IOTD

Calendar day; January 18, 2016

Monday, the 18th of January, 2016 is the 18th day in 2016 and in the 3rd calendar week.

General Events:

Martin Luther King Day
January 18, 2016 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

Idaho Human Rights Day
January 18, 2016 in Idaho

Idaho Human Rights Day is observed on January 18, 2016. 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

Winnie the Pooh Day
January 18, 2016 in the World

Winnie the Pooh Day takes place on January 18, 2016. Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. Winnie the Pooh Day day was created to celebrate the birth of A.A .Milne in 1882. Milne named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was the basis for the character Christopher Robin. Christopher Milne had named his toy bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear which he often saw at London Zoo, and “Pooh”, a swan they had met while on holiday.

In the Milne books, Pooh is naive and slow-witted, but he is also friendly, thoughtful, and steadfast. Although he and his friends agree that he “has no Brain,” Pooh is occasionally acknowledged to have a clever idea, usually driven by common sense. Pooh is also a talented poet, and the stories are frequently punctuated by his poems and “hums.” Pooh is very fond of food, especially “hunny” but also condensed milk and other items.

After Slesinger’s death in 1953, his wife, Shirley Slesinger Lasswell, continued developing the character herself. In 1961, she licensed rights to Walt Disney Productions. Since 1966, Disney has released numerous animated productions starring Winnie the Pooh and related characters. These have included theatrical featurettes, television series, and direct-to-video films, as well as the theatrical feature-length films The Tigger Movie, Piglet’s Big Movie, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, and Winnie the Pooh.

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Thesaurus Day 2016
January 18, 2016 in the World

Thesaurus Day is celebrated on January 18, 2016. In general usage, a thesaurus is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning, in contrast to a dictionary, which provides definitions for words, and generally lists them in alphabetical order. The main purpose of such reference works is to help the user “to find the word, or words, by which [an] idea may be most fitly and aptly expressed” – to quote Peter Roget, architect of the best known thesaurus in the English language.

Although including synonyms, a thesaurus should not be taken as a complete list of all the synonyms for a particular word. The entries are also designed for drawing distinctions between similar words and assisting in choosing exactly the right word. Unlike a dictionary, a thesaurus entry does not give the definition of words.

Where is the event?
Worldwide

World Day of the Snowman
January 18, 2016 in the World

World Day of the Snowman is celebrated on January 18, 2016. The date goes back to the form of the Snowman: “8” symbolizes the snowman and the “1” stands for his stick or broom. Moreover, January is usually cold enough to build snowmen and is therefore a perfect chance to celebrate the snowman. World Day of the Snowman was first held in 2011.

A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture. In some cases, participants in winter festivals will build large numbers of snowmen. In North America, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs with some additional accoutrements for facial and other features. Common accessories include branches for arms and a rudimentary smiley face; a carrot can stand in for a nose. Human clothing, such as a hat or scarf, may even be included.

Low-cost and availability are the common issues, since snowmen are usually in a cold and/or wet environment, and abandoned to the elements once completed. Melting is a common end-of-life scenario for most snowmen. Snowmen are a popular theme for Christmas and winter decorations and also in children’s media.

Where is the event?
Worldwide

National Peking Duck Day
January 18, 2016 in the USA

Peking Duck is a delectable dish that originated in Beijing, China during the Imperial Era. It became one of the main dishes on the court menus of the Ming Dynasty in the 1500s and is now considered one of China’s national foods.

Peking Duck is made with a specific breed of duck—the Imperial Peking. It is typically roasted in a brick oven, which causes the skin to become crispy. Peking Duck can be eaten with pancakes, spring onions, and either hoisin sauce or sweet bean sauce.

To celebrate National Peking Duck Day, visit a Chinese restaurant and enjoy a traditionally prepared Peking Duck or, if you are feeling adventurous, try cooking one at home!

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events on 18th January:

532 – Nika uprising at Constantinople fails, 30-40,000 die

1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong

1591 – King Naresuan of Siam kills Crown Prince Minchit Sra of Burma in single combat, for which this date is now observed marked as Royal Thai Armed Forces day

1644 – Perplexed Pilgrims in Boston reported America’s 1st UFO sighting

1778 – Capt James Cook stumbles over Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands)

1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay to set up a penal colony

1871 – 2nd German Empire proclaimed by Kaiser Wilhelm I & Bismarck

1886 – Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England

1915 – Japan issues the “Twenty-One Demands” to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia

1945 – Soviet Armed Forces enter Krakow and push Germans out only to eventually occupy entire country

1960 – US & Japan sign joint defense treaty

1962 – US begins spraying foliage in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas

1974 – “$6 Million Man” starring Lee Majors premieres on ABC TV

1974 – Israel & Egypt sign weapons accord

1977 – Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires’ disease

1983 – IOC restores Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals 70 years after they were taken from him for being paid $25 in semipro baseball

1985 – US renounces jurisdiction of World Court despite previous promise

1989 – Astronomers discover pulsar in remnants of Supernova 1987A (LMC)

1993 – Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observed in all 50 states for 1st time

1997 – Boerge Ousland of Norway becomes the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided

2000 – The Tagish Lake meteorite impacts the Earth

2007 – The strongest storm in the United Kingdom in 17 years kills 14 people, Germany sees the worst storm since 1999 with 13 deaths. Hurricane Kyrill, causes at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe. Other losses include the Container Ship MSC Napoli destroyed by the storm off the coast of Devon, England