<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):
* 'National Pots De Creme Day'. That would be French for 'pot of
custard'. Egg custard baked in a ramekin water bath, so you don't end up
with a sweet omelet.
- From Wikipedia (Pot de crème):
'Pot de crème, plural pots de crème (pronounced the same), is a loose
French dessert custard dating to the 17th century. The name means pot of
custard or pot of creme, which also refers to the porcelain cups in which
the dessert is served. It is usually looser than other custards, flans, or
crème caramel.
Pot de crème is made with eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, and a flavor, often
vanilla or chocolate. The milk and cream are heated and flavored, then
mixed into the whisked eggs and egg yolks. The mixture is strained and
poured into cups, which are then baked in a water bath at low heat
sometimes prepared without milk and frozen'.
[The Hankster says] Another custard variation for August. Bet it tastes good, but I would rather get hit my a custard in a pie than in a ramekin.
* 'National Banana Lovers Day:'. . Bananas contain dietary fiber, sugars, B
vitamins, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, iron,
and manganese.
- From Wikipedia (Banana):
'The banana is an edible fruit, botanically a berry, produced by several
kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa. In some
countries, bananas used for cooking may be called plantains. The fruit is
variable in size, color and firmness, but is usually elongated and curved,
with soft flesh rich in starch covered with a rind which may be green,
yellow, red, purple, or brown when ripe. The fruits grow in clusters
hanging from the top of the plant. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic
(seedless) bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa
balbisiana. The scientific names of most cultivated bananas are Musa
acuminata, Musa balbisiana, and Musa × paradisiaca for the hybrid Musa
acuminata × M. balbisiana, depending on their genomic constitution. The old
scientific name Musa sapientum is no longer used.
Musa species are native to tropical Indomalaya and Australia, and are
likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. They are grown
in at least 107 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser
extent to make fiber, banana wine and banana beer and as ornamental plants.
Worldwide, there is no sharp distinction between bananas and plantains
Especially in the Americas and Europe, banana usually refers to soft,
sweet, dessert bananas, particularly those of the Cavendish group, which
are the main exports from banana-growing countries. By contrast, Musa
cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called plantains In other
regions, such as Southeast Asia, many more kinds of banana are grown and
eaten, so the simple two-fold distinction is not useful and is not made in
local languages.
The term banana is also used as the common name for the plants which
produce the fruit. This can extend to other members of the genus Musa like
the scarlet banana (Musa coccinea), pink banana (Musa velutina) and the
Fe'i bananas. It can also refer to members of the genus Ensete, like the
snow banana (Ensete glaucum) and the economically important false banana
(Ensete ventricosum). Both genera are classified under the banana family,
Musaceae.
Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and contain moderate amounts
of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber.
Although bananas are commonly thought to supply exceptional potassium
content, their actual potassium content is relatively low per typical food
serving at only 8% of the Daily Value. A compilation of potassium content
in common foods consumed in the United States shows that raw bananas rank
1,611th, supplying 358 mg of potassium per 100 g some foods with higher
potassium content include beans, milk, apricots, carrots, sweet green bell
peppers and potatoes.
Banana ingestion may affect dopamine production in people deficient in the
amino acid tyrosine, a dopamine precursor present in bananas. Individuals
with a latex allergy may experience a reaction to bananas.
Ripe bananas were found to contain serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine'.
[The Hankster says] I have one every day for breakfast.
<> Other holidays / celebrations
* 'National Petroleum Day'.
The date is celebrated for the August 27, 1858 discovery of petroleum in
Titusville, Pennsylvania, by Edwin L. Drake. See more in the history
section for 1859.
* 'Franchise Appreciation Day'.
Last Saturday in August.
- From Wikipedia (Franchising):
'Franchising is the practice of the right to use a firm's business model
and brand for a prescribed period of time. The word franchise is of
Anglo-French derivation—from franc, meaning free—and is used both as a noun
and as a (transitive) verb. For the franchisor, the franchise is an
alternative to building chain stores to distribute goods that avoids the
investments and liability of a chain. The franchisor's success depends on
the success of the franchisees. The franchisee is said to have a greater
incentive than a direct employee because they have a direct stake in the
business.
Thirty-three countries—including the United States and Australia—have laws
that explicitly regulate franchising, with the majority of all other
countries having laws which have a direct or indirect impact on
franchising. Franchising is also used as a foreign market entry mode'.
[The Hankster says] The next step up from the independence of a mom and pop shop.
* 'National Just Because Day'.
Created in the 1950's by Joseph J. Goodwin as an offshoot of a family
holiday.
[The Hankster says] No, I will not stoop so low as to say, have a good day, just because.
<> Awareness / Observances:
o Animal and Pet:
* 'International Bat Night'. Since 1997 on the last full weekend in August
(27-28 in 2016).
- From Wikipedia (European Bat Night):
'The European Bat Night is a popular, annual event to draw public awareness
to threatened bat populations in Europe. It is hosted by local nature
conservation organisations and attracts a number of ecologically interested
people, families, and children. Depending on the local contributors, there
are species exhibitions, presentations, workshops for constructing bat
houses, and bat walks at night time.
The first European Bat Nights were arranged in the 1990s in Poland and
France. Since 1997 the Bat Night is organised under the auspices of the
Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS).
Today the event takes place in several cities and regions in more than 30
countries throughout Europe. It is traditionally held on the last weekend
of August, but the definite choice of the date is left to the organisers.
Bat conservation requires effective publicity as well as the cooperation of
private persons, because bats often breed and hibernate in houses, churches
and other buildings used by people. The European Bat Night aims to break
down the barriers between humans and bats by passing on information about
the way bats live and their needs'.
o Other:
* 'Lyndon Baines Johnson Day'. Commemorates his birthday. Senate Bill 60,
63rd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 221.
- From Wikipedia (Lyndon B. Johnson):
'Lyndon Baines Johnson August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred
to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969,
assuming the office after serving as the 37th Vice President of the United
States under President John F. Kennedy, from 1961 to 1963. Johnson was a
Democrat from Texas, who served as a United States Representative from 1937
to 1949 and as a United States Senator from 1949 to 1961. He spent six
years as Senate Majority Leader, two as Senate Minority Leader, and two as
Senate Majority Whip.
Johnson ran for the Democratic nomination in the 1960 presidential
election. Although unsuccessful, he was chosen by Senator John F. Kennedy
of Massachusetts to be his running mate. They went on to win a close
election over Richard Nixon and Johnson was sworn in as Vice President on
January 20, 1961. Two years and ten months later, on November 22, 1963,
Johnson succeeded Kennedy as President following the latter's
assassination. He ran for a full term in the 1964 election, winning by a
landslide over Republican opponent Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. He is
one of four people who have served as President and Vice President, as well
as in both houses of Congress'.
<> Historical events on August 27
* 'In 1859 - Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to
the world's first commercially successful oil well.
- From Wikipedia: 'The Drake Well is a 69.5-foot-deep (21.2 m) oil well in
Cherrytree Township, Venango County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the
success of which sparked the first oil boom in the United States. The well
is the centerpiece of the Drake Well Museum located 3 miles (5 km) south of
Titusville.
Drilled by Edwin Drake in 1859, along the banks of Oil Creek, it is the
first commercial oil well in the United States. Drake Well was listed on
National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic
Landmark in 1966. It was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering
Landmark in 1979. The well was designated a National Historic Chemical
Landmark in 2009, on the sesquicentennial of the strike.
The Drake well is often referred to as the first commercial oil well,
although that title is also claimed for wells in Azerbaijan, Ontario, West
Virginia, and Poland, among others. However, before the Drake well,
oil-producing wells in the United States were wells that were drilled for
salt brine, and produced oil and gas only as accidental byproducts. An
intended drinking water well at Oil Springs, Ontario found oil in 1858, a
year before the Drake well, but it had not been drilled for oil. Historians
have noted that the importance of the Drake well was not in being the first
well to produce oil, but in attracting the first great wave of investment
in oil drilling, refining, and marketing:
The importance of the Drake well was in the fact that it caused prompt
additional drilling, thus establishing a supply of petroleum in sufficient
quantity to support business enterprises of magnitude'.
* 'In 1896, The Anglo-Zanzibar War was the shortest war in world history
(09:00 to 09:45), between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Anglo-Zanzibar War was a military conflict fought
between the United Kingdom and the Zanzibar Sultanate on 27 August 1896.
The conflict lasted around 38 minutes, marking it as the shortest war in
history. The immediate cause of the war was the death of the pro-British
Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini on 25 August 1896 and the subsequent succession
of Sultan Khalid bin Barghash. The British authorities preferred Hamud bin
Muhammed, who was more favourable to British interests, as sultan. In
accordance with a treaty signed in 1886, a condition for accession to the
sultanate was that the candidate obtain the permission of the British
consul, and Khalid had not fulfilled this requirement. The British
considered this a casus belli and sent an ultimatum to Khalid demanding
that he order his forces to stand down and leave the palace. In response,
Khalid called up his palace guard and barricaded himself inside the palace.
The ultimatum expired at 09:00 East Africa Time (EAT) on 27 August, by
which time the British had gathered three cruisers, two gunboats, 150
marines and sailors, and 900 Zanzibaris in the harbour area. The Royal Navy
contingent were under the command of Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson while their
Zanzibaris were commanded by Brigadier-General Lloyd Mathews of the
Zanzibar army (who was also the First Minister of Zanzibar). Around 2,800
Zanzibaris defended the palace most were recruited from the civilian
population, but they also included the sultan's palace guard and several
hundred of his servants and slaves. The defenders had several artillery
pieces and machine guns, which were set in front of the palace sighted at
the British ships. A bombardment opened at 09:02 set the palace on fire and
disabled the defending artillery. A small naval action took place, with the
British sinking the Zanzibari royal yacht HHS Glasgow and two smaller
vessels, and some shots were fired ineffectually at the pro-British
Zanzibari troops as they approached the palace. The flag at the palace was
shot down and fire ceased at 09:40.
The sultan's forces sustained roughly 500 casualties, while only one
British sailor was injured. Sultan Khalid received asylum in the German
consulate before escaping to German East Africa (in the mainland part of
present Tanzania). The British quickly placed Sultan Hamud in power at the
head of a puppet government. The war marked the end of the Zanzibar
Sultanate as a sovereign state and the start of a period of heavy British
influence'.
* 'In 1883 - Krakatoa erupts.
- From Wikipedia: 'On August 27, two-thirds of Krakatoa collapsed in a
chain of titanic explosions, destroying most of the island and its
surrounding archipelago.' 'The final explosive eruption was heard 4,830 km
(3,000 miles) away caused at least 36,417 deaths 20 million tons of sulfur
released into the atmosphere produced a volcanic winter (reducing worldwide
temperatures by an average of 1.2°C for 5 years) and was the loudest
explosion in recorded history.'
- From Wikipedia: 'The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies
(now Indonesia) began in the afternoon of August 26, 1883 (with origins as
early as May of that year), and culminated with several destructive
eruptions of the remaining caldera. On August 27, two-thirds of Krakatoa
collapsed in a chain of titanic explosions, destroying most of the island
and its surrounding archipelago. Additional alleged seismic activity
continued to be reported until February 1884, though reports of those after
October 1883 were later dismissed by Rogier Verbeek's investigation. It was
one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded
history, with at least 36,000 deaths being attributed to the eruption
itself and the tsunamis it created. Significant additional effects were
also felt around the world'.
* 'In 1912, Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes 'Tarzan of the Apes'. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice
Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan.
It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October,
1912. The character was so popular that Burroughs continued the series into
the 1940s with two dozen sequels. For the novel's centennial anniversary,
Library of America published a hardcover edition based on the original book
in April 2012 with an introduction by Thomas Mallon (ISBN
978-1-59853-164-0).
The novel tells the story of John Clayton III. John and Alice (Rutherford)
Clayton II, Lord and Lady Greystoke of England, are marooned in the western
coastal jungles of equatorial Africa in 1888. In September 1889 their son
John Clayton III is born. At one year old his mother dies, and soon
thereafter his father is killed by the savage king ape Kerchak. The infant
is then adopted by the she-ape Kala.
Clayton is named Tarzan (White Skin in the ape language) and raised in
ignorance of his human heritage.
As a boy, feeling alienated from his peers due to their physical
differences, he discovers his true parents' cabin, where he first learns of
others like himself in their books. Using basic primers with pictures, over
many years he teaches himself to read English, but having never heard it,
cannot speak it.
Upon his return from one visit to the cabin, he is attacked by a huge
gorilla which he manages to kill with his father's knife, although he is
terribly wounded in the struggle. As he grows up, Tarzan becomes a skilled
hunter, exciting the jealousy of Kerchak, the ape leader, who finally
attacks him. Tarzan kills Kerchak and takes his place as king of the apes.
Later, a tribe of black Africans settle in the area, and Tarzan's adopted
mother, Kala, is killed by one of its hunters. Avenging himself on the
killer, Tarzan begins an antagonistic relationship with the tribe, raiding
its village for weapons and practicing cruel pranks on them. They, in turn,
regard him as an evil spirit and attempt to placate him.
At about the age of 20 a new party is marooned on the coast, including Jane
Porter, the first white woman Tarzan has ever seen. Tarzan's cousin,
William Cecil Clayton, unwitting usurper of the ape man's ancestral English
estate, is also among the party. Tarzan spies on the newcomers, aids them
in secret, and saves Jane from the perils of the jungle.
Among the party was French Naval Officer Paul D'Arnot. While rescuing
D'Arnot from the natives, a rescue ship recovers the castaways. D'Arnot
teaches Tarzan to speak French and offers to take Tarzan to the land of
white men where he might connect with Jane again. On their journey, D'Arnot
teaches him how to behave among white men. In the ensuing months, Tarzan
eventually learns to speak English as well.
Ultimately, Tarzan travels to find Jane in Wisconsin, USA. Tarzan learns
the bitter news that she has become engaged to William Clayton. Meanwhile,
clues from his parents' cabin have enabled D'Arnot to prove Tarzan's true
identity as John Clayton the Earl of Greystoke. Instead of reclaiming his
inheritance from William, Tarzan chooses rather to conceal and renounce his
heritage for the sake of Jane's happiness'.
* 'In 1918 - The only World War I battle fought on American soil, the
Battle of Ambos Nogales. U.S. Army forces skirmish against Mexican
Carrancistas and their German advisers during the Mexican Revolution.
- From Wikipedia: 'The Battle of Ambos Nogales (The Battle of Both
Nogales), or as it is known in Mexico La batalla del 27 de agosto (The
Battle of 27 August), was an engagement fought on 27 August 1918 between
Mexican forces and elements of US Army troops of the 35th Infantry
Regiment, who were reinforced by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry
Regiment, and commanded by Lt. Col. Frederick J. Herman. The American
soldiers and militia forces were stationed in Nogales, Arizona, and the
Mexican soldiers and armed Mexican militia were in Nogales, Sonora. This
battle was notable for being a significant confrontation between US and
Mexican forces during the Border War which took place in the context of the
Mexican Revolution and the First World War.
This occurred after the Zimmermann telegram during World War I, when the
international border between the two Nogaleses was a wide-open boulevard
named International Street. Several previous fatal incidents had occurred
in this area, which helped increase international tensions and led to armed
conflict. This included the claim of German military advisors as agitators
with Mexican Villa rebels, claims of racism and border politics. As a
result of this battle, the US and Mexico agreed to divide the two border
communities with a chain-link border fence, the first of many permanent
incarnations of the U.S.–Mexico border wall between the two countries'.
* 'In 1921, The owner of Acme Packing Company bought a pro football team
for Green Bay, WI. J.E. Clair paid tribute to those who worked in his plant
by naming the team the Green Bay Packers. (NFL) .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Green Bay Packers are a professional American
football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They compete in the National
Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football
Conference (NFC) North division. They are also the third-oldest franchise
in the NFL, organized and starting play in 1919. It is the only non-profit,
community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United
States. Home games are played at Lambeau Field.
The Packers are the last vestige of small town teams common in the NFL
during the 1920s and '30s. Founded in 1919 by Earl Curly Lambeau and George
Whitney Calhoun, the franchise traces its lineage to other
semi-professional teams in Green Bay dating back to 1896. Between 1919 and
1920, the Packers competed against other semi-pro clubs from around
Wisconsin and the Midwest. They joined the American Professional Football
Association (APFA), the forerunner of today's NFL, in 1921. Although Green
Bay is by far the smallest professional sports market in North America, its
local fan and media base extends 120 miles south into Milwaukee, where it
played selected home games between 1933 and 1994.
The Packers have won 13 league championships, the most in NFL history, with
nine NFL titles before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowl victories.
They won the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968 and were the only NFL
team to defeat the American Football League (AFL) before to the AFL–NFL
merger. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is named after the Packers head coach of
the same name, who guided them to their first two Super Bowls. Their two
further Super Bowl wins came in 1997 and 2011.
The Packers are long-standing adversaries of the Chicago Bears, Minnesota
Vikings, and Detroit Lions, who together comprise the NFL's NFC North
division. The Bears–Packers rivalry is one of the oldest in NFL history,
dating back to 1921'.
* 'In 1939 - Flight of world's first jet aircraft, Heinkel He 178.
- From Wikipedia: 'The Heinkel He 178 was the world's first aircraft to fly
under turbojet power, and the first practical jet aircraft. It was a
private venture by the German Heinkel company in accordance with director
Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight. It
first flew on 27 August 1939, piloted by Erich Warsitz. This flight had
been preceded by a short hop three days earlier.
In 1936, a young engineer named Hans von Ohain had taken out a patent on
using the exhaust from a gas turbine as a means of propulsion. ,br /> He
presented his idea to Ernst Heinkel, who agreed to help develop the
concept. Von Ohain successfully demonstrated his first engine, the Heinkel
HeS 1 in 1937, and plans were quickly made to test a similar engine in an
aircraft. The He 178 was designed around von Ohain's third engine design,
the HeS 3, which burned diesel fuel. The result was a small aircraft with a
metal fuselage of conventional configuration and construction. The jet
intake was in the nose, and the aircraft was fitted with tailwheel
undercarriage. The main landing gear was intended to be retractable, but
remained fixed in down position throughout the flight trials.
The high-mounted wooden wings had the characteristic Günter brothers
elliptical trailing edge. Photos showing a straight wing
(straight-line-taper in the wing planform, for both the leading and
trailing edges) were of the second prototype He 178 V2, which never flew
under power.
The aircraft made its maiden flight on 27 August 1939, only days before
Germany started World War II by invading Poland. The test pilot was Erich
Warsitz, who had also flown the world's first rocket powered airplane, the
Heinkel He 176, on its maiden flight in June 1939.
Heinkel had developed the turbojet engine and the testbed aircraft, the
Heinkel He 178 V1, in great secrecy. They were kept secret even from the
German air force and the Reichsluftfahrtministerium. On 1 November 1939,
after the German victory in Poland, Heinkel arranged a demonstration of the
jet for officials, which Herman Goering, commander in chief of the
Luftwaffe, did not attend. Ernst Udet and Erhard Milch, Minister of
Aircraft Production and Supply watched the aircraft perform, but were
unimpressed. While a technical success but speeds were limited to 598
kilometres per hour (372 mph) even when fitted with more powerful HeS 6
1,300lb thrust engines and combat endurance was only 10 minutes'.
* 'In 1953, 'Roman Holiday', starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and
Eddie Albert, is released. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Roman Holiday is a 1953 American romantic comedy
directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Gregory Peck as a reporter
and Audrey Hepburn as a royal princess out to see Rome on her own. Hepburn
won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance the screenplay
and costume design also won.
It was written by John Dighton and Dalton Trumbo, though with Trumbo on the
Hollywood blacklist, he did not receive a credit instead, Ian McLellan
Hunter fronted for him. Trumbo's credit was reinstated when the film was
released on DVD in 2003. On December 19, 2011, full credit for Trumbo's
work was restored. Blacklisted director Bernard Vorhaus worked on the film
as an assistant director under a pseudonym.
It was shot at the Cinecittà studios and on location around Rome during the
Hollywood on the Tiber era. The film was screened in the 14th Venice film
festival within the official program.
In 1999, Roman Holiday was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally,
historically, or aesthetically significant'.
* 'In 1955 - Guinness Book of World Records, first published.
- From Wikipedia: 'Guinness World Records, known from its inception in 1955
until 1998 as The Guinness Book of Records and in previous U.S. editions as
The Guinness Book of World Records, is a reference book published annually,
listing world records and national records, both of human achievements and
the extremes of the natural world. The book itself holds a world record, as
the best-selling copyrighted book of all time. As of the 2016 edition, it
is now in its 62nd year of publication. The international franchise has
extended beyond print to include television series and museums. The
popularity of the franchise has resulted in Guinness World Records becoming
the primary international authority on the cataloguing and verification of
a huge number of world records the organization employs official record
adjudicators authorised to verify the authenticity of the setting and
breaking of records.
On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the
Guinness Breweries, went on a shooting party in the North Slob, by the
River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. After missing a shot at a golden
plover, he became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game
bird in Europe, the golden plover or the red grouse. (It is the plover.)
That evening at Castlebridge House, he realised that it was impossible to
confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's
fastest game bird. Beaver knew that there must be numerous other questions
debated nightly in pubs throughout Ireland and abroad, but there was no
book in the world with which to settle arguments about records. He realised
then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove
successful.
Beaver's idea became reality when Guinness employee Christopher Chataway
recommended University friends Norris and Ross McWhirter, who had been
running a fact-finding agency in London. The brothers were commissioned to
compile what became The Guinness Book of Records in August 1954. A thousand
copies were printed and given away.
After the founding of The Guinness Book of Records at 107 Fleet Street, the
first 198-page edition was bound on 27 August 1955 and went to the top of
the British best seller lists by Christmas. Beaver said: "It was a
marketing give away – it wasn't supposed to be a money maker". The
following year, it launched in the US, and sold 70,000 copies. Since then,
Guinness World Records has become a household name and the global leader in
world records. The book has gone on to become a record breaker in its own
right with sales of more than 100 million copies in 100 different countries
and 37 languages, Guinness World Records is the world's best selling
copyright book ever.
Because the book became a surprise hit, many further editions were printed,
eventually settling into a pattern of one revision a year, published in
September/October, in time for Christmas. The McWhirters continued to
compile it for many years. Both brothers had an encyclopedic memory on the
TV series Record Breakers, based upon the book, they would take questions
posed by children in the audience on various world records and were able to
give the correct answer. Ross McWhirter was assassinated by the Provisional
Irish Republican Army in 1975. Following Ross' assassination, the feature
in the show where questions about records posed by children were answered
was called Norris on the Spot.
Guinness Superlatives (later Guinness World Records) Limited was formed in
1954 to publish the first book. Sterling Publishing owned the rights to the
Guinness book in the US for decades, and, under their management, the book
became a household name. The group was owned by Guinness PLC and
subsequently Diageo until 2001, when it was purchased by Gullane
Entertainment. Gullane was itself purchased by HIT Entertainment in 2002.
In 2006, Apax Partners purchased HiT and subsequently sold Guinness World
Records in early 2008 to the Jim Pattison Group, the parent company of
Ripley Entertainment, which is licensed to operate Guinness World Records'
Attractions. With offices in New York City and Tokyo, Guinness World
Records' global headquarters remain in London, while its museum attractions
are based at Ripley headquarters in Orlando, Florida, US'.
* 'In 1962, Mariner 2 was launched by the United States. In December of the
same year the spacecraft flew past Venus. It was the first space probe to
reach the vicinity of another planet. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Mariner 2 (Mariner-Venus 1962), an American space probe
to Venus, was the first robotic space probe to conduct a successful
planetary encounter. The first successful spacecraft in the NASA Mariner
program, it was a simplified version of the Block I spacecraft of the
Ranger program and an exact copy of Mariner 1. The missions of Mariner 1
and 2 spacecraft are together sometimes known as the Mariner R missions.
Original plans called for the probes to be launched on the Atlas-Centaur,
but serious developmental problems with that vehicle forced a switch to the
much smaller Agena B stage. As such, the design of the Mariner R vehicles
was greatly simplified. Far less instrumentation was carried than on the
Soviet Venera probes of this period, including no TV camera as the
Atlas-Agena B had only half as much lift capacity as the Soviet 8K78
booster. The Mariner 2 spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral on
August 27, 1962 and passed as close as 34,773 kilometers (21,607 mi) to
Venus on December 14, 1962'.
* 'In 1991, Java programming language is released.
- From Wikipedia: 'Java is a general-purpose computer programming language
that is concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, and specifically designed
to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. It is intended to
let application developers write once, run anywhere (WORA), meaning that
compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support Java without the
need for recompilation. Java applications are typically compiled to
bytecode that can run on any Java virtual machine (JVM) regardless of
computer architecture. As of 2016, Java is one of the most popular
programming languages in use, particularly for client-server web
applications, with a reported 9 million developers. Java was originally
developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems (which has since been
acquired by Oracle Corporation) and released in 1995 as a core component of
Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax
from C and C++, but it has fewer low-level facilities than either of them.
The original and reference implementation Java compilers, virtual machines,
and class libraries were originally released by Sun under proprietary
licences. As of May 2007, in compliance with the specifications of the Java
Community Process, Sun relicensed most of its Java technologies under the
GNU General Public License. Others have also developed alternative
implementations of these Sun technologies, such as the GNU Compiler for
Java (bytecode compiler), GNU Classpath (standard libraries), and
IcedTea-Web (browser plugin for applets).
The latest version is Java 8, which is the only version currently supported
for free by Oracle, although earlier versions are supported both by Oracle
and other companies on a commercial basis'.
* 'In 2003, In nearly 60,000 years, Mars makes its closest approach to
Earth at 55,758,006 km or 0.37271925 AU or 34,646,419 mi.,. The last time
it was so close was in September 12, 57 617 BC, and the next time is in
2287. The last Mars opposition prior to 2015 occurred on April 8, 2014 at a
distance of about 93 million km, 58 million miles.
- From Wikipedia: 'Mars made its closest approach to Earth and maximum
apparent brightness in nearly 60,000 years, 55,758,006 km (0.37271925 AU
34,646,419 mi), magnitude -2.88, on August 27, 2003 at 9:51:13 UT. This
occurred when Mars was one day from opposition and about three days from
its perihelion, making it particularly easy to see from Earth. The last
time it came so close is estimated to have been on September 12, 57 617 BC,
the next time being in 2287. This record approach was only slightly closer
than other recent close approaches. For instance, the minimum distance on
August 22, 1924 was 0.37285 AU, and the minimum distance on August 24, 2208
will be 0.37279 AU'.
No. 1 song
Top movie
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
If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago,
or your 45 RPM record player was broke, you might watch one of these shows on TV.
From this Wikipedia article: More
Best selling books of 1966 More
Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More