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August 23:

August 23: National Sponge Cake Day

A sponge cake is a light-textured cake made of eggs, sugar and flour; there is no fat or leavening, but it is critical to beat air in at key stages of preparation.

It is baked in cake pans, tube pans or sheet pans; after it is baked, the airy cake is still flexible, and can be used to make rolled cakes such including Bûche de Noël. The basic sponge cake recipe is also used to make ladyfingers and madeleine; slices are also used instead of biscuits to make strawberry shortcake.

Since sponge cakes are not leavened with yeast, they are often enjoyed during Passover, made with matzo meal instead of wheat flour.

Sponge cake is very versatile cake and can be variously flavored and filled.

http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/main/cookies/cakes/glossary7.asp#sponge

What is your favorite sponge cake filling?

August 22:

August 22: Liquid Soap patented

William Shepphard first patented liquid soap on August 22, 1865.

In 1980, the Minnetonka Corporation introduced the first modern liquid soap called SOFT SOAP brand liquid soap. Minnetonka cornered the liquid soap market by buying up the entire supply of the plastic pumps needed for the liquid soap dispensers.

In 1987, the Colgate Company acquired the liquid soap business from Minnetonka.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsoap.htm

August 21:

August 21: National Senior Citizen’s Day

In 1988, National Senior Citizens Day was established by President Ronald Reagan.

"Throughout our history, older people have achieved much for our families, our communities, and our country. That remains true today, and gives us ample reason this year to reserve a special day in honor of the senior citizens who mean so much to our land," Reagan said in Proclamation 5847.

The oldest verifiable person to ever live was Jeanne Calment, a French woman who was born on Feb. 21, 1875 and died on Aug. 4, 1997, making her lifespan an amazing 122 years. Calment credited her resiliency to wine, olive oil, and having a sense of humor.

Proving that you are never too old to go back to school, Nola Ochs, a Kansas woman, became the world's oldest American to graduate from college at the age of 95 in 2007 (a 96-year-old Taiwan man broke the world's record in 2009.) In 2010, Ochs, at 98, received her master's degree in liberal studies, with a concentration on history, from Fort Hays State University in Kansas.

Min Bahadur Sherchan, a Nepalese man who climbed Mt. Everest at age 76, holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to scale the world's highest peak. He accomplished this amazing feat on his first attempt.

Gladys Burrill set the Guinness World Record for being the oldest woman to run a marathon when she finished the Honolulu Marathon on Dec. 12, 2010 at the age of 92 with a time of 9 hours, 53 minutes. Burrill, also known as the "Gladyator," ran her very first marathon at the age of 86.

http://mansfield.patch.com/articles/august-21-2011-national-senior-citizens-day-2

For information on activities scheduled at the Fairmont, Mannington and Fairview Senior Centers, visit http://marionseniors.org/

At what age do you consider a person a “senior citizen”?

August 20:

August 20: National Lemonade Day

When life gives you lemons . . . .

The lemon, or “citrus limon,” may have originated in northwestern India. It was introduced in Italy around 200 A.D. and was cultivated by the year 700 in Egypt and Iraq. It continued to spread and by the 12th century was widely known and used, being prized for its medicinal value in Egypt and Syria. Lemons started being grown in California and Florida in the 1700s.

Egyptians created lemonade more than 1,500 years ago. This popular drink was called “qatarmizat” and was consumed between the 10th and 13th centuries. Toward the end of the 12th century, the physician to the Muslim leader Saladin wrote a treatise on the lemon. In the 14th century, Egyptians drank a wine made from honey, lemons, and dates.

Lemon works as an antiseptic and can prevent disease while cleansing the body of toxins. Lemon aids in digestion, relieving heartburn, bloating, and belching. It also helps the colon work better, which will control diarrhea and constipation. If you suffer from gout, rheumatism, rickets, or tuberculosis, lemon would be beneficial.

http://www.2020site.org/history/history-of-lemonade.html

Do you know which president established National Aviation Day in 1939?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

August 19:

August 19: National Aviation Day

In 1939, National Aviation Day was established to promote air transportation in the United States. The date chosen was August 19, the birthday of Orville Wright, who piloted the first recorded flight of a powered heavier-than-air machine on December 17, 1903. Orville was born in Dayton, Ohio, while his partner and older brother, Wilbur Wright, was born on a farm near Millville, Indiana.

http://www.almanac.com/calendar/date/2012-08-19

Do you know which president established this holiday in 1939?

August 18:

August 18: 19^th Amendment

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex" and "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

Ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote—a right known as woman suffrage.

At the time the U.S. was founded, its female citizens did not share all of the same rights as men, including the right to vote.

It was not until 1848 that the movement for women's rights launched on a national level with a convention in Seneca Falls, New York, organized by abolitionists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.

Following the convention, the demand for the vote became a centerpiece of the women's rights movement. Stanton and Mott, along with Susan B. Anthony and other activists, formed organizations that raised public awareness and lobbied the government to grant voting rights to women.

After a 70-year battle, these groups finally emerged victorious with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/woman-suffrage-amendment-ratified

August 17:

August 17: National Thrift Store Day

Recently, second-hand shopping has become one of the first stops for people looking to spruce up their wardrobes, their homes and to save some serious cash.

Looking for some great places to do some thrifty shopping in Marion County? Check out:

Penny Pinchers: 113 Fairmont Avenue

Goodwill Stores: 50 Southland Drive (mall)

Salvation Army: 1512 Locust Ave

Hospice Care Thrift Shop: 209 Market Street

The Treasure House: Market Street, Mannington

Pack Rats: Main Street, Mannington

Monongah Furniture and Antiques: Rt. 19, Fairmont (Monongah)

Thrift Store Shopping Tips: http://www.thriftlocator.com/?q=used/thriftstore

August 16:

August 16: National Rum Day

"There's naught no doubt so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion." - Lord Byron

Rum history can be traced back to the 17th century when sugar plantations were flourishing in the British West Indies. Rum is a beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other casks. While there are rum producers in places such as Australia, India, Reunion Island, and elsewhere around the world, the majority of rum production occurs in and around the Caribbean and along the Demerara River in South America.

Light rums are commonly used in mixed drinks, while golden and dark rums are appropriate for use in cooking as well as cocktails. Premium brands of rum are also available that are made to be consumed neat or on the rocks.

Rum plays a part in the culture of most islands of the West Indies, and has famous associations with the British Royal Navy and piracy. Rum has also served as a popular medium of exchange that helped to promote slavery along with providing economic instigation for Australia's Rum Rebellion and the American Revolution.

The origin of the word rum is unclear. A common claim is that the name was derived from rumbullion meaning "a great tumult or uproar". Another claim is the name is from the large drinking glasses used by Dutch seamen known as rummers, from the Dutch word roemer, a drinking glass. Other options include contractions of the words saccharum, Latin for sugar, or arôme, French for aroma.

Regardless of the original source, the name had come into common use by May 1657 when the General Court of Massachusetts made illegal the sale of strong liquor "whether knowne by the name of rumme, strong water, wine, brandy, etc., etc."

http://www.cubanrum.com/

Some facts and trivia about rum can be found at http://www.rumwisdom.com/rumfacts.html