30 June - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Flower of the Month: Rose

Rose

Gemstone of the Month: Pearl

First of all Nomanda would like to thank all our new readers! We have been getting more and more of you every day and we really appreciate you! If you are enjoying Nomanda’s blog please pass it on to your friends. And if you would like to make a comment or get your own special mention on your own special day just send us the details through the comments section and we’ll make sure we don’t forget you!

Nomanda’s Happy Special Day blog is a celebration of events and anniversaries that have touched our lives. If today is your special day join us in looking at a few other events that have occurred on your day. Enjoy!

A couple of days ago the humorous quote of the day was “I’m not afraid of heights; it’s widths I’m afraid of!” Well one guy afraid of neither heights nor widths, Charles Blondin, demonstrated his nerve and skill on this day in 1859 when he crossed the Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Not content to do the job once apparently he went across numerous times including doing it blindfolded, on stilts, with a man on his back, and once settling down in the middle and cooking himself an omelette! I guess walking 335 metres 50 metres above the water several times gives a chap an appetite! I just hope the wind didn’t get up.



The classic novel “Gone with the Wind”, written by Margaret Mitchell was published on this day in 1936. Set in the Deep South during the American Civil War the novel earned a Pulitzer Prize and has been the subject of great films and musicals. The book took Mitchell 10 years to write and was the only book published during her lifetime. If you haven’t either read it or seen the film, you should!



Nomanda doesn’t know how much Mitchell earned from her book but she would have been delighted with the cheque issued by the US Treasury on this day in 1954 for a whopping $4,176,969,623.57. It was an “internal” cheque and I suppose was to balance the books somehow! Only an accountant would write out such a big cheque down to the last 57 cents!



Nomanda’s birthplace, Leopoldville, was renamed Kinshasa on this day in 1966, and to complete the job the country was renamed from the Belgium Congo to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Situated on the river Congo, Kinshasa is the third largest city in Africa with a population of 9 million, and if the present population growth continues will be larger than Paris by 2010.That's next year!



We all know that “Everything is bigger in America” so it comes as no surprise that on the same day as the US Treasury issued their bouncing cheque that the humble British sixpenny coin was last minted on this day in 1970. The coin had been in use since 1551 but there was no place for it in the changeover to decimalisation in 1971. However the coin was so popular with the public that it was kept in circulation until 1980 at the reduced value of 2.5 “new pence”. Decimalisation, what a rip off that was, all small priced items kept the same price in “new money” but in fact were two and a half times more expensive!



Better known for his ripping yarns our first Birthday boy, James Goldman, (1927 – 1998) was born on this day. Probably his best known book and screen play is “The Lion in Winter”. He is also the elder brother of William Goldman who will be remembered for his screenplay of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.



Our final birthday tribute goes to “bad boy” Mike Tyson (1966). He was a great heavyweight boxer and if he had stuck to his professional career, not misbehaved and kept an eye on his money the world would be a better place!



Happy Special Day to one and all!!



If you know someone who is celebrating their birthday, anniversary or a special day today or sometime soon why not send them a nice e-card so they get it as soon as they log on! Even better, why not send this page to your friend!
Don’t know what to get for a present? Think about what your special person enjoys doing and the things they like.


For Girls, I know that flowers and chocolates are a bit cliché but nevertheless they always seem to work! Of course, if your budget stretches that far, jewellery, watches, perfume and fashion items are always appreciated!

For Boys, all boys like toys! It’s just as they get older the toys get more expensive. So gadgets and gimmicky things work. Again, if you have the budget then car accessories, sporting equipment and clothes, and man type jewellery like watches and gold chains will go down very well!

And, if all else fails, you could always send them a gift voucher and they can choose whatever they want!

If you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other special event today I hope you got lots of cards and presents and that there is someone special in your life who will make this day a very happy and special day for you.



Happy celebrations to you from the Happy Special Day Blog!!