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Daily Calendar for Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Question of the Day

Is it possible to grow rosemary in an outdoor bed in Nashville, Tennessee, without having to dig it up and bring it inside before the first frost? I am wondering whether heavy mulching at the base and a burlap cover over the plant would help it live through our mild winter freezes.

Since rosemary is a tender shrub that overwinters well in Zones 8 through 10 and Nashville is in Zone 6, you’ll be taking a risk by leaving yours outside through the cold season. But it’s worth a shot. Mulching heavily is a good idea—try surrounding the plant with leaves packed into black plastic bags—and consider building a cold frame for the plant. Also, if you can, put the plant on the south side of your house, up against a wall for protection, but in full sun. This may provide enough warmth to help the plant survive the winter.

Advice of the Day

Shine laminated countertops with white vinegar and water.

Home Hint of the Day

Did you run out of toothpaste? Substitute baking soda mixed with a little salt or baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide.

Word of the Day

Conjunction
The time at which two or more celestial bodies appear closest in the sky. Inferior: Mercury or Venus is between the Sun and Earth. Superior: The Sun is between a planet and Earth.

Puzzle of the Day

How could the letter G surprise a farmer?
By changing oats into goats.

Born

  • James Boswell (biographer) –
  • Daniel Decatur Emmett (songwriter, musician) –
  • Fred Lazarus, Jr. (merchandiser) –
  • Fanny Brice (singer & comedienne) –
  • Melba Moore (singer) –
  • Richard Dreyfuss (actor) –
  • Kate Jackson (actress) –
  • Mike Gartner (hockey player) –
  • Joely Fisher (actress) –
  • Winona Ryder (actress) –
  • Gabrielle Union (actress) –
  • Ben Foster (actor) –
  • Amanda Beard (Olympic swimmer) –

Died

  • Joseph Pulitzer (journalist) –
  • Chang Lin-Tien (first Asian-American to head a major U.S. university when he was named chancellor at the University of California at Berkeley) –

Events

  • First commencement of first U.S. coeducational college (Oberlin) took place–
  • Black Tuesday at the NY Stock Exchange—Great Depression began–
  • The first peacetime draft in U.S. history went into effect–
  • The first ballpoint pens went on sale at Gimbel’s Department store in N.Y.C. at $12.50 a piece–
  • Boris Pasternak refused the Nobel Prize for literature under pressure from Soviet authorities–
  • A spectacular gem robbery took place in New York’s American Museum of Natural History. The greatest loss was the Star of India, the largest sapphire in the world–
  • John Glenn returned to space at age 77–
  • A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Pakistan–
  • The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series–
  • A man paddled a 1,364-pound pumpkin down the River Ouse in Yorkshire, England–
  • The Friends for Life animal shelter in Houston, Texas, posted a story on Facebook about their escape artist cat named Quilty, who repeatedly freed friends from the shelter’s cat room. The talented kitty gained Internet fame and his story was picked up by the news media. He later was adopted.–

Weather

  • A deadly tornado struck Berryville, Arkansas–
  • A snow hurricane occurred in Maine–
  • Typhoon Cimaron battered the northern Philippines with winds up to 143 mph–