1 July - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Ruby

Flower of the Month: Larkspur

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!

Summer has arrived at last! Roll out the sun lounges, raise the parasol, get a couple of cool beers from the fridge, don the sunglasses and chill out! Great times but spare a thought for the person who invented those sunglasses. They were first seen on this day in China in 1200. Surprisingly they were not first of all used to prevent the glare from the sun, but, inscrutably, they were worn by Chinese judges so the members of the court couldn’t see their eyes. A custom continued by Mr Gadaffi and others! Nomanda wears them because I think they make me look cool! Isn’t that why everyone wears them?



If you’re off on your summer holidays and staying in a hotel the chances are that there will be a little red bible left in your room for you by the Gideon Society, that is if the previous occupant hasn’t nicked it! It was in this day in 1899 that the three founder members of the society decided that leaving bibles in hotel rooms was the best way to get the message across to fellow commercial travellers. Nomanda has known a few travelling salesmen in his time and to this day has never seen one with a bible in his hand! Lots of other stuff, but never a bible!



Another thing Nomanda has noticed about travelling salesmen is that generally they don’t eat too healthily when on the road. A few beers at the bar and if they remember a stale sandwich at the end of the session is about as healthy as it gets! The cartoon character with the healthy lifestyle, Popeye, was created on this day in 1929 by Elzie Segar. He has done so much for spinach growers that they have even erected a statue to him in Crystal City, Texas. In its own words Crystal describes itself as “The Spinach Capital of the World”! POOP! POOP!



Popeye always had a few friends and villains around him so he never got lonely, unlike poor old Sergeant Pepper who’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles went to #1 on this day in 1967 and stayed at the top for another 15 weeks.




The public vote with their feet and showing the theatre world what they really really wanted the musical “Hair” closed on this day in 1972 after 1750 performances, whereas the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” closed on this day in 1973 after just 711 performances. So nudity is more popular than religion, whatever next! Nevertheless they were both great musicals and I think we can indulge ourselves in a little “Aquarius” from Hair and the title song from JCS!



It was on this day in 1982 day when 2100 couples and members of the Unification Church (aka “Moonies”) said “I do” and all got married together under the watchful eye of their spiritual leader the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Nomanda hopes they all had a lovely honey moonie!




Worthy of a very brief mention it was in this day in 1993 that a second was added to the clock!





First up for birthday honours today is Estee Lauder (1908 – 2004) the co-founder with her husband of the famous cosmetic company.





Our next celebrity is the renowned actress of the ‘40’s and ‘50’s, Olivia de Havilland (1916). Still going strong and living in Paris. Santé!





The “People’s Favourite Princess”, Diana (1961 – 1996) was born on this day. Despite the rumours surrounding her death and personal life Nomanda still believes she was a lovely lady with a big heart.



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!!

30 June - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Flower of the Month: Rose

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!

A couple of days ago the humorous quote of the day was “I’m not afraid of heights; it’s widths I’m afraid of!” Well one guy afraid of neither heights nor widths, Charles Blondin, demonstrated his nerve and skill on this day in 1859 when he crossed the Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Not content to do the job once apparently he went across numerous times including doing it blindfolded, on stilts, with a man on his back, and once settling down in the middle and cooking himself an omelette! I guess walking 335 metres 50 metres above the water several times gives a chap an appetite! I just hope the wind didn’t get up.



The classic novel “Gone with the Wind”, written by Margaret Mitchell was published on this day in 1936. Set in the Deep South during the American Civil War the novel earned a Pulitzer Prize and has been the subject of great films and musicals. The book took Mitchell 10 years to write and was the only book published during her lifetime. If you haven’t either read it or seen the film, you should!



Nomanda doesn’t know how much Mitchell earned from her book but she would have been delighted with the cheque issued by the US Treasury on this day in 1954 for a whopping $4,176,969,623.57. It was an “internal” cheque and I suppose was to balance the books somehow! Only an accountant would write out such a big cheque down to the last 57 cents!



Nomanda’s birthplace, Leopoldville, was renamed Kinshasa on this day in 1966, and to complete the job the country was renamed from the Belgium Congo to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Situated on the river Congo, Kinshasa is the third largest city in Africa with a population of 9 million, and if the present population growth continues will be larger than Paris by 2010.That's next year!



We all know that “Everything is bigger in America” so it comes as no surprise that on the same day as the US Treasury issued their bouncing cheque that the humble British sixpenny coin was last minted on this day in 1970. The coin had been in use since 1551 but there was no place for it in the changeover to decimalisation in 1971. However the coin was so popular with the public that it was kept in circulation until 1980 at the reduced value of 2.5 “new pence”. Decimalisation, what a rip off that was, all small priced items kept the same price in “new money” but in fact were two and a half times more expensive!



Better known for his ripping yarns our first Birthday boy, James Goldman, (1927 – 1998) was born on this day. Probably his best known book and screen play is “The Lion in Winter”. He is also the elder brother of William Goldman who will be remembered for his screenplay of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.



Our final birthday tribute goes to “bad boy” Mike Tyson (1966). He was a great heavyweight boxer and if he had stuck to his professional career, not misbehaved and kept an eye on his money the world would be a better place!



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!!

25 June - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Pearl

Flower of the Month: Rose

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!



The number 7 is considered by many to be a lucky number. Maybe it was indeed a lucky number for Roy C Sullivan (1912 – 1983) who on this day in 1977 was struck by lightning for the seventh time! Amazingly he wasn’t struck out once in all seven events and lived to tell the tale. He was a park ranger at the Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, and I guess was exposed to more electric storms than the average guy. In the end he got quite obsessed by his misfortunes and one story goes that he thought a cloud was following him and ran away from it. It was, and he was hit by lighting again!


Moving like lightning around the courts of Wimbledon, on this day in 1991 Martina Navratilova was on her way to wining her record 100th singles match at the home of lawn tennis. One of the best tennis players of all time she has won 18 Grand Slam Singles titles, 31 Grand Slam Doubles titles and 10 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles. Great player and a great lady.


Other great sporting athletes were counting up their medal tally on this day in 1991 at the closing of the Gay Games in New York. Leading the medal winners was the talented male athlete Ben Dover who picked up the most medals as well of a couple of other things that will be confirmed when the lab sends back the results! Traditionally the last event was the men’s’ 100 metres relay where, unlike the non gay games where the runners hand over the baton, in the Gay Games they hold hands with the next runner and run around together until all four are runners are linked together! It really is a spectacle to behold! There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the Lesbos Team minced over the line! Well done Girls and Boys!


If you’ve got pots of money then it’s nice to give some of it away to a worthy cause. It was on this day in 2006 that multi billionaire Warren Buffett donated $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and, in the United States, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. A very worthwhile cause and very generous gesture, Warren.


First up for birthday honours today is Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pseudonym, George Orwell (1903 – 1950). Nomanda read all of his books as a student and loved them! His most renowned works are Animal Farm and 1984. Well worth a read if you haven’t already!



Our next celebrity is the Belgian cartoonist and creator of the “Smurfs”, Pierre “Peyo” Culliford (1926 – 1992). Everyone loves the little blue men who are masters of getting into and out of sticky situations and saving the world!



Clint Warwick (1940 – 2004) the original bassist for the Moody Blues is our next celebrity. Have a look and listen to “Go Now” and see if you recognise another later group!




Our next birthday boy is George Michael (1963). He is the most played artist on British radio and we wouldn’t mind a listen to both a Wham song and one of his singles!



One of our favourite TV series is “Friends” (OK I know it’s sad!) and so we are very pleased to celebrate the Birthday today in 1967 of Matt LeBlanc, better known to his friends as “Joey”. He got the part of “Joey Tribbiani” in 1994 and went on to play him for the next 12 years, 10 in “Friends” and 2 in “Joey”. Sadly he was lost without his friends and has since changed his career from acting to producing made for TV movies.

Our final birthday wishes go to the model with the influential family, Lauren Bush (1984). With her looks and connections, yes it is the same lot, she should do well!



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!!

24 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!

Today is a very special day for Nomanda as it is the birthday of our best and oldest friend, Peter. We have known each other since the early ‘70’s when we worked together in Wembley. Sadly it was not in the Stadium, but in an office near by. You could however just about see the famous towers from the office window! Those were the days of large Italian lunches and visits to the “Greene Man” after work, having a couple of pints to avoid the traffic jams on the way home! Peter, our very best wishes to you on this special day and your card is in the post complete with fire extinguisher!



It’s difficult to keep Henry VIII out of the limelight for long, after all he did so much, and it was on this day in 1509 that he was crowned King of England having married his brother’s widow, Catherine, just a couple of weeks earlier. The marriage like many others would not last, and on the same day a few years later in 1540 Henry divorced his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. More to follow!


The young painter, Pablo Picasso, was to show the first exhibition of his work on this day in 1901 at a prestigious gallery in Paris. He never looked back and despite his socialist and political persuasions lived a very long, indulgent and comfortable life.



This day seems to have been a good day for the English Cricket Team at Lord’s as in 1968 they managed to get the Australians all out for just 78 runs, and in 1974 did the same thing with the Indian team for just 42 runs. Those were the days!




My friend Peter will be pleased to know that sharing his birthday with him is one of the heavyweight boxing champions of all time, Jack Dempsey (1895 – 1983). He held the World Heavyweight Title from 1919 – 1926 and I’m sure this clip will bring a smile to Peter’s face!



Another boxer, this time at performing at light middle heavyweight, Boris Lagutin, one of the USSR’s most celebrated boxers was born on this day in 1938. His record is 241 wins and just 11 losses throughout his career. He also has a couple of Olympic Gold medals to his name and fame!


Rocking on the stage as opposed to his heels born on this day in 1947 was the inspirational leader of the group that carries part of his name, Mick Fleetwood. The group have been around for ever and are still performing. Let’s have one of their best!



Our final birthday tribute goes to Terrance Wilson (1957), the vocalist of UB40. I’m sure they will join Peter in a glass of “Red Red Wine” to celebrate their special day!




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 June - Historical Events and Special Celebrations

Gemstone of the Month

Pearl

Flower of the Month: Rose

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!

5th June: World Environment Day. The host of this event this year will be Mexico City. The theme for this year is world climate change so no surprises there and the whole thing will probably be as boring as watching paint dry! We wish them well, but if the present weather is anything to go on we should concentrate on building arks

In a lot of cultures Mondays are often the day when the weekly washing is done. I don’t know why this should be it just is! So today is a day of celebration for all those who have to do the weekly washing as it was on this day in 1907 that the very first automatic washer and dryer was introduced. I must admit that it took a long time before Nomanda became the proud owner of one of these fine machines. Never mind the weather; we can get the washing dry. Just as well the summer we’ve had so far this year!


Now we’ve got our whites white and dry we can turn our attention to the cricket season. It was a turning point for English cricket when on this day in 1952 Freddie Trueman made his Test debut against India at the Headingly Cricket Ground. After the first 14 balls of India’s second innings the scorecard read 0 for 4 wickets with “Fiery Fred” taking three of them. He went on to be a major player of the ‘50’s and early ‘60’s and became the first bowler to take 300 Test wickets. Great man!


With the exception of the small matter of the referendum on this day in 1975 on whether or not Great Britain should remain a member of the European Common Market the other events for this day in history seem to be all about music. Good! However, suffice it to say that the population of the UK decided that it would stay in the EEC and all the trough guzzlers honked with glee! When will we ever learn?

On to the music stuff! It was on this day in 1964 that the group Davie Jones and King Bees made their debut. The group was not to be a great success but Dave Jones reinvented himself as David Bowie and the rest as they say is history. Still going strong! Here's one of our favourites from the great man!

Just a year later Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs went to #2 in the charts with “Wooly Bully” and it doesn’t get much better than that!




You would think so, but what about “Murphy’s Law” by Cheri that went all the way to #39 on this day in 1982. I think that the traditional interpretation of Murphy’s Law can be very well attributed to this record!




And to finish things off Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” leapt all the way to the top on this day in 1984. Great!





Our first birthday celebrity is a Yorkshire man who did well in life. A cabinet maker and designer for the rich and famous, Thomas Chippendale (1718 – 1779) was born on this day. His style and work has been copied over the ages, but never bettered!



Our next birthday hero is William Boyd (1895 – 1972). After a lean patch in the 1920’s he was offered the character of “Hopalong Cassidy” in 1935. He changed the original scripted character from a boozing, smoking drop out to a cowboy hero who didn’t drink or smoke, and always let the “bad guy” throw the first punch. Pity we can’t have more role models like him today!



Final birthday wishes go to Ken Follett (1949) the Welsh thriller writer who has over 100 million copies of his books published and Nomanda’s read most of them. A good read!





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!!