Daily Calendar for Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Question of the Day

What can you tell me about Halcyon Days?

Halcyon Days, which have come to mean any time of happiness and contentment, are actually the 14 days around the winter solstice. The halcyon, or kingfisher, builds its floating nest at that time, during which the gods had promised calm seas for the nesting and hatching time. Learn more about the Halcyon Days here.

Advice of the Day

Caraway seeds keep pigeons from straying.

Home Hint of the Day

If you’re repairing or replacing a Colonial floor, remember that subfloors in those days were usually made of boards only 1/2 inch thick. When you’re working on them, always step on the subfloor only where your weight will be supported by the floor joists.

Word of the Day

Florida

The name Florida comes from a Spanish phrase meaning “Feast of Flowers.”

Puzzle of the Day

Why is the inside of everything so mysterious?

Because we cannot make it out.

Born

Melvil Dewey (librarian) – 1851
Susan Dey (actress) – 1952
Michael Clarke Duncan (actor) – 1957
Kenneth Branagh (actor) – 1960
Raven-Symoné (actress & singer) – 1985

Died

Alfred Nobel (chemist, engineer, and the inventor of dynamite. In his last will, he used his enormous fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes.) – 1896
Otis Redding (singer) – 1967
Ed Wood (filmmaker) – 1978
Armand Hammer (industrialist) – 1990
Alice Tully (philanthropist) – 1993
Richard Pryor (comedian & actor) – 2005

Events

Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state– 1817
The Nobel Prizes were awarded for the first time– 1901
President Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize– 1906
Duke Ellington recorded “Mood Indigo” – 1930
Ralph Bunche became the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize– 1950
William Faulkner accepted his Nobel Prize in literature which was awarded to him in 1949– 1950
Colonel John P. Stapp attained 632 mph on rocket sled– 1954

Weather

Bend, Oregon, had 28 inches of snow within 24 hours– 1919
The temperature reached 70 degrees F in New York City– 1946