Events For 8 March 2011

Holidays/ Celebrations

By: sparkybates 07-Mar-2011

Introduction:

Tuesday, March 8th is the 67th day of 2011. There are 298 days remaining until the end of the year (291 days until Christmas). If March 8th is your birthday, your zodiac sign is Pisces.

International Women's Day

March 8, 2011 is the Centenary (100th annual) celebration of International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. This date is also commemorated by the United Nations and, in some places (like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria), International Women's Day is a national holiday. On this day it is customary for men to give the women in their lives (e.g., mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc.) flowers and small gifts. In some countries (such as Bulgaria and Romania) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother's Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

Appropriately, then, on March 8, 1884, Susan B. Anthony argued before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote. Although she died in 1906, when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1920, guaranteeing all American women the right to vote, it was nicknamed the Anthony Amendment.

In conjunction with International Women's Day, March 8th is also Girls Write Now Day. It is a day to encourage girls of all ages everywhere in the world to put pen to paper and explore the beauty and power of their unique, creative voices.

Last Day Before Lent

People refer to the last day before Lent (40-day period of fasting and prayer before Easter Sunday in the Christian Religion) as Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and Shrove Tuesday. For those who may be curious, the "Shrove" in Shrove Tuesday comes from the Old English verb scrifan, "to decree, decree after judgment, impose a penance upon (the penitent), hear the confession of." Thus, Shrove Tuesday is the day to reflect, to seek penance and get ready for Lent.

This day is also known as International Pancake Day. In Olney, England, there is a Pancake Race whose tradition dates back more than 500 years to 1445. A woman engrossed in using up cooking fats (forbidden during Lent) was making pancakes. Hearing the church bells ring calling everyone to the Shrove Tuesday service, she grabbed her head scarf (required in church) and ran to the church, skillet and pancake in hand and still apron-clad. In following years, neighbors got into the act and it became a race to see who could reach the church first and collect a "Kiss of Peace" from the verger (bell-ringer). Since 1950, pancake racers in Liberal, Kansas, have been competing against those in Olney, with women running down the streets of each town flipping pancakes.

Along a similar theme, this day is also known as Paczki (pronounced "poonch-kee") Day, a day to enjoy the round, sugar-coated, fruit-filled Polish pre-Lenten pastries of that name.

Organize Your Home Office Day

Annually, the second Tuesday in March has been designated as a day for the more than 34 million home office households to find files, purge papers and tackle to-do lists. Whether you work from home or just use it for running your household, this is a day to get your home office in order.

Miscellaneous

On March 8, 1618, Johann Kepler discovered the third Law of Planetary Motion.

On March 8, 1874, Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States, died in Buffalo, N.Y., at age 74.

On March 8, 1887, the telescopic fishing rod was patented by Everett Horton.

On March 8, 1913, the United States Internal Revenue Service began to levy and collect income taxes.

On March 8, 1917, Russia's February Revolution (so called because of the Old Style calendar used by Russians at the time) began with rioting and strikes in St. Petersburg.

On March 8, 1930, William Howard Taft, the 27th president and a former chief justice of the United States, died in Washington, D.C., at age 72.

On March 8, 1999, Joe DiMaggio ("The Yankee Clipper") died at age 84.

Birthdays of Note

Oliver Wendell Holmes (Supreme Court Justice) - 1841 (would have been 170 years old)

Jim Rice (baseball player) - 1953 (58 years old)

Lester Holt (news anchor) - 1959 (52 years old)

Camryn Manheim (actress) - 1961 (50 years old)

Freddie Prinze Jr. (actor) - 1976 (35 years old)

Hines Ward (football player) - 1976 (35 years old)

James Van Der Beek (actor) - 1977 (34 years old)