Special IOTD

IOTD

Calendar day; January 19, 2015

Monday, the 19th of January, 2015 is the 19th day in 2015 and in the 4th calendar week.

General Events:

Martin Luther King Day
January 19, 2015 in the USA

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King’s birthday, January 15. It is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.

King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

One place where this day is observed as important is in the Japanese city of Hiroshima under mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, who holds a special banquet at the mayor’s office as an act of unifying his city’s call for peace with King’s message of human rights.

Where is Martin Luther King Day?
Nationwide USA

Robert E. Lee Day
January 19, 2015 in the USA

Robert E. Lee Day is celebrated on January 19, 2015. Robert E. Lee Day is a holiday marking the birthdate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, observed on the 19th of January each year, on Lee’s birthday. Because of the fact he was a Confederate General it is mainly celebrated in the U.S. South, particularly in Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi.

Where is Robert E. Lee Day?
Nationwide USA

Idaho Human Rights Day
January 19, 2015 in Idaho

Idaho Human Rights Day is observed on January 19, 2015. Idaho Human Rights Day is a State holiday recognized only in the US state of Idaho. It was created on January 16, 2006 by then Governor and former United States Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne. The holiday is celebrated simultaneously each year on the same day as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The full name of this holiday in the state of Idaho is Martin Luther King, Jr. – Idaho Human Rights Day.

Where is Idaho Human Rights Day?
Nationwide Idaho

Popcorn Day
January 19, 2015 in the USA

National Popcorn Day is observed on January 19, 2015. Popcorn, also known as popping corn, is a type of corn that expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. This snack is usually served salted or sweetened. In North America, it is traditionally served salted, often with butter or a butterlike topping. However, sweetened versions, such as caramel corn and kettle corn, are also commonly available.

Depending on how it is prepared and cooked, some consider popcorn to be a health food, while others caution against it for a variety of reasons. Air-popped popcorn is naturally high in dietary fiber and antioxidants, low in calories and fat, and free of sugar and sodium. This can make it an attractive snack to people with dietary restrictions.

Popcorn can also have non-food applications, ranging from holiday decorations to packaging materials. There are various techniques for popping corn. Along with prepackaged popcorn, which is generally intended to be prepared in a microwave oven, there are small home appliances for popping corn. These methods require the use of minimally processed popping corn.

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events on 19th January:

1493 – France cedes Roussillon & Cerdagne to Spain by treaty of Barcelona

1795 – Democratic revolution in Amsterdam ends oligarchy

1825 – Ezra Daggett & nephew Thomas Kensett patent food storage in tin cans

1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey

1885 – Battle at Abu Klea Sudan: 800-1000 killed

1903 – New bicycle race “Tour de France” announced

1915 – Neon Tube sign patented by George Claude

1918 – Soviets disallow a Constitution Assembly

1920 – US Senate votes against membership in League of Nations

1935 – Coopers Inc. sells the world’s first men’s briefs in Chicago, calls it the “Jockey”

1939 – Ernest Hausen of Wisconsin sets chicken-plucking record-4.4 sec

1950 – Maiden flight by Canada’s Avro Canada CF-100 military plane

1952 – PGA approves allowing black participants

1955 – “Scrabble” debuts on board game market

1977 – US President Ford pardons Iva Toguri D’Aquino (Tokyo Rose)

1977 – World’s largest crowd gathering – the Hindu Kumbh Mela in India attracts a then record 15 million people

1981 – US & Iran sign agreement to release 52 American hostages

1990 – Police break up protests in Johannesburg against the cricket players defying a boycott on playing in apartheid South Africa

1993 – Israel recognizes PLO as no longer criminal

1997 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.