Today, we also celebrate Pizza Day. This day is observed on February 9th.
Pizza is one of America’s famous fast-food favorites in almost every household, eaten on any occasion, and loved by kids. A savory dish that has an Italian origin consist of round and flattened base of wheat-based dough, then topped with tomatoes sauce or white sauce, cheese, and various toppings from different meat types, vegetables, and sometimes anchovies. The traditional pizza is baked in a wood-fired oven but nowadays, big pizza chain restaurants use a huge oven in baking the pizza.
Pizza did not gain popularity in Italy at the time, and it was in the United States, where Neapolitans immigrated to, that is when pizza gained its popularity. The first pizzeria in the United States was Lombardi’s, which was started in New York City in 1905. Lombardi’s is still in business, and although it is in a new location, the original oven is still in use. Neapolitans brought pizza to many other cities, including Trenton, New Haven, St. Louis, Chicago, and Boston. Pizza became popular all over the country, especially following World War II.
One of the famous pizza the is well-known is the Brooklyn Pizza Pie at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, in Brooklyn, New York. It is located right under the Brooklyn Bridge, and the lines of tourists and others wait for a piece of their pizza pie. Grimaldi is a basic pizzeria in Brooklyn but has a reputation of being the best-tasting pizza, that is why people line up to get a piece of the pie, which people just say it is an excellent pizza because it has a very thin crust, light cheese, and good homemade sauce.
So, even if you can’t go to New York and have the best pizza, you can still enjoy pizza and order from your favorite local pizza shop and order your favorite. Share on social media your favorite using #PizzaPieDay.
1964 America meets the Beatle on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
At approximately 8:12 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, February 9, 1964, The Ed Sullivan Show returned from a commercial (for Anacin pain reliever), and there was Ed Sullivan standing before a restless crowd. He tried to begin his next introduction, but then stopped and extended his arms in the universal sign for “Settle Down.” “Quiet!” he said with mock gravity, and the noise died down just a little. Then he resumed: “Here’s a very amusing magician we saw in Europe and signed last summer….Let’s have a nice hand for him—Fred Kaps!”
For the record, Fred Kaps proceeded to be quite charming and funny over the next five minutes. In fact, Fred Kaps is revered to this day by magicians around the world as the only three-time Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques Grand Prix winner. But Fred Kaps had the horrific bad luck on this day in 1964 to be the guest that followed the Beatles on Ed Sullivan—possibly the hardest act to follow in the history of show business.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/america-meets-the-beatles-on-the-ed-sullivan-show)
