19 July: Sally Name Day

In Sweden, today is the name day for people called Sally.

Sally is an English language feminine given name that originated as a nickname for Sarah.10 famous Sallys:

1. Sally Field: American actress whose films include Smokey and the Bandit, Steel Magnolias, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Forrest Gump.

2. Sally Jessy Raphael: host of the American talk show Sally.

3. Sally Bowles: cabaret singer in Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin and the musical Cabaret.

4. Sally Ride: American physicist and astronaut.

5. Sally Morgan: British celebrity psychic.

6. Sally James: British television presenter who presented the ITV Saturday morning children's show Tiswas from 1977 until it ended in 1982.

7. Sally Albright: a title character from When Harry Met Sally, 1989 American romantic comedy film.

8. Sally Gunnell: British hurdler.

9. Sally Rooney: Irish writer whose novels include Conversations with Friends, Normal People, Beautiful World and Intermezzo.

10. Sally Brown: Charlie Brown's little sister in the comic strip Peanuts.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

18 July: WG Grace

W.G. (William Gilbert) Grace, England's greatest cricketer, known as “the father of Cricket”, was born on this date in 1848. 10 facts about him:

1. He was born in Downend, near Bristol. He had eight siblings and was the second youngest. His father was a GP who was also a cricket fan who encouraged his children to play, and they were coached by their uncle, Alfred Pocock.

2. WG wasn’t academic, and didn’t do especially well at school, but was sought after by both Oxford and Cambridge universities because of his prowess at cricket. However, Grace spurned both and enrolled in Bristol Medical School at 20, as his father wanted him to have a career in medicine. He didn’t qualify until he was 31, taking his final exam at Westminster Hospital.

3. W.G. played his first cricket match on 19 July 1857 for West Gloucestershire against Bedminster at Mangotsfield at the age of eight. His first innings score was three, not out.

4. Cricket wasn’t his only sport. As well as being a good all rounder in cricket, he was a champion 440-yard hurdler, played Football for the Wanderers, cleared nine feet in the pole vault twice, and silver medal in the quarter-mile event at the 1869 AAC Championships. In later life he took up golf, lawn bowls and curling and was the first captain of the England bowls team.

5. In 1873 he married Agnes Nicholls Day, his cousin’s daughter. Their honeymoon was spent on a ship bound for a cricket tour in Australia.

6. He was six feet two inches tall and sported a flowing Beard. His beard impressed the Monty Python team enough for them to use his face as the face of God in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

7. Because he had a day job as a doctor, he was classified as an amateur cricketer, but was so well known that he made more money from the game than professionals did. The price of a ticket to a match doubled if he was playing. There is evidence that, as a doctor, he didn’t bill his poorer patients.

8. He was also renowned for having a bit of a bad attitude on the pitch, throwing tantrums and questioning the umpire’s decisions. Cricket’s John McEnroe, perhaps. Cricket fans in Australia didn’t like him much because of that.

9. He was the first major sports star to endorse a condiment – Colman's Mustard.

10. His final match was on 8 August 1914, when he was 66 years old. He played for Eltham against Northbrook, and didn’t bowl or bat in that game. He died from a heart attack at the age of 67.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

17 July: Sweet Pea

Some historic almanacs name the sweet pea as today’s plant of the day, so here are 10 facts about the sweet pea.

1. The Latin name for sweet peas is Lathyrus odoratus. This is from the Greek lathyros for pea or pulse, and the Latin odoratus, meaning fragrant.

2. Sweet peas are native to Sicily, Cyprus and Southern Italy.

3. They now grow in the UK thanks to a Sicilian monk called Franciscus Cupani who sent some seeds to England in the late 17^th century. Today, ‘Cupani’ is a variety of sweet pea which is the closest to the original plants he introduced.

4. They are members of the legume family, and are therefore related to edible Peas, but the fruit of the sweet pea is toxic, so don’t eat them!

5. Their scent is often compared to a mix of orange blossom, Lavender and rose.

6. A sweet pea plant can grow up to two metres high. They use tendrils to attach themselves to supports as they grow.

7. The sweet pea is the birth flower for April along with the Daisy.

8. In the language of flowers, sweet peas symbolise bliss, pleasure and leaving after a positive experience. Hence in Victorian times they were a common gift to give as a thank you after a stay at someone’s home. They also symbolise loyalty and friendship.

9. The colours have particular meanings as well. White sweet peas mean peace and innocence, Pink happiness and Red romance. What about yellow, you may be asking? Well, there’s no such thing as a Yellow sweet pea. In spite of the best efforts of cultivators over the years, no-one has managed to produce one. There is a variety called ‘Primrose’, which is cream coloured, and that’s the closest anyone has got.

10. Sweet peas feature in many of John Keats’s poems.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

16 July: 197

16 July is Day 197 of any non-leap year. Ten fun facts about the number 197.

1. 197 is a prime number, the smallest prime number that is the sum of 7 consecutive prime numbers (17+19+23+29+31+37+41). It’s also the sum of all the two digit prime numbers.

2. The A197 is a road in Northumberland which connects Morpeth, Pegswood, Ashington and Newbiggin by the Sea. Along its route is a listed mid-19th-century cast-iron milepost near the A197/B1337 junction, which indicates distances to Newbiggin (7.5 miles) and Morpeth (2 miles).

3. The British Rail Class 197 is a class of diesel multiple unit passenger train operated by Transport for Wales Rail (TfW), comprising 51 two-car and 26 three-car units.

4. Au-197 is the only naturally occurring isotope of Gold.

5. The year 197 was a common year starting on Saturday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus. Galen's major work on medicines, Pharmacologia, was published in 197.

6. London bus route 197 runs from Peckham Bus Station to Fairfield Halls.

7. The Arado Ar 197 was a German World War II-era biplane, designed for naval operations for the never-completed German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. Only a few prototypes were built.

8. 197 Arete is an asteroid in the asteroid belt. It was discovered by J. Palisa in 1879, and named after Arete, the mother of Nausicaa in Homer's The Odyssey.

9. The Jordan 197 was the Formula One car with which the Jordan team competed in the 1997 Formula One World Championship.

10. In numerology, a person influenced by this number is likely to be self-reliant and enjoy all aspects of business.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

15 July: Mount Etna

This date in 1669 marked the official end of an eruption of Mount Etna which had started on 11 March, damaging several towns and villages. This eruption is considered the most significant of Etna’s historic eruptions. 10 things you might not know about Etna:

1. First of all, where is it? Mount Etna is located on the east coast of Sicily between the cities of Messina and Catania.

2. It is one of the tallest active volcanoes in Europe, and the tallest peak in Italy south of the Alps. Its height isn’t constant, however. Eruptions at the summit can change the height. In September 2024, its height was 3,403 m (11,165 ft). That’s two and a half times the height of Mount Vesuvius. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km2 (459 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km (87 miles).

3. There are two theories about where the name Etna came from. One is that it derives from the Greek for “I burn” and the other is that it came from a Phoenician word meaning 'furnace' or 'Chimney'. In Italy it’s often referred to by the alternative name of Mongibello or Montebello, which translates to “beautiful mountain”, or Mungibeddu in Sicily.

4. Mount Etna erupts on average once a year. At time of writing the most recent eruption mentioned began on 1 January 2026. The first written record of Etna erupting dates back to between 60 and 30 BC and was created by a Greek historian called Diodorus Siculus.

5. The volcano is also mentioned in Roman mythology as it was said to be the location for the blacksmith’s forge of Vulcan, the god of fire. According to the myth, eruptions happened when Vulcan found out that his wife, Venus, had been unfaithful and he would go to his workshop and take out his anger on his metalwork.

6. Despite being an active volcano, it attracts many tourists. It’s possible to go horse riding, quad biking or mountain biking on the sides of the volcano, although only as part of a guided tour.

7. You can even go Skiing. There are two ski resorts on Etna: one at the Sapienza Refuge, with a chairlift and three ski lifts, and a smaller one on the north, at Piano Provenzana near Linguaglossa, with three lifts and a chairlift. A bit risky though: in 2002 a massive eruption wiped out a ski lift, two hotels, and some shops.

8. Lava flows have created numerous caves which over the years have been put to various uses including as an air raid shelter in WWII and for producing enough ice to export to Malta and Naples, and create hundreds of jobs. Today the caves are a tourist attraction and guided tours are available. The snow cave used for ice production is the most visited.

9. Minerals spewed out by volcanoes make for very fertile soil and Etna is no exception. Grapes for some of Italy’s best wines are grown here. Over 150 wineries are found on the slopes.

10. Mount Etna has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since June 2013.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

14 July: Gerald Ford Quotes

Born this date in 1913 was former US President Gerald Ford. 10 quotes:

1. Never be satisfied with less than your very best effort. If you strive for the top and miss, you'll still 'beat the pack.'

2. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.

3. I hope never to see the day that I cannot admit having made a mistake.

4. The American dream does not come to those who fall asleep.

5. If compassion and mercy are not compatible with politics then something is the matter with politics.

6. Real assistance is to help people to help themselves. We can't do everything for everybody, but there is room for all who try to make it.

7. It's more like it is now than it ever has been.

8. I know I am getting better at golf because I am hitting fewer spectators.

9. I strongly support the feeding of children.

10. The harder you work, the luckier you are, and I worked like hell.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

13 July: Don't be Cruel

On this date in 1956 Elvis Presley's Don't Be Cruel was released. 10 facts about it.

1. The song was written by Otis Blackwell, who also wrote Return To Sender and All Shook Up, among several other Elvis hits. It was recorded just 11 days before it was released. Elvis recorded Hound Dog and Any Way You Want Me in the same recording session.

2. It was released as a single with Hound Dog.

3. In the US, both sides reached number one, the only single ever to achieve that.

4. In the UK, Don't Be Cruel was the B side to Hound Dog. It was 1978 before Don’t Be Cruel became a hit in its own right, when it was re-released after Elvis died.

5. Performers on the single included Scotty Moore on lead guitar, Bill Black on double bass, D. J. Fontana on Drums, Shorty Long on Piano, with the Jordanaires providing backing vocals.

6. Bill Black went on to have a hit with an instrumental version in 1960.

7. There has also been an R&B version by Barbara Lynn and a country version by the Judds. In 1988 it was covered by the band Cheap Trick.

8. The Quarrymen, who would become The Beatles, are said to have performed the song regularly in their early days, although they never recorded it at that time.

9. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

10. In 2004, it was ranked No. 197 in Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/