August 11th is

Ingersoll Day *

∞

Play in the Sand Day

Presidential Joke Day *

Son and Daughter Day

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WORLD FESTIVALS AND NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

Chad – Independence Day

Japan – Mountain Day *

Sweden – Goteborg:
Way Out West Festival

United Kingdom – Hampton:
Boomtown  Fair

United States – Scranton PA:
The Peach Music Festival

Zambia –  Tripartite Election Day

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On This Day on History

3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar used by the Mayans begins

1833 – * Robert INGERSOLL born, “The Great Agnostic,” politician and famous orator, advocate for separation of church and state, free thought, and humanism. Gave the eulogy at his friend Walt Whitman’s funeral. 

1860 – First successful American silver mill opens in Virginia City NV

MORE! – for The Beatles Help! and Presidential Joke Day, click 

1877 – Asaph Hall discovers two moons of Mars and names them Phobos and Deimos

1896 – Harvey Hubbell patents electric light bulb socket with a pull-chain

1909 – U.S. ship Arapahoe is first to use SOS distress signal off Cape Hatteras NC

1924 – Newsreel pictures taken of  U.S. presidential candidates for first time

1952 – Hussein bin Talal is proclaimed King of Jordan

1960 – Chad becomes independent from France

1965 – The Beatles movie Help!  has its American premier in NYC

1984 – * President Reagan jokes, “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you that I just signed legislation that would outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes,” during microphone test, not aware microphone is live, which starts tradition of Presidential Joke Day on August 11

1994 – U.S. federal jury awards commercial fishermen $286.8 million for losses resulting from 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill

1995 – All U.S. nuclear tests are banned

2014 – Japan’s parliament passes legislation for a new annual public holiday, * Mountain Day, to be held on August 11, beginning in 2016

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Visuals

• Robert Ingersoll quote
• International flags
• Robert Ingersoll photo with quote
• Calvin Coolidge faces news cameras
• Japan’s most famous mountain, Mount Fuji

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