Today is...

[IceWizard]

Tuesday 6 Dec 2016

National Miners' Day



The men and women who spend every day digging in the earth are some of the greatest unsung heroes of industry and modern civilization.

They dig deep into the darkest places in the world to bring out the riches that help to sustain our lifestyles. From the steel for our cars, to the copper wiring that binds together our digital world together, everything we think of as our modern lives and comforts exist on the back of these intrepid people.

History of Miners’ Day

The history of mining reaches into prehistory, where resources such as flint were removed from the earth to produce the highest quality tools of the age.

As time went on and more was understood about the nature of ores and how to process them, gold, turquoise, and malachite (the ore from which copper is derived) mines began to appear all over the world.

Better technology allowed the development of new mining techniques, and more uses for existing and newly discovered resources.

Even in these ancient days, the bronze and iron brought forth from the earth was used to plow the ground, fight wars, and build grand edifices that would stand the test of time.

Miners’ Day was established to celebrate and recognize those who take part in this dangerous profession, to help our lives be comfortable and full of conveniences.

Thanks to the efforts of the president of the Miners’ Day Memorial Association of West Virginia (MDMAWV) Roy Lee Cooke, National Miners’ Day was established in 2009 by the passing of a resolution by the United States Senate.



And



Mitten Tree Day



Mittens, we have all used them in our lives, some of us probably still do. They are our favorite things to use when making snowballs or making a snowman. They keep our hands warm from the cold and crunchy snow that we pick up and throw at each other, and are a good way to make sure our hands are colorful against the bright whiteness of the snowy ground.

We are here today to learn about a day just for these little colorful, fuzzy, and soft hand covers, a day called Mitten Tree Day!

History of Mitten Tree Day

Created by school teachers as a way to have a fun Christmastime activity for the children to make while they were in school.

Others would claim that the holiday was created because of a book with the title “The Mitten Tree” which was written by author Candace Christiansen, in the book the main character Sarah is bundling up to walk through the cold winter weather, and on her trek she sees a group of children placing their mittens on a small dead tree.

No matter where the origin for the holiday came from, children will always enjoy making little mitten trees.

But what about mittens? Where do they come from?

Well, Mitten is derived from the Old French word mitaine which was an old pet name for a cat, because back then mittens were made of animal fur.

The earliest mittens known to man date back to around the year 1000 A.D. and originally were used as sheaths for gloves since mittens did not have any separate finger openings to allow finger mobility. They were believed to have been made out of wool due to the discovery of a woolen mitten found in the harbor area of Dorestad in the Netherlands, determined to be from the 8th or 9th century AD based on surrounding archaeological evidence.

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December 6 Birthdays


Mike Smith - (1943 - 2008)



Peter Buck - 60



Randy Rhoads - (1956-1982)



Otto Graham - (1921-2003)



Sarah Rafferty - 44








December 6th

2009: Bruce Springsteen was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors for his contributions to American culture. President Barack Obama would say “I’m the President, but he’s The Boss.”

2005: Valerie Bertinelli filed for divorce from her husband of 20 years, Eddie Van Halen. The couple had been separated since October 15, 2001.

1997: Metallica entered the Billboard 200 Album Chart at number one with their seventh studio album ReLoad which spent one week on top of the chart and went on to sell four million copies in the U.S. This was Metallica’s third album to debut at number one in the U.S.

1995: Four months after the death of guitarist Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead announced that they were splitting up. They would tour again from 1998-2002 as The Other Ones and in 2003 and 2009 as The Dead.

1986: Ringo Starr became the first Beatle to get into advertising after signing a seven-figure deal to be the spokesperson for a wine cooler company.

1983: Asia’s concert from Tokyo’s Budokan, Asia in Asia was broadcast live on MTV. This was Greg Lake’s live debut with Asia.

1980: U2 performed their first concert in North America at The Ritz in New York City.

1973: The Steve Miller Band received their first Gold album for The Joker which went on to sell one million copies in the U.S.

1969: The Rolling Stones performed a free concert at the Altamont Speedway in northern California with support from Jefferson Airplane. During the Stones’ set, 18 year old Meredith Hunter was killed by a member of Hell’s Angels after Hunter allegedly waved a revolver.



Birthdays:

Mike Smith - Singer for The Dave Clark Five born in 1943

Peter Buck - Guitarist for R.E.M. born in 1956

Randy Rhoads - Guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne born in 1956