134th day of 2016, 232 days remain
Sunrise: 6:01am Sunset: 8:12pm
Moonrise: 12:53pm, 41% visible, waxing
Moonset: 1:45am
Tides at the Golden Gate
High: 5:19am/7:26pm
Low: 7:26pm
Special, arbitrary observations today include it being…
Blame Someone Else Day
Fintastic Friday: Giving Sharks a Voice
Crouton Day
Hummus Day
Paraskevidekatriaphobia
(This long word is derived from three Greek words = "Paraskevi" which means Friday, "dekatria" which means Thirteen and "phobia" meaning fear. Or, Latin frigga meaning "Friday" and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen. Every year will have at least one Friday the 13th fall in one of the months, with a maximum of 3 times (months) that it will occur in a year...this year only once.)
On this day in…
1607 - An expedition led by Captain Christopher Newport arrived at Jamestown, Virginia. The passengers went ashore the next day and this site became the first permanent settlement English colony in America.
1846- The U.S. declared that war existed with Mexico.
1880 - Thomas Edison tested his experimental electric railway in Menlo Park.
1888 - Slavery was abolished in Brazil.
1897 - Guglielmo Marconi sent the world's first wireless communication over open sea.
1912 - Royal Flying Corps was established in England.
1913 - Igor Sikorsky flew the first four engine aircraft.
1917- Near Fatima, Portugal, three peasant children reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary.
1918 - The first airmail postage stamps were issued with airplanes on them. The denominations were 6, 16, and 24 cents.
1927 - "Black Friday" occurred in Germany.
1940- Winston Churchill made his first speech as the prime minister of Britain.
1949 - The first gas turbine to pump natural gas was installed in Wilmar, AR.
1954 - U.S. President Eisenhower signed into law the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Act.
1958 - French troops took control of Algiers.
1958 - U.S. Vice President Nixon's limousine was battered by rocks thrown by anti-U.S. demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.
1968 - Peace talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam began in Paris.
2003- The U.S. government unveiled a newly designed version of the $20 bill. It was the first to be colorized in an effort to stop counterfeiters.
Birthday celebrants today include (or included)…
Henry William Stiegel 1729 - Glass maker, ironmaster
Arthur Sullivan 1842- Operetta composer, worked with Sir William Gilbert
Joe Louis (Barrow) 1914- Boxer, "The Brown Bomber"
Johnny Wright 1914 - Country singer
"Red" Garland (William "Red" Garland) 1923 - Musician
Beatrice Arthur 1926 - Actress ("The Golden Girls", "Maude")
Clive Barnes 1927 - Writer, critic
Herbert Ross 1927 - Director
Harvey Keitel 1939- Actor ("Pulp Fiction", "Thelma and Louise", "Taxi Driver")
Richie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela) 1941 - Singer
Mike Chernoff 1946 - Hockey player
Stevie Wonder (Steveland Morris) 1950- Musician
Dennis Rodman 1961- Basketball player, nickname: "The Worm", actor
Julianne Phillips 1960- Model, actress
Stephen Colbert 1964
Darius Rucker 1966- Musician (Hootie and the Blowfish)
Samantha Morton 1977- Actress
Barry Zito 1978 - Baseball player
Robert Pattinson 1986- Actor ("Twilight", "New Moon")
Debby Ryan 1993- Actress, singer
