31 January - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Garnet

Flower of the Month: Carnation

When it is your happy special day and whether you are celebrating a birthday or special anniversary, if you would like a mention on Nomanda’s blog just send us the details. We promise you a very special mention on this blog on your special day!

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!



The guy who put fast foods into the bellies of the hungry, Ray Kroc, liked this particular day in history. Having developed the “McDonald” franchise from the early 1960’s by this day in 1975 he had amassed enough cash to buy the San Diego Padres. They are a Californian baseball team for those readers not up to American stuff! He went on to celebrate this day by opening the first “McDonald’s” in Moscow in 1990. It is the world’s biggest “McDonald’s”! I know that Russian food doesn’t have a great reputation but surely they can put something better on their plates than a “Big Mac”!



The evergreen Barry Manilow celebrates this day in 1975 when one of his classics, “Mandy”, went gold! He looks a lot younger in this clip!




Debbie Harry was in danger of getting her underclothes wet on this day in 1981. “The Tide Is High” went to the #1 spot and everyone earned enough from it not to care whether or not their knickers got wet or not! Keep holding on, Debbie!



The English award winning actress Jean Simmons in our first birthday celebrity today. Although the awards were for films made long ago the “Thorn Birds” and “Guys and Dolls” still remain classics.




Another English actress, Minnie Driver (1971) is our other birthday guest today and we hope she has a good time at her birthday bash hunting down dear old Will!





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!!

17 January - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Garnet

Flower of the Month: Carnation

When it is your happy special day and whether you are celebrating a birthday or special anniversary, if you would like a mention on Nomanda’s blog just send us the details. We promise you a very special mention on this blog on your special day!

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!



On this day in 1917 a deal was concluded between Denmark and the US for the US to purchase the Virgin Islands from Denmark for the princely sum of $25 million. The US had been trying to get their hands on the Islands for some time and with Europe at war and Denmark concerned that if they were invaded by Germany that the US would just seize them anyway they took the pragmatic approach and sold them! The current estimated population, of the Islands is 110,000 who host around 2 million tourists each year most of whom arrive on cruise ships. Nice work if you can get it!


“I write the Songs” by Barry Manilow went to the #1 spot on this day in 1976 and the evergreen singer songwriter has never looked back since! He’s not really one of Nomanda’s favourites but with over 78 million records sold there must be somebody out there who likes him!



The guy who made his name and fortune from hairdressing, Vidal Sassoon (1928), is our first birthday celebrity today. I have to admit that hairdressers haven’t made a lot of money from Nomanda’s infrequent visits but like most things in life there’s always someone out there who will turn up and pay a fortune for something you could do at home yourself!


“Floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee” our next birthday celebrity is one of the world’s best boxers ever, Muhammad Ali (1942). His record is a total of 61 fights, winning 56 of which 37 were with KO’s. Not at all bad in anyone’s book. His original name was Cassius Clay and Nomanda’s father named his boxer dog “Cassius” after the great man. Corny, but true!


The girl who got the world doing a funny walk, Susanna Hoffs (1959) is our next birthday celebrity. If you want your neighbours to really think that at last you’ve gone entirely mad then you should try to “Walk Like an Egyptian”!




I must pay more attention to my oral hygiene otherwise the bassist of the group Berlin John Crawford (1960) will “Take my breath Away”!





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!!

28 September - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Flower of the Month

Aster

Gemstone of the Month: Sapphire

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!



“Whatever you do, don’t look up!” That’s what the entourage surrounding King Harold II should have said to him! It was on this day in 1066 that William the Conqueror and his troops set sail for England. We all know what happens next, they land at Hastings, Harold looks up, and the rest as they say is history!

“Parlez-vous Franglais?”


Showing that you don’t have to be too bright to get on it was on this day in 1785 that the student Napoleon Bonaparte at the age of 16 graduated from the French Military Academy coming in at number 42 out of a class of 51. And people say that examinations are getting easier today, nonsense! So if you don’t need to be top of your class to come out on top, maybe it’s the hair style and the drive that you want to conquer the world that does it!

Around 100 years later the US Navy abolished flogging as a form of punishment on this day in 1850. Quite right too!

Not at all right was the arrest of a woman on this day in 1904 for smoking a cigarette in a car she was driving along 5th Avenue, New York. And we think the police are tough these days! Nomanda secretly thinks she was on her hands full mobile ‘phone!

In a quaint look back to the past it was on this day in 1923 that the British “Radio Times” was first published. And in those days it was only the radio “Radio Times”!




I wonder whether the Ran-Dells’ “Martian Hop” that went to the #1 spot on this day in 1963 would have merited a mention in the “Radio Times”. I doubt it and hope not because it’s absolutely awful!



Demonstrating the differing tastes and popularity on this day in 1968, Noel Coward’s “Sweet Potato” opened at the Barrymore theatre, New York, and went on for a dismal 17 performances, whilst the Beatles “Hey Jude” went to the #1 spot and stayed there for 9 weeks!




On the subject of theatres “Barry Manilow’s Showstoppers”, playing at the Paramount Theatre, New York, stopped on this day in 1992!




The sex symbol of the 60’s, Brigitte Bardot (1934) will be celebrating her birthday today and will no doubt invite a few of her animal friends along to share in the fun. She’s had a few run-ins with the authorities over the last few years, but all in all she’s still a great lady!


Stating the obvious, Helen Shapiro (1946) didn’t want to be “Treated like a Child” however she did enjoy “Walking Back to Happiness” so perhaps she’ll have her birthday bash on the run!




What a difference a year makes as it was on this day in 1959 that the Dutch singer Angela Groothuizen (1959) from the group the Dolly Dots was on her way “Keeping Running”, no doubt on her way to Helen’s party!



And just a year later Jennifer Rush (1960) was giving it all she has telling the world about “The Power of Love”! Spot the difference between these two girls!




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!!