Today is... 

International Hot & Spicy Food Day

It’s International Hot & Spicy Food Day! Archaeological evidence suggests that people have been using hot spices in their recipes for over 6000 years. Did you know that the hottest chili pepper in the world is the Naga Jolokia? On average, one of these peppers is over 170 times spicier than a jalapeno pepper!

Throughout the world, there are hundreds of different spices that contribute to an array of hot flavored foods. Hot foods can actually be very good for you because of their medicinal and antimicrobial properties. Garlic, chilies, onions, allspice, and oregano all kill bacteria and make food safer to consume.

To celebrate this holiday, try a few hot peppers or hot sauces with your food today!

Today is also Appreciate a Dragon Day & National Fig Newton Day

January is Get Organized Month & National Oatmeal Month

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

History for January 16 1547 - Ivan the Terrible was crowned Czar of Russia. 1919 - The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the sale or transportation of alcoholic beverages, was ratified. It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment. 1961 - Mickey Mantle signed a contract that made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League at $75,000 for the 1961 season. 1976 - The TV show "Donny & Marie" premiered on ABC-TV. 1991 - The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm. The operation was designed to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. ________________________________________________________ "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." --Ralph Waldo Emerson