"Franklin and His Kite" - The Electric Benjamin Franklin
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/kite.htm
“Igor Stravinsky" - Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19480726,00.html
"King Kamehameha I Day" - This Land of Aloha
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/hawaiianweb/holiday04.html
"They're ALL American Flags" - Home of the Heroes
http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfa_hist.html
Anne Frank Center USA
http://www.annefrank.com
Aspies for Freedom
http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com
Boone Day, Kentucky Historical Society
http://history.ky.gov/Programs/Boone_Day.htm
Boy Scouts of America National Council
http://www.scouting.org
National Cancer Survivors Day
http://www.ncsdf.org
Cancer Support Community (Gilda's Clubs)
http://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/Default.aspx
National Children's Day
http://www.nationalchildrensday.us
Cousteau Society
http://www.cousteau.org
National D-Day Memorial Foundation
http://www.dday.org
D-Day Museum
http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk
The Duncan Yo-Yo Timeline
http://www.yo-yo.com/history_section/hist_timeline.html
EAA Young Eagles
http://www.youngeagles.org
Fairy Day
http://www.fairyday.com
National Hunger Awareness Day
http://www.hungerday.org
International Jugglers Association
http://www.juggle.org
Juneteenth
http://www.juneteenth.com
Kate Carew "The Only Woman Caricaturist"
http://www.twainquotes.com/interviews/confessions.html
Lou Gehrig: The Official Site
http://www.lougehrig.com
The Ocean Project
http://www.theoceanproject.org
The Old Corral
http://www.b-westerns.com/lash.htm
Race Unity Day, UN Human Rights Commission
http://www.hrc.co.nz/index.php?p=13831
Society of American Magicians
http://www.magicsam.com
Stand for Children
http://www.stand.org
UNICEF: State of the World's Children
http://www.unicef.org/sowc
United Nations World Environment Day
http://www.unep.org/wed
World Refugee Day
http://www.worldrefugeeday.us
The Yo-Yo
http://www.oldetimecooking.com/Fads/yo_yo.htm
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LAST UPDATED: 06/30/20
Other customs of June weddings have been attached across the years. It is thought that marriages were once brought about by the groom kidnapping the bride of his choice, who held onto her with his left hand while the right hand fought off any adversaries who got past the friend he took with him to watch his back. In today's wedding ceremonies, the groom, accompanied by his Best Man, stands to the right of the bride. After marriage to the abductee, the groom would then take his bride into hiding to avoid any interference from her family and/or other suitors, commonly known as a honeymoon today.
The State of the World's Children 2012 report, "Children in an Urban World", recognizes almost half the world's children now live in urban areas. Many are able to enjoy the advantages of life in a city, while others are denied such essentials as electricity, clean water, and health care, often forced into dangerous and exploitative work instead of being able to attend school. The focus of this year's study calls for greater emphasis on identifying and meeting their needs; removing barriers causing the problems; focusing on urban planning and partnerships between government and local leaders; as well as pool resources and energies on both national and internation levels to support efforts providing equal quality of life for all of Earth's children.
Remembering Brigham Young
Remembering Marilyn Monroe
beginning with the purchase of her first baby carriage. As administrator of the Folsom estate after his friend's death, Grover Cleveland played an active role in the girl's guardianship and the progress of her education, including sending her on a European Grand Tour (common for young women of means). But as Frances matured, Grover began to see her as a woman he could love. She was attending college during the years he was campaigning for President, and although he received parental permission to court her, chosing to keep the relationship apart from his public life, the couple exchanged letters and regularly filled her room with flowers. Because she had college classes to attend, Frances and her mother were not able to be present at Cleveland's inauguration in 1885, but did visit the White House that spring, where the bachelor President's sister was maintaining the responsibilities of First Lady. While Frances was in Europe, media speculation grew regarding a Presidential romance, and Grover enjoyed teasing with secrets. When the official announcement came, the public accepted the relationship's history, and Frances became a media darling. Frances and her mother arrived in Washington the day before the wedding, which took place in the White House Blue Room on this date in 1886. It was a simple and private affair, out of public view, with a small wedding party and a few invited guests, including secretaries and members of the Cabinet. Surrounded by an abundance of cut tropical flowers and plants, the service was performed by the paster from Cleveland's First Presybterian Church, followed by a dinner in the state dining room, with the Marine Band playing orchestral music. Following the ceremony, Cleveland had arranged for two people to leave the White House in a carriage in order to mislead the awaiting press, and allow he and his bride the privacy they desired. The Clevelands were the only Presidential couple to be married in the White House, and 22-year old Frances Cleveland was the youngest First Lady.
Neal Dow was native Mainer, the son of Quaker parents, who first gained local notice when he successfully lobbied for abstinance at an annual firefighter's celebration in his home city of Portland. As a founding member of the Maine Temperance Society, he was instrumental in securing the Governor's signature of the Maine Law on this day in 1851, which made Maine the first state to enact any prohibition law in the United States, making alcohol illegal except for medical, mechanical, and manufacturing uses.
Remembering Johnny Weissmuller
political voice, utilizing poetic lyrics which embodied messages of love, faith, and inspiration. The album titled Exodus was recorded in London, while Marley recuperated from an assassination attempt, and was released on this date in 1977. Considered one of Marley's best albums, it was an enormous international success, staying on the charts for over 60 weeks, and selling over 700 thousand copies. In 1999, Exodus was named Album of the Century by Time Magazine. The song One Love was named song of the millennium by the BBC. During his lifetime, Marley was recognized with awards, including the Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations, and the Jamaican Order of Merit. Following his death from cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, he was posthumusly awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his a pervasive influence on r&b, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ranked #11 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Remembering Jefferson Davis
Charles Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet, whose sensibility of the macabre produced scandalous themes of sex and death in his first volume of poems, Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil), published in 1857. Mikhail Bulgakov was an early 20th Century Russian who authored the satiric novel The Master and Margarita, written as a critique of good and evil influences in Russian Soviet society during the 1930s. It was 1968 when both works inspired a 25-year old British lyricist named Mick Jagger to write a song bringing home the idea, in a first-person narrative from the Devil's point of view, that evil does not work alone.
Socrates, born in 470 BC, was a former soldier who, with an inheritance, devoted himself only to discussing philosophy, in his opinion the most important art or occupation. His most important contribution to Western thought is his dialectic (answering a question with a question) method of inquiry, known as the Socratic Method, which he largely applied to the examination of key moral concepts such as Good and Justice, concepts used constantly without any real definition. For this, Socrates is customarily regarded as the father of political philosophy and ethics or moral philosophy, and as a fountainhead of all the main themes in Western philosophy in general. Because of his teaching the youth of Athens to question their own concepts of living, and because of the questions he asked himself, he was placed on trial in 399 BC and found guilty of being a "doer of evil who corrupts the youth" and sentenced to death by drinking a cup of hemlock.
World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. It was this day in 1974, "Only One Earth" began the quest for humans everywhere to develop awareness in caring for the seas and oceans, as well as the land and the air, that sustain human life on this planet. Promoting the responsibility of all humans to work together in facing environmental issues, from managing hazardous waste to developing environmentally-conscious architecture, and how the effects of global warming on climate change demand resolution through education in caring for planet Earth, the WED agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.
centerpiece is the Overlord Embroidery, commissioned by Lord Dulverton of Batsford and designed by Sandra Lawrence. Inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, it was said by Lord Dulverton to be intended as a tribute "to our people in whom it brought out in adversity so much that is good, determination, ingenuity, fortitude and sacrifice." After submitting for approval thumbnail sketches for each of the 34 panels, Lawrence painted a full size watercolor of the work to be used as a pattern for the creation of the embroidered panels by The Royal School of Needlework. Using more than 50 different materials (including fabrics taken from uniforms and headgear of those involved in the three services), the finished tapestry consists of 34 panels each measuring 8' long x 3' high, in total 272' in length. It took 4 years for the 25 highly skilled needleworkers to complete, and is the largest work of its kind in the world. The original watercolors are in the US on display in the Pentagon.
National Doughnut Day 2021
In 1758, a Virginia lawyer and justice of the peace named Richard Henry Lee, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. An early advocate of independence, wrote the Westmoreland Resolution in 1766, signed by prominent Virginia landowners, which is considered the 1st public and open resistence to Britain's heavy hand in the colonies.
Remembering Paul Gauguin
pharmacopoeia of potential medicines. While oceans cover 70% of our planet, yet less than 1% of our ocean habitat is protected, and in continued danger as ocean environments around the world are collapsing, due to over-fishing, pollution, and unsustainable coastal development. Created in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro - although not yet officially designated by the United Nations - June 8 has been set aside as World Ocean Day as a means each year to celebrate the world's ocean and its rich diversity of life; highlight global ocean awareness, education and action programs to promote a healthy and productive ocean; and remind nations, governments, businesses, and individuals of their responsibility to protect the world's living ocean and conserve its resources for present and future generations.
Remembering Frank Lloyd Wright
Race Unity Day 2021
A small Austrian village located a short distance north of Salzburg was named after a 6th Century Bavarian noble with the surname of Focko, literally translated to mean "the place of Focko's people". The first records of its existence came in 1070, lorded by Adalpertus de Fucingin. By 1303, it was known as Fukching; in 1532 was Fugkhing. It was not until 1760 that the village dropped the 1st "g" and the "h" to take its modern name, which - in English - translates as the slang word for the act of procreation. The town began to gain notoriety after WWII, when British and American soldiers were travelling to the town to be photographed beside its signs. Since then, the village has enjoyed a tremendous English-speaking tourist trade in the summer months, many travelling to the village just to pose for pictures in front of it's boundary signs, although this proved costly for the residents who were constantly paying for the signs to be replaced when stolen as souvenirs. Set amid forests, lakes, and breathtaking vistas, the small population of village residents are proud of their quiet town, boast it virtually crime-free but for the signs, and take great offense at the jocularity its name finds among English-speaking people. One resident stated "The older people don't like being laughed at by some of the younger ones from other villages, but we are proud of our beautiful F**ing." They outlawed the illicit sale of t-shirts reading "I like F**ing in Austria" and often must tell travellers there are "no F**ing postcards" available. On this date in 2004, a vote was taken to change the village's name, but its 104 residents voted against doing so. Instead it was decided new theft-proof road signs would be installed, bolted and welded to steel posts, embedded in concrete in the ground. The local police chief warns "foreign criminals" the town "will no longer stand for the F**ing signs being removed."
The 1st Donald Duck cartoon, The Wise Little Hen, was released in 1934. Donald Duck made his debut in this fable about a mother hen who needs help planting corn and harvesting it. When Donald and his friend, Peter Pig, sole members of the Idle Hour Club, refuse, she does it herself with the help of her chicks. When all is finished and various types of corn delicacies are on the table, Donald and Peter, now interested, are not invited. Donald's 1st starring role occurred in 1937 in Don Donald, billed as a Mickey Mouse cartoon, although Mickey did not appear. This film also introduced Daisy Duck, then named Donna.
Remembering Les Paul
The yo-yo is a toy consisting of two equally sized and weighted disks, connected with an axle, and a string tied around it. The earliest surviving yo-yo dates to 500 BC, using Terra cotta disks. Other construction through the centuries has involved wooden, metal, or plastic disks, but during the years of the late 20th Century, the popularity of the yo-yo expanded its technology to include replaceable parts, and spring-loaded weights providing a faster draw and longer spinning, enabling longer and more complex tricks Although the 1st US patent on the toy was issued in 1866 under the name bandalore, it was during the late 1920's it gained popularity through the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in California. Then in 1932, a manufacturer of wooden novelty items and toys named Donald Duncan recognized the yo-yo's vast potential while on a business trip to San Francisco, and was able to purchase the company. Duncan Toys is still the #1 Yo-Yo manufacturer in the world and is a major sponsor for both the World and National Yo-Yo Championships each year. This day honors the birthday of Donald Duncan, who also founded the Good Humor frozen treats franchise and a parking meter company and is credited for the concept of premium incentives (redeeming proofs of purchase for rewards).
Remembering Rebecca Latimer Felton
Kamehameha Day is celebrated annually as a state holiday throughout Hawaii, and is the only ali'i (royalty) holiday established during the monarchy observed continually since its establishment by royal proclamation in 1871. Celebrated to honor King Kamehameha, who unified the Hawaiian Islands, and who stands as an exponent of Hawaiian self-determination. The first observance of this holiday was held in 1872 when Kamehameha V designated 11 June as a public holiday to honor the memory of his great-grandfather.
This annual event brings together kids and pilots as part of the EAA Young Eagles program, the largest youth aviation education program ever created. The EAA Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 to give interested young people, ages 8 - 17, an opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. These flights are offered free of charge and are made possible through the generosity of EAA member volunteers. Since 1992, more than 1.1 million Young Eagles have enjoyed a flight through the program. Young Eagles have been registered in more than 90 different countries and have been flown by nearly 40,000 volunteer pilots. Since Young Eagles began in 1992, there have been three Chairmen. All are active pilots and have flown Young Eagles. The first chairman (1992-1994) was Academy-Award winning actor Cliff Robertson. Mr. Robertson was followed as Chairman by Gen. Chuck Yeager (1994-2003). Current Chairman Harrison Ford has flown nearly 250 Young Eagles since becoming involved in the program in 2001.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, born in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde, France on this day in 1910, was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. An influential pioneer in international environmental concerns, especially related to the seas and oceans, Cousteau's legacy includes more than 120 television documentaries, more than 50 books, and an environmental protection foundation with 300,000 members.
Born Vincent Thomas Lombardi in 1913 Brooklyn, NY; legendary Head Coach and General Manager of the Green Bay Packers 1959-1967 and the Washington Redskins (1969); known for his knowledge of the game, championship techniques, and charismatic personality, he is considered one of the greatest coaches of all time. Following his death in 1970, the NFL's Super Bowl trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy in his honor, first awarded after Super Bowl V.
was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family, along with four others, spent 25 months during World War II in an annex of rooms above her father's office in Amsterdam. After being betrayed to the Nazis, Anne, her family, and the others living with them were arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps. In March of 1945, nine months after she was arrested, Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen. She was 15-years old. Her diary, saved during the war by one of the family's helpers, Miep Gies, was first published in 1947. Today, The Diary of Anne Frank has been translated into 67 languages and is one of the most widely read books in the world.
It all started with a "Houdini Day" in the summer of 1927, less than one year from the death of Harry Houdini, when a trophy in honor of Houdini, was presented to the Society of American Magicians (SAM) by Mrs. Harry Houdini in New York City. SAM was founded on May 10, 1902 in Martinka's famous magic shop in New York City, and is the oldest and most prestigious magical society in the world. A year later, on 7 February, Ehrich Weiss (aka Harry Houdini) was elected to membership. In June of 1917, he was elected National President of the SAM, a position he held until his untimely death on 31 October 1926. The Society of American Magicians is currently a national organization that offers the opportunity to unite and associate with leaders in the World of Magic - not only professionals, but with amateurs, manufacturers, magic dealers, book authors and magic collectors. This date is also the anniversay of Houdini's death-defying stunt in escaping from a straitjacket while suspended upside down, 40 feet above the ground in New York City.
In March of 1963, an Arizona man named Ernesto Miranda was arrested for the kidnapping and rape of a teenage girl. Although the evidence was circumstantial, after two hours of interrogation, Miranda signed a voluntary confession. His Public Defender objected to the confession being treated as evidence during the trial because the Defendant had not been told he had the right to not make a statement, and the right to have an attorney present during the interrogation. The motion overruled, Miranda was convicted and sentenced to a lengthy term in prison, and the case continued on appeals through the higher courts.
Flag Day in the United States is celebrated to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777, realizing the need for a unique symbol of the unity of the 13 American colonies. It was in 1916 that Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially marked 14 June as Flag Day, and in August 1949, National Flag Day was formerly established by an Act of Congress.
Remembering Margaret Bourke-White
Juggling is a unique skill performed by one person, or by teams of two or more, using a variety of props (from balls, beanbags, and rings, to knives and torches) tossed into the air without touching the ground, bounced off the ground, or both at the same time. Although juggling has been a pronounced form of entertainment for thousands of years, it was during the years after World War II the International Jugglers Association was organized to gather like-minded people together from around the world. World Juggling Day was created as an annual day of recognition for the skill, allowing top professionals, avid hobbyists, and enthusiastic beginners an opportunity to gather and share their talents. Held annually in mid-June, this day of celebration takes place in venues around the world, from stage shows to park festivals, giving jugglers everywhere an opportunity to share their enthusiasm for the art with the general public. 
On this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment to prove that lightning is electricity by flying a kite in a storm (unaware this had already been established in France 36 days earlier). This series of study led Franklin to the invention of the lightening rod. Franklin never personally wrote the story of this most dramatic of his experiments. All that is known about what he did on that famous day, comes from Joseph Priestley's account, published fifteen years later, but read in manuscript by Franklin, who may have given Priestley the precise, familiar details.
Remembering Lash La Rue
begins at 8am on this day in 1904, and ends at 2am the following morning. A diversity of literary styles and rich characterizations, enmeshed within mythology and symbolism through the use of parody and jokes, Ulysses is considered one of the most important works of Modernist literature and one of the best English-language novels of the 20th century. The date of the setting for this story (16 June 1904) was chosen by Joyce because it was the date Joyce began his relationship with Nora Barnacle, who would become his wife. Bloomsday is a date recognized by Joyce readers to celebrate this book featuring Leopold Bloom. Primarily sponsored in Dublin by the James Joyce Centre, the first celebration took place in 1954 and set the traditions of readings and dramatizations from the novel, and tours around Dublin to novel locations, wearing optional Edwardian costuming. In 2004, recognizing the 100th anniversary of the novel's events, Dublin held a major 5-month long festival called ReJoyce Dublin 2004. The Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, which houses the handwritten manuscript of Ulysses, celebrates Bloomsday with a street festival including readings, Irish music, and traditional Irish cuisine provided by local Irish-themed pubs. The Syracuse James Joyce Club in New York holds similar festivities, and also encourages student essays on Joyce or fiction pertaining to his work by offering scholarships and other prizes. Bloomsday has also been celebrated since 1994 in the Hungarian town of Szombathely, the birthplace of Leopold Bloom's father, an emigrant Hungarian Jew.
Remembering Stan Laurel
Launched 17 June 1852, the Star of the West was a 1,172 ton steamship, 228.3 ft in lgth, with wooden hullside paddle wheels, and a two masts hoisted on a 32.7 beam. Originally built by Cornelius Vanderbilt to transport goods between NY and San Juan de Nicaragua beginning in October of that year, it later served as a merchant ship for railroad and shipping magnate Charles Morgan from 1853 to 1856. During the spring of 1857, the Star of the West contracted to the U. S. Mail Steamship Company to carry the U. S. mails from New York, with stops in New Orleans and Havana, to the Isthmus of Panama for delivery in California.
Although this battle in 1775 actually took place on nearby Breed's Hill, it is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill, when British forces successfully won this Seige of Boston. Considered by some to be the bloodiest battle of the American Revolutionary War, the attack demonstrated the American will to stand in pitched battle and did not change the status of the siege. After the battle, British General Henry Clinton remarked in his diary that "A few more such victories would have surely put an end to British dominion in America." Bunker Hill Day, commemorating the battle, is a legal holiday in Suffolk County, and state institutions in Massachusetts (such as public higher education) also celebrate the day.
In observance of Igor Stravinsky's birthday, a musical genius whose work embraced multiple compositional styles, revolutionized orchestration, spanned several genres, practically reinvented ballet form and incorporated multiple cultures, languages and literatures. As a consequence, his influence on composers both during his lifetime and after his death in was, and remains, considerable. A quintessentially cosmopolitan Russian, Stravinsky was one of the most influential composers and artists of 20th Century music, both in the West and in his native land. He was named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of the century.
Remembering M. C. Escher
Autism is defined as a neural disorder which affects social interaction and communication with others. It is commonly agreed to be the result of genetic interaction, but little is known about why this happens. There is no known cure. Due to a significant increase in the number of people diagnosed with autism since the 1980s, an international autistic community has developed. Advocate groups worldwide work to improve the public perception that austic people are not sick; they are different, not disabled, and should have the same access, rights, and opportunities as all other people. Initiated in 2005 by Aspies For Freedom, an autism rights group, Autistic Pride Day is recognized annually on 18 June, to encourage self-esteem in those within the autistic spectrum, as well as bring attention to the difficult issues involved in their lives.
Henry Louis Gehrig (born on this day in 1903) was a Major League first baseman who played his entire career for the New York Yankees. Known as "The Iron Horse" for his durability, playing a consecutive 2,130 games, until the streak was broken after Gehrig became disabled with a fatal neuromuscular disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, that later became known as "Lou Gehrig's disease". Of all the players in baseball history, none possessed as much talent and humility as Lou Gehrig. His accomplishments on the field made him an authentic American hero, and his tragic early death on 10 June 1941 made him a legend.
Juneteeth
Remembering Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
Forced to flee their homes and having lost everything, refugees have clear needs - shelter, food, safety, protection. But refugees also have rights, the right to seek asylum, the right not to be returned to a country where they fear persecution, the right to work, and to send their children to school. Since 2000, the UN General Assembly has designated 20 June as World Refugee Day to draw public attention to the hardships endured by millions of refugees world-wide every day, by sponsoring a variety of events in over a hundred countries, and recognizing individuals for their personal contributions, such as Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls), who received the 2008 Humanitarian of the Year award for his work in bringing education to displaced children.
Remembering Errol Flynn
Remembering Lillian Hellman
and reargued the following November. Issues regarding what is obscene and what is not had been discussed and ruled upon many times over the judicial decades, and the difficulties in finding clear definitions beyond "patently offensive" and "utterly without redeeming social value" are best illustrated in the 1964 opinion of Justice Potter Stewart stating "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material...perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it..." The most prevailing obscenity laws allow for the diversity of community standards between one state and another. In the case of Miller v. California, decided on this day in 1973, the question the court had to decide was, is the sale and distribution of obscene materials by mail protected under the First Amendment's freedom of speech guarantee? Upholding previous judgments regarding obscenity, the Court ruled that it was not. However, the Court warned of Constitutional dangers in trying to regulate forms of expression, and developed a criteria in which a work would be considered obscene if all three conditions are satisfied. (1) Would the average person in the community find the material offensive? (2) Does the work include offensive material as defined by the individual state law? (3) Does the work have serious literary, artistic, political, and/or scientific value? While the Miller decision did overturn the judgment made by the California court, the case was sent back to them for further proceedings based on the criteria established in the Supreme Court's opinion. By developing this criteria, greater freedom was allowed in prosecuting alleged distributors of obscene material because, the Court finally agreed on guidelines of how to determine what constitutes obscenity. In the years since 1973, the Miller Test has allowed for more community control relating to adult theaters and bookstores, and zoning ordinances relating to public nudity laws.
While the exact origins of the doughnut are unknown, the first written mention of doughnuts came from Knickerbocker's History of New York by Washington Irving in 1809 citing "…the table… was always sure to boast an enormous dish of balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat, and called doughnuts, or olykoeks - a delicious kind of cake, at present scarce known in this city, except in genuine Dutch families." Originally made as solid balls of dough filled with apples, prunes or raisins in the middle, according to one legend, the ring-shaped doughnut was invented on this day in 1847 by a sea captain who impaled his dough-nut on one of the spokes of his steering wheel, then ordered his cook to prepare all dough-nuts in the future with holes in the center. Doughnuts became an American favorite. Cooked individually until 1920 when a man named Adolph Levitt created the first doughnut machine to mass produce the popular item for his New York bakery, and by 1934 was grossing $25 million annually from the sale of his doughnut machines. At the World's Fair in Chicago that same year, the doughnut was declared "the food hit of the Century". From private bakeries to national franchises, the doughnut has become a favorite food throughout all aspects of American life.
it is presumed since both law enforcement and the bakery business have been 24-hour services, the two were naturally drawn together. While law enforcement officials deny the stereotypical association, often to the point of warning officers not to frequent known doughnut locations because of public perceptions, the humor circulates like America's own private joke. As headlines are often worded to perpetuate the joke - Drug Arrest Follows Too Many Trips to the Doughnut Box (New York); Police Bust Black Market Doughnut Smuggling Operation (Missouri); Police Raid Doughnut Factory (Texas); and Police Chase Krispy Kreme Delivery Truck (Louisiana) - police organizations across the country use their plagued image to support national fund-raising campaigns for charity, most notably "Cops on Doughnut Shops" to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics, where officers camp on the roofs of Krispy Kreme doughnut shops, lowering buckets to pick up donations from customer below.
with providing exposure to numerous notable and unknown artists of the era, and became an influential patron to names such as Manet, Cezanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. On this date in 1901, Vollard opened a one-man show for a 19-year-old unknown from Spain named P. Ruiz Picasso. The exhibit ran from 24 June to 14 July and included a collection of 64 paintings, pastels, and watercolors, as well as a number drawings. Subject matters of cabaret scenes, women drinking, landscapes, and still life pictures, were displayed haphazardly one on top of another almost to the ceiling, many unframed, and some simply placed in large folders. Although fifteen works were sold before the exhibition opened, it was not as financially successful as Vollard had hoped, but became Picasso's first commercial success, deemed by the art critics as having "great qualities, done with great courage and great confidence, indicating the genius of the painter" with "the power of divining the essence of things". In July, the hopeful young artist wrote in a letter to a friend, "My exhibition in Paris has had some success. Almost all the papers have treated it favorably, which is something." Pablo Picasso went on in life to become one of the most recognized figures in 20th Century art, whose paintings today rank among the most expensive in the world.
Remembering Jack Dempsey
Catfish have been a popular catch for hundreds of years, served in a variety of ways around the world, but in the US is typically breaded with cornmeal and fried. Aside from being a tasty treat, catfish is high in Vitamin D, and a low-calorie source of protein that is also low in cholesterol. Considered one of the highest volume of finned fish consumed in the United States, almost all of these catfish were farm-raised, commercially in tanks or enclosures for food distribution, as well as released into the wild for recreational fishing. While fish farming has been a working concept for thousands of years, it gained renewed popularity in the US during the latter half of the 20th Century. Low production costs of catfish farming enabled financial stability for growers as well as creating 
thousands of jobs, and today supports a $450 million per year aquaculture industry. In 1987, Congress, by House Joint Resolution 178, in recognition of the value of farm-raised catfish, designated this date as "National Catfish Day" and requested a Presidential proclamation in its observance. President Ronald Reagan did proclaim that date as National Catfish Day, and called upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Remembering George Orwell
everywhere but Berlin, leaving a path for escape to defectors, which consequently created a diminishing labor force in the East. In 1961, the East German government erected a barbed-wire barrier around West Berlin. Construction of a 96-mile long concrete wall began in August of 1961.
Remembering Pearl S. Buck
Born on this day in 1880, Helen Keller lost both her vision and sight at 19 months old after a bout with what is considered to have been scarlet fever. By 1886, her mother was inspired by a Charles Dickenson story of hope for a child like hers, and took her daughter on a path leading from Alexander Graham Bell to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, where they connected with a young teacher named Annie Sullivan. Education from Sullivan encouraged Keller to learn to speak, and to read braille. After becoming fluent in reading braille adaptations in 6 different languages, Helen Keller was the first the first deaf and blind person to graduate from a college. Helen went on to become a world-famous speaker and author. In 1915 she founded Helen Keller International, a non-profit organization for preventing blindness that today provides expertise, training, and technical assistance to establish nutrition and eye health programs in partnership with host countries.
Remembering Bob Keeshan
Remembering Kate Carew
times in modern history a significant body of gay people resisted arrest. The forces that were simmering before the riots were now no longer beneath the surface. The community created by the homophile organizations of the previous two decades had created the perfect environment for the creation of the Gay Liberation Movement. By the end of July the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was formed in New York and soon developed membership on a global basis. Today, many gay pride celebrations choose the month of June to hold their parades and events to celebrate "The Hairpin Drop Heard Round the World" and the gateway to the future from the Stonewall Inn.
Players" on Saturday Night Live. Her national recognition rose from her zany wit and unusual characters, including nasally news reporter Roseanne Roseannadanna, lispy interviewer Baba Wawa, nerdy teen-ager Lisa Loopner, and Emily Litella, an impassioned editorialist on "Weekend Update" including topics such as "violins on television," the "Eagle Rights Amendment," and "presidential erections."
In 1979, Radner appeared on Broadway in a successful one-woman show entitled Gilda Radner - Live From New York, which was released as a film Gilda Live! in 1981.
cover story on her battle, entitled Gilda Radner's Answer to Cancer: Healing the Body with Mind and Heart. However in May of 1989, Radner discovered the cancer had returned. Admitted to a hospital on 17 May for a CAT scan, she lapsed into a coma, and died three days later. 
influence of a man named James Burbage, a member of the Earl of Leicester's Men troupe of actors, the idea came about to allow a company of actors be in the employ of nobility, receiving legal protection instead of pay. It was Leicester's Men which received the first royal patent granted to any company of players, stipulated by Queen Elizabeth I to give censorship power to royal bureaucracy, rather than local officials, enabling theater arts an unprecedented freedom to create.
In 1997, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre officially opened in London, approximately 750 feet from the site of the original Globe. It was designed based on historical research to be as faithful a replica as possible, including the acquisition of the first thatched roof building permit in London since 1666. The only modernizations to the new theater include lighting, and sprinklers on the roof to protect against fire.
small but now and again a bigger one whistles in from space. The Tunguska event was a natural explosion that occurred on this day in 1908 in central Siberia, and was caused most probably by the airburst of a meteorite or comet 6 to 10 kilometers above the Earth's surface. The energy of the blast was later estimated to be between 10 and 15 megaton TNT. The explosion registered on seismic stations across Eurasia, and produced fluctuations in atmospheric pressure strong enough to be detected by the recently invented barographs in Britain. Over the next few weeks, night skies were aglow such that one could read in their light. In the United States, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Mount Wilson Observatory observed a decrease in atmospheric transparency that lasted for several months.