February 23, 2015

Today we celebrate sports, dogs, history and food.  What more could you ask for?

Curling Is Cool Day – Believed to be one of the world's oldest team games, it became part of the Olympic Games in 1924. And if you didn't know that it was a cool sport, now you do. It is clearly cool enough to have it's own day. And, really, those pants they wear are the best of any other sport.

Diesel Engine Day – On this day in 1892, Rudolph Diesel, a German born in Paris in 1858, received patents in Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and filed a patent in the United States, for a “Method of and Apparatus for Converting Heat into Work”. In other words, the first diesel engine.

Iwo Jima Day – I know, I know, we just had Iwo Jima Day back on February 19th. I'm not repeating, but apparently, this is also Iwo Jima Day because on this day in 1945, the photograph “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” was taken. This photo has become, what some consider to be, the most reproduced photograph of all time. So there is disagreement on which day should be considered Iwo Jima Day.

National Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day – I can't find out who created this or when or even why, but who cares. If you have a dog, or you know someone who has a dog, give the dog a biscuit. They will certainly appreciate it.

National Banana Bread Day – This is a quick bread that doesn't use yeast so you don't have to wait for it to rise. Just mix it all together and bake for an hour and you have one of my kids' favorite treats. Some sort of banana breadish type food was made way back around 70 A.D., according to food historians. But the first recipe was published in 1933 by Pillsbury.

Play Tennis Day – I know, it's February, not exactly a great time for playing tennis, but if it's not actively snowing, clear off the court and get out your rackets for some great exercise. Once you get moving you won't be so cold.

National Cupcake Day – This is a Canadian holiday for the purpose of raising money for SPCAs and Humane Societies. Make some cupcakes and have a National Cupcake Day party where you can serve your cupcakes and collect donations that will then go to the Ottawa Humane Society.

To celebrate today, get your diesel engine revved up and head out to gather your neighbors and friends together for a rousing game of curling, then play some tennis before settling down to eat banana bread, feed your dog some dog biscuits, and read a book about Iwo Jima.