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August 17, 2016

Today we celebrate:


Balloon Air Mail Day - As I previously noted on July 1st, this day in 1859 marks the first successful airmail delivery by hot air balloon in history. The mail didn’t make it all the way to its’ destination as John Wise battled unfortunate air conditions and only traveled 30 miles in 5 hours before he gave up, landed, and put the mail on a train to take it the rest of the way. But at least this time, the mail survived, unlike his first attempt on July 1st when he crash landed in a storm and all the mail was lost in the resulting fire.

National Black Cat Appreciation Day - Black cats get such a bad rap. They are the subject of many superstitions and people are afraid of them. But they are just as sweet and adorable  (in an aloof and finicky, you never know what to expect from your cat at any given moment sort of way) as any other cat. The color of your cat doesn’t do much to make up their personality that I can see. So if you’re looking for a cat to add to your family, consider a black one.

National #2 Pencil Day - The #2 pencil is the most popular pencil in schools. Growing up, until I took an art class, I didn’t even know there was another kind of pencil, or that the number designation referred to the hardness of the graphite (used to be lead) inside it. Standardized tests where you fill in little bubbles to mark  your answer, always demand that you use a #2, possibly because other numbers make marks that are too light for their sensors to pick up.

National Vanilla Custard Day – A dessert made with milk, eggs and sugar. Of those ingredients, the only one I can eat is the sugar so I guess I'll have to let my family celebrate this day without me.

Meaning of "Is" Day – On this day in 1998, during grand jury hearings attempting to figure out President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, President Clinton used semantics and double talk to try to squeak his way out of trouble. His testimony was made public later that year and you can probably still find it on Youtube.

National Thrift Shop Day – This is a day for bargain hunters and people who like to re-purpose used items. Thrift shops are a great place to find inexpensive but still perfectly good merchandise. You can also find retro items if that's your style. Go hunting for some treasures today.

National Medical Dosimetrist Day – Celebrated on the third Wednesday in August, this is a day to recognize the importance of medical dosimetry professionals to our lives. If you have lived with cancer treatments either for yourself or for a loved one then you might know that medical dosimetrists work with the radiation oncologist team. They generate radiation dose distributions in collaboration with the rest of the team.

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