February 23, 2014

Today we celebrate:

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. http://www.worldcurling.org/history-of-curling

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.

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.

Daytona 500 – This is the biggest race of the year and has been since it's creation in 1959. It's a race that pretty much takes all day and I, personally, cannot stand to see cars drive in circles for that long, but there are plenty of others who are avid supporters and could watch it if it was twice as long.

Iwo Jima Day – I know, I know, we just had Iwo Jima Day back on February 19^th. 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.

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.

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 watch the Daytona 500 while you eat banana bread, feed your dog some dog biscuits, and read a book about Iwo Jima.