November 30th - Andrew sits on a stone

 Today is a very interesting day for Scots.

First up, most well known is the fact that today is "St. Andrew's Day".

A day for feasting and celebrating the patron saint of Scotland, making it the de facto National Day for Scotland.

Fly the saltire (the cross of St. Andrew), and it's a nice prelude to the upcoming Hogmanay, then Burn's Night.

Another peculiar quirk for today as it relates to Scotland is that today was the day in 1996 that the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland.

The Stone of Destiny, a bunch of neat history there.  Apparently, it was the 'pillow' of some saint or other who had a vision, or the first king of the Scots was the crowned while sitting on it.  

Kenneth MacAlpin (who's somewhere away back in my own family tree) had brought the stone to Scone.

Now, the Brits had stolen the stone during Edward I's invasions in Scotland in 1296 and brought it to eventually incorporate it into the Coronation Chair.

There it sat until about 1950 when 4 plucky Scots stole it and tried to bring it home... but didn't last.  Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 had the stone under the chair.  That is if you believe that it was recovered at all... I think there was a Hamish MacBeth episode that covered this.

But this day in 1996 it was announced that the stone would officially return home.  Started it's resting place at Edinburgh castle, but is now available for viewing in the Perth City Hall.

November 29 - Listening to Pong Championships on Phonograph

 The very first game I can remember was my dad's sister bringing over a ColecoVision and playing pong.

Obviously, it was many years after the game was introduced as it was first released on November 29th, 1972 by Atari.

Another invention that shares this date is the phonograph, was first demonstrated on this day in 1877.

The patent was granted to Edison in February of the following year.

November 26 - Snoopy Plays Hockey

 On this day in 1917 the National Hockey League was formed.

4 Canadian teams battling it out.  Taking 7 years before we let a yankee team in!

In 1922 the creator of Peanuts was born - Charles M. Schulz.

I have a lot of memories as a kid reading Peanuts, and even had the Snoopy that had the different outfits!

November 25 - Hit Homers, not Women

 November 25th is known as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  I won't say any more about that as it's as serious as it can be.

Just don't hit women.

Be like Joe DiMaggio and hit home runs instead.  He would have been 107 years old today.

November 24 - Freddie goes over the wire

 On this day in 1874 the first patent on barbed wire was granted to Joseph Farwell Glidden (he had submitted it October 27 of the previous year).

Now, his was essentially the patent on the manufacture, as there were patents back in 1867.

Someone who could really belt it out, as if they had fallen on barbed wire, was Freddie Mercury.  His wire was unfortunately cut short on this day in 1991.

November 23 - Doctor Who Censored Willie's Espresso

 Ooooo-weee-ooooh.  Woosh woosh...

If you're a geek, you know that sound and start running to find a Police Box.  The first time it got to appear was on this day in 1963 with William Hartnell as the first Doctor in the episode "An Unearthly Child".

Man, what a ride that show has been over the years.

Another wild ride, in a similarly shaped device was when Charlie won the Chocolate Factory and the elevator shot around in Willie Wonka's factory.

The book was written by Roald Dahl, who also wrote other kids books like James and the Giant Peach.  He passed away today in 1990 (aged 74).

Some interesting stories for sure, and with all the requests lately to remove books, that would be against John Milton's wishes of no censorship.  His Aeropagitica was released on this day in 1644.

We should all just chill and relax with a nice cuppa... personally, I like a good espresso.

In the US it's National Espresso Day.

November 22 - JFK got no respect, so have a drink

 When I was learning pipes, my instructor always had this large bottle of Scotch on his shelf - got it from Cutty Sark, he said.  They had sponsored the band at one point, so he kept it.  Wasn't a great Scotch apparently, but it was Scotch.

THE Cutty Sark was launched this day in 1869.

Almost a hundred years later, in 1963, then president John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

Whatever theories (conspiracy or otherwise), it's easy to say someone 'had no respect' for the man.

"I get no respect" is a line that Rodney Dangerfield used to use often.

Had Rodney not passed (at the age of 82) in 2004, he would have been 100 today.

November 19th - Men Sit on a Toilet to Play Monopoly

 November 19th is apparently known as "National Play Monopoly Day", but which nation?

Hopefully some peaceful nation because it can get heated!

Mean tend to get heated about things too easily, so mixing it with International Men's Day may not be the best idea.

Best to just sit down and relax.  Well, it's World Toilet Day!

November 18 - Wow, what a tale of the atom

 Today, in 1962, at the age of 77, the father of the most accepted structure of the atom passed away.

Neils Bohr had conducted his experiments to build on the Rutherford model.

From death, to birthdays, celebrating their birthdays today are "Wowww" and 'kachow' actor, Owen Wilson (he turns 53) and best-selling Canadian author Margaret Atwood (turning 82).

November 17 - And Early Field Dessert is not a Crook

 MMm... baklava, tho' not my favourite dessert, it definitely is tasty.  I think I'll celebrate the US's National Baklava Day by running down to Royal Aleppo and grabbing some sweets.

It's never too soon for dessert, right?  Being born too soon tho' could cause complications, and there's a day for that to raise awareness, World Prematurity Day.

The day is also marked by the famous words of Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook".

He said this during a speech about the infamous Watergate issue in 1973.

One guy who isn't a crook, but the winningest Pipe Major Richard Parkes.  He is PM for the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, named after famous Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery.  

He was born today in 1887, and would have been 134 had he not passed in 1976.

November 16 - Davidson Tolerates then Gets Riel with Krall

 Canada has sure had a rocky past, something we're kinda all working through, day by day.  One of those, that I'm using today to learn more about is Louis Riel, as it's Louis Riel Day.

It was on this day that he was executed for treason.  The day is now marked as a moment for the Metis of Canada to celebrate their heritage.

The day is also celebrated by Diana Krall (now 57) and comedian Pete Davidson (28).  

2 people I'd love to see live.

If jazz, or harsh comedy isn't your style... well, celebrate the International Day of Tolerance.

November 15th - Writing about the Savagery of Bran

 It's funny how you get older the type of cereal you like changes.  Personally, I love a good bowl of Rain Bran, and it's National Raisin Bran Cereal day in the United States.

Two scoops of raisins in Kelloggs as they always say.

Cereal just reminds me of early Saturday mornings, watching cartoons, and as I got older, some WWF.  And today would have been Randy "Macho Man" Savage's 72 birthday.

RIP Randy - he passed in 2011.

The freedom to have some morning cereal while watching some flaboyant folks fumble around in a ring... truly spectacular when you put it up against the background of some areas of the world that where speaking out can have you imprisoned.

Recognizing those writers who bring about acknowledgment and then face harsh punishment the group PEN International stated "Day of the Imprisoned Writer" back in 1981.

November 12 - Excelsior, the coughin ring of Saturn

 1980 - Voyager 1 had gone on its long mission to Saturn to see the rings up close and reached there on this day.

That photo took almost 3 years to get as it was launched in September of 1977.

One man who probably would have liked to have gone, and I"m sure there are super hero stories he wrote about it was Stan Lee.  We lost Stan on this day in 2018.

Excelsior.

Now, Stan lived a good long life, but some lives are cut a bit short due to Pneumonia.  World Pneumonia day is today and helps to raise awareness of this illness.

Did you know that Pneumonia kills more people than any other infection?  They say someone dies of it ever 13 seconds.  

Chilling.

November 5 - Remember Remember the Rubin Plot

 November 5h - for many it's a day of wearing the Guy Fawkes' mask and having a little bonfire outside.

Where that comes from is that in 1605 a guy named Guy Fawkes and some other conspirators had come up with the 'gunpowder plot', where they were to tunnel under the House of Lords and fill the tunnel with barrels and barrels of gunpowder and blow it to smithereens.  

The purpose of which was to kill the King James I who had really trampled on some Catholic rights.  However, someone snitched on it and johnny law caught Guy Fawkes redhanded in the tunnels on November 5, 1605.

They probably should have had better means of planning so that it wasn't found out... like a good phone app.  For me, my phone of choice has always been Google, and well, on this day in 2007, Andy "Android" Rubin's pet project of a new phone operating system was released.  

It would still be a while before they brought out the first commercially available HTC Dream (or the G1)

November 4 - Alright Alright Alright, Barack finds Candy with King Tut

 Tutankhamun lived more than 2000 years ago and upon his death, like most rulers he was mummified and sealed away from us mortals.  Only to be found by Howard Carter on this day in 1922.

They say his opening of the tomb released a curse.... oooh.

Rulers were often buried with treasures from this world to help them in the next.  I think, especially after Hallowe'en, I'd like to be buried with some candy.

National Candy Day is today!

...but it seems to only be an American thing.

America doesn't have kings, but they have Presidents, and on this day in 2008 the United States had voted for its first ever African American president, Barack Obama.

He wouldn't get to take office until January, but still.  A huge jump forward.  

That would have been a day to party, and probably partying for that reason and the fact it was his birthday was Matthew McConaughey.

He's 52 today.

November 3rd - HELP Laika get a PB & Jellyfish Sandwich

In 1957 the Soviets had launched their Sputnik 2 with the famous dog Laika aboard.

What a good doggo.. wonder if he knew how to signal for help if he needed it.  I bet you do, it's almost universal that we would 'dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot' for our distress signal "S O S" (save our ship).

It was 'decided' at an International Radiotelegraph Conference in Berlin back in 1906 that we now have this as the standard.

Laika probably also wanted a good meal up there, and who doesn't love a good sammie...

In the US it's National Sandwich Day.

What's your favourite Lord Gerald?

Lastly, while Laika's looking out his window into space - maybe he sees something strange and alien-like.  Not that we don't have enough alien-like items here on Earth.  Like, to me, jellyfish has always seemed something 'other worldly'.  

It's World Jellyfish Day