
    From Wikipedia: 'WWJ, which debuted as the "Detroit News Radiophone" on August 20, 1920, was the outgrowth of interest in radio technology by the publishers of The Detroit News, combined with inventor Lee de Forest's longtime promotion of radio broadcasting.

    In the first decade of the 20th century, James E. Scripps, the founder of the News, supported radio research conducted by Thomas E. Clark, and the April 4, 1906 issue of the paper publicized the receipt by the advertising department of an order, via radiotelegraphy, from the Clark-equipped steamer City of Detroit. Clark's company soon failed, however, the newspaper continued to monitor developments, and in its December 13, 1919 issue heralded a broadcast of phonograph records by the U.S. Navy Station in Chicago as a "great miracle".

    Meanwhile, the development of radio transmitters capable of audio transmissions led to Lee de Forest advocating the establishment of broadcasting stations, especially by newspapers. To publicize this idea, in late 1916 the DeForest Radio Telephone and Telegraph Company began broadcasting a nightly "wireless newspaper" entertainment and news program from its experimental station, 2XG, located in the Highbridge section of New York City. However, de Forest was unsuccessful in interesting any publishers at this time, moreover, with the entrance of the United States into World War I, effective April 6, 1917 all civilian radio stations were shut down for the duration of the conflict.

    The ban on civilian radio stations was lifted on October 1, 1919, and the DeForest company soon returned to broadcasting from its Highbridge station. Then, in early 1920, Clarence "C.S." Thompson, a de Forest associate, established Radio News and Music, Inc., which in March, 1920 took up the promotion of newspaper-run broadcasting stations, offering local franchises and asking in national advertisements "Is Your Paper to be One of the Pioneers Distributing News and Music by Wireless?". The Detroit News became Radio News and Music's first—and ultimately only—newspaper customer. In a May 28, 1920 letter, the News made arrangements to lease a DeForest OT-10 radio transmitter from Radio News and Music, in order to develop a broadcasting service. William Edmund Scripps, son of the paper's founder and its then publisher, would play the key role in establishing the newspaper's radio station. A local teen-aged amateur radio operator, Michael DeLisle Lyons, was hired to install the equipment at the Detroit News Building, located at the corner of Lafayette and 2nd Avenues.

    On August 20, 1920 a series of trial broadcasts began, to check if the equipment was ready for regular service. This date marks what WWJ considers to be its official anniversary, although because the station was still unpublicized the audience consisted of only a small number of interested local amateur radio operators. The test programs proved satisfactory, so, on August 31, 1920, the front page of the Detroit News announced that nightly (except Sunday) broadcasts by the "Detroit News Radiophone" would start that evening. The debut program featured regularly updated returns for a primary election held that day, plus singing by Lois Johnson. At the beginning of the program, Elton Plant introduced Malcolm Bingay, the managing director of the Detroit News, as the broadcast's master of ceremonies'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube (History of Radio Broadcasting): More
  • In 1923, The first American dirigible, the 'Shenandoah', was launched in Lakehurst, NJ. The ship began its maiden voyage from the same location on September 4.
    From Wikipedia: 'USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. It was constructed during 1922–23 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, and first flew in September 1923. It developed the U.S. Navy's experience with rigid airships, and made the first crossing of North America by airship. On the 57th flight, Shenandoah was torn apart in a squall line over Ohio in September of 1925'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube ( in 1924Shenandoah): More
  • In 1939, Orrin Tucker’s orchestra recorded 'Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny, Oh!'.
    From Wikipedia: '"Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!" is a popular American song composed by Abe Olman (1887–1984), lyricized by Ed Rose (pseudonym for Edward Smackels, Jr.; 1875–1935), and published by Forster Music Publisher, Inc. The music was copyrighted 7 February 1917 and the copyright was renewed 29 December 1944. Under the Copyright Term Extension Act (1998), the sheet music is in the public domain, as is all music published in the U.S. prior to 1923.

    According to an August 1945 United Press article, Ed Rose (lyricist) wrote the song when his friends, Mr. and Mrs. John Hansen of Akron, Ohio, began dating while attending college in Indiana. They were so conspicuously in love that Rose, also their classmate, wrote the song about them and presented them with the original manuscript'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the line 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few' (Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few). This referred to the effort of the RAF (Royal Air Force), who were 'fighting the 'Battle of Britain, the pivotal air battle with the German Luftwaffe with Britain expecting a German invasion, as well as starting the dangerous bombing campaign over Germany'.
    From Wikipedia: '"Never was so much owed by so many to so few" was a wartime speech made by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. The name stems from the specific line in the speech, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, referring to the ongoing efforts of the Royal Air Force crews who were at the time fighting the Battle of Britain, the pivotal air battle with the German Luftwaffe with Britain expecting a German invasion, as well as starting the dangerous bombing campaign over Germany'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube (Winston Churchill Speech): More
  • In 1962, The NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered civilian ship, embarks on its maiden voyage.
    From Wikipedia: 'NS Savannah was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship. Built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million, including a $28.3 million nuclear reactor and fuel core, funded by United States government agencies, Savannah was a demonstration project for the potential use of nuclear energy. Launched on 21 July 1959 and named after SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic ocean, she was in service between 1962 and 1972 as one of only four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built. (Soviet ice-breaker Lenin launched on 5 December 1957, was the first nuclear-powered civil ship.) Savannah has been moored at Pier 13 of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland since 2008'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1965, The Rolling Stones release the song 'Satisfaction', their 1st number 1 hit in the US.
    From Wikipedia: '"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards' three-note guitar riff?—?intended to be replaced by horns?—?opens and drives the song. The lyrics refer to sexual frustration and commercialism.

    The song was first released as a single in the United States in June 1965 and was also featured on the American version of the Rolling Stones' fourth studio album, Out of Our Heads, released that July. "Satisfaction" was a hit, giving the Stones their first number one in the US. In the UK, the song initially was played only on pirate radio stations, because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive. It later became the Rolling Stones' fourth number one in the United Kingdom.

    In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" in the second spot on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The song was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2006'.
    - At FamousDaily: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1975,NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
    From Wikipedia: 'Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft (along with Viking 2) sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. On July 20, 1976, it became the first spacecraft to land successfully on Mars and perform its mission. Viking 1 held the record for the longest Mars surface mission of 2307 days or 2245 sols until that record was broken by Opportunity on May 19, 2010. The results were surprising and interesting: the GCMS gave a negative result; the PR gave a negative result, the GEX gave a negative result, and the LR gave a positive result. Viking scientist Patricia Straat stated in 2009, "Our (LR) experiment was a definite positive response for life, but a lot of people have claimed that it was a false positive for a variety of reasons." Most scientists now believe that the data were due to inorganic chemical reactions of the soil; however, this view may be changing after the recent discovery of near-surface ice near the Viking landing zone. Some scientists still believe the results were due to living reactions. No organic chemicals were found in the soil. However, dry areas of Antarctica do not have detectable organic compounds either, but they have organisms living in the rocks. Mars has almost no ozone layer, unlike the Earth, so UV light sterilizes the surface and produces highly reactive chemicals such as peroxides that would oxidize any organic chemicals. The Phoenix Lander discovered the chemical perchlorate in the Martian soil. Perchlorate is a strong oxidant so it may have destroyed any organic matter on the surface. If it is widespread on Mars, carbon-based life would be difficult at the soil surface'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1977,NASA launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
    From Wikipedia: 'Voyager 2 is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer planets. Part of the Voyager program, it was launched 16 days before its twin, Voyager 1, on a trajectory that took longer to reach Jupiter and Saturn but enabled further encounters with Uranus and Neptune. It is the only spacecraft to have visited either of the ice giants.

    Its primary mission ended with the exploration of the Neptunian system on October 2, 1989, after having visited the Uranian system in 1986, the Saturnian system in 1981, and the Jovian system in 1979. Voyager 2 is now in its extended mission to study the outer reaches of the Solar System and has been operating for 38 years, 11 months and 30 days. It remains in contact through the Deep Space Network.

    At a distance of 111 AU (1.66×1010 km) from the Sun as of June 2016, Voyager 2 is one of the most distant human-made objects, along with Voyager 1, Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11. The probe was moving at a velocity of 15.4 km/s (55,000 km/h) relative to the Sun as of December 2014 and is traveling through the heliosheath. Upon reaching interstellar space, Voyager 2 is expected to provide the first direct measurements of the density and temperature of the interstellar plasma'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):


* 'National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day'. . Pecan Pie Day was back on July 12. - From Wikipedia (Pecan pie): 'Pecan pie is a pie of pecan nuts mixed with a filling of eggs and sugar (typically corn syrup). Variations may include white or brown sugar, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. It is popularly served at holiday meals and is also considered a specialty of Southern U.S. cuisine. Most pecan pie recipes include salt and vanilla as flavorings. Chocolate and bourbon whiskey are other popular additions to the recipe. Pecan pie is often served with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or hard sauce'.
[The Hankster says] With lots of whipped cream on top and a cold glass of milk.


<> Other holidays / celebrations


* 'National Radio Day'. Celebrates radio and the first commercial radio station in the U.S. WWJ. The UNESCO's World Radio Day is on February 13. See more in the history section for 1920.
[The Hankster says] It's the only musical instrument I play well.


* 'Chinese Valentine's Day'. aka: Double Seventh Festival. On the 7th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese calendar. The legend is of two lovers who angered the Gods and are allow to meet only once a year (Fairy Of The Magpie Bridge. ). - From Wikipedia (Qixi Festival): 'The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in Chinese mythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on the Chinese calendar. It is sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival.

The festival originated from the romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü and Niulang, who were the weaver maid and the cowherd, respectively. The tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival since the Han Dynasty. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry. The Qixi festival inspired Tanabata festival in Japan, Chilseok festival in Korea, and Tht Tch festival in Vietnam. ,br /> The general tale is about a love story between Zhinü (the weaver girl, symbolizing Vega) and Niulang (the cowherd, symbolizing Altair). Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way). Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day. There are many variations of the story. A variation follows:

A young cowherd, hence Niulang (literally: cowherd), came across a beautiful girl—Zhinü , the Goddess's seventh daughter, who had just escaped from boring heaven to look for fun. Zhinü soon fell in love with Niulang, and they got married without the knowledge of the Goddess. Zhinü proved to be a wonderful wife, and Niulang to be a good husband. They lived happily and had two children. But the Goddess of Heaven (or in some versions, Zhinü's mother) found out that Zhinü, a fairy girl, had married a mere mortal. The Goddess was furious and ordered Zhinü to return to heaven. (Alternatively, the Goddess forced the fairy back to her former duty of weaving colorful clouds, a task she neglected while living on earth with a mortal.) On Earth, Niulang was very upset that his wife had disappeared. Suddenly, his ox began to talk, telling him that if he killed it and put on its hide, he would be able to go up to Heaven to find his wife. Crying bitterly, he killed the ox, put on the skin, and carried his two beloved children off to Heaven to find Zhinü. The Goddess discovered this and was very angry. Taking out her hairpin, the Goddess scratched a wide river in the sky to separate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way between Altair and Vega. Zhinü must sit forever on one side of the river, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niulang watches her from afar while taking care of their two children (his flanking stars and Aquilae or by their Chinese names Hè Gu 1 and Hè Gu 3). But once a year all the magpies in the world would take pity on them and fly up into heaven to form a bridge ( the bridge of magpies, Que Qiao) over the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation so the lovers may be together for a single night, which is the seventh night of the seventh moon. However, sometimes in the year, there is no stars regarding to the mythology appearing in the sky'.


* 'Virtual Worlds Day'. Celebrates virtual role playing games
[The Hankster says] I poke around in them, quite often.


* 'International Geocaching Day'. On the third Saturday in August. - From Wikipedia (Geocaching): 'Geocaching /'d?i?o??kæ???/ is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called geocaches or caches, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook (with a pen or pencil). The geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, such as toys or trinkets, usually of more sentimental worth than financial. Geocaching shares many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking'.
[The Hankster says] Sounds like fun. I found one once. All it contained was a jury summons for trespassing.


* '30th Annual AIA Sandcastle Day'. East Beach in Galveston TX.
[The Hankster says] Fun stuff. I build mine in the ari.


<> Awareness / Observances:

o Health
* 'World Mosquito Day'. Celebrates the discovery in 1897, by doctor Sir Donald Ross, that female Anopheles mosquito is responsible for malaria transmission. He won the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery. - From Wikipedia (World Mosquito Day): 'World Mosquito Day, observed annually on 20 August, is a commemoration of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross's discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. Ross is responsible for the annual observance, having declared shortly after his discovery that the day should be known as World Mosquito Day in the future. br /> The London School of Hygiene amd Tropical Medicine holds Mosquito Day celebrations every year, including events such as parties and exhibitions, a tradition dating back to as early as the 1930s'.

o Animal and Pet:
* 'International Homeless Animals Day'. Annually on third Saturday in August by the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR).


* 'National Honey Bee Day'. Annually on third Saturday in August. - From Wikipedia (National Honey Bee Day): 'National Honey Bee Day (formerly National Honey Bee Awareness Day) is an awareness day started by beekeepers in the United States to build community awareness of the bee industry, through education and promotion.

The event was started in 2009, by a small group of beekeepers who petitioned for and obtained a formal proclamation by the USDA honoring honey bees and beekeeping. In 2010, a non-profit, Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc. was organized to better facilitate and promote the observance. The original date of observation was August 22, 2009 (the fourth Saturday of August), but has since settled permanently on the third Saturday of August'.

o Other:
* 'National Lemonade Day'. Promoting youth in business.


<> Historical events on August 20


* 'In 1858, Charles Darwin first publishes his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace's same theory. . - From Wikipedia: 'By the start of 1856, Darwin was investigating whether eggs and seeds could survive travel across seawater to spread species across oceans. Hooker increasingly doubted the traditional view that species were fixed, but their young friend Thomas Henry Huxley was firmly against the transmutation of species. Lyell was intrigued by Darwin's speculations without realising their extent. When he read a paper by Alfred Russel Wallace, On the Law which has Regulated the Introduction of New Species, he saw similarities with Darwin's thoughts and urged him to publish to establish precedence. Though Darwin saw no threat, on 14 May 1856 he began writing a short paper. Finding answers to difficult questions held him up repeatedly, and he expanded his plans to a big book on species titled Natural Selection, which was to include his note on Man He continued his researches, obtaining information and specimens from naturalists worldwide including Wallace who was working in Borneo. In mid-1857 he added a chapter heading Theory applied to Races of Man, but then left out this topic. On 5 September 1857, Darwin sent the American botanist Asa Gray a detailed outline of his ideas, including an abstract of Natural Selection, which omitted human origins and sexual selection. In December, Darwin received a letter from Wallace asking if the book would examine human origins. He responded that he would avoid that subject, so surrounded with prejudices, while encouraging Wallace's theorising and adding that I go much further than you.

Darwin's book was only partly written when, on 18 June 1858, he received a paper from Wallace describing natural selection. Shocked that he had been forestalled, Darwin sent it on that day to Lyell, as requested by Wallace, and although Wallace had not asked for publication, Darwin suggested he would send it to any journal that Wallace chose. His family was in crisis with children in the village dying of scarlet fever, and he put matters in the hands of his friends. After some discussion, Lyell and Hooker decided on a joint presentation at the Linnean Society on 1 July of On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection. On the evening of 28 June, Darwin's baby son died of scarlet fever after almost a week of severe illness, and he was too distraught to attend.

There was little immediate attention to this announcement of the theory the president of the Linnean Society remarked in May 1859 that the year had not been marked by any revolutionary discoveries. Only one review rankled enough for Darwin to recall it later Professor Samuel Haughton of Dublin claimed that all that was new in them was false, and what was true was old Darwin struggled for thirteen months to produce an abstract of his big book, suffering from ill health but getting constant encouragement from his scientific friends. Lyell arranged to have it published by John Murray.

On the Origin of Species proved unexpectedly popular, with the entire stock of 1,250 copies oversubscribed when it went on sale to booksellers on 22 November 1859. In the book, Darwin set out one long argument of detailed observations, inferences and consideration of anticipated objections. In making the case for common descent, he included evidence of homologies between humans and other mammals. Having outlined sexual selection, he hinted that it could explain differences between human races. He avoided explicit discussion of human origins, but implied the significance of his work with the sentence Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history.'


* 'In 1866, The American Civil War is formally declared over by President Andrew Johnson. .


* 'In 1882, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow. It retold in music the eventual defeat of Napoleon's invasion of Russia and in particular the battle of Borodino (September 7, 1812), which although lost by Russia, delayed Napoleon's armies while the Russians evacuated Moscow and left the French with little to sustain them over the harsh winter. Napoleon then began his retreat. . - From Wikipedia: 'The Year 1812, festival overture in E-flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture, is an overture written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to commemorate Russia's defence of its motherland against Napoleon's invading Grande Armée in 1812.

The overture debuted in Moscow on 20 August 1882, conducted by Ippolit Al'tani under a tent near the then-unfinished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which also memorialized the 1812 defense of Russia. The overture was conducted by Tchaikovsky himself in 1891 at the dedication of Carnegie Hall. The overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire, ringing chimes, and brass fanfare finale. It has also become a common accompaniment to fireworks displays at outdoor concerts throughout the world. The 1812 Overture went on to become one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works, along with his ballet scores to The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake'.


* 'In 1920, The first commercial radio station is introduced in Detroit, Michigan (8MK, WBL, WWJ). It was run by The Detroit News. . - From Wikipedia: 'WWJ, which debuted as the Detroit News Radiophone on August 20, 1920, was the outgrowth of interest in radio technology by the publishers of The Detroit News, combined with inventor Lee de Forest's longtime promotion of radio broadcasting.

In the first decade of the 20th century, James E. Scripps, the founder of the News, supported radio research conducted by Thomas E. Clark, and the April 4, 1906 issue of the paper publicized the receipt by the advertising department of an order, via radiotelegraphy, from the Clark-equipped steamer City of Detroit. Clark's company soon failed, however, the newspaper continued to monitor developments, and in its December 13, 1919 issue heralded a broadcast of phonograph records by the U.S. Navy Station in Chicago as a great miracle

Meanwhile, the development of radio transmitters capable of audio transmissions led to Lee de Forest advocating the establishment of broadcasting stations, especially by newspapers. To publicize this idea, in late 1916 the DeForest Radio Telephone and Telegraph Company began broadcasting a nightly wireless newspaper entertainment and news program from its experimental station, 2XG, located in the Highbridge section of New York City. However, de Forest was unsuccessful in interesting any publishers at this time, moreover, with the entrance of the United States into World War I, effective April 6, 1917 all civilian radio stations were shut down for the duration of the conflict.

The ban on civilian radio stations was lifted on October 1, 1919, and the DeForest company soon returned to broadcasting from its Highbridge station. Then, in early 1920, Clarence C.S. Thompson, a de Forest associate, established Radio News and Music, Inc., which in March, 1920 took up the promotion of newspaper-run broadcasting stations, offering local franchises and asking in national advertisements Is Your Paper to be One of the Pioneers Distributing News and Music by Wireless? The Detroit News became Radio News and Music's first—and ultimately only—newspaper customer. In a May 28, 1920 letter, the News made arrangements to lease a DeForest OT-10 radio transmitter from Radio News and Music, in order to develop a broadcasting service. William Edmund Scripps, son of the paper's founder and its then publisher, would play the key role in establishing the newspaper's radio station. A local teen-aged amateur radio operator, Michael DeLisle Lyons, was hired to install the equipment at the Detroit News Building, located at the corner of Lafayette and 2nd Avenues.

On August 20, 1920 a series of trial broadcasts began, to check if the equipment was ready for regular service. This date marks what WWJ considers to be its official anniversary, although because the station was still unpublicized the audience consisted of only a small number of interested local amateur radio operators. The test programs proved satisfactory, so, on August 31, 1920, the front page of the Detroit News announced that nightly (except Sunday) broadcasts by the Detroit News Radiophone would start that evening. The debut program featured regularly updated returns for a primary election held that day, plus singing by Lois Johnson. At the beginning of the program, Elton Plant introduced Malcolm Bingay, the managing director of the Detroit News, as the broadcast's master of ceremonies'.


* 'In 1923, The first American dirigible, the 'Shenandoah', was launched in Lakehurst, NJ. The ship began its maiden voyage from the same location on September 4. . - From Wikipedia: 'USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. It was constructed during 1922–23 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, and first flew in September 1923. It developed the U.S. Navy's experience with rigid airships, and made the first crossing of North America by airship. On the 57th flight, Shenandoah was torn apart in a squall line over Ohio in September of 1925'.


* 'In 1939, Orrin Tucker’s orchestra recorded 'Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny, Oh!'. . - From Wikipedia: 'Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! is a popular American song composed by Abe Olman (1887–1984), lyricized by Ed Rose (pseudonym for Edward Smackels, Jr. 1875–1935), and published by Forster Music Publisher, Inc. The music was copyrighted 7 February 1917 and the copyright was renewed 29 December 1944. Under the Copyright Term Extension Act (1998), the sheet music is in the public domain, as is all music published in the U.S. prior to 1923.

According to an August 1945 United Press article, Ed Rose (lyricist) wrote the song when his friends, Mr. and Mrs. John Hansen of Akron, Ohio, began dating while attending college in Indiana. They were so conspicuously in love that Rose, also their classmate, wrote the song about them and presented them with the original manuscript'.


* 'In 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the line 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few' (Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few). This referred to the effort of the RAF (Royal Air Force), who were 'fighting the 'Battle of Britain, the pivotal air battle with the German Luftwaffe with Britain expecting a German invasion, as well as starting the dangerous bombing campaign over Germany'. - From Wikipedia: 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few was a wartime speech made by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. The name stems from the specific line in the speech, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, referring to the ongoing efforts of the Royal Air Force crews who were at the time fighting the Battle of Britain, the pivotal air battle with the German Luftwaffe with Britain expecting a German invasion, as well as starting the dangerous bombing campaign over Germany'.


* 'In 1962, The NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered civilian ship, embarks on its maiden voyage. . - From Wikipedia: 'NS Savannah was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship. Built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million, including a $28.3 million nuclear reactor and fuel core, funded by United States government agencies, Savannah was a demonstration project for the potential use of nuclear energy. Launched on 21 July 1959 and named after SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic ocean, she was in service between 1962 and 1972 as one of only four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built. (Soviet ice-breaker Lenin launched on 5 December 1957, was the first nuclear-powered civil ship.) Savannah has been moored at Pier 13 of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland since 2008'.


* 'In 1965, The Rolling Stones release the song 'Satisfaction', their 1st number 1 hit in the US. . - From Wikipedia: '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards' three-note guitar riff?—?intended to be replaced by horns?—?opens and drives the song. The lyrics refer to sexual frustration and commercialism.

The song was first released as a single in the United States in June 1965 and was also featured on the American version of the Rolling Stones' fourth studio album, Out of Our Heads, released that July. Satisfaction was a hit, giving the Stones their first number one in the US. In the UK, the song initially was played only on pirate radio stations, because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive. It later became the Rolling Stones' fourth number one in the United Kingdom.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction in the second spot on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The song was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2006'.


* 'In 1975,NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars. - From Wikipedia: 'Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft (along with Viking 2) sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. On July 20, 1976, it became the first spacecraft to land successfully on Mars and perform its mission. Viking 1 held the record for the longest Mars surface mission of 2307 days or 2245 sols until that record was broken by Opportunity on May 19, 2010. The results were surprising and interesting: the GCMS gave a negative result the PR gave a negative result, the GEX gave a negative result, and the LR gave a positive result. Viking scientist Patricia Straat stated in 2009, Our (LR) experiment was a definite positive response for life, but a lot of people have claimed that it was a false positive for a variety of reasons. Most scientists now believe that the data were due to inorganic chemical reactions of the soil however, this view may be changing after the recent discovery of near-surface ice near the Viking landing zone. Some scientists still believe the results were due to living reactions. No organic chemicals were found in the soil. However, dry areas of Antarctica do not have detectable organic compounds either, but they have organisms living in the rocks. Mars has almost no ozone layer, unlike the Earth, so UV light sterilizes the surface and produces highly reactive chemicals such as peroxides that would oxidize any organic chemicals. The Phoenix Lander discovered the chemical perchlorate in the Martian soil. Perchlorate is a strong oxidant so it may have destroyed any organic matter on the surface. If it is widespread on Mars, carbon-based life would be difficult at the soil surface'.


* 'In 1977,NASA launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft. - From Wikipedia: 'Voyager 2 is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer planets. Part of the Voyager program, it was launched 16 days before its twin, Voyager 1, on a trajectory that took longer to reach Jupiter and Saturn but enabled further encounters with Uranus and Neptune. It is the only spacecraft to have visited either of the ice giants.

Its primary mission ended with the exploration of the Neptunian system on October 2, 1989, after having visited the Uranian system in 1986, the Saturnian system in 1981, and the Jovian system in 1979. Voyager 2 is now in its extended mission to study the outer reaches of the Solar System and has been operating for 38 years, 11 months and 30 days. It remains in contact through the Deep Space Network.

At a distance of 111 AU (1.66×1010 km) from the Sun as of June 2016, Voyager 2 is one of the most distant human-made objects, along with Voyager 1, Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11. The probe was moving at a velocity of 15.4 km/s (55,000 km/h) relative to the Sun as of December 2014 and is traveling through the heliosheath. Upon reaching interstellar space, Voyager 2 is expected to provide the first direct measurements of the density and temperature of the interstellar plasma'.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today (last updated Aug 17 2016 next Aug 28 2016

No. 1 song

  • Summer in the City - The Lovin' Spoonful
    - On YouTube: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    'Lil' Red Riding Hood' has been displaced by 'Summer in the City', which will hold the no. 1 spot until Aug 27 1966, when 'Sunny - Bobby Hebb', takes over.
    - From Wikipedia: '"Summer in the City" is a song recorded by The Lovin' Spoonful, written by John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian and Steve Boone.

    It appeared on their album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1966, for three consecutive weeks. The song features a series of car horns during the instrumental bridge, starting with a Volkswagen Beetle horn, and ends up with a jackhammer sound, in order to give the impression of the sounds of the summer in the city. The song became a gold record. It is ranked number 401 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

    The signature keyboard part is played on a Hohner Pianet, and the organ is a Vox Continental'.

Top movie

  • Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (returns)
    - At Wikipedia:  More
    - On IMDb: More
    - On YouTube (trailer): More
    Having displaced 'The Man Called Flintstone', it will be there until the weekend box office of Aug 28 1966 when, 'Fantastic Voyage', takes over.- From Wikipedia: 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1966 American black comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is an adaptation of the play of the same title by Edward Albee. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor as Martha and Richard Burton as George, with George Segal as Nick and Sandy Dennis as Honey.

    The film was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mike Nichols, and is one of only two films to be nominated in every eligible category at the Academy Awards (the other being Cimarron). All of the film's four main actors were nominated in their respective acting categories.

    The film won five awards, including a second Academy Award for Best Actress for Elizabeth Taylor and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Sandy Dennis. However, the film lost to A Man for All Seasons for the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay awards, and both Richard Burton and George Segal failed to win in their categories.

    In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): August 20
   V.
This month August 2016 (updated once a month - last updated - August 20 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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