MDBCs 10 Feb 2025

Umbrellas have always been a part of human history, though in ancient times they were used only by the nobility and by the rich. In many cultures, umbrellas were used as part of religious ceremonies and rituals.

Fashion Accessory

In the 18th century, umbrellas became a popular women's fashion accessory and by the end of the 19th century, umbrellas had become a household item. It is thought that Englishman Jonas Hanway was the first male Londoner to carry an umbrella and that he was responsible for the popularity of umbrellas as an accessory among men in Europe and elsewhere.

More Practical

Today, with advances in technology, umbrellas have become smaller, lighter, easier to carry and more resilient to wind and strong rain. A majority of umbrellas on the market these days are manufactured in China.

Although umbrellas are sometimes also called parasols, parasols may not always be waterproof and are usually intended to shield people from sunshine rather than rain.

The holiday is also known as National Umbrella Day in the United States.

How to Celebrate?

Check the weather in your location and bring out your coolest umbrella to accessorize your outfit.
Go to the beach, and relax under your beach umbrella while having a drink with an umbrella in it.
Learn more about the history and the science behind umbrellas.

Did You Know…

…that some people believe that opening an umbrella indoors is considered to bring bad luck?

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Clean Out Your Computer Day

Have you been putting off cleaning out those old files on your desktop? Well, today is the day you should do it, because it is Clean Out Your Computer Day.

Started in 2000 by the Institute of Business Technology, the day falls on the second Monday in February.

A similar holiday called National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day is celebrated in October.

How to Celebrate

Backup your computer, including all your files, documents, and pictures.
Clean out your desktop. Delete or archive files that you have no use of or haven’t used in several months.
Organize your folders, files and bookmarks.
Uninstall all the programs you no longer used.

Did You Know…

…that the Perottina was the world’s first commercially marketed desktop? Launched in 1964, the computer was named after its inventor Pier Giorgio Perotto.

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At an art gallery, a woman and her ten-year-old son were having  a tough time choosing between one of my paintings and another artist’s work. They finally went with mine.

“I guess you decided you prefer an autumn scene to a floral,” I said.

“No,” said the boy. “Your painting’s wider, so it’ll cover three holes in  our wall.”

***

As the hostess at the casino  buffet showed me to my table, I asked her to keep an eye out for my  husband, who would be joining me  momentarily.

I started to describe him: “He has gray hair, wears glasses, has a potbelly ...”

She stopped me there. “Honey,” she said, “today is senior day. They all look like that.”

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