It was on this date that South Africa withdrew from the British Commonwealth of Nations.  This is an organization that is made up countries that were formerly British territories.  South Africa made the decision to withdraw so they would not be removed.  Why?  It was their apartheid government that was against the policies of the Commonwealth.  South Africa has had […]

I had no idea how vulnerable the power lines are in the nation of Chile.  On this date in2010, a massive power outage affected 90 percent of the South American nation of Chili.  This was two weeks following a severe earthquake.  The power outage continued into the next day, and eventually an investigation was done into the power companies, and […]

It was on this date in 1921, that Mongolia declared independence from China.  A provisional government met, and so today is Mongolan Indepence Day, at least from what I could tell. More info: http://famousdaily.com/history/mongolia-independence-from-china.html http://www.mongolia-attractions.com/mongolian-independence-day.html http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Mongolian_Revolution_of_1921

I had never heard of this individual before today, but his work was extensive and important.  On this date in 1863, Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky was born.  He was a great Russian scientist who contributed to several fields of scientific study.  In fact, he was one of the first to appreciate the need for specialized scientfic studies.  He is considered one […]

The originator of this company, Oscar Mayer (my maiden name is Mayer although it is pronounced differently), passed away on this date in1955.  He was born in Germany and immigrated to Detroit as a teen.  He then moved to Chicago and worked in a meat-packing plant.  In the late 1800’s, he and his brother opened a sausage-making business, and the […]

I thought this might be kind of fun since the Oscars were just on.  It was on this date in1938 that the tenth Academy Awards show was held.  Walt Disney won two awards that year–one was his seventh for Best Short Cartoon.  I also discovered this piece of information.  The ceremony was supposed to take place the week before, but […]

I had heard of Pancho Villa, but I just learned that on this date in1916, several hundred Mexican soldiers crossed into Columbus, New Mexico.  Seventeen Americans were killed, and the center of town was burned.  President Wilson sent the U.S. army into Mexico to capture Villa dead or alive.  At the end of everything, Villa was ultimatelt assassinated at his […]

On this date in 1839, the scientist James Mason Crafts was born in Boston, Massachussetts.  His name may only be familiat to scientists, his work includes important work mainly within the confines of organic chemistry.  He worked with Charles Friedel in France, and tha is where much of his best research was done.  They are known for creating new element […]

On this date in 1728, Great Britain and Spain signed the El Pardo treaty at the palace of that name in Madrid.  This ended the Anglo-Spanish War which began the previous year.  Unfortunately,  this treaty only worked over a little over a decade.  Fresh war betwen the two countries broke out in 1739. For more info: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_El_Pardo_(1728) http://books.google.com/books?id=wxITAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA337&lpg=PA337&dq=1728+Convention+of+Pardo&source=bl&ots=yW-G7IWvlx&sig=0QDo6Ar8YgbqyZL0CHZ1se8ZCC4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3KIYU-eeGdXfoATawoHgCw&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBA http://books.google.com/books?id=TDsyAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA337&lpg=PA337&dq=1728+Convention+of+Pardo&source=bl&ots=JLttO–PWy&sig=6CP4zVxF14dkhGACJmrlrnFyIL8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3KIYU-eeGdXfoATawoHgCw&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBQ

So did you know about this holiday?  On this date in1934, the very first mother-in-law day was celebrated.  It was first celebrated in Amarillo, Texas, and it was later moved to the fourth Sunday in October.  So if you have a mother-in-law, share this fact with her today.  I never had one and probably never will. For more info: http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Mother-in-Law+Day […]