International Chess Day - July 20, 19

DIANE'S CORNER ... 

Celebrate Int'l Chess Day

I’m sure you’ve heard of chess, but did you know there’s a whole day dedicated to it? Now you do! A game of strategy and wits, Chess is the thinking man’s game. From Early India to today, Chess is a wonderful game to play anytime, anywhere.

History of International Chess Day

Invented in India in the fifth century, it was named “Chaturanga” and this is likely one of the oldest games of our era. The game then spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and subsequently spread to Southern Europe. In Europe, chess evolved into roughly its current form in the 15th century. The game was developed extensively in Europe. By the late 15th century, it had survived a series of prohibitions and Christian Church sanctions to almost take the shape of the modern game.

Modern history saw reliable reference works, competitive chess tournaments, and exciting new variations. These factors added to the game’s popularity, further liked by reliable timing mechanisms (first introduced in 1861), effective rules, and charismatic players. Chess remains a highly popular pastime among the general populace. A 2012 survey found that “chess players now make up one of the largest communities in the world: 605 million adults play chess regularly”

On July 20, 1924 at the eighth summer Olympic games in Paris, France, the FIDE (World Chess Federation) was Founded. Thus in 1966, on the same day as the founding of the FIDE, International Chess Day begun. Today there are chess tournaments all over the world. The first modern chess tournament having been held in London in 1851 and won by German Adolf Anderssen'

thanks for the Blast From the Past pics, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Word of the Day

prissy

MEANING:

adjective: Overly prim and precise so as to appear prudish or finicky.

ETYMOLOGY:

Perhaps a blend of prim + sissy. Earliest documented use: 1894.

USAGE:

“Lucius Malfoy is the boastful and prissy aristocrat who keeps peacocks in his garden and always sits in the best box at the Quidditch World Cup.”
Janet Albrechtsen; The Trouble Is That Neither Has the Magic; The Australian (Canberra, Australia); Jul 12, 2017. 

Women in 1942 would paint their legs to look like they were wearing stockings.

Idiom of the Day

On the pig's back -

Meaning - Refers to a person in successful and well situation.

Example - The tourism in the state was on the pig's back before the terror attacks hit the capital.

Look At Jimmy Fallon At His High School Prom

This Day in History

1801 - A 1,235 pound cheese ball was pressed at the farm of Elisha Brown, Jr. The ball of cheese was later loaded on a horse-driven wagon and presented to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson at the White House. 

1859 - Brooklyn and New York played baseball at Fashion Park Race Course on Long Island, NY. The game marked the first time that admission had been charged for to see a ball game. It cost $.50 to get in and the players on the field did not receive a salary (until 1863). 

1940 - "Billboard" magazine published its first listing of best-selling singles. Ten songs were on the list. 

1942 - The first detachment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, (WACS) began basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. 

1944 - An attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf Hitler failed. The bomb exploded at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters. Hitler was only wounded. 

1969 - Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. became the first men to walk on the moon. 

1985 - Treasure hunters began raising $400 million in coins and silver from the Spanish galleon "Nuestra Senora de Atocha." The ship sank in 1622 40 miles of the coast of Key West, FL. 

2003 - In India, elephants used for commercial work began wearing reflectors to avoid being hit by cars during night work.

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent



DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, July 20

You possess personal magnetism and mental power, and you can also be very fixed and stubborn. Positively, you stick with something for a long time without giving up easily. Negatively, you might hold on to things or situations that have outgrown their worth, or you might become obsessive. You are success-oriented, but you don't abandon your basic values and traditions in the process of achieving your goals. You tend to be most successful in partnership, whether your partner is involved in what you do or not. Famous people born today: 

356 BC Alexander the Great, Macedonian king and military leader, born in Pella, Macedonia (modern Greece) (d. 323 BC)

1822 Gregor Mendel, Austrian monk and geneticist (discoverer of laws of heredity), born in Heinzendorf, Austria (d. 1884)

1919 Edmund Hillary, Explorer and Mountaineer (1st to scale Mt Everest with Tenzing Norgay), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2008)

1929 Mike Ilitch, American businessman (founded Little Caesars Pizza, owner Detroit Red Wings, Tigers), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2017)

1947 Carlos Santana, Mexican rock guitarist (Santana-Black Magic Woman), born in Autlán de Navarro

thanks, Isabel

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Fact of The Day:

The office cubicle was invented by Robert Propst in 1968. 

His original design was called the Action Office System and provided “a social kind of privacy” for the worker.

2.

1976 -

 

On this day in 1976, America’s Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing on Mars. 

3.

Fairbanks Golden Days 2019

Jul 13 - 21, 2019 | Fairbanks, AK

Golden Heart Plaza and other locations in Fairbanks|516 1st Ave

Since 1952 Fairbanks has celebrated its founding with a series of activities around the third weekend in July known as Golden Days. Golden Days boasts exciting events for all ages, including the biggest parade in Alaska, a street fair, and a rubber duckie race along the Chena river among many other fun activities.

further information: Golden Days - Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, AK

4.

Capital Lakefair 2019

Jul 17-21, 2019 | Olympia, WA

Head to the lake for all your favorite rides and games. In addition to tickets, wristbands are available for unlimited rides and 3 games on the day of your choice. Participants must be 2 years of age or older for carnival rides, height and other safety restrictions may apply. 

further information: Capital Lakefair Olympia

5.

Kla Ha Ya Days 2019

Jul 17 - 21, 2019 | Snohomish, WA 

Serving as a summer staple for the last 100+ years, the annual Kla Ha Ya Days in Snohomish, Washington, is an annual event packed with family-friendly attractions and activities. The nine-day extravaganza features a “frogtastic” kids fair, a frog jump contest, a parade, live musical performances, river runs, classic motorcycle and car shows, a farmer's market and wine tastings.

further information: Summertime Fun

London in the 1920's-telephone engineer, 50 feet up. The engineer is attaching the main telephone cable to a new support wire, suspended between Maddox Street and Conduit Street in Mayfair.


Pictures of the day

The Parkes Observatory is a radio telescope observatory in New South Wales, Australia, located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the town of Parkes. It was one of several radio antennae used to receive live television images of the Apollo 11 Moon landing on 20–21 July 1969. Its scientific contributions over the decades has led the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to describe it as "the most successful scientific instrument ever built in Australia" after 50 years of operation. The observatory, which opened in 1961, is run by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), an independent Australian federal government agency, as part of the Australia Telescope National Facility network of radio telescopes. It is frequently operated together with other CSIRO radio telescopes to form a very-long-baseline interferometry array. This picture, taken in 1969, shows the Parkes Observatory's main 64-metre (210 ft) diameter radio telescope dish, around the time that it received transmissions from Apollo 11, with a crescent moon visible in the background. The photograph is part of CSIRO's ScienceImage archive.

Counting cattle at an organic farm

Its owners have spent over $1 million to insulate their operations from global warming.

Jean Allen, horseback performer in the Cole Brothers Circus


knit
thanks, Helen

Tweed Stitch Rib

knit
thanks, Ethel

Berroco Landon (Free)

knit

Sunny Island

knit

Cabled socks

knit

Worsted Springtime Top

Crochet Pattern of the Day: Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Block Party Tee

crochet
thanks, Phyllis

Gripper Towel Ring

crochet
thanks, Helen

Kitty Cuddler pattern by Vicki Mikulak

crochet

Rose Doily #804 pattern by American Thread Company
crochet

Cirrus
crochet

Citrus Punch Crochet Handbag Pattern

RECIPE

thanks, Patsy

Rosemary Goat Cheese Scones

CROCKPOT RECIPE

Honey Ribs Recipe

Good Housekeeping Magazine October 1962


SWEETS

thanks, Sandy

Black Cow Cake - 2 ingredients

rachaelrayshow

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 12-ounce bottle root beer 

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan. In a medium bowl, mix together cake mix and root beer. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.   Bake for 35 minutes. 

ADULT COLORING

CRAFTS

thanks, Claire

A Finger Knitting Door Curtain with Bells DIY

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... crafts

thanks, Mollie

How to Tie-Dye Shirts 10 Ways

PUZZLE

Clown Fish Right Jigsaw Puzzle



WORD SEARCH

SUDOKU ... medium

solution:

QUOTE

Esther Rolle






CLEVER

How to Clean Your Sponges (Because Bacteria Is Real)

EYE OPENER

thanks, Frances

Homemade Dog Shampoo Bar: A Simple and Natural Recipe

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising. There's an element of surprise, and especially in science, there is often laughter that goes along with the 'Aha'. Art also has this element. Our job is to remind us that there are more contexts than the one that we're in -- the one that we think is reality. -Alan Kay, computer scientist (b. 17 May 1940)