Today is...

[IceWizard]

Sunday 29 May 2016

Indianapolis 500



Indianapolis Motor Speedway is open for business and the historic 100th Indianapolis 500 looms.

Pinch yourself! And now, while you’re stuck in a car, standing in line or waiting for the action to start at the track, here’s some stuff to keep you gainfully occupied.

First, some perspective.

You are part of a record crowd. Hulman Motorsports CEO Mark Miles, the head of IndyCar's parent company, did some math: The crowd of 350,000 expected today is as big as the populations of South Bend and Fort Wayne combined. And it’s more people than attended the last four Super Bowls combined.

You are part of a proud Indiana tradition.

The legendary A.J. Foyt puts it like this: “There are a bunch of beautiful racetracks all over the country, but let’s be honest, everyone has one favorite. Tradition is something you just can’t buy.”

You may have to deal with a little adversity — heat and maybe some rain. The National Weather Service is predicting a partly sunny day with a high near 83, and a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m.

According to the Speedway, there have been three complete rainouts on the scheduled race day — in 1915, 1986 and 1997. The worst was ’86: Rained out two days in a row, the race was run the next weekend. Numerous other races were shortened by rain. Officials can end the race and declare the results official if half of the distance has been run —101 of Indy’s 200 laps.

Speedway schedule

6 a.m.: Gates open
6 a.m.-noon: Ticket office open
8-9:15 a.m.: Parade of Bands
8-10 a.m.: Borg-Warner trophy march to the bricks
8:30-10 a.m.: Celebrity red carpet, Pagoda Plaza
9:45 a.m.: 500 Festival princess lap
10:06 a.m.: "On The Banks of the Wabash" performed by Purdue University band
10:29 a.m.: Green flag delivered to Turn 1 by IU Health helicopter
10:40 a.m.: Former Indy 500 champion laps
10:57 a.m.: Historic race car laps
11:07 a.m.: Military Silverado laps
11:35 a.m.: Driver introductions
11:43 a.m.: Pearl Harbor veteran salute
11:47 a.m.: "America the Beautiful," performed by military trio with Purdue band
11:49 a.m.: Military speech
11:55 a.m.: Presentation of colors
11:56 a.m.: Invocation, Archbishop of Indianapolis
11:57 a.m.: "Taps"
11:57 a.m.: "God Bless America," performed by Indianapolis Children's Choir
Noon: "National anthem," performed by Darius Rucker [Hootie and the Blowfish]
12:02 p.m.: Military flyover
12:05 p.m.: "Drivers To Your Cars," Florence Henderson
12:12 p.m.: "(Back Home Again in) Indiana," performed by Josh Kaufman and Indianapolis Children's Choir
12:15 p.m.: "Drivers Start Your Engines"
12:19 p.m.: 100th Indy 500, 200 Laps
6 p.m.: Gates close


And

Paper Clip Day



Do you have a paperclip???



National Paperclip Day is celebrated each year on May 29.

Yes, even the paperclip has its own day of honor. Today is about that well-known piece of curved wire that keeps our papers together and helps keep us organized.

I know that daily, I used many. Some days I will use 20 or more, and often times some items will get 2 paper clips ~ one big and one small. I like the ones that come in colors, nice to be able to color code some things when needed or wanted!

However there are much earlier claims to invention of the paperclip, according to the Early Office Museum, the first patent for a “bent wire paper clip” was presented to Samuel B. Fay in the United States in 1867.

The original intention of Fay’s clip was to attach tickets to fabric, however the patent recognized that it could also be used to attach papers together.

Along with Fay’s patent, there were as many as 50 others that received patents for similar designs prior to 1899. So many had the idea and thought, and millions of paper clips later we are more organized, or so we like to think!

Today, paperclips come in various sizes, shapes and colors and can make your paperwork look more fun and lively. Paperclips are not just for holding papers together, there are many other things that you can do with them! A rainbow of colors, shapes and sizes a paperclip is not only used in the office but it can be found in most desks, junk drawers from home to school.