Saturday, the 8th of November, 2014 is the 312th day in 2014 and in the 45th calendar week.
General Events:
Dunce Day 2014
November 8, 2014 in the World
Dunce Day celebrates the term “dunce,” or someone who is incapable of learning, unwilling to learn, a slow learner, lazy, dull, ignorant…you get the idea. Pointed hats called “dunce caps” were once used by teachers as a form of punishment for misbehavior in the classroom or, of course, for being a dunce. Though a rare to non-existent punishment today, you’ve probably seen the dunce cap depicted in pop culture as a cone-shaped paper had marked with “dunce” or a “D.”
The term “dunce” was derived from the name John Duns Scotus, one of the most influential philosophers and theologians of the High Middle Ages. Dunce Day marks the day of his death in 1308. “Duns,” later “dunce” was originally applied to followers of Duns Scotus by humanists and reformers during the 16th century as an insult for being incapable of scholarship.
Duns Scotus believed that cone shaped hats increased learning potential. He believed knowledge would flow from the point of the cap, down and into the head of the wearer, making that person smarter. About all this accomplished over time, was the perception of a person wearing a dunce cap to be…… a dunce.
Where is Dunce Day?
Worldwide
X-ray Day
November 8, 2014 in the World
On this day in 1895, physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen (1845-1923) becomes the first person to observe X-rays, a significant scientific advancement that would ultimately benefit a variety of fields, most of all medicine, by making the invisible visible. Rontgen’s discovery occurred accidentally in his Wurzburg, Germany, lab, where he was testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass when he noticed a glow coming from a nearby chemically coated screen. He dubbed the rays that caused this glow X-rays because of their unknown nature.
To test his discovery, Roentgen made an X-ray image of his wife Bertha’s hand, clearly showing the bones of her hand. He dubbed the rays that caused this glow X-rays because of their unknown nature.
Rontgen’s discovery was labeled a medical miracle and X-rays soon became an important diagnostic tool in medicine, allowing doctors to see inside the human body for the first time without surgery. In 1897, X-rays were first used on a military battlefield, during the Balkan War, to find bullets and broken bones inside patients.
Wilhelm Rontgen received numerous accolades for his work, including the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901, yet he remained modest and never tried to patent his discovery. Today, X-ray technology is widely used in medicine, material analysis and devices such as airport security scanners.
Where is X-ray Day?
Worldwide
Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day
November 8, 2014 in the World
Normally falling in the late autumn, Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day is an event that leaves little to the imagination. In other words, cooking something original, spicy and even a bit offencive is the entire intent of this day. Still, it is not meant to merely represent a disgusting concoction of disparate ingredients. Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day is intended to celebrate the use of herbs such as garlic and hot pepper to promote health and longevity.
While falling in November (generally), there is indeed no set date to recognise this event. As should already be suspected, the best way to recognise Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day is by (you have guessed it) cooking something bold and pungent. By using a bit of imagination, one may even find that a surprisingly original dish can be created. When boldness is combined with innovation, some interesting results can occur!
Where is Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day?
Worldwide
National Parents As Teachers Day
November 8, 2014 in the USA
Observed on November 8, National Parents As Teachers Day is an “unofficial” national holiday. This day offers parents as teachers services across the country. These affiliates give all parents of young children support and it also gives information to all children will learn, grow and develop to realize their full potential.
“The concept for Parents as Teachers was developed in the 1970’s when Missouri educators noted that children were beginning kindergarten with varying levels of school readiness. Research showed that greater parent involvement is a critical link in the child’s development of learning skills, including reading and writing.”
Where is National Parents As Teachers Day?
Nationwide USA
Historical Events on 8th November:
392 – Roman Emperor Theodosius declares Christian religion, state religion
1519 – 1st meeting of Moctezuma II & Hernán Cortés in Tenochtitlan, Mexico
1520 – Stockholm Bloodbath begins: A successful invasion of Sweden by Danish forces results in the execution of around 100 people.
1658 – Battle of the Sound: Swedish fleet beats Dutch during 2nd Northern War
1789 – Bourbon Whiskey, 1st distilled from corn (by Elijah Craig, Bourbon Ky)
1884 – German government recognizes King Leopold II’s Congo Free State
1895 – German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen produces and detects electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays
1917 – People’s Commissars gives authority to Lenin, Trotsky & Stalin during October Revolution
1939 – Failed assassination attempt on Hitler in Burgerbraukeller, Munich
1956 – UN demands USSR leave Hungary
1965 – British Indian Ocean Territory formed
1977 – Manolis Andronikos, a Greek Archaeologist and professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, discovers the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Vergina.
1990 – Saddam fires his army chief & threatens to destroy Arabian peninsula
2002 – Iraq disarmament crisis: UN Security Council Resolution 1441 – The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves a resolution on Iraq, forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face “serious consequences”.
M'chelsMusings 