Saturday, the 31st of May, 2014 is the 151th day in 2014 and in the 22nd calendar week.

General Events:

World No Tobacco Day
May 31, 2014 in the World

The World No Tobacco Day is observed on May 31, 2014. It is a day to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe and to draw attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to the negative health effects. The day is celebrated annually.

The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. Each year, the WHO selects a theme for the day in order to create a more unified global message for WNTD. This theme then becomes the central component of the WHO’s tobacco-related agenda for the following year.

Groups around the world – from local clubs to city councils to national governments – are encouraged by the WHO to organize events each year to help communities celebrate World No Tobacco Day in their own way at the local level.

Past events have included letter writing campaigns to government officials and local newspapers, marches, public debates, local and national publicity campaigns, anti-tobacco activist meetings, educational programming, and public art. In addition, many governments use WNTD as the start date for implementing new smoking bans and tobacco control efforts.

Where is World No Tobacco Day?
Worldwide

Save Your Hearing Day
May 31, 2014 in the World

Save Your Hearing Day reminds us that our hearing is vital, and needs to be protected.

Many hearing loss problems are avoidable. Hearing loss can result from a variety of reasons, including: health, genetic and environmental causes. On the environmental side, repeated long term exposure to loud, high decibel noises can overtime cause hearing loss. This cause, in particular, is often avoidable.

Use Save Your Hearing Day as an opportunity to learn what you can do to avoid hearing loss to yourself, and your family. Then, practice it.

Where is Save Your Hearing Day?
Worldwide

Macaroon Day
May 31, 2014 in the USA

It’s National Macaroon Day! Macaroons are small unleavened cakes with a crispy outer layer and a moist, chewy center. Although they are the same size as cookies, macaroons do not contain any flour and therefore do not fall into that classification. The most popular macaroon varieties are coconut, almond, and chocolate.

Culinary historians believe that macaroons originated in Italy. In fact, the word “macaroon” comes from the Italian word for paste: “maccarone.” A key ingredient in early macaroon recipes was almond paste. In 1533, Italian monks and nuns brought macaroons to France. Two Benedictine nuns, Sister Marguerite and Sister Marie-Elisabeth, baked and sold the tiny cakes in order to pay for their housing. They became known as the “Macaroon Sisters” and their baking became famous throughout Europe.

To celebrate National Macaroon Day, buy some delicious macaroons or bake a homemade batch to share with friends and coworkers!

Where is National Macaroon Day?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events:

1279 BC – Rameses II (The Great) (19th dynasty) becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

1223 – Mongol invasion of the Cumans: Battle of the Kalka River – Mongol armies of Genghis Khan lead by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus and Cumans.

1531 – “Women’s Revolt” in Amsterdam: wool house in churchyard aborted

1578 – Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England to Frobisher Bay, Canada, eventually to mine fool’s gold, used to pave streets in London.

1665 – Jerusalem’s rabbi Sjabtai Tswi proclaims himself Messiah

1727 – France, Britain & Netherlands sign accord of Paris

1870 – Congress passes 1st Enforcement Act (rights of blacks)

1870 – E J DeSemdt patents asphalt pavement

1884 – Dr John Harvey Kellogg patents “flaked cereal”

1889 – Johnstown Flood; 2,209 die in Penn

1893 – Whitcomb Judson, Chicago, patents a hookless fastening (zipper)

1902 – Boer War Ends; Treaty of Unity signed, Britain annexes Transvaal

1910 – Union of South Africa declares independence from UK

1916 – Battle of Jutland (Skagerrak): naval battle betwwen British Grand Fleet and German High Seas Fleet: 10,000 die in this inconcluisve slaughter

1931 – 7.1 magnitude Earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan: 40,000 dead.

1955 – US Supreme Court orders school integration “with all deliberate speed”

1970 – At 03:23 PM, Yungay Peru levelled by 7.75 earthquake (50-70,000 die)

1979 – Zimbabwe proclaims independence

1985 – Guatemala adopts constitution

1985 – 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak: Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead.