- 234th Day of 2012 /132 Remaining
- 32 Days Until The First Day of Autumn
- Sunrise:6:31
- Sunset:7:54
- 13 Hours 23 Minutes of Daylight
- Moon Rise:11:01am
- Moon Set:10:05pm
- Moon’s Phase: 20 %
- The Next Full Moon
- August 31st @ 6:57am
- Blue Moon
But it’s Blue in name only. That’s because a Blue Moon is sometimes defined as the second full moon in a calendar month. The first full moon was August 1. The second full moon is August 31, 2012. There are two more definitions for Blue Moon. It can be the third of four full moons in a single season. Or, someday, you might see an actual blue-colored moon.
- Tides
- High:1:47am/2:13pm
- Low:7:41am/8:34pm
- Rainfall (measured July 1 – June 30)
- This Year:0.03
- Last Year:0.11
- Normal To Date:0.00
- Annual Seasonal Average: 23.80
- Holidays
- Poet's Day
- Admission Day-Hawaii
- National Spumoni Day
- Crazy Day
- Cadillac Day
- National Senior Citizens Day
- Eid-al-Fitr Holiday-Saudi Arabia
- Ninoy Aquino Day-Philippines
- Vinayaka Chaturthi-India
- On This Day In …
- 1680 --- The Pueblo Indians drove the Spanish out and took possession of Santa Fe, NM.
- 1831 --- Nat Turner launched a short-lived, violent slave rebellion in Virginia.
- 1841 --- John Hampton of New Orleans, LA, received a patent for venetian blinds.
- 1858 --- Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois and Abraham Lincoln, a Kentucky-born lawyer and one-time U.S. representative from Illinois, begin a series of famous public encounters on the issue of slavery. The two politicians, the former a Northern Democrat and the latter a Republican, were competing for Douglas' U.S. Senate seat. In the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates--all about three hours along--Lincoln argued against the spread of slavery while Douglas maintained that each territory should have the right to decide whether it would become free or slave. Lincoln lost the Senate race, but his campaign brought national attention to the young Republican Party.
- 1878 --- The American Bar Association was founded in Saratoga, N.Y.
- 1887 --- Phillies’ pitcher Dan Casey struck out in the 9th inning of a game against the New York Giants. The event inspired Ernest L. Thayer to write the classic poem "Casey at the Bat."
- 1888 --- William Burroughs of St. Louis, MO patented his adding machine. It was an invention that bore the name of Burrough’s office machine company for many years.
- 1902 --- The first Cadillac was built.
- 1911 --- An amateur painter sets up his easel near Leonardo da Vinci's “Mona Lisa” at the Louvre in Paris, only to discover that the masterpiece is missing. The day before, in perhaps the most brazen art theft of all time, Vincenzo Perugia had walked into the Louvre, removed the famed painting from the wall, hid it beneath his clothes, and escaped. While the entire nation of France was stunned, theories abounded as to what could have happened to the invaluable artwork. Most believed that professional thieves could not have been involved because they would have realized that it would be too dangerous to try to sell the world's most famous painting. A popular rumor in Paris was that the Germans had stolen it to humiliate the French. Investigators and detectives searched for the painting for more than two years without finding any decent leads. Then, in November 1913, Italian art dealer Alfredo Geri received a letter from a man calling himself Leonardo. It indicated that the “Mona Lisa” was in Florence and would be returned for a hefty ransom. When Perugia attempted to receive the ransom, he was captured. The painting was unharmed. Perugia, a former employee of the Louvre, claimed that he had acted out of a patriotic duty to avenge Italy on behalf of Napoleon. But prior robbery convictions and a diary with a list of art collectors led most to think that he had acted solely out of greed. Perugia served seven months of a one-year sentence and later served in the Italian army during the First World War. The “Mona Lisa” is back in the Louvre, where improved security measures are now in place to protect it.
- 1923 --- In Kalamazoo, Michigan, an ordinance was passed forbidding dancers from gazing into the eyes of their partner.
- 1938 --- The classic song "Ain't Misbehavin'" was recorded by Fats Waller.
- 1950 --- The United Nations moved into its new permanent facilities in New York City -- on land donated by the Rockefeller family.
- 1959 --- The Hawaiian Islands became the State of Hawaii by a proclamation signed by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The statehood bill had been passed in March of 1959, but it contained a stipulation that the residents of the Hawaiian Islands would have to give their vote of approval. Three months later, they did so -- and by a huge margin. Although the Aloha State is made up of a chain of 122 volcanic islands spread out over 1,600 miles, only seven, at the southeastern end of the chain, are inhabited: Hawaii (the Big Island), Maui (the Valley Isle), Lanai (the Pineapple Isle), Molokai (the Friendly Isle), Kauai (the Garden Isle), Niihau (the Forbidden Island), and Oahu (the Gathering Place). Oahu is the home of the state capital, Honolulu, and about 75% of the state’s population ... a population that is truly a melting pot of all races and religions. Hawaii is known for some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, mild tropical climate (the southernmost point in the United States is in Hawaii), and dramatic scenery. Although flowers like orchids, plumeria, pikake, tuberose, gardenia, anthurium, birds of paradise, ginger and protea bloom year round, Hawaii calls the hibiscus its state flower, specifically, the yellow hibiscus. There are many creatures that are only found on Hawaiian soil or in its turquoise-blue ocean waters, but it’s the nene or Hawaiian goose that holds the title of state bird. Hawaii is also unusual in that it has no snakes (or billboards). It does, however, have a state fish: the humuhumunukunukuapua’a. It’s not really that hard to pronounce ... try it this way: humu-humu-nuku-nuku-a-pua-a. That’s better. Hawaii is unique as a state for all of these reasons, but most of all because of its people and their Aloha Spirit. Aloha means love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, grace, charity ... and hello and good-bye. The state motto of Hawaii is: Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono. = The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.
- 1961 --- Patsy Cline recorded the Willie Nelson song "Crazy".
- 1971 --- Antiwar protestors associated with the Catholic Left raid draft offices in Buffalo, New York, and Camden, New Jersey, to confiscate and destroy draft records. The FBI and local police arrested 25 protestors.
- 1983 --- Philippine opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr., ending a self-imposed exile in the United States, was shot dead moments after stepping off a plane at Manila International Airport.
- 1984 --- Victoria Roche was the first girl to compete in a Little League World Series game. The reserve outfielder from Belgium played in the annual event held in Williamsport, PA with her brother, starting outfielder Jeremy Roche.
- 1991 --- A hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev collapsed in the face of a popular uprising led by Russian federation President Boris Yeltsin.
- 1995 --- Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds agreed to drop libel suits against ABC News after the network apologized for reporting a year earlier that cigarette makers added nicotine in order to addict smokers.
- 2002 --- In Pakistan, President General Pervez Musharraf unilaterally amended the Pakistani constitution. He extended his term in office and granted himself powers that included the right to dissolve parliament.
- Birthdays
- William "Count" Basie
- Kenny Rogers
- Jackie DeShannon
- Melvin Van Peebles
- Clarence Williams III,
- Margaret Chan
- Carrie-Anne Moss
- Princess Margaret/Britain
- Kim Sledge