Bowling League Day
September 6
Bowling is the number one recreational activity in the US. Recent studies show that 67 million people bowled at least once in the prior year, with over 95% of those people there just to party and/or enjoy the food and drink. While that’s great for bowling centers, it means only 1 out of every 34 bowling center customers today is a serious bowler. As of 2019 there are an estimated 2 million league bowlers in the US. According to one anthropologist, bowling may date all the way back to 3200 BC. Sir Flinders Petrie discovered objects in an Egyptian grave that are believed to be used for an early form of bowling. However, the earliest American indoor bowling alley was called Knickerbockers, and it opened in New York in 1840. Japan is the home of the largest bowling alley in the world. The Inazawa Grand Bowling Centre has an amazing 116 lanes. The second largest bowling center is in Las Vegas.
National Rice Month
Month of September
Rice is the oldest known food that is still widely consumed today. Archaeologists can date its consumption back to 5000 BC. There are over 40,000 varieties of rice and the three favorites are Basmati, Thai Jasmine and Italian Arborio. When leaving the wedding ceremony, and after the blessing of the bride and groom, it is traditional in all cultures to throw grains of rice over the heads of the newlyweds in order to wish them prosperity and fertility in the future. One of the secrets to Chinese architecture under the Chinese Ming dynasty (1300-1600) can be found hidden in limestone. Rice, which adds strength and stability, was used in the walls of the city of Nanjing and the Great Wall of China. Americans eat more than 20 pounds of rice every year. That might seem like a lot, but it’s nothing compared to the rest of the world. According to the U.S. Rice Producers Association, people in Asia eat up to 300 pounds a year and residents of the United Arab Emirates consume 450 pounds per year. The French, on the other hand, eat hardly any rice at all—just ten pounds every year. Asia alone both produces and consumes 90% of the world’s rice.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Jeff Foxworthy – Comedian & Actor – born in Atlanta, Georgia
Jane Curtin – Actress & Comedian – born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
