T.V. Anniversary

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Seventy-three years ago, on this day in 1939 the first American television show was broadcast from the Empire State Building in New York City.  For more information click here.

Royal Anniversary

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Today is the first year wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the future King and Queen of England.  For more information about English royal weddings, click here to go to the official website of the British Monarchy.

Welcome Maryland!

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On this day in 1788 Maryland entered the U.S.A. as the seventh state.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

I Heard That!

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On this day in 1880 the first patent for electrical hearing aids was issued.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Odd Fellows History

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On this day in 1819 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows established their first U.S. lodge in Baltimore, Maryland.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

The First U.S. Car Tag

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On this day in 1901, New York became the first U.S. state to require car license plates.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Google's Zipper

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Log onto to Google today, and you will see a zipper down the middle of the page.  Click & "unzip" to find out about the inventor of the zipper.

What did you learn today?

It's World Book Day!!

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It's World Book Day, and there are lots of resources and give-aways at the World Book Day website!  For more information click here., and also here.

What did you learn today?

Largest Colorless Diamond in the World

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The largest colorless diamond in the world is the Cullinan I.  The 530.20-carat pear-shaped diamond is in a scepter that is part of the British Crown Jewels, which are located in the Tower of London and are on public display except when in use by Queen Elizabeth II.  For more information click here and click here.

What did you learn today?

The Optimist's Creed

I was familiar with Optimist International Club, but I didn't know their creed.  It was written in 1912 by Christian D. Larson (1874-1962).

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

What did you learn today?

And...We're Back! With The Back!

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There are 33 sections in a baby's backbone, and 24 sections in the adult backbone.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?  You may leave comments below--we enjoy hearing from you!

Be Back Tomorrow!!

My apologies to those of you who check here for your daily brain massage:  the computer backlight has been out since Friday the 13th...surely THAT can't have anything to do with it...right?

Anyway, tomorrow we'll be back in business, and since I've been doing my daily research anyway, I can set up a few advance-blogs in case this happens again--I would hate to be responsible for anyone not getting a brain massage daily!

See you tomorrow--what did YOU learn today?

The Messiah's 270th Anniversary

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George Frideric Handel's (1685-1759) oratorio, The Messiah, was performed for the first time two-hundred seventy years ago today.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Sandwich Glass...And You Can Eat Off It, Too!

Photo courtesy Sandwich Glass Museum; click here to see this Sandwich Glass Reproduction for sale

I'm an admirer of artisan glass, and have seen it made in Seattle, Washington; Williamsburg, Virginia; and on the island of Murano in Venice, Italy.  I've admired Sandwich glass, but didn't know it was a product of the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts here in the U.S.A.  For more information click here.

What did you learn today?

National Poetry Month!

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I love poetry, and I read a lot and memorize some.  I especially love 18th and 19th century poetry, although there are some 20th century poets I'm passionate about including Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Edna St. Vincent Millay.  One of my favorite books I own is World Poetry:  An Anthology of Verse from Antiquity to Our Time.  So, I was especially happy to learn that April is National Poetry Month in the U.S., and has been so since 1996.  For more information click here.

Two of my favorite poems follow:

Solitude
by Alexander Pope, 1688-1744 (English)

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
     In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire;
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
     In winter, fire.

Blest, who can unconcernedly find
Hours, days, and years slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind;
     Quiet by day.

Sounds sleep by night; study and ease
Together mixed, sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please
     With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die,
Steal from the world, and not a stone
     Tell where I lie.

Native Land
From The Lay of the Last Minstrel
by Sir Walter Scott, 1771-1832 (Scottish)

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land?
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on a foreign strand?
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim--
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored, and unsung.

What did you learn today?

Dead...Or Alive?

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In the 18th and 19th centuries, the possibility of being thought dead and then buried when not actually dead was widely feared, so much so that special coffins were built by many people.  These "safety-coffins" were equipped with breathing devices, keys that could unlock the casket from the inside, and devices that could inform observers that the buried coffin contained a living person.  For more information click here and click here.

What did you learn today?

Marian Anderson Anniversary

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On this day in 1939 contralto Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  For more information click here.

This brings back a precious memory for me:  in the summer of 1968 I met Marian Anderson at a student music seminar in New York City, where she gave a speech to the 50 of us.  It was a wonderful week of inspiration and learning.

What did you learn today?

Easter Traditions, Cards, Games, & More!

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Click here for a website filled with information, downloadable games and cards, and much, much more!

What did you learn today?

Beautiful Women of Classical Music

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Click here to go to a website that shows pictures and biographies of some of the beautiful women who perform classical music.

What did you learn today?

Red Cross & Clara Barton

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I knew of many of Clara Barton's (1821-1912) contributions to nursing, but I didn't know:  she founded the Red Cross.  For more information click here.

The Musical Instrument in the Sky

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There is a constellation that is a musical instrument:  Lyra.  For information on the history of the lyre as well as the constellation click here.  I looked this up because Jessica T., one of my piano students, wrote a story about a constellation that was a piano.

What did you learn today?

Yo-Yo Weapon

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The yo-yo was originally invented in the Philippines and served as a weapon for several hundred years.  In the 1800's people in Europe then the U.S. began to play with yo-yos as toys.  For more information click here and click here.

Pony Express Anniversary

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The first pony express in the U.S. began on this day in 1860.  It ran between Missouri and California.  For more information click here.

For Numismatics: First U.S. Mint Anniversary

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On this day in 1792, the U.S. Congress authorized the first mint to make U.S. coins, which was to open in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  For more information click here.

What did you learn today?

Don't Be a Fool: Be Happy!

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There is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

Ecclesiastes 3:12

The cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Proverbs 15:15

This is the day the Lord has made,

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalms 118:24

Your purpose in life is to be happy.

Dalai Lama

Be happy anyway.

Mother Theresa

Happy people:

do not start wars.

do not live a life of crime.

do not hurt and abuse other people.

do not go around causing pain.

do not go around creating problems and disharmony.

treat others well and go around spreading happiness.

Jonathon Manske

I couldn't find any verses in the Koran that instruct us to be happy; if you know of them please let me know.

What did you learn today?