February 2 History Groundhog Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—February 2, 2015 Trust you enjoyed a very exciting Super Bowl yesterday and that your Monday is off to a great start. As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and a relevant quote and image on life and sled dogs,  with a smile on your face, enjoying a bowl of heavenly hash, blessed with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event like Valentines’ Day soon approaching, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.  You need only contact me for details.
       1. Groundhog Day—first observed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in 1887 and commemorating the weather forecasting skills of all those furry rodents who will predict whether we have an early spring or more weeks of winter; my bet is on more winter especially as the Midwest and Northeast is getting buried in another blizzard.
       2. World Wetlands Day—celebrated since 1971 to promote public awareness of the benefits of wetlands and to promote their preservation.

       3. 2002 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 2002 as part of a 6 week run U Got It Bad Wasn’t Me by Usher, one of the top R&B and hip hop musicians of the 2000’s.

        4. Heavenly Hash Day—great Southern treat and antioxidant cocktail of grapes, maraschino cherries, pecans all wrapped in sour cream. 
        5. Papa Bear Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1895 of George Halas Hall of Fame football player (wide receiver and tight end) for and coach and owner of the Chicago Bears.

On this day in

     a. 1922 Ulysses by James Joyce was published.
     b. 1925 the first dog sled led by Balto carrying serum to deal with a deadly diphtheria epidemic reached Nome, Alaska after a trek of 674 miles, making Balto the most popular canine in the world, creating an awareness to inoculate against diphtheria and leading to the Iditarod, the toughest race in the world, which starts on March 7.  Balto is immortalized by statute in Central Park.          
                                                                                                                          

     c. 1990 the last armored column of Soviet troops left Afghanistan bringing an end to their “Vietnam” in that country.              

      d. 1990 F.W. de Klerk announced the end to the banning of the African National Union Party and promised to release Nelson Mandela.
      e. 2004 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became the number one ranked player, a position he would hold for a record 237 weeks.
Reflections on sled dogs:
                                                               

                                                        

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© February 2, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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