• The Great American Backyard Campout is today, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation.

     • Today is Long Letter Day, a time to stop and write that long letter to an old friend.

     • Today is National Try to Find A Pear Sherbet Recipe Day.

     • Today is National Handshake Day, a day to get a grip and perfect your handshake.

     • Tonight is Go See Some Live Theater Night.

     • Today is National Tapioca Day.

     • Today is National Go Barefoot Around the House Day.

     • National Prevention of Eye Injuries Awareness Week begins today.

On this date in . . .

1613: At London's Globe Theatre, during a performance of "Henry the 8th" by William Shakespeare, a cannon set off to mark the King's entrance accidentally set fire to the gallery roof.

1851: Eliza E. Hewitt was born. The American Presbyterian church worker wrote the hymns "More About Jesus," "When We All Get to Heaven," and "Sunshine in My Soul."

1975: At the Western Open in Illinois, golfer Lee Trevino was struck by lightening, but survived.

1981: Americans spent over $56 million in one weekend on movies, including "Superman II" with Christopher Reeves, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with Harrison Ford, and "The Great Muppet Caper" with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.

1985: A survey by the U.S. Transportation Department indicated that 42 percent of drivers polled said that they drove faster than the legal 55 miles per hour speed limit.

1988: An Israeli ostrich at the Kibbutz Ha’on farm laid history’s heaviest bird egg. It weighed 5.1 pounds.

1989: Nine members of the Ansett Social Climbers of Sydney, Australia, set a world record for high dining by eating at 22,205 feet at the top of Mt. Huascaran in Peru. They scaled the mountain carrying top hats, ball dresses, a 3-course meal, chairs, and a dining table. Unfortunately, the wine froze.

1995: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police signed a 5-year contract with the Walt Disney company to produce official Mountie souvenirs.

1996: The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.

1997: Mike Tyson was disqualified during a heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas for biting off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear.

1999: 52-year-old Worth Delton shot a hole-in-one on the 125-yard par-3 seventh hole at Tipoli Country Club in Milwaukee. He was participating in a charity outing for the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. Delton had been blind since 1980.

2000: Young Elian Gonzalez and his father returned to Cuba hours after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from the 6-year-old's Miami relatives who tried to keep him in the U.S.

2003: Eager to block telemarketing calls, 735,000 Americans registered the first day with the Federal Trade Commission's new National Do Not Call Registry.