Barbie Day
March 9
Barbie’s official birthday represents her public debut at the 1959 American International Toy Fair in New York. She stood 11 inches tall and was dressed for a pool party in her black and white striped one-piece. Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. She is from (fictional) Willows in Wisconsin, US, where she attended high school. The best-selling Barbie doll ever was the 1992 Totally Hair doll, with hair from the top of her head to her toes. The most expensive Barbie was designed in partnership with Australian jewelry designer Stefano Canturi to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The doll sold for $302,500 at auction in 2010.
National Meatball Day
March 9
Meatball recipes go back to the Romans – the classic cookbook by Apicius includes a section on minces, mixtures of meat (peacock, pheasant, and rabbit were their favorites) with other ingredients. Spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce is a purely American invention. The truth about meatballs is that they are a clever way to dress up tough, cheaper cuts of meat. Meatballs also use up stale bread, which extends the meat portion of the recipe. And so, the meatball was traditionally a great way to stretch ingredients and serve a hungry family.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Amerigo Vespucci– Mapmaker – born in Florence, Italy
Mickey Gilly – Singer – born in Natchez, Mississippi
