Friday 15 May 2009

15 May - Historical Events and Special Celebrations



Gemstone of the Month

Emerald



Flower of the Month: Lily of the Valley



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!



If asked what equipment a good layer would need I wonder how many people would include a machine gun in the list. Well strangely enough it was a London lawyer, James Puckle, who patented the world’s first machine gun on this day in 1718. James was obviously a deeply religious man, and a Christian to boot, as the gun came with a choice of bullets, round and square. Apparently the round bullets were to be used against other Christians whereas the square ones were designed to be used against the Muslim Turks! To show them the error of their religious ways, I suppose. Nice Guy! Nomanda is happy to say that this particular invention didn’t prove a great success.



A few years later it was on this day in 1730 that Robert Walpole became the first Prime Minister of England, the previous title being Chief Minister.






It’s amazing to think that Mickey Mouse has been around so long as it was on this day in 1928 that he made his first appearance in the cartoon “Plane Crazy”. Walt Disney did the voice over for this first show and the little fellow has never looked back!




There are some things that you just don’t need in life and the following event must be one of them because it was on this day in 1933 that the first voice amplification system was used in the US Senate. It was all boring enough when you couldn’t hear what was being said, now there’s no escape!




A fashion item that was to take the world by storm, the nylon stocking, first went on sale in the US on this day in 1940. An incredible 780,000 pairs were sold on the first day and 64 million in the first year! Nice business! However it was all going to end in shears as shortly afterwards all nylon production was re-directed to the war effort and the stockings came off the shelves. European cousins were going to have to wait until the end of WWII before nylon stockings were available in Europe.




After the end of WWII the Australians came over to England to play a bit of cricket. They were captained by the indomitable Bradman and the Australians completed their tour without losing a single match both on and off the Test arena. Poor old Essex received the biggest drumming with Australia scoring a world record of 721 runs in their first day of play! Hard act to follow! A serious hammering!




The Essex team may have used a hammer to beat themselves with after their defeat so it’s appropriate that it was on this day in 1963 that Peter, Paul and Mary got their first Grammy with “If I Had a Hammer” Strangely enough the same song was to be a hit for Trini Lopez who was born on this day in 1937.




Renowned more for their gaffs than their politics it was on this day that President Bush senior, in an inspirational idea of how to entertain Queen Elizabeth II of England in the US on a state visit, decided to take HRH to a local baseball game between the Oakland A’s and Baltimore Orioles. Nomanda can only hope he didn’t try to explain the game and the rules to HRH but I bet he did!




Birthday greetings today go first of all to the Shaffer twins (1926). It’s not often we get twin birthdays and these two were both playwrights too! Peter is remembered for his play “Equus” and Anthony for “Sleuth”.






Our next birthday boy is Ted Dexter (1935) the superb English batsman of the 60’s. He could bowl a bit as well!






Final birthday wishes go to Mike Oldfield (1953), the English musician and composer whose “Tubular Bells” and “Moonlight Shadow” are probably his best known works.





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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