29 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!

When a great statesman like Abraham Lincoln says something usually most people stand up and listen. It was on this day in 1849 that he said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” Great words and sentiments. So how is it that no politician has heeded them?

In an act of extreme intolerance it was on this day in 1912 that the company Curtis Publishing fired 15 young female employees for dancing the “Turkey Trot” during their lunch break! I guess the employers were all good Catholics as the dance had been denounced by the Vatican. Other conservative members of society had tried to get it banned at public functions. Of course these actions only served to increase its popularity! Good!

The timing may be off, but the song and the tune weren’t, because it was on this day in 1942 that Bing Crosby recorded Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” for the film “Holiday Inn”. It is the best selling record in the world! Love it!

Climbing high and trying to get his timing spot on was Edmund Hillary who with Tensing on this day in 1953 became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The timing was to coincide with Queen Elizabeth’s coronation which took place at Westminster Abbey on June 2nd. Pretty good timing, if you ask me!

Singing their way to the top on this day in 1960 were The Everly Brothers with “Cathy’s Clown”. Their harmonics were to influence other popular groups of the 60’s including The Beach Boys and The Beatles.

Birthday celebrations today start with the relatively unknown Ebenezer Butterick (1826 – 1903) the inventor of tissue paper dress patterns. Nomanda is reliably informed he made all his own dresses!

Making people laugh most of his life was the comedian, Bob Hope (1903 – 2003). His career is too extensive to do it justice in a few lines but one quote I remember that summed up his attitude to life and his joy of it was this. At the age of 99 in reply to a question by a reporter who asked him why anyone would want to live to a hundred years old, Bob replied, “Ask someone who’s 99!” He lived to be 100! Great man!

Another great man, John F Kennedy (1917 – 1963) was born on this day. Everyone who was around at the time remembers what they were doing the day JFK was assassinated. Sadly to this day nobody has come up with a satisfactory reason of why he was killed.

Another member of the Jackson family, this time La Toya, was born on this day in 1956. Despite the fact that she has tried her hand at singing, writing and acting, she will probably be best remembered for her appearance in the “Playboy” magazine in 1989. She protests that she was forced into the job by her then husband, but I think she just did it for the money. After all it was the best selling “Playboy” edition ever selling 8 million copies! And she appeared again in 1991! Get real!

If you really really want to know our final birthday celebrity then it is Melanie Janine Brown (1975), better known to her fans as “Scary Spice”. Her massive mop of hair and leopard patterned outfits are her trademark. They’re all nice Spice Girls really!

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 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!

Times were hard in London in the 1700’s so the opening today of the first swimming pool at Goodman’s Fields on this day in 1742 must have been a welcome event. Foot baths and showers before entering had not yet been introduced so my guess is that although it would have been fun it should have probably come with a public health warning! I wonder what the changing rooms were like.

Changing things for women in the US on this day in 1923 was the Attorney General who declared that it was legal for women to wear trousers anywhere. The screen stars Marlene Dietrich and Audrey Hepburn were instrumental in trousers becoming fashionable for women as they enjoyed wearing them at the time. I am reminded of a conversation a friend of mine says he had with his new bride shortly after they were married. His story goes that one day he asked his wife to put his trousers on. She replied “Don’t be silly, they’re too big for me.” To which he replied “And don’t you forget that!” Now I know this couple very well and my guess is that she wears an invisible pair!

Wearing a pair of waterproof trousers was the sailor Francis Chichester who on this day in 1967 arrived in Plymouth following his successful solo circumnavigation of the world. He sailed west to east via the Great Capes following the great “Clipper Route”. In his yacht “Gypsy Moth IV” he made one stop at Sydney, Australia and became the fastest sailor to circumnavigate the world completing his voyage in 9 months and 1 day. Nomanda knows someone about to set off on a voyage to circumnavigate the UK later this year. He has allowed himself 3 months to do the job and will have a crew to help. They are sponsoring two charities and we wish them all a very successful trip!



Setting another more modest record than Sir Francis was Joe Darby who on this day in 1980 did a standing long jump of 12 feet 5 inches. Nomanda couldn’t manage that distance with a long run at it so we’re very impressed!



The 28th May seems to have been a popular day for jumping as it was on this day in 1987 that the artist (that’s his daytime job) Paul Pearman jumped over 21 barrels on a skateboard. I just hope his wheels didn’t fall off when he landed!

David Robillard of the Channel Islands only needed one wheel to get his name in the record books as on this day in 1990 he rode the longest wheelie lasting over 5 hours. I’m lost for words!

When people set off on record breaking attempts, most of which are all clean good fun, even if a few of them are bizarre, I don’t know anyone who would want to be the 4th person to do something for the 3rd time. This did not stop our next intrepid hero, Wallace Berg, who at the age of 42 became the 4th American to climb Mount Everest for the 3rd time on this day in 1997. Maybe his nationality gives a clue! Nevertheless, it’s something that Nomanda hasn’t done, so well done, Wallace!

Our first birthday celebrity today is the Frenchman Joseph Ignace Guillotin (1738 – 1814). He was a physician and a Jesuit and although contrary to popular belief he did not invent the guillotine he was the guy who put up his hand and suggested the use of it for executions. Nice man! He lived to a ripe old age for his time and passed away peacefully unlike some of his peers! I am reminded of the joke about the priest, the robber and the engineer who were to be guillotined and if you want to know it then write to Nomanda!

The “inventor” of Income Tax, William Pitt the Younger (1759 - 1806) was also born on this day. If you want to know more about him check out Tuesday’s blog!

Today marks the centenary anniversary of the birthday of the naval commander and author, Ian Fleming (1908 – 1964). Although he only wrote 12 James Bond novels and 9 short stories the films just keep going on. And very good they are too, but the first ones are the best!

Celebrating her birthday today is the actress Sue Holderness (1949) the unfortunate wife of the car dealer “Boycey” in the series “Only Fools and Horses”. It is so funny!

Our final birthday tribute today goes to the lovely actress and singer Kylie Minogue (1968). Having left her neighbours behind she went on to become a super pop idol and we love her! I’m sure we can get a great song here!

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!!

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!!

5 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!



Ghent beats Bruges on this day in 1382. Today that would probably be a football result but on this particular day the local population of Ghent took on the army that had been laying siege to their city and beat them cold. The success of the battle has been attributed to the fact that the soldiers were all drunk following their celebrations of the previous day’s public holiday and were in no condition to do anything other than throw up! If Belgian beer was as strong then as it is now I’m not at all surprised.



A few hundred years later it was on this day in 1930 that the trail blazing aviator, Amy Johnson, took off from Croydon airport in her Gypsy Moth called “Jason” and 20 days later landed in Australia to become the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Great flying, Amy!




The song that was to become the anthem of the “Flower Power” generation was recorded on this day in 1967 by Scott Mckenzie. The lyrics of “San Francisco” epitomised the gentle loving spirit of the times. It is still a great song.




If humping a large TV camera up mountains is your thing then you should have been part of the Japanese expedition who on this day in 1988 made the first live TV broadcast from the top of Mount Everest. You cannot knock the Japanese for not rising to a challenge!



Taking on a challenge of a different sort was William Hague who was elected leader of the Conservative Party on this day in 1997. He was in the job for 4 years and has the distinction of being the first leader of the Conservative Party not to have been Prime Minister in 80 years. That will look good on his CV! However there’s no need for alarm as he was preceded by John Major (anyone remember him?) and succeeded by a procession of no-hopers including in order of succession; Ian Duncan Smith, Michael Howard, and in the office at present our lovely baby Davy! Where do they find them?!



Birthday celebrities today start with Karl Marx (1818 – 1883). The intellectual leader of the Communist Revolution two of the best known books written by Marx are the “Communist Manifesto” and “Das Kapital”. Great bedtime reading material! Despite his communist ideals he led a life of relative luxury in London. So what’s new?




Coming more up to date today is the birthday of Tammy Wynette (1942 – 1998); the First Lady of country music, whose “Stand by Your Man” is probably her best known song. This very song was later to be used against her husband (the current president of the US at the time) by none other than the lovely Hilary Clinton. Nice one, Hilary!



Our final birthday wishes today go to the great comedian and later traveller, Michael Palin (1943). Bringing his wit and humour to “Monty Python” he starred in some of their best known sketches and there’s another opportunity for the “Lumberjack” song if anyone’s interested!

Happy Birthday, Michael!



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!!

Happy Special 20th July Day!

Gemstone of the Month

Ruby

Flower of the Month: Larkspur

Considered by many to be the most talented composer of his generation Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) was to appear on the cover page of Time magazine on this day in 1942. Perhaps better appreciated outside of his native Russia than by his own countrymen he worked relentlessly and completed his 13th Symphony on this day in 1962 and his 10th String quartet on this day in 1964. If you’d like a taste of his music, try this.

Waltzing his way to the top of the leader board and Yellow Jersey, Eddie Merckx was to win the Tour de France at his first attempt on this day in 1969. In fact on his way to winning the race he also won the Green Jersey, awarded to the best sprinter, and also the Red Polka Dot Jersey, awarded to the “King of the Mountains” and is the only person to have ever won all three jerseys in the same race! It must have got a bit hot under all those jerseys! Well done, Eddie!

On Apollo mission 11 it was no this day in 1969 that Neil Armstrong and Eddie Aldrin landed the lunar module on the moon with just vapours of gas left in the tank. Now Nomanda used to have a “Lunar Lander” game in the years before computer games were invented and I know just how tricky this operation is. If you go down too fast you crash, and if you go down too slow and run out of gas …… you crash as well! It’s quite a delicate manoeuvre, not for the weak hearted!

After 16 years of looking and searching, the dream of one of the world’s top treasure hunters was to become reality today in 1985 when Mel Fisher’s divers discovered the sunken wreck of the Spanish Galleon “Atocha”. Its great riches and wealth intact it would be one of the most important finds of the 20th century.

Keeping his feet on firm if high ground it was on this day that the famous New Zealand mountaineer and explorer Edmund Hillary (1919 – 2008) was born.


A Butlin’s red coat entertainer who made the big time, Ted Rogers (1935 – 2001) presented the game show 3-2-1 for ten years before it was surprisingly cut despite still getting an audience of 12 million viewers. A nice and funny guy!

A couple of actresses share the same birthday on this day in 1938. Natalie Wood (1938 – 2001) the child actress who having successfully made the transition to adult roles sadly died in a boating accident. And Diana Rigg, the fearless partner of Patrick Macnee in the TV series “The Avengers”.

Next up for birthday wishes is the face that launched 20 brands and has appeared on the front cover of over 500 magazines, Gisele Bundchen (1980). Despite the fact that she’s the highest paid super model in the world Nomanda is sure that there’s a lovely woman lurking underneath!




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!!