World Helicopter Day
August 16
The Russian-American aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky (1889–1972) is considered to be the “father” of helicopters, not because he was the first to invent it, but because he invented the first successful helicopter upon which further designs were based. The two parts to the word “helicopter” are not “heli” and “copter”, but “helico” meaning spiral, and “pter” meaning one with wings, like a pterodactyl. The United States has five times more heliports than any other country, and about as many heliports as every other country in the world combined. In 2005, a man landed a helicopter on the summit of Mount Everest (29,029 feet) and two days later he did it again, proving he didn’t just get lucky the first time.
National Bratwurst Day
August 16
Recipes of sausage can be found as early as 228 AD. The first evidence documents Bratwurst dating back to 1313 in Germany. It could also be found in Franconian city of Nuremberg which is still renowned center internationally for producing grilled sausages. Brats rhymes with cots, not cats and it was introduced to the US by German settlers around the mid-19th century. Germany has almost 42 varieties of bratwurst. Usually, a brat is made of just pork, pork and beef or pork and veal meats. It has a grind in it, and is wrapped in natural casing, with seasonings like salt, pepper, even nutmeg, added to the meat. Always sold fresh (bratwurst is neither cured nor smoked), brats are practically a religion in Wisconsin, especially in the self-anointed “Bratwurst Capital of the World,” Sheboygan.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Madonna – Singer and Actress – born in Bay City, Minnesota
Kathie Lee Gifford – Television Host – born in Paris, France
