18 June - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Flower of the Month

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!

It was on this day in 1815 that the great French leader, Napoleon, was to meet his Waterloo. In fact he met Wellington and a just in time superior force, with the allies being strengthened by the Prussians who arrived at the last minute. Don’t you just hate it when that happens! The site of the battle, just outside of Brussels, has an interesting museum with light and sound effects of the battle. Also, for battle weary tourists, there is a nice choice of cafes and restaurants all serving great Belgium food as well as an amazing range of Belgium beers! Nomanda’s been there, done that!



Sticking his large French nose out of his luxury accommodation in London was another great leader of the French, General de Gaulle. He’d scarpered from France a few days earlier and on this day in 1940 he broadcast his motivating message on the BBC encouraging his countrymen to defy the Nazi occupiers! Winston Churchill was not a fan of de Gaulle and neither is Nomanda!



It was a happy day for cattle everywhere on this day in 1981 when a vaccine to prevent foot and mouth disease was announced. Nomanda has been known to get his foot stuck in his mouth on occasions and no matter how much of this stuff I take it just doesn’t do it for me!




Something else that doesn’t do it for Nomanda is Gay this that and the Other! However in a poor attempt to be politically correct join me in celebrating the opening of the Gay Games on this day in New York in 1994. Apparently these games are held every 4 years just like the real thing; only more time is spent tying up shoelaces than any proper athletic activity. The organisers advise me that you don’t have to be gay to compete but I suppose you have to be open to giving it a try! Actually the more I think about it the more I might give it a go. There can be few better incentives to breaking records than being at the front of a race knowing there are a bunch of shirt lifters chasing up behind, if you forgive the expression! I’m through the tape, still running and breathless thinking about it! Just send the medal on to my home address, please!



First up for birthday honours today is Delia Smith (1941). From a modest start in life she has become a household word and has sold over 18 million copies of her famous cookbooks. The “Delia Effect” has made her a favourite of hardware stores everywhere when they sold out of stuff they’d had on the shelves for years the day after Delia used them! However she has found a place in Nomanda’s heart for her motivating half time speech to the fans of Norwich City Football Club in 2005.
"A message for the best football supporters in the world: we need a 12th man here. Where are you? Where are you? Let's be having you! Come on!" Sadly it didn’t work and they lost to Manchester City! Obviously the Queen is a Norwich City supporter as she awarded the indomitable Delia a CBE in her birthday honours list a couple of days ago.



Sometimes people can be very unkind as I discovered when I was researching the next birthday boy, Paul McCartney, who was born on this day in 1942. The one line tribute described Sir Paul as “writes silly love songs.” Well that is just not true as not all of his songs are love songs! We love you really, Paul! I know he’s past his 64th but it would be nice to hear it!



Another lady musician, Alison Moyet, will be celebrating her birthday today (1961) and we’d love a song from you too, please!





Our final birthday wishes go to Darren “Dizzy” Reed (1963) the keyboardist from Guns 'n' Roses. How about a listen to “Sweet Child o' Mine”.





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!!

9 April - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Diamond

Flower of the Month: Sweet Pea

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!



Today was a happy day for Captain James Cook who, on his ship the “Endeavour”, discovered Botany Bay in 1770. The location got its name from the multitude of unique specimens collected by the two botanists on board.





Art lovers everywhere will also celebrate this day that in 1838 marked the opening of the National Gallery in London.




One of the 20th century’s greatest comedians, Bob Hope, celebrated this day in 1950 with his first TV appearance. As well as being a renowned comic Bob Hope was also a keen golfer and the sponsor of the “Bob Hope Classic” in which he played for many years. After a particularly mediocre round an interviewer asked him why he had taken so many putts during his round, to which he replied,”I like putting!”



It was a special day for the Beatles today in 1965 releasing their hit single “Ticket to Ride”. And one year later Carlo Ponti was getting his ticket stamped as he married Sophia Loren in Paris on this day in 1966.



Sadly it was only a few years later on this day that Paul McCartney announced the split up of the Beatles. And finding the going tough on his own Ringo Starr on this day in 1971 released his record “It Don’t Come Easy!”




Another feat of endurance, the longest ping-pong match, began on this day in 1979. It was to last 101 hours and I’d like to bet that the contestants ponged a bit at the end of it!





Two sporting stalwarts of the 1980’s were practising their skills on this day in 1989. Mike Tyson hit a parking attendant who had asked him to move his car. Not very friendly! And in a more professional performance Nick Faldo won the “Masters”. Much more impressive!


In a case of it’s not all over, it was on this day in 2003 that Baghdad fell to US forces. The fall of the city led to widespread looting and they’re still there and it’s still happening.




Birthday boys today start with Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806) the prolific British engineer renowned for the design of the SS Great Britain, the first propeller ocean going ship, the building of the Great Western Railway, and the builder of many bridges, the best known of which is probably the Clifton Suspension Bridge at Bristol.




Carl Perkins (1932 – 1998) was born on this day and his composition “Blue Suede Shoes” is his best known legacy and nobody sings it better than the “King”!





Celebrating his birthday today will be Severiano Ballesteros (1957), the exciting golfer of the ‘70’s and 80’s and the winner of 5 majors. One of the things that made his golf so exciting to watch was the amount of trouble he put himself in followed by his magical escaping skills. A veritable golfing Houdini!


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!!

11 March - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Bloodstone

Flower of the Month: Daffodil

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!



Today is another happy and special day for some of our selected celebrations, as well as a case of “Whoops!”, “Sorry!”, and “I promise I’ll not do that again!”


Marriages are always very special days, and according to the greatest of all English poets and playwrights, none other than the great bard William Shakespeare himself, today was the day in 1302 when Romeo and Juliet were married. Regrettably, the in-laws are still feuding!




In a not too happy case of history repeating itself it was on this day in 1917 that British troops were to occupy Baghdad. Last time I checked they are still there!



Just one year after the British troops were occupying Baghdad in 1917 Moscow became the new capital of revolutionary Russia, on this day in 1918 and as far as I know it still is.




In a serious case of “Whoops” an American B-47 accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb on South Carolina on this day in 1953. It all turned out OK in the end for the lucky inhabitants of the area as thanks to the “6 safety catches” it didn’t explode. Are you kidding me!? I thought safety catches were tiny little things on guns and stuff that prevented them from firing accidentally. All I can say is thank God there were 6 of them!


The era of Glasnost was about to dawn on the world as Mikhail S Gorbachev was elected Soviet leader on this day in 1985. The world would never be the same again!





Otis Redding received a posthumous gold record for his song “Dock of the Bay” on this day in 1968. It’s a great song so let’s hear it one more time!




The screenplay writer of the series “Star Trek” Gene Roddenberry was “beamed up” for the last time when his ashes were launched into space on this day in 1997. In actual fact it wasn’t to be his last time as apparently there are plans to “beam up” some more of his ashes in 2012! Way to go, Gene!



And on the same day that Gene’s ashes were being beamed up the British Institution forgave Paul McCartney for his previous misdemeanours and he was elevated to the peerage and knighted “Sir Paul” by Queen Elizabeth II.




Today’s birthday boy is Henry Tate (1819), that well known sugar producer and philanthropist. He was so well thought of and generous that he even had a Gallery in London named after him!




Our final birthday wishes go to the American singer Cheryl Lynn (1957). She’s a big lady so her classic song “Got to be Real” takes on a whole new dimension!




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!!

8 March - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Flower of the Month

Daffodil

Gemstone of the Month: Bloodstone

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!



I guess if you were on the wrong end of the Russian Revolution then maybe 8th March, 1917 in Petrograd was not the place to be if up to that point in time, you had been enjoying a wealthy, noble or royal life.


So, what’s changed in Russia nearly 100 years after the revolution? I have a recent memory of a guy in his early 40’s smiling to himself as he strolled across Red Square dressed in a leather jacket and jeans. He’d just been overwhelmingly elected the next president of Russia taking around 70% of the vote and guess who was smiling alongside him as they made their way no doubt to the best restaurant in town to celebrate? Surprise, surprise, the guy strolling with him was none other that the recently retired president of Russia who was celebrating with his mates his new appointment to the position of Prime Minister of Russia. “Happy Days are here again!”



Nomanda likes to play a game of golf and so far has not joined that elite group of golfers who have scored a hole-in-one. The fact that 6 year old Tommy Moore scored a hole-in-one on this day in 1968 makes me think that I should give up trying!




Paul McCartney will not have happy memories of 8th March 1973 when he was fined for growing cannabis. On second thought maybe he was happy, flying high!




One place where they were definitely flying high just one year later on 8th March 1974 was at the Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris which was opened on that day. Great man Charles de Gaulle, fought most of WWII from the comfort of his English residence (no doubt paid for by the British tax payer), and returned back to France victorious after the Allies had done the business for him. The grateful French elected him President for his efforts!



Our first birthday celebrity today in Ralph Ellis (1942) from the group the Swinging Blue Jeans and I hope he’ll have a great “Hippy Hippy Shake” at his birthday bash!




The singer Cheryl Baker (1964) from the group Bucks Fizz is our next birthday guest. I wonder if they’ll make their mind up whether they’ll be drinking the bubbly stuff with orange juice or whether they’ll stick to spritzers!



Another Cheryl, this one Cheryl James (1964) likes a more savoury taste with her group Salt-N-Pepa! Here is one of Nomanda’s favourites!




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!!

27 February - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Amethyst

Flower of the Month: Violet

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!



Do you ever have one of those days when you just think that it’s not worth getting out of bed for? Well if you do, you’re in good company as on this day in history it appears that not too many people got out of bed to do anything very interesting with the following limited exceptions!



It was on this day in 1982 that Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder recorded their duet “Ebony and Ivory”. It would go on to hit the #1 spot and stay there for 7 weeks and everybody would be happy!




The German figure skater Katarina Witt was doing what she does best on this day in 1988 and skating her way to a second successive Olympic gold medal at the Calgary Winter Games. And this is how she did it! All it takes is power, strength, courage, guts, skill, determination, grace and lots of practice! I don’t know why more people don’t take it up!



Two great actresses with completely different lifestyles and values are our birthday celebrities today.


Our first is Joanne Woodward (1930). She led a quiet and private life away from the cameras and appeared with her husband Paul Newman in several films. She and Paul were married for over 50 years up to the great man’s sad departure last year.




Elizabeth Taylor (1932) is our other celebrity whose birthday we are celebrating today. She has led a different life to Joanne but she’s still a great lady!





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!!