Have a Bagel Day - December 11, 2019

DIANE'S CORNER ... 

Celebrate Have a Bagel Day

They are a solid favorite of breakfast in the Western World, especially the UK, America, and Canada. Round and dense and best served with a rich luxuriant topping of cream cheese, the bagel found its origins among the Jewish population of the 1600’s.

From there it has become incredibly popular and spread throughout the world, and even into outer space! Have a Bagel Day encourages you to enjoy this delicious doughy delight in your favorite configuration, and remember the long history of this bread and the people that made it famous.

History of Have A Bagel Day

As mentioned earlier, the bagel found its origins in the Jewish population of Europe sometime in the 1600’s, but the specifics of its origin remain subject to hot dispute. Some origin stories have it coming out of Krakow, Poland where it was said to be given to women who were going through childbirth. This may be the first historical record of this dense ring of delight, but it is likely that it existed for some time before that.

Other tales point to a baker from Vienna developing it to celebrate the defeat of the Turks by King Jan III Sobieski of Poland in 1683, its shape supposedly meant to be reminiscent of a stirrup.

The stirrup, known as buegel, was selected due to the folklore saying that the freed people of Austria reached out to grasp the stirrup of King Sobieski as he rode by. What is known is that the bajgiel (an earlier spelling of bagel) would become a central part of the Polish and Slavic diets by the 17th century, and by the 19th it would be found being sold in London on long wooden dowels.

In the 19th century, it found its way to the Big Apple by way of the Polish Jewish immigrants and was quickly brought under the control of the Bagel Bakers Local 338, a bakers union that held all of the local bagel bakeries under its sway. It eventually began spreading throughout the US in the years following 1975 thanks to the automation of production that became possible.

thanks for these rare 1950's pics, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

A walk through New York City in 1958.

Joke of the Day

MOTORCYCLE INSURANCE

A young man walked into our insurance office to purchase coverage for his new motorcycle. Only one question confused him. "Do you have a lien holder on the vehicle?"

"I've got a kickstand," the prospect replied. "Is that the same thing?"

Daytona Beach on a beautiful day in 1957.

Word of the Day

Apollyon

Apollyon (top) battling Christian
From John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress

MEANING:

noun: One who destroys; another name for the Devil.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin, from Greek Apollyon, from apollynai (to destroy), from apo- (from, away) + ollynai (to destroy). Earliest documented use: 1382.

NOTES:

The Bible’s Book of Revelation 9:11 introduces Apollyon as: “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”

USAGE:

“William Shuter, though, ... saw the text as a word of warning to Oscar Wilde, in the early 1890s infatuated with the young, beautiful, narcissistic, and heartless Lord Alfred Douglas, an Apollyon capable of doing great harm to an ageing impressionable aesthete.”
Walter Pater; Imaginary Portraits; Macmillan; 1887

An Alabama store front in 1956.

Idiom of the Day

HOLD YOUR HORSES

Another way of saying ‘Wait a moment’ or ‘don’t rush’
Person A: ‘The train’s at 9. Grab the bags, find your shoes and call a taxi!’
Person B: ‘Hold your horses! We’ve got plenty of time.’

These streets of San Francisco, as they were in 1957.

This Day in History

1719 - The first recorded sighting of the aurora borealis took place in New England.

1769 - Edward Beran of London patented venetian blinds.

1803 - Composer Louis-Hector Berlioz was born.

1816 - Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th American state.

1844 - Dr. Horace Wells became the first person to have a tooth extracted after receiving an anesthetic for the dental procedure. Nitrous Oxide, or laughing gas, was the anesthetic.

1872 - Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback became America's first black governor when he took office as acting governor of Louisiana.

1882 - Boston's Bijou Theater had its first performance. It was the first American playhouse lit exclusively by electricity.

1936 - Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated in order to marry American Wallis Warfield Simpson. He became the Duke of Windsor.

1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established by the U.N. General Assembly. The fund provides relief to children in countries devastated by war.

1951 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) announced his retirement from major league baseball. DiMaggio only played for the Yankees during his 13-year career.


1981 - Muhammad Ali fought his last fight. He lost his 61st fight to Trevor Berbick.


1987 - Charlie Chaplin's trademark cane and bowler hat were sold at Christie's for £82,500.


1991 - Salman Rushdie, under an Islamic death sentence for blasphemy, made his first public appearance since 1989 in New York, at a dinner marking the 200th anniversary of the First Amendment (which guarantees freedom of speech in the U.S.).


2000 - Mario Lemeiux, owner of Pittsburgh Penguins, announced that he would end his three-plus year retirement and become an active National Hockey League (NHL) player again. When Lemieux returned officially he became the first owner/player in NHL history.


2009 - The game Angry Birds was released.



DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, December 11

You are an ardent and determined person, yet sensitive and even nervous at times. While you may appear confident, you are more of an introspective and sometimes even cynical character. Both freedom and security are equally important to you, which is often a conflict in your life and can lead to some indecisiveness. Always searching for truths, and instinctively knowing that there is not only one, you possess considerable strength of character once you grow out of your youthful uncertainty. Famous people born today: 

1725 George Mason, American statesman (Bill of Rights), born in Fairfax County, Colony of Virginia (d. 1792)

1843 Robert Koch, German pioneering bacteriologist (TB, cholera, Nobel Prize 1905), born in Clausthal, Hanover (d. 1910)

1863 Annie Jump Cannon, American stellar spectroscopist (Harvard-classification), born in Dover, Delaware (d. 1941)

1890 Carlos Gardel, Argentine singer and the most prominent figure in the history of tango, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1935)

1918 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer (Cancer Ward, Nobel 1970), born in Kislovodsk, Russia (d. 2008)

1931 Rita Moreno [Rosita Dolores Alverío], Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress (West Side Story), born in Humacao, Puerto Rico

1943 John Kerry, US Secretary of State (2013-17) and 2004 presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, born in Aurora, Colorado

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

You just knew it had to be a problem somewhere in the world. Apparently, that somewhere is Arizona, USA. It is illegal in the state of AZ (Arizona) for a donkey to SLEEP in a bathtub. Apparently bathing is okay, just not sleeping. According to the story, the law dates back to 1924. There was a donkey near Kingman, Arizona that took a liking to sleeping in an abandoned bathtub on his rancher’s property. One day the damn broke, it flooded the city, and before you know it, the town was involved in a very costly rescue effort as the tub and donkey washed away into a basin. [Now that would make for a picture moment!] As the saying goes, all it takes is the actions of one to ‘mess things up’ for the rest.

A bolt of lightning is hot. That is a statement that catches no one by surprise. But just how hot is a bolt of lightning? Would you believe 5x hotter than the sun? A lightning bolt can reach up to 50,000+ degrees Fahrenheit. The surface of the sun comes in at approximately 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now do you believe it?

There is a book called ‘Everything Men Know About Women’. It was written by a man, Dr. Alan Francis. The goal of the book is to help men in their everlasting quest to figure out the opposite sex. The book contains 100 pages. All of them are blank. ALL OF THEM! This is a book that has 100 pages with nothing on them at all. And yet, it might be the best blank book of knowledge ever written.

2.

DEC 11th -

The Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster is observed in Canada on December 11 each year to mark the statute's establishment. The Canadian flag and the Royal Union flag are flown together on this day.

The original Royal Union flag, or Union Jack, was first raised at a British settlement in Newfoundland, Canada, after 1610. In 1870 the flag was incorporated into the flags of the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governors of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In 1904 the flag became a Canadian symbol and was used by Canadian troops during World War I.

However, for many years during the early 20th century Canada sought to gain formal recognition of its autonomy from the United Kingdom. Finally, in 1931 the Statute of Westminster, 1931, which was an Act of the British Parliament, gave Canada its autonomy. This statute marks the independence of Canada as the nation that it is today.

In 1964 Canada's parliament approved for the Royal Union flag to be used as a symbol of Canada’s membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and of the nation's allegiance to the British Crown. Canada remains close with the United Kingdom and flies the Royal Union Flag along with the Canadian flag for occasions such as the Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster. Commonwealth Day, and Victoria Day.

3.

Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair 2019

Dec 13 - 15, 2019 | Tucson, AZ 

4th Avenue Between 8th Street and University Boulevard|4th Ave & E 6th St

This biannual street fair happens during the spring and winter, but it's not like you have to worry about getting frostbitten, what with living in Tucson, Arizona. 4th Avenue is still popping no matter the season thanks to more than 400 arts and crafts booths, local food vendors and lively street entertainment.

further information: Fourth Avenue Street Fair - Tucson's Historic Fourth Avenue

4.

Woodstock Wassail Weekend 2019

Dec 13 - 15, 2019 | Woodstock, VT 

Billings Farm

Hippies from 1969 will be utterly confused when they arrive here. Chuckle at their hopes for an anniversary show by enjoying this Christmas celebration in Woodstock, Vermont. New England musicians will play their tunes, a colorful parade will march on the Village Green and Woodstock's many attractive homes will be open to explore their decorated quarters. The final day sports an Irish theme with authentic music, dancing and art that reveals their rich ties to Christmas.

further information: Wassail Weekend

5.

Ogunquit Christmas by the Sea 2019

Dec 13 - 15, 2019 | Ogunquit, ME 

It's Christmas time in Ogunquit, Maine, uniting salty sea water with non-salty snowfall (Maybe… I'm not a qualified meteorologist). By the sea is a wealth of cheery activities including an antique sale, local food and wine pairings, theatre performances and a tree lighting ceremony. Akin to the holiday season, Christmas by the Sea is a relentlessly busy event with a crazy amount of activities to look forward to.

further information: CHRISTMAS BY THE SEA 2019

TVs were very peculiar in the 50s!

Pictures of the day

Khor Virap is a monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located on the Ararat Plain in Armenia, near the closed border with Turkey, and about 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the city of Artashat, within the territory of ancient Artaxata. Shown here with Mount Ararat in the background, it is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Armenia. Its fame is attributed to the fact that Gregory the Illuminator, the religious leader who converted Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301, was imprisoned in the location for fourteen years by King Tiridates III. A chapel was initially built in 642 by Nerses III the Builder as a mark of veneration for Saint Gregory. Over the centuries, the monastery was repeatedly rebuilt; the current buildings date from 1662.

TV SCHOOL

A couple watches a television literacy program. This photo is part of a series on the impact that media has on the lives of people in rural Brazil.

Enjoying a summer's day in 1957.

knit
thanks, Wendy

Lindita

knit ... Christmas
thanks,  Adele

Welcome Christmas pattern by Claire Ellen

knit

Zip Sweater

knit

Cardigan Heathers

knit

Lake Effect Snow Hat pattern by Laura Cunitz

Two girls having a tea party in Alabama, 1956

Crochet Pattern of the Day: Christmas

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Mini Reindeer

 A Missouri car park in 1953.
crochet ... Christmas
thanks, Julie

Holiday Crochet Planter Cover (with Pattern!)

crochet
thanks, Charlotte

Free Crochet Puppy Pattern - Includes Leash

crochet

Marble Blouse

crochet

HANGING TOILET TISSUE COVER

crochet

Patons Lace Crochet for Yourself Scarf

At the 1955 parade in Palm Springs.

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

XO Sauce Recipe

Downtown San Francisco in 1951.

CROCKPOT RECIPE
thanks, Julia

Garlic Parmesan Wings Recipe {Crockpot Wings}

Gwen Verdon relaxing on an NYC rooftop in 1953.

SWEETS ... Christmas

12 Days of Holiday Cookies

James Dean just hours before his fatal crash in 1955.

ADULT COLORING

An Alabama diner, photographed in 1956.

CRAFTS ... Christmas

thanks, Stella

Colourful Felt Monogram Gift Tags

The real-life inspiration for Smokey the Bear - Hot Foot Teddy!

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... Christmas

thanks, Natalie

Gorgeous Felt Ornaments DIY for the Holidays

An unusual car seat from the 1950s.

PUZZLE

Ornate Door Iron Jigsaw Puzzle


Believe it or not, this photo was taken in New York in the 50s.

WORD SEARCH

adult afraid agree angel application best

clear conscience development equip experiences glory

heart heed humble inhibitions inner

parole peace plague prayer right splendor stuff supply

taxes teach think trust virtual which

A farmer holding a fresh bouquet of flowers.

SUDOKU ... medium

solution:

When a train collided with a car in LA in 1955.

QUOTE

Celebrating Christmas in 1958.

CLEVER 

thanks, Sofia

6 Ways to Make Fake Snow

thanks, Helen

EYE OPENER 

thanks, Isabel

These Are, Hands Down, the Best Christmas Songs of All Time

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Everything you add to the truth subtracts from the truth. -Alexander Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (11 Dec 1918-2008)

OPTICAL ILLUSION

The popular illusion made the rounds on blogs and websites a few years ago, supposedly as a test to determine if you are "left-brained or right-brained."



In reality, the illusion occurs because our brains must attempt to construct space around the spinning figure.