Today is Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 

National Spaghetti Day

Today is National Spaghetti Day! Did you know that in the year 2000, 1.3 million pounds of spaghetti were sold in American grocery stores? If all of those packages were lined up, they would circle the Earth nine times!

The first historical reference to boiled noodles (found in the Jerusalem Talmud) suggests that the Arabs invented the dish thousands of years ago. What’s remarkable about this record is that it actually refers to dried noodles purchased from a vendor, which means that pasta has been sold in stores since at least the 5^th century!

Today we associate pasta with the Italians, who have revolutionized the dish and invented a wide variety of pasta shapes. These include farfalle, conchiglie, rotini, penne, tortellini, and, of course, spaghetti. Spaghetti is the most common round-rod type of pasta and in Italian, “spaghetti” means “little lines.” Spaghetti is most often served with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, but meat, garlic, oil, and pepper can also be added for extra flavor. 

To celebrate National Spaghetti Day, make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner or head to your favorite Italian restaurant. Enjoy!

Today is also Trivia Day

January is Get Organized Month & National Oatmeal Month

mages and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/

History for January 4 1850 - The first American ice-skating club was organized in Philadelphia, PA. 1935 - Bob Hope was heard for the first time on network radio as part of "The Intimate Revue." 1936 - The first pop music chart based on national sales was published by "Billboard" magazine. 1958 - The Soviet satellite Sputknik I fell to the earth from its orbit. The craft had been launched on October 4, 1957. 1962 - New York City introduced a train that operated without conductors and motormen. 1981 - The Broadway show "Frankenstein" lost an estimated $2 million, when it opened and closed on the same night. 1984 - Wayne ‘The Great One’ Gretzky scored eight points (four goals and four assists) for the second time in his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Edmonton’s Oilers defeated the Minnesota North Stars, 12-8. The game was the highest-scoring NHL game to date.

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"True happiness is of a retired nature, and an enemy to pomp and noise; it arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one’s self; and, in the next, from the friendship and conversation of a few select companions."

--Joseph Addison