“Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.”
― Mark Twain
Today is American Bald Eagle Day. The Bald Eagle was selected as the U.S.A.’s National Emblem by our country’s Founding Fathers on June 20, 1782 at the Second Continental Congress. For over 200 years now, it has served as the pride of America’s skies and the living symbol of all that we Americans stand for . . . Freedom, Courage, Strength, Spirit and Excellence. The bald eagle is the central image of the Great Seal of the United States and is displayed in the official seal of many branches and departments of the Federal Government. Since the founding of the Nation, the image, meaning, and symbolism of the bald eagle have played a significant role in the art, music, history, commerce, literature, architecture, and culture of the United States. If not for the vigilant conservation efforts of concerned Americans and the enactment of strict environmental protection laws (including regulations), the bald eagle would probably be extinct. The American Eagle Foundation (AEF) has brought substantial public attention to the cause of the protection and care of the bald eagle nationally. After nearly disappearing from most of the United States decades ago, the bald eagle is now flourishing across the nation. The removal of the bald eagle from the “threatened and endangered” species list was announced by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne on June 28, 2007. Not-for-profit body AEF was founded in 1985 and brings together concerned citizens and professionals to conduct Bald Eagle and environmentalrecovery programs in the US and to help private, state and federal projects do the same.
On June 20, 2013, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and public transportation systems across the country celebrate the 8th Annual National Dump the Pump Day. In these tough economic times with high gas prices, everyone is looking for a way to save money. National Dump the Pump Day encourages people to ride public transportation (instead of driving) and save money. Riding public transit is an economical way to save money, particularly when gas prices are high. The latest APTA Transit Savings Report shows that a two person household that downsizes to one car can save – on the average – more than $9,700 a year. The idea for National Dump the Pump Day came from a noticeable upswing in transit usage as gasoline prices began to increase in the mid-2000s. The event is intended to highlight the effectiveness, affordability and environmental benefits of public transportation.
The third Thursday of June is Recess At Work Day. Recess At Work is your opportunity to create team spirit, engage employees, increase morale, improve health and wellness and share your fun side with the people you spend the majority of your life with. It’s a opportunity to start thinking about new and innovative products and services; perhaps about offering your employees a fun experience that they can turn into a great customer experience. Cease from the day-to-day routine for just a bit. Take the opportunity to talk, learn, or engage in productive play. It’s all good. Call it team building, or employee morale. Celebrate a team/organization success. Take a recess from low employee moral, lack of creativity, employee turnover issues. It has been proven that breaks are essential for satisfaction and alertness. Brain processing requires downtime to recycle chemicals crucial for long-term memory loss. Recess has been proven to work with school kids, so why not take that same logic and apply it to our adult lives?
Today is National Ice Cream Soda Day. What you have to do is celebrate by having an ice cream soda. The flavor of Ice Cream Soda is your choice. Any will do. Chocolate and vanilla are the most popular. But, don’t shy away from being creative with the flavor of ice cream or soda. Dating all the way back to 1874, ice cream sodas were first invented by Robert Green, who, as legend has it, ran out of cream for the flavored soda he was making. With nothing left but some vanilla ice cream, Green decided to add it to the drink instead – and voila, the ice cream soda was born! Sounds delicious, right? Green was so proud of his creation that he even had the phrase “Originator of the Ice Cream Soda” engraved on his tombstone! If you’re in the mood for a tasty treat, just put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass and pour chilled 7-Up gently down the side. Serve with a long spoon and straw, and slurp away this hot, hot summer day. Yum! These days, there are many delicious variations of the original ice cream soda, including root beer floats, Boston coolers, and purple cows. To celebrate National Ice Cream Soda Day, all you need is soda, a few scoops of ice cream, and a straw!
World Refugee Day, observed June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. On December 4, 2000, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, from 2001, 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. In this resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. African Refugee Day had been formally celebrated in several countries prior to 2000. The UN noted that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June. Each year on June 20th the United Nations, United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and countless civic groups around the world celebrate World Refugee Day in order to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees and Internally displaced persons worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes due to war, conflict and persecution. The annual commemoration is marked by a variety of events in more than 100 countries, involving government officials, humanitarian aid workers, celebrities, civilians and the forcibly displaced themselves. Each year, UNHCR announces a theme for its World Refugee Day campaign. World Refugee Day 2013 theme is “1 family torn apart by war is too many”. Individuals and community groups are encouraged to mark the day by attending a local World Refugee Day event, watching and sharing World Refugee Day videos, and raising awareness for refugees on social media. Most people in America don’t realize – there are over 43.7 million refugees and internally displaced people around the world and of those, UNHCR provides lifesaving assistance and protection to 34 million of them. This occasion respects the bravery, power and strength of mind of women, men and children who are required to flee their mother country under danger of discrimination, clash and aggression.
West Virginia Day is a holiday celebrated every June 20 in the American state of West Virginia. The day celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the state as a result of the secession of several northwestern counties of Virginia during the American Civil War. West Virginia was admitted as the 35th state on this day in 1863.
The U.S. Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States on June 20, 1782.
Alexander Graham Bell installed the world’s first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on June 20, 1877.
The Detroit Race Riot broke out in Detroit, Michigan, in June 1943, and lasted for three days before Federal troops regained control. The rioting between blacks and whites began on Belle Isle on June 20, 1943, and continued until June 22, killing 34, wounding 433, and destroying property valued at $2 million.
The so-called “red telephone” was established between the Soviet Union and the United States fifty years ago today, following the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Some of the writers born June 20th include:
George Hickes (1642), Adam Ferguson (1723), Jacob Hübner (1761), Moses Waddel (1770), Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786), Joseph Autran (1813), Richard Lodge (1855), Charles W. Chesnutt (1858), Marco Praga (1862), Kurt Schwitters (1887), Elisabeth Hauptmann (1897), Lillian Hellman (1905), Josephine Johnson (1910), Anthony Buckeridge (1912), Zoltán Sztáray (1918), Byron Farwell (1921), Anne Weale (1929), Robert Rozhdestvensky (1932), Yuri Vizbor (1934), Neal Knox (1935), Paul Muldoon (1951), Vince Gotera (1952), Vikram Seth (1952), Robert Crais (1953), E. Lynn Harris (1955), Peter Paige (1969), and Jason Robert Brown (1970).
Eight years ago today the world lost Larry Collins. The American writer was born September 14, 1929 in Connecticut. While serving in the public affairs office of the Allied Headquarters in Paris, from 1953-1955, he met Dominique Lapierre with whom he would write several best-sellers over 43 years. In 1966, Collins married Egyptian princess Nadia Sultan. They had two sons, Michael and Lawrence. In 2005, while working from his home in the south of France on a book on the Middle East, Collins died of a sudden cerebral haemorrhage. Collins won the Deauville American Film Festival literary award in 1985, and the Mannesman Talley literary prize in 1989.
Do you stare at the night sky? Then today’s sale is probably for you. We are reducing our price on A Constellation Album: Stars and Mythology of the Night Sky. This hardcover-spiral book by P.K. Chen is close to a hundred pages long. This copy is Like New. According to Goodreads.com: “By using transparencies to overlay traditional constellation figures onto his photographs of the night sky, renowned astrophotographer Chen has created an exciting and unusual way to link the brightest stars within each constellation.”
Disclaimer: Much of the information in this blog is taken directly from Wikipedia, Amazon, and other sources such as holidayinsights.com, which are directly linked to within the text. Images have been taken from various sources found via Facebook, Goodsearch.com and Google.
Village Book Shop and the blogger claim no credit for the information above.
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