daily humor

29
Apr
2024

Oops, it’s MONDAY again

Today is Showa Day in Japan, a public holiday. Known in Japan as ‘Shōwa no Hi‘, it is part of Golden Week. Showa Day honors the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, the reigning Emperor before, during, and after World War II (from 1926 – 1989).

The Showa Era is the longest and most dramatic reign of an emperor in Japan’s history. Emperor Showa was the longest-living emperor. He died at age 87 after reigning for 63 years. In fact, the Showa Era literally covers some of modern Japan’s brightest and darkest hours. After his death in 1989, he was renamed Emperor Showa.

Showa Day is the first holiday of Golden Week. The Golden Week is a period when four national holidays fall within the space of seven days. The days which are holidays each year depending on how the holidays fall in combination with the two weekends either side of Golden Week. It has become a very popular and busy holiday season in Japan.

Your choice…

D section is incorrectly named.

Today is the birthday, in 1899, of Duke Ellington, American composer, bandleader, pianist. He worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday. Ellington died on May 24, 1974, of complications from lung cancer and pneumonia, a few weeks after his 75th birthday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQpZT3GhDg

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, World
26
Apr
2024

It’s FRIDAY boys and girls!

Today is Union Day, a public holiday in Tanzania. It commemorates the union of Zanzibar and Tanganyika on April 26th 1964.

The first European to visit Tanzania was Vasco da Gama in 1498. European colonialism in the region began on mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa. Zanzibar, which was ruled by the Sultan of Oman became partially independent and became a center of the slave trade with more than 50,000 slaves a year passing through on their way primarily to the Arabian Peninsula.

Britain began to have more influence in Zanzibar as it was determined to end the slave trade and eventually Britain came to rule Zanzibar indirectly through viziers and sultans.

Following World War I, the mainland came under British control and was ruled as Tanganyika, with Zanzibar remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction.

Tanganyika gained its independence in 1961. The British ended the protectorate status of Zanzibar in December 1963 making it constitutional monarchy under the rule of Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah. A month later, the Sultan was deposed in a socialist revolution and there was fear that Zanzibar could become another ‘Cuba’.

On April 26, 1964, with a push from the United States and Britain, Zanzibar and Tanganyika became the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar with the country renamed to Tanzania in October of that year.

Tax on people with poor math skills…

buy two…

VIKINGS!!!

Today is the birthday, in 1970, of Tionne Watkins, T- Boz, singer with American girl group TLC. They scored nine top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four No.1 singles, ‘Creep’, ‘Waterfalls’, ‘No Scrubs’, and ‘Unpretty’. Their 1999 US No.1 album Fanmail spent 57 weeks on the UK chart. Having sold over 65 million records worldwide, TLC is the best-selling American girl group. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLequ6dUdM

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
25
Apr
2024

THURSDAY (right after Wednesday)

Today is Freedom Day in Portugal. It celebrates the 1974 Revolution that ended the dictatorship and started a democracy. It also commemorates the first free elections that took place a year later on April 25th 1975.

The peaceful uprising was nicknamed the “Carnation Revolution” after the flowers protesters placed in the military’s guns and tanks in a rare example of a military coup staged to install democracy.

The 1974 revolt by a group of idealist young military captains quickly turned into a popular uprising when the troops were joined by jubilant crowds.

The revolution began on April 25th 1974, in Lisbon. Meeting little resistance from loyalist forces they took less than 24 hours to topple the dictatorship that had ruled Portugal with an iron fist since 1926 under Antonio de Oliveira Salazar and from 1968 under Marcelo Caetano. The events of April 25th transformed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a democracy.

Introverts…

Design…

Today is the anniversary of the premiere performance, in 1926 of Turandot by Giacomo Puccini two years after his death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suj-2sbSFKs

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, opera
24
Apr
2024

WEDNESDAY in the middle

Genocide Memorial Day (‘Mets Yegherrni zoheri hishataki’) in Armenia is a public holiday on April 24th. Known as Armenian Martyrs Day, this day honors the memory of victims of persecution that began on April 24th 1915.

The date of April 24th commemorates the deportation of over 250 Armenian intellectuals on April 24th 1915 from Constantinople. This event was seen as the start of the killing of 1.5 million Armenians.

From the 15th century, Armenia had been part of the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian community flourished and grew across the Ottoman Empire and was sizeable by the time most of modern-day Armenia came under Russian rule in the 19th century.

The Ottomans entered World War I on the side of the Germans and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1914. The religious authorities declared a holy war against all Christians except their allies. This was bad news for the Christian Armenians, with the Turkish government viewing the Armenian population as the enemy.

This led to the persecution and killings of the Armenians. By the end of the persecution in 1923, it is estimated that less than 400,000 Armenians remained in Turkey from a previous population of over two million.

On Genocide Memorial Day, thousands of Armenians gather at the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial to commemorate the victims of the genocide and lay flowers at the eternal flame.

Nothing??

OOPS!!!!

Today is the birthday, in 1945, of Doug Clifford, drummer with Creedence Clearwater Revival who scored the 1969 US No.2 & UK No.1 single ‘Bad Moon Rising’, and the 1970 US & UK No.1 album Cosmo’s Factory. The band has sold 26 million albums in the United States alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWijx_AgPiA

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
23
Apr
2024

TOOOOOOOSDAY!

Today is National Sovereignty and Children’s Day (Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı), a national holiday in Turkey, always celebrated on April 23rd. Known as “23 Nisan”, the day commemorates the first opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey at Ankara in 1920.

On April 23rd 1920, during the War of Independence, the Grand National Assembly, the nation’s unicameral parliament, met in Ankara to begin to lay the foundations of the new Turkish republic after the end of the Ottoman Empire.

To mark the event, April 23rd was proclaimed a national holiday in 1921, making this the first public holiday in the new republic.

Since 1927 it has also become Children’s Day, when the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, dedicated April 23rd to the children of Turkey to recognise that children are the future of the nation. With this, Turkey became the first country in the world to celebrate an official Children’s Day, as a gift to the children in Turkey and around the world.

Shakespeare Day – born April 23 1564 – died April 23, 1616

Today is the birthday, in 1936, of American singer-songwriter Roy Orbison “the Big O” who had a 1964 UK & US No.1 single with ‘Pretty Woman’ plus over 20 US & 30 UK Top 40 singles including ‘Only the Lonely’ (1960), ‘Running Scared’ (1961) and ‘Crying’. With the Traveling Wilburys he had a 1988 UK hit single ‘Handle With Care’. Orbison died of a heart attack on 6 December 1988. This video was recorded in 1987 as the finale of the Black & White Night Concert. Backed by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, James Burton, Glen D. Hardin, Tom Waits, kd lang, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, JD Souther, T Bone Burnett, Steven Soles, and Jennifer Warnes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PLq0_7k1jk

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies