DAY 5 - This day in legal and military history

January 5

NATIONAL Screenwriter's Day

NATIONAL Whipped Cream Day


Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history

1914 Henry Ford astounds the world by announcing he will pay a minimum wage of $5 per day 

1925 Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman governor of a state – Wyoming
 
1940 FM radio first demonstrated to FCC
 
1972 President Richard Nixon orders the development of a space shuttle program
 
2000 INS Commissioner Doris Meissner ruled that 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez must be returned to Cuba

DAY 4 - This day in legal and military history

January 4
 
NATIONAL Spaghetti Day
 
NATIONAL Trivia Day
 

Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
 
1896 Utah admitted to the US as the 45th state
 
1980 President Carter announces US boycott of Moscow Olympics
 
1999 The euro goes into effect as currency in Europe
 
2004 NASA spacecraft Spirit landed on Mars
 

Spirit/Opportunity    Sojourner            Curiosity

2007 Nancy Pelosi [D-California] becomes the first female Speaker of the House

DAY 3 - This day in legal and military history

January 3
 
NATIONAL Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
 
NATIONAL Drinking Straw Day
 
NATIONAL Fruitcake Toss Day [who keeps them this long?]
 
NATIONAL Festival of Sleep Day [now here's a holiday I can get into!]

Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history

1521 Martin Luther excommunicated from Catholic Church
 
1920 NY Yankees acquired Babe Ruth
 
1947 Proceedings of US Congress are televised for the first time
 
1958 Sir Edmund Hillary reached the South Pole
 
1959 Alaska admitted to the US as the 49th state
 
1962 Fidel Castro excommunicated from Catholic Church
 
1977 Apple Computers incorporates
 
1996 First mobile flip phone goes on sale
 
1999 Mars Polar Lander launched
 
2000 The last original weekday Peanuts comic strip is published after a 50-year run

DAY 2 - This day in legal and military history

January 2
 
NATIONAL Science Fiction Day
 
NATIONAL Thank God It's Monday Day [first Monday of the year]
 
NATIONAL Run it Up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day 


 
Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history
 
1788 Georgia admitted to the US as the 4th state
 
1839 Photographer Louis Daguerre takes the first photograph of the moon.  [I wonder if he found any cheese.]
 
1870 Construction begins on the Brooklyn Bridge
 

2017 Rose Parade on January 2 because of a long-ago agreement to never hold it on Sunday, to avoid spooking horses tethered outside churches.  We take down our Christmas tree and decorations while watching the parade, which is broadcast live and then re-runs ALL day in SoCal.

DAY 1 - This day in legal and military history

New for 2017!  This year my goal is to post something every day – This day in legal and military history.  Obscure national days.  Occasional personal info.  Let's see how far into the year I can get before I self-destruct.


January 1 

New Year's Day
 
NATIONAL Hangover Day [very aptly named]
 
NATIONAL Polar Bear Plunge Day [I'm cold just thinking about this.  Time for a hot shower.]
 

Today in legal and military [and occasional oddities] history

1863 Emancipation Proclamation frees all US slaves
 
1946 An American soldier stationed in the Philippines accepts the surrender of 20 Japanese soldiers who learned that the war ended back in September 1945 by reading about it in a newspaper
 
1950 US Navy commissions its first female doctor, Mary T Sproul
 
1959 Fidel Castro seizes power in Cuba
 
1962 US Navy SEALS begin
 
1983 The ARPANET officially changed to using Internet Protocol, creating the internet [sorry Dan Quayle]
 
2000 The arrival of Y2K did not result in the end of the world.  It did, however, result in my computer-programmer husband being laid off later that year.  The week before Christmas.  Ouch.

OUTFOXED by David Rosenfelt [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library new book, audio book [2016]

Description: The newest [book 14] in the Andy Carpenter series.  Andy is a criminal defense attorney and independently wealthy.  He prefers being “retired” and working with his charitable Tara Foundation, rescuing dogs.  But when someone he knows is charged with a crime, he takes the case.

Plot:  An inmate, Brian Atkins, works with the dogs of the Tara Foundation, training them to make them more adoptable.  One day he uses one of the dogs to escape from prison.  Shortly thereafter, the man whose testimony put him in prison is found murdered.  Andy tracks the dog and the police track Andy and arrest Brian, who swears he didn't do the killing.  Andy believes him and agrees to represent him.

Characterization:  Most of the characters are well-rounded and have individual personalities.  Even the dogs in the story have individual personalities. Andy is sarcastic and wise-cracking, which makes the books fun to read.

Setting:  Paterson New Jersey.  Reasonably well described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  The audio book was narrated by Grover Gardner and he definitely adds to the characterization of all of the characters.

Overall:  I enjoyed this newest addition to the Andy Carpenter series.

Grade: A-

MOO by Sharon Creech [Book recommendation]

Book obtained from: Library ebook [2016]

Description: Two children move from a big city, not named but reminded me of NYC, to rural Maine.  They experience culture shock, and meet new friends and a new neighbor with a heavy accent and a farm full of animals.

Plot:  Reena, age 12, and her younger brother Luke meet their new neighbor Mrs. Falala, and agree to help her take care of her animals including an ornery cow which Reena trains to show at a fair.

Characterization:  The main characters are well-rounded and have individual personalities.  Even the animals [especially the cow] have individual personalities.  The kids' relationship with the neighbor is very well done and funny.

Setting:  Rural Maine.  Reasonably well described, I was able to picture every scene.

Other:  Culture shock scenes are really funny.

Overall:  This is a cute middle grade book.  The ebook includes several fonts and creative formatting which made for a fast read.

Grade: B+