Tuesday 12 May 2009

12 May - Historical Events and Special Celebrations



Flower of the Month


Lily of the Valley



Gemstone of the Month: Emerald

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!



In an age where virtually everything the inventor does ends up being patented I was amazed to discover that it was on this day back in 1792 that the first patent was taken out for the self flushing toilet. This particular piece of genius in fact flushed itself “at regular intervals”. Well there’s a relief! To Nomanda’s enquiring mind the questions that sprung to mind were, when, how often and what about if someone was already there?

Further research revealed that in fact this device is still in use today but of course has been modified with modern technology. These days apparently a laser beam detects when the job is finished and does its stuff. One discounted user described of the modern version as “the crappiest invention ever” and Nomanda is inclined to agree!



Moving on to more entertaining subjects it was on this day in 1932 that the character “Goofy”, aka “Diipy Dawg” was introduced by Walt Disney in “Mickey’s Review”.




Entertaining their fans for the first time with quadraphonic sound on this day in 1977 was the group Pink Floyd at their concert in London. I bet it was a real ear basher and here is one of Nomanda’s favourites from Pink Floyd!




Someone else who was probably getting his ears bashed on this day in 1984 was the ex terrorist come President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Today was the first time he had seen his wife in 22 years and I bet she was highly annoyed at his absence from the family home for such a long time. On a serious note he has been responsible for bringing peace and partnership into the old apartheid divided country and has received accolades for his efforts from all over the world.



Not so important, but to Joe Lucius, I guess it was, because it was on the same day as Nelson was getting his ear bashing that he scored his 13th hole-in-one on the same course on the same hole. The course was the Mohawk Golf Club at Tiffin in Ohio and I can imagine in future games when reaching this hole (15th hole; 150 yards) his playing partners would say “We’ll just put you down for a one on this, should we?



On this day in 1986 Fred Markham became the first man to pedal a bicycle at 65 mph on a level course and without any wind assistance. If he needed to get around that quickly why didn’t he just buy a car?



Having completed her training on the heights of her native country Belgium (highest point 694 metres), Ingrid Baeyens became the first Belgium woman to climb Mount Everest on this day in 1992. Well done Ingrid! I wonder how many more of your country women will follow in your path!



Our first birthday celebrity today is the screen legend Katherine Hepburn (1907 – 2003). Her career spread over 70 years and she has the distinction of being the actress with the most Oscars (4) in the “Best Actress” category.




Our first birthday boy today is Burt Bacharach (1929) the renowned pianist and popular song composer. He has had 70 Top Hits in the US and 52 top hits in the UK. “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” are amongst Nomanda’s favourites.




Jonah Lomu, the internationally renowned New Zealand rugby player was born on this day in 1975. He stormed onto the international scene in 1995 running through some of the best international tacklers and defenders as if they weren’t there! He is the Rugby World Cup top try scorer with a total of 15 tries to his credit.



Our final birthday greetings go to Amy Wheaton (1978), the child actress appearing in Star Trek. Getting on a bit now of course!





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!!

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