June 29, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul - This is a day that has been celebrated for a very long time.  It is a feast in honor of the martyrdom of apostles Peter and Paul.  We are not sure if it is the anniversary of their death or if there is another reason for this day being chosen.

Hug Holiday – I was not able to find a reliable source for where this holiday came from, so normally I wouldn't include it. However, this is not a busy day and I really like hugs so there you have it.

National Almond Buttercrunch Day – Crunchy, buttery and nutty, if you like that combination, you'll be in heaven today.

Camera Day – Joseph Niepce created the first photographic image in 1826 or 1827 but it faded pretty quickly and he needed 8 hours of light exposure in order to take the picture.  There is some dispute about that date, you might find some websites saying it was taken in 1814, but that info seems sketchy to me.  In 1839, Louis Jacques Daguerre took the first image that didn't fade and it only needed 30 minutes of light exposure. All that pales in comparison to the pictures we can take with today's cameras, but every new technology starts somewhere.  It’s pretty amazing that these men figured out how to take a picture of something they could see with their eyes and reproduce it exactly (well, almost exactly, since they were black and white) on paper.  Prior to this, of course, any “pictures” had to be drawn or painted by an artist.  If you search for images of the first camera, you will find copies of the picture that I have posted here.  However, this is not the first camera invented….because what on earth would be taking the picture of the first camera?...it is, in fact, the largest camera invented by George Lawrence in 1900.  It weighed 900 pounds and cost $5,000 (the same as a large house) and took 15 men to move and operate.

Waffle Iron Day – Early, primitive waffle irons date back to the 14th century. They would imprint elaborate patterns on the waffles and were baked over a fire. In 1869, Cornelius Swarthout patented the waffle iron in the U.S. and 1911, the first electric waffle iron was invented.

Please Take My Children To Work Day – Celebrated on the last Monday in June, this is a day to recognize stay-at-home mothers and the very difficult job they have every day doing pretty much every job there is. On this day, stay-at-home moms can kick back, relax a little and laugh at themselves.

To celebrate today, hug your kids and give them a feast of waffles and almond buttercrunch so they will be full and sit still for you while you take their picture in the car of the father, friend or stranger, who is going to take them to work for the day