Today is...
Bunsen Burner Day!

In 1852, a man named Robert Bunsen began working at the University of Heidelberg. He was trying to isolate chemical substances and soon became frustrated with the inefficient and smoky heat sources that were available in the laboratory. To solve the problem, he drew up plans for a burner that would mix gas and air prior to ignition. The result was the Bunsen burner, which is now used in laboratories all over the world.
Bunsen burners (along with Teclu burners and Meker burners) produce a smokeless blue flame at very high temperatures. Scientists use these types of burners for heating, combustion, and sterilization.
To celebrate Bunsen Burner Day, share your fondest or funniest memory from a high school chemistry class on our Facebook page! Happy Bunsen Burner Day!

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Today is also Baseball Opening Day

March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month

 

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		History for March 31st 1945 - "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway   1959 - 14th Dalai Lama crosses the Tibetan border into India and granted asylum.   1994 -  The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull. 1999 -  Wachowski brothers' film "The Matrix" premieres 2005 - Terri Schiavo died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a right-to-die dispute that engulfed the courts, Congress and the White House. ______________________________________________________ "If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else." - Yogi Berra

Today is...
Eggsibit Day!

Eggsibits (art exhibits of beautifully decorated eggs) take place each spring all around the world. At the annual Eggsibit in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, judges from the National Egg Art Guild award prizes for the most original, the most beautiful, and the most humorous egg designs.
People have been decorating eggs for centuries. One of the traditional forms of this ancient art is the wax-resist method, which is popular in eastern Europe. Artists use a stylus to create a design on the egg with melted beeswax before dipping it in the dye. The wax seals that section of the design so it doesn’t absorb the color. They adjust the wax and repeat the process with different colored dyes to create an intricate pattern.
In honor of Eggsibit Day, check out these elegant Easter egg designs, invite some friends over for an evening of decorating, and host your own eggsibit!

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Today is also National Black Forest Cake Day

March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month

 

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		History for March 28th 1747 - Benjamin Franklin's first letter describing his electricity experiments.   1776 - Mexican-born Spaniard Juan Bautista de Anza founds city of San Francisco.   1797 -  Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire patented a washing machine. 1930 -  The city of Constantinople is changed (in name) to Istanbul. 1979 - Three Mile Island nuclear reactor incident. ______________________________________________________ "Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration." - Evan Esar

Today is...
Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day!

What country music song always puts a smile on your face? Perhaps it’s Johnny Cash's "Every Time I Itch I Wind Up Scratching You," Kenny Chesney's "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," or Homer & Jethro's "She Made Toothpicks Out Of The Timber Of My Heart." Today is the day to pay tribute to these unique songs!
Country music evolved from Appalachian folk music in the 1920s and became a nationwide sensation in the 1940s. The Grand Ole Opry radio station in Nashville, Tennessee began broadcasting weekly concerts that showcased all the different genres of country music—hillbilly, honky-tonk, bluegrass, western, rockabilly, gospel, and more.
In honor of today’s Reason to Celebrate, put on your cowboy hat, get out your banjo, and belt out your favorite quirky country music song!

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March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month


 

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		History for March 27th 1841 - Paul R. Hodge tests first steam-powered fire engine.   1846 - Mexican forces lay siege for Fort Texas, launching the Mexican-American War.   1905 -  New technology allows fingerprints to be used as evidence in trials. 1915 -  Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of the disease, is quarantined a second time. 1998 - Federal Drug Administration approves the sale of Viagra. ______________________________________________________ "A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience." - Elbert Hubbard

Today is...
Make Up Your Own Holiday Day!

If you’ve been following our daily Reasons to Celebrate, then you know how many interesting and unique holidays there are in the world. Today is your chance to make one up!
Establishing an official national holiday is not an easy process. For example, in the 1800s Sarah Josepha Hale decided that our nation should observe a national day of thanks. She wrote countless letters to politicians, governors, and even the president. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln agreed to Hale’s proposal, but Thanksgiving did not become an official national holiday until 1941!
To celebrate Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, come up with a creative, meaningful, or quirky idea for a holiday. Invite friends and family over tonight for its first annual celebration!

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March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month

This week is National Spring Fever Week

 

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		History for March 26th 1484 - William Caxton introduces first mass-produced translations of "Aesop's Fables", in English.   1950 - Senator Joseph McCarthy charges college Professor Owen Lattimore with espionage.   1971 -  East Pakistan proclaimed its independence, taking the name Bangladesh, after war with West Pakistan. 1979 -  Israel and Egypt sign peace deal with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and in the company of President Jimmy Carter. 1991 - Treaty of Asuncion, signed by Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, establishing the South Common Market in Mercosur. ______________________________________________________ "The power of imagination makes us infinite." - John Muir

Today is...
Old New Year's Day!

Although the Gregorian calendar was created in 1582, many countries chose to ignore it for several hundred years. Instead, they used “Annunciation Style dating,” which recognized the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) as New Year’s Day.
England didn’t adopt our modern-day Gregorian calendar until 1751. Russia held out until 1918! In fact, people in Russia, Switzerland, Macedonia, Georgia, Belarus, and Serbia still celebrate the Old New Year.
Plan a grand feast with family and friends to celebrate the occasion. Happy Old New Year!

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March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month

This week is National Spring Fever Week

 

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		History for March 25th 1668 - First horse race in America (Salisbury Plain, Long Island, New York).   1807 - Swansea and Mumbles (Oystermouth) Railway: the world's first fare-paying passenger carrying railway, begins running..   1913 -  The Palace theatre, the premiere venue for vaudeville acts, open. 1955 -  U.S. Customs officials seize shipment of Allen Ginsberg's book "Howl", on grounds of obscenity. 1994 - Prompted by the "Black Hawk Down" incident, American troops leave Somalia. ______________________________________________________ "I am always more interested in what I am about to do than what I have already done." - Rachel Carson

Today is...
National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day!

Did you know that Nestlé Raisinets are one of the most popular candies for movie-goers? People can’t get enough of the delicious fruit and dark chocolate combination!
Culinary historians believe that humans first discovered raisins when they came across grapes drying on a vine. These sundried morsels soon became one of the most popular food sweeteners, second only to honey. Raisins are an excellent source fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, and certain B vitamins. Add some dark chocolate into the mix and you’ll also get a healthy dose of antioxidants and important minerals.
Enjoy a handful of chocolate-covered raisins today in honor of National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day!

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March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month

This week is National Spring Fever Week

 

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		History for March 24th 1882 - German scientist Robert Koch announced in Berlin that he had discovered the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis.   1955 - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway.   1973 -  The album "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd was released, remaining on the charts until 1988, the longest run in history. 1989 -  Exxon Valdez disaster. 2008 - Bhutan holds its first ever general election, as an official democracy. ______________________________________________________ "Our business in life is not to get ahead of other people, but to get ahead of ourselves." - Maltbie D. Matlock

Today is...
National Puppy Day!

A woman named Colleen Paige declared the first National Puppy Day in 2006. The purpose of the occasion is to celebrate the unconditional love and joy that puppies bring to our lives, and to raise awareness about the horrors of puppy mills.
There are more than 8,000 puppy mills and “backyard breeders” in America that supply our nation’s pet stores. The dogs at these puppy mills are kept in terrible conditions and are often killed when they are no longer fertile. How can you make a difference? The official motto of National Puppy Day is, “Adopt instead of shop!”
To celebrate National Puppy Day, give a puppy a hug, learn more about this important issue, or adopt a dog from your local shelter!

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Today is also National French Bread Day

March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month

This week is American Chocolate Week & National Wildlife Week

 

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History for March 21st 1804 - Code Napoleon - the warlord's own civil code - goes into effect over France.   1859 - 1st Zoological Society incorporated in PA.   1963 -  The last prisoners relocated from Alcatraz. 1965 -  Martin Luther King begins march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. 1980 - S boycott of Moscow Olympics announced by President Jimmy Carter. ______________________________________________________ "Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one a second time." - Josh Billings

Today is...
Spring Equinox!

Today is the Spring Equinox, the official first day of Spring! Get ready to pack away the winter clothes, because soon enough we'll be enjoying warmer weather, much longer days, and the arrival of flora and fauna.
The word equinox means “equal night”, referring to the fact that days and nights are approximately equal everywhere, and the sun rises and sets due east and west.
According to popular folklore, you can stand a raw egg on its end on the equinox. No one has statistically proven this to be true or false – try for yourself and see what happens!
The Spring Equinox brings sure signs of changing seasons, from blooming flowers to chirping birds. It marks the beginning of nature’s renewal in the Northern Hemisphere.
How will you celebrate the arrival of Spring? One way is to send a free eCard to friends and family wishing them a happy first day of Spring!

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Today is also Snowman Burning Day & National Ravioli Day & National Quilting Day

March is International Ideas Month & National Craft Month & National Peanut Month

This week is American Chocolate Week & National Wildlife Week

 

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History for March 20th 1815 - Napoleon begins Hundred Days' Rule in Paris, the last period of his rule after returning from exile in Elba.   1816 - U.S. Supreme Court affirms their right to review lower-court decisions, during the period in which John Marshall was Chief Justice.   1952 -  Peace treaty with Japan ratified by US Senate. 1969 -  John Lennon marries Yoko Ono. 2003 - American missiles hit Baghdad, Iraq, marking start of second Iraq war, under the premise of potential weapons of mass destruction. ______________________________________________________ "Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another." - John Dewey