Happy 245th Independence Day America! Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, still on but mostly likely fewer in-person crowds than normal. Enjoy it digitally or on TV. How Will You Be Celebrating?

This blog has been updated from previous July 4th articles on AllThingsDigitalMarketing blog. Thank you for visiting, and please share with your social media and professional networks. Thanks.

Happy 245th Independence Day America! Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, still on but most likely fewer in-person crowds than normal. Progress since last year, when no in-person crowds were allowed due to COVID19.  Enjoy it in NYC in person, digitally or on TV.  

How do you plan on Celebrating? 

Happy 245th Independence Day America! The 81st Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, the nation’s largest Independence Day display, on the East River still on but no in-person crowds in New York City will begin at 8 p.m. and broadcast on NBC, Sunday, July 4th.  The actual fireworks will begin after 9 p.m. over the East River in Midtown Manhattan.  

How Will You Be Celebrating?  This is the 2nd July 4th during COVID19.

Where to watch this years Macys Fireworks show. Some areas in NYC to watch include East 23rd, East 34th and East 42nd streets. Click here for more locations and answers to frequently asked questions. 

Here's the 202 Google July 4th Doodle - it's an animated Bald Eagle Parade - America's national symbol of freedom and sovereignty. The bald eagle was selected on June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the USA because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks - also at that time, it was thought to be only present in the United States.  More information at baldeagleinfo.com. 

I just love the 2020 Google July 4th Doodle it's an adorable interactive celebration (this link takes you to information and history behind the Google July 4th doodles. For the actual doodle on the google search engine, see below video on YouTube  and enjoy!

Last year, Google's doodle had an interactive July 4th interactive  baseball doodle! 

Here's Google's 2019 Fourth of July doodle - enjoy this interactive doodle which lets you play baseball game.


And here's one of my favorite quotes about America's Happy Independence Day, July 4th!

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. 

You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” ~ Erma Bombeck, American humorist, reknown suburban home life newapaper columnist chronicling ordinary life of a midwestern suburban housewife (mid-1960s - late 1990s); Publisher of 15 books, most bestsellers; On patriotism & Independence Day.

Video from lmy 7/4th 2018 fireworks show at Cross County Shopping Center, Yonkers, NY 

Visit this link for more information about
Macy’s  Fireworks - Macy's lit light up the Brooklyn Bridge with fireworks and will also light Smartphones for 1st time ever (2017)! Will you be syncing your smartphone this July 4th?
Visit this link  Celebrate 4th of July with Macys!  according t0 NYCGO.com 


Visit this link Best Places to Watch Fireworks in NYC 

Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, the nation’s largest Independence Day display, returned to the East River a few years back and it's still here :)   

How Will You Be Celebrating??
For things to do in NYC on July 4th visit the following posts: 
Δ Where to Watch Macys July Fourth Fireworks as listed on www.macys.com/social/fireworks/
ΔFifth Annual Freedom Fest, July 4, 2019  (here's link from July 4, 2018)
Δ Fourth of July in New York City post by NYC TOURIST.
Δ Fourth of July at SkyRoom, Hells Kitchen, NYC
Δ Where to Eat and Drink on July Fourth in NYC

No plans yet? You can always play baseball with Google's 2019 4th interactive doodle!

Here's Google's 2019 Fourth of July doodle - enjoy this interactive doodle which lets you play baseball game.

Here's Google's wonderful doodle from 2018 Fourth of July! 

Happy Independence Day America! Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and safe one.

However you spend it and whatever you do, please remember to not text while driving or while playing with fireworks. Hard to believe, I swear you can't make this up: On a July 4, 2015 morning on my way home from the Jersey Shore, a lady driver was in her car plucking hairs from her chin on Hope Road before the right turn onto the Garden State Parkway not only during the red light but continuing tweezing even when the light turned green. She must have a hell of a lot of hair on her chin.


Although President Adams's Independence Day prediction was July 2, the actual date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress, from the getgo, Americans celebrated independence on July 4th, which is the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence. Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This year marks the 242nd Anniversary!

Remarkable coincidence is that both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence who later served as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but another Founding Father who became a President, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831, thus becoming the third president in a row who died on this memorable day. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872, and, so far, is the only President to have been born on Independence Day.

If you happen to be in New York City on July 4th, don't miss Macy's Fourth of July fireworks display on the East River which begins at 9:00pm. This year marks Macy's 41st year celebrating July 4th with fireworks in NYC. More information visit this link at Macy's 4th of July Fireworks!  from FoxNews.  

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia.org unless otherwise indicated.
This blog has been updated from a previous article. Thank you for visiting, and please share with your social media and professional networks. Thanks.

Google turns 022 today and there is so much Google reaches legal drinking age: Happy Big 021 to Google - September 27, 1998

This is a reposting from an earlier post.  Some information may have been edited/added to original blog post. 

There was a great write up about Google celebrating itself with it's very own doodle ( a few years back) by Forbes Science and Technology contributor, Kiona Smith of Forbes titled Friday's Google Doodle Celebrates Google, But What Does That Mean? 

Below Google Doodle was from 2017:

From breathing out and breathing in to playing solitaire, Google celebrates 19th with 19 great games from doodles past! Happy birthday to Google :) may all your wishes come true :) Enjoy google's doodle by visiting 19th Google Birthday doodle or copy/paste this link https://www.google.com/search?q=google+birthday+surprise+spinner&oi=ddle&ct=googles-19th-birthday-us-6538650035683328&hl=en&source=doodle-ntp

Happy 138th Labor Day America (or 126th when it became an official holiday); With Covid19 and the "Black Swan Effect" are we ignoring the Labor Day fashion trends?

 This is a re-posting of previous annual Labor Day blog posts by AllThingsDigitalMarketing.  (Although this post has been minimally edited with relevant #COVID19 information, some static information remains from earlier posts) 

Happy 138th Labor Day America (or 126th when it became an official holiday)!  

“Labor day is a great American holiday that people celebrate by going out and buying products made in China.” American television host and comedian; Host of CBS Late Show with David Letterman, recently surpassing Johnny Carson for having the longest late-night hosting career in the USA, on the irony of Labor Day

Letterman photo above courtesy of Wikimedia.org

 I won't be keeping Letterman's famous Labor Day quote (see above) up for next year.  Unless our world rebounds pre-COVID19; however China tariff exclusions extended through the end of 2020.  I do believe in miracles. Do you?

Do you still wear white after Labor Day? Apparently, the answer is a big no for many.

With COVID19 all around the world, I don't think people will be buying much fashion this year. Even Pantone's in on color trending with COVID19 in mind with Classic Blue 19-4052 as their Color of the Year. 

 With #COVID19 there is a global "Black Swan Effect" and worldwide fashion will most likely have very serious consequences perhaps fashionists as we know them will be no longer en vogue'. 

According to The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company, "The devastating impact of the virus has decimated the industry, leaving fashion businesses exposed or rudderless across the board..."  More information at "The State of Fashion 2020" report.  (black swan photo to right courtesy Wikipedia.org)

Today is Labor Day. Happy 138th Labor Day America! Let’s admit it, this holiday has been amazingly ironic over the past decade and a half - COVID19 will never be the same.

Imagine American’s celebrating workers, particularly in light of our country’s high unemployment rates which are a lot higher than our government reports. And now with this pandemic there is so much more uncertainty.  

Also, this otherwise beautiful Labor Day and Fall season will go down in history as the most violent disrupting 2020 presidential election year and with major economic and consumer consequences.

Stats and economy aside, all across America, this holiday which was once symbolic for back to school, the end of the summer and the archaic fashion trend – where wearing white after Labor Day is a fashion faux pas – have all been passé for years. Fashion trends rarely pay attention to this rule.

Also back to school shopping is now done during the end of July and month of August.

Labor Day photo left courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos

According to Pantone Color Institute® "Fall 2018: the theme for fall is "Autumnal hues that evoke the feeling of leaves on the forest floor, rich plumage and twilight reveal a modern fall pallette of deep and rich tones and rich tones with outbursts of colorful surprise!"  

(To go directly to Pantone's color spectrum image above, follow the Link above or copy/paste https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/pantone-ranks-leading-10-fall-colors-for-a-pre-fashion-week-forecast-11140358/) 

Nail Art Inspiration for Pantone 2018 Fall Colors in NYC 



Purple is taking the world by storm for 2018 

"As designers and consumers alike continue to transition away from cyclical trends, and instead focus on self-expressive colors that evade antiquated seasonal structure, we are seeing very notable non-traditional choices."   ~~ Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute®

Will you be incorporating the Pantone 2018 Color of the Year in work and wardrobe? We'd love to know. Please share your answer in the comments section below.

Labor Day also marks the beginning of bargain shopping and also when sports excitement begins as the NFL and college football seasons begin. 


NFL photo left courtesy of Wikimedia.org


For the many attentive parents and their children, it's the end of summer reading programs and making sure all of their children's book reports and other assignments are in order!

In a world of digital, it is also a great idea to use the internet for exciting news and interesting ideas. SchoolsNYC.org, SummerReading.org, and Scholastic.com are very helpful sites.

So much happens over the summer and discussing a few books (or just 1)that your child has read, (a simple question will do) is a great refresher and memory exercise. This also best prepares your child for the first day of school.

What about vacation? Talk about a great memory or event during summer family visits and travels.
Back to School photo above courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.


HISTORY (sources: Wikipedia.org and HISTORY Channel)

One hundred and thirty three years ago (1882), Matthew Maguire, a machinist, first proposed the holiday while serving as secretary of the CLU (Central Labor Union) of New York. Others argue that it was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May 1882, after witnessing the annuallabour festival held in Toronto, Canada. Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday on February 21, 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.

In the United States, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.

In many countries, the working classes sought to make May Day an official holiday, and their efforts largely succeeded. In the United States and Canada, however, the official holiday for workers is Labor Day in September. This day was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, who organized the first parade in New York City.

After the Haymarket Massacre, US President Grover Cleveland feared that commemorating Labor Day on May 1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the affair. Thus, in 1887, it was established as an official holiday in September to support the Labor Day that the Knights favored.

Labor Day weekend: what to do. 
(or copy/paste https://www.timeout.com/newyork/labor-day)

Please share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks! 

Do celebrate Labor Day? What are your plans?

RESOURCES 
▐■  TimeOut Labor Day Weekend -https://www.timeout.com/newyork/labor-day▐■  In Praise of the American Worker, Life Magazine http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/48141/in-praise-of-the-american-worker
▐■  The History of Labor Day, United States Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov/laborday/history.htm

▐■  History of Labor Day, Knights of Labor, http://web.archive.org/web/20070930082656/http://progressivehistorians.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2041

▐■  Labor Day, Wikimedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

▐■  Wear White Immediately -- We'll Show You How (PHOTOS), Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/wear-winter-white-photos_n_2789912.html

▐■  You Can’t Wear White After Labor Day? These 7 Fashion-Tech Founders Say Otherwise, Fueled.com http://fueled.com/blog/you-cant-wear-white-after-labor-day-these-7-fashion-tech-founders-say-otherwise/


This is a re-posting of prevous annual Labor Day blog posts by AllThingsDigitalMarketing. Please visit this blog frequently and share this with your social media and professional networks. Thanks.

Happy 244th Independence Day America! Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, still on but no in-person crowds. Enjoy it digitally or TV. How Will You Be Celebrating?

This blog has been updated from previous July 4th articles on AllThingsDigitalMarketing blog. Thank you for visiting, and please share with your social media and professional networks. Thanks.



Happy 244th Independence Day America! Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, the nation’s largest Independence Day display, on the East River still on but no in-person crowds.  How Will You Be Celebrating?  

I just love the 2020 Google July 4th Doodle  it's an adorable interactive celebration (this link takes you to information and history behind the Google July 4th doodles. For the actual doodle on the google search engine, see below video on YouTube  and enjoy!

Last year, Google's doodle had an interactive July 4th interactive  baseball doodle! 

Here's Google's 2019 Fourth of July doodle - enjoy this interactive doodle which lets you play baseball game.


And here's one of my favorite quotes about America's Happy Independence Day, July 4th!

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. 

You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” ~ Erma Bombeck, American humorist, reknown suburban home life newapaper columnist chronicling ordinary life of a midwestern suburban housewife (mid-1960s - late 1990s); Publisher of 15 books, most bestsellers; On patriotism & Independence Day.

Video from lmy 7/4th 2018 fireworks show at Cross County Shopping Center, Yonkers, NY 

Visit this link for more information about
Macy’s  Fireworks - Macy's lit light up the Brooklyn Bridge with fireworks and will also light Smartphones for 1st time ever (2017)! Will you be syncing your smartphone this July 4th?
Visit this link  Celebrate 4th of July with Macys!  according t0 NYCGO.com 


Visit this link Best Places to Watch Fireworks in NYC 

Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, the nation’s largest Independence Day display, returned to the East River a few years back and it's still here :)   

How Will You Be Celebrating??
For things to do in NYC on July 4th visit the following posts: 
Δ Where to Watch Macys July Fourth Fireworks as listed on www.macys.com/social/fireworks/
ΔFifth Annual Freedom Fest, July 4, 2019  (here's link from July 4, 2018)
Δ Fourth of July in New York City post by NYC TOURIST.
Δ Fourth of July at SkyRoom, Hells Kitchen, NYC
Δ Where to Eat and Drink on July Fourth in NYC

No plans yet? You can always play baseball with Google's 2019 4th interactive doodle!

Here's Google's 2019 Fourth of July doodle - enjoy this interactive doodle which lets you play baseball game.

Here's Google's wonderful doodle from 2018 Fourth of July! 

Happy Independence Day America! Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and safe one.

However you spend it and whatever you do, please remember to not text while driving or while playing with fireworks. Hard to believe, I swear you can't make this up: On a July 4, 2015 morning on my way home from the Jersey Shore, a lady driver was in her car plucking hairs from her chin on Hope Road before the right turn onto the Garden State Parkway not only during the red light but continuing tweezing even when the light turned green. She must have a hell of a lot of hair on her chin.


Although President Adams's Independence Day prediction was July 2, the actual date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress, from the getgo, Americans celebrated independence on July 4th, which is the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence. Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This year marks the 242nd Anniversary!

Remarkable coincidence is that both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence who later served as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but another Founding Father who became a President, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831, thus becoming the third president in a row who died on this memorable day. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872, and, so far, is the only President to have been born on Independence Day.

If you happen to be in New York City on July 4th, don't miss Macy's Fourth of July fireworks display on the East River which begins at 9:00pm. This year marks Macy's 41st year celebrating July 4th with fireworks in NYC. More information visit this link at Macy's 4th of July Fireworks!  from FoxNews.  

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia.org unless otherwise indicated.
This blog has been updated from a previous article. Thank you for visiting, and please share with your social media and professional networks. Thanks.

Happy 124th Halloween - October 31, 1895

This post is an update from prior Halloween blog posts.
"Double, double toil and trouble;
fire burn and cauldron bubble."       
~~ William Shakespeare, “Macbeth, 1611 
English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". (1564-1616)

 

2018 Google Doodle celebrates Halloween a day earlier, with theme "The Great Ghoul Duels Catch the flames and when your opponent steals your flames, get them back and earn more points.


2017 Google Doodle celebrates Halloween with the Memo the Cat and her Magic Academy interactive contest doodle.

Follow feline freshman Momo on her quest to rescue her  magic academy. Score points and help ward off mischievious ghosts by swiping in the shape of the symbols above the ghosts’ heads. And you’d better pounce fast—the ghost that stole the master spellbook is getting away! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN DOODLE and BoooOooH ha ha ha to all ghastly ghosts & evil spirits!

 

Save Momo's Music Academy and earn game points by swiping the shape on top of the ghosts' heads and wipe out all the ghosts.

I scored 1660! 

How many ghosts can you wipe out?

Much more than a just a Google doodle, today many internet surfers enjoyed spooky, interactive, search results instead of Google’s customary and “I’m Feeling Lucky” search options.

Eighteen Halloween's ago, Google posted it's very first Halloween Google Doodle.

Photo right, screen capture of Google's first Halloween Doodle, October 31, 1999.

Internationally, Halloween's first celebration traces back to 1895 in Scotland and for North America the first Halloween was celebrated in 1911.

Enjoy this collage of Halloween Google Doodles above or to experience Google Doodles of Halloween's past, visit the following links:

The Great Ghoul Duels  

Halloween 2017 Google Doodle: Jinx's Night Out 
Halloween Momo on Her Mission 2016
Halloween Global Candy Cup 2015
Favorite Monsters Google Doodle 2014
Google Halloween 2013 doodle.
Google Halloween 2012 doodle
Google's 2011 carving pumpkin doodle celebrating 100 Halloween years
Google Halloween 2010 doodle
Google Halloween 2009 doodle
Google Halloween 2008 doodle
Google Halloween 2007 doodle
Google Halloween 2006 doodle
Google Halloween 2005 doodle
Google Halloween 2004 doodle
Google Halloween 2003 doodle
Google Halloween 2002 doodle
Google Halloween 2001 doodle
Google Halloween 2000 doodle
Google Halloween 1999 doodle

Happy Halloween to you and yours!



What do you think of Google’s Halloween doodle today?

ABOUT HALLOWEEN AND HISTORY

Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening"), also known as All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows (or All Saints) and the day initiating the triduum of Hallowmas.

Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given.

According to Frank Leslie's popular monthly, (Volume 40, November 1895, p. 540-543) in Scotland and Ireland, guising – children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins – is a traditional Halloween custom, and was recorded in Scotland at Halloween as far back as 1895 where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visited homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money.

The practice of Guising at Halloween in North America was first recorded in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children going "guising" around the neighborhood was first noted by Rogers, Nicholas, "Coming Over: Halloween in North America". Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. p.76. Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-19-514691-3.

American historian and author Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts wrote the first book length history of Halloween in the US; The Book of Hallowe'en (1919), and references souling in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America":

"The taste in Hallowe'en festivities now is to study old traditions, and hold a Scotch party, using Burn's poem Hallowe'en as a guide; or to go a-souling as the English used. In short, no custom that was once honored at Hallowe'en is out of fashion now."

OTHER RESOURCES 

▲ Google's Halloween doodle turns you into a witch, CNET, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57610125-93/googles-halloween-doodle-turns-you-into-a-witch/
▲ The wizards behind Google's doodles, CNET, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57573307-93/the-wizards-behind-googles-doodles/
▲ Halloween witch: The real history behind Google's doodle, The Christian Monitor, http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/1031/Halloween-witch-The-real-history-behind-Google-s-doodle 

Please share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks! This is a reposting from previous Happy Halloween blog postings from AllThingsDigitalMarketing.

This post is an update from prior Halloween blog posts.

Google reaches legal drinking age: HahahaHappy Big 021 to Google - September 27, 2019

This is a reposting from an earlier post.  Some information may have been edited/added to original blog post.

Will share if there is a Google doodle celebrating their 21st.

Yes there is a great write up about Google celebrating itself with it's very own doodle by Forbes Science and Technology contributor, Kiona Smith of Forbes titled Friday's Google Doodle Celebrates Google, But What Does That Mean?

Below Google Doodle was from 2017:

From breathing out and breathing in to playing solitaire, Google celebrates 19th with 19 great games from doodles past! Happy birthday to Google :) may all your wishes come true :) Enjoy google's doodle by visiting 19th Google Birthday doodle or copy/paste this link https://www.google.com/search?q=google+birthday+surprise+spinner&oi=ddle&ct=googles-19th-birthday-us-6538650035683328&hl=en&source=doodle-ntp

Happy 243rd Independence Day America! Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, the nation’s largest Independence Day display, on the East River this year for it's 42nd Anniversary. Will You Be Celebrating? Play baseball with Google's interactive 2019 July 4th doodle!

This blog has been updated from previous July 4th articles on AllThingsDigitalMarketing blog. Thank you for visiting, and please share with your social media and professional networks. Thanks.

No plans yet? You can always play baseball with Google's 2019  July 4th interactive doodle! Don't strike out !

Here's Google's 2019 Fourth of July doodle - enjoy this interactive doodle which lets you play baseball game.


And here's one of my favorite quotes about America's Happy Independence Day, July 4th!

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. 

You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” ~ Erma Bombeck, American humorist, reknown suburban home life newapaper columnist chronicling ordinary life of a midwestern suburban housewife (mid-1960s - late 1990s); Publisher of 15 books, most bestsellers; On patriotism & Independence Day.

Video from lmy 7/4th 2018 fireworks show at Cross County Shopping Center, Yonkers, NY 

Visit this link for more information about
Macy’s  Fireworks - Macy's lit light up the Brooklyn Bridge with fireworks and will also light Smartphones for 1st time ever (2017)! Will you be syncing your smartphone this July 4th?
Visit this link  Celebrate 4th of July with Macys!  according t0 NYCGO.com 


Visit this link Best Places to Watch Fireworks in NYC 

Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, the nation’s largest Independence Day display, returned to the East River a few years back and it's still here :)   

How Will You Be Celebrating??
For things to do in NYC on July 4th visit the following posts: 
Δ Where to Watch Macys July Fourth Fireworks as listed on www.macys.com/social/fireworks/
ΔFifth Annual Freedom Fest, July 4, 2019  (here's link from July 4, 2018)
Δ Fourth of July in New York City post by NYC TOURIST.
Δ Fourth of July at SkyRoom, Hells Kitchen, NYC
Δ Where to Eat and Drink on July Fourth in NYC

No plans yet? You can always play baseball with Google's 2019 4th interactive doodle!

Here's Google's 2019 Fourth of July doodle - enjoy this interactive doodle which lets you play baseball game.

Here's Google's wonderful doodle from 2018 Fourth of July! 

Happy Independence Day America! Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and safe one.

However you spend it and whatever you do, please remember to not text while driving or while playing with fireworks. Hard to believe, I swear you can't make this up: On a July 4, 2015 morning on my way home from the Jersey Shore, a lady driver was in her car plucking hairs from her chin on Hope Road before the right turn onto the Garden State Parkway not only during the red light but continuing tweezing even when the light turned green. She must have a hell of a lot of hair on her chin.


Although President Adams's Independence Day prediction was July 2, the actual date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress, from the getgo, Americans celebrated independence on July 4th, which is the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence. Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This year marks the 242nd Anniversary!

Remarkable coincidence is that both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence who later served as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but another Founding Father who became a President, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831, thus becoming the third president in a row who died on this memorable day. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872, and, so far, is the only President to have been born on Independence Day.

If you happen to be in New York City on July 4th, don't miss Macy's Fourth of July fireworks display on the East River which begins at 9:00pm. This year marks Macy's 41st year celebrating July 4th with fireworks in NYC. More information visit this link at Macy's 4th of July Fireworks!  from FoxNews.  

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia.org unless otherwise indicated.
This blog has been updated from a previous article. Thank you for visiting, and please share with your social media and professional networks. Thanks.

Happy 99th B-Day to America's first comic strip superstar, animated cartoon character and most wonderful, wonderful, Felix the Cat born November 16, 1919

"Cure for a red nose:   Keep on drinking, and it'll turn blue." ~~ Felix the Cat
From 1924 film release, “Felix Dopes It Out.” As Felix tries to help his hobo friend who is plagued with a red nose. By the end of the short, the cat finds the cure for the condition via this clever quote.


Today, Felix, the worlds first comic strip superstar and animated cartoon character to achieve popularity with full-house audiences at silent movie theatres, turns 99 years old. Happy B-Day to you! Only ONE more year till our famous Felix cartoon character reaches THE BIG 100. Felix is even older than the mighty Mickey Mouse born on November 18, 1928.

On November 9, 1919, Master Tom, a prototype of Felix, debuted in a Paramount Pictures short entitled “Feline Follies.”

Felix is also world reknown as the hardest thinking, Chaplinesque-like pacing, and longest lasting cartoon character in history.

Produced by the New York City-based animation studio owned by 32-year-old Australian-born cartoonist, pioneer animator and film producer, Pat Sullivan, the cartoon was directed by cartoonist and animator Otto Messmer. It was a success, and the Sullivan studio quickly set to work on producing another film featuring Master Tom, the Felix the Cat prototype in "The Musical Mews" (released 16 November 1919). It too proved to be successful with audiences and brought Felix greater popularity.

Many Felix silent short referenced alcoholism and Prohibition as commonplace and included dark humor particularly in “Felix Finds Out” (1924), “Whys and Other Whys” (1927), “Felix Woos Whoopee” (1930) to mention a few. Also in “Felix Dopes It Out” (1924), Felix tries to help his hobo friend who is plagued with a red nose.

By the end of the short, the cat finds the cure for the condition with social humor --"Keep drinking, and it'll turn blue."



Interesting Felix the Cat facts:

• The question of how and who created Felix remains unclear. Sullivan once told The Argus newspaper in 1925 in Australia that "The idea was given to me by the sight of a cat which my wife brought to the studio one day." On other occasions he claimed that Felix had been inspired by Rudyard Kipling's "The Cat that Walked by Himself" or by his wife's love for strays. Sullivan's claim is also supported by the Australian Cartoon Association confirmation that Sullivan's March 18, 1917, release of a cartoon short entitled "The Tail of Thomas Kat", more than two years prior to

"Feline Follies" is authentic.

Felix is the oldest high school mascot in the state of Indiana, chosen in 1926 after a Logansport High School player brought his plush Felix to a basketball game. When the team came from behind and won that night, Felix became the mascot of all the Logansport High School sports teams.

Felix the Cat was the first balloon ever made for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927

In 1928 Felix was one of the first images ever broadcast by television when RCA chose a papier-mâché Felix doll for an experiment via W2XBS New York in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx

Most of the early Felix cartoons mirrored American attitudes of the "Roaring Twenties.”

In 2002, Felix was voted in TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time, ranking #28.

In 2004, Felix was voted among the 100 Greatest Cartoons in a poll conducted by the British television channel Channel 4, ranking at #89

In 2004 Felix was named #36 in Animal Planet's 50 Greatest Movie Animals

Felix is also a cat food in Europe

By 1923, the character was at the peak of his film career. Felix in Hollywood, a short released during this year, plays upon Felix's popularity, as he becomes acquainted with such fellow celebrities as Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B. DeMille, Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, and even censor Will H. Hays.

Felix's image could be seen on clocks, Christmas ornaments, and as the first giant balloon ever made for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Felix also became the subject of several popular songs of the day, such as "Felix Kept Walking" by Paul Whiteman, the most popular song in London in 1923.

Sullivan made an estimated $100,000 a year from toy licensing alone.

With the character's success also emerged a handful of new costars.

These included Felix's master Willie Jones, a mouse named Skiddoo, Felix's nephews Inky, Dinky, and Winky, and his girlfriend Kitty.

Felix the Cat sheet music, with music by Pete Wendling and Max Kortlander, featuring lyrics by Alfred Bryan, was published in 1928 by Sam Fox Publishing Company. The cover art of Felix playing a banjo was done by Otto and was subtitled "Pat Sullivan's Famous Creation in Song."

Most of the early Felix cartoons mirrored social activism and American attitudes of the "Roaring Twenties". Ethnic stereotypes appeared in such shorts as Felix Goes Hungry (1924). Recent events such as the Russian Civil War were depicted in shorts like Felix All Puzzled (1924). Flappers were caricatured in Felix Strikes It Rich (1923). He also became involved in union organizing with Felix Revolts (also 1923). In some shorts, Felix even performed a rendition of the Charleston.

Felix is also the oldest high school mascot in the state of Indiana, chosen in 1926 after a Logansport High School player brought his plush Felix to a basketball game.

When the team came from behind and won that night, Felix became the mascot of all the Logansport High School sports teams.

Among these, Lend a Paw was the only film to actually win the award. Additionally, in 1932 Walt Disney received an honorary Academy Award in recognition of Mickey's creation and popularity.

Silent Short Filmography 
►Feline Follies (November 9, 1919)YouTube video
►The Musical Mews (November 16, 1919)
►The Adventures of Felix (December 14, 1919)
►Strikes It Rich (1923)
►Felix Revolts (1923)
►Felix Finds Out (1924)
►Felix Goes Hungry (1924
►Felix All Puzzled (1924)
►Felix dopes It Out (1924)YouTube video
►Whys and Other Whys (1927)
►Felix Woos Whoopee (1930)
►April Maze (1930) YouTube video 

Voice Actors for Sound Filmography 
Felix was silent until 1936 when the sudden popularity of Mickey Mouse prompted the animators to put Felix cartoons in sound.
►Mae Questel (1936)
►Jack Mercer (1958–1961)
►Chris Phillips (1988)
►Thom Adcox-Hernandez/Charlie Adler (1995–1997)
►Fred Newman (2004)
►Dave Coulier (official)
►Carlos Alazraqui (current voice)

Felix's transition to sound was not smooth sailing. Sullivan was unprepared, and added sound effects into the sound cartoons as a post-animation process with disappointing results. Disney's mouse was drawing audiences away from Felix. Sullivan's plans to start a new studio in California never materialized. During this time, Sullivan's wife, Marjorie, was ill, and would die in March 1932 and Sullivan completely fell apart, slumping into an alcoholic depression, his health rapidly declining, and his memory fading. Sullivan passed away in 1933. Messmer recalled, "He left everything a mess, no books, no nothing. So when he died the place had to close down, at the height of popularity, when everybody, RKO and all of them, for years they tried to get hold of Felix ... I didn't have that permission [to continue the character] 'cause I didn't have legal ownership of it."

According to Don Oriolo's Felix the Cat blog, as of September 2008 there were plans in development for a new television series. Oriolo's biography page also mentions a 52-episode cartoon series then in the works, titled The Felix the Cat Show, which was slated to use CG graphics

Resources 
► Felix the Cat on Wikipedia.org 
► Felix the Cat on YouTube The Magic Bag


Other Resources 
► Don Oriolo's Felix the Cat Blog on WordPress 
► Offical homepage of Felix the Cat
► Feline Follies 



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All photos courtesy of Wikimedia.org unless otherwise specified.