Daily Calendar for December 21st, 2010

The Old Farmer's Almanac daily calendar gives you quick reference for the significant events on any day throughout the year.

Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is one of the two times each year that the Sun is at its farthest point from the equator and appears to stand still. It occurs today at 5:02 A.M. EST. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol, or "Sun," and stitium, or "stoppage." The Halcyon Days also occur around this time. According to ancient legend, a grieving wife named Halcyon threw herself into the sea upon discovering the drowned body of her beloved husband, Ceyx. The gods took pity on the pair, transforming them into kingfishers, or halcyons, with the power to still the stormy seas for 14 days near the time of the winter solstice while they hatched their young.

1370s

• Died 1375: Giovanni Boccaccio (poet)

1620s

• 1620: On December 16, 1620, the British ship Mayflower arrives at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the Pilgrims begin building their settlement, Plymouth Colony.

1890s

• 1894: Mackenzie Bowell became Canada's 5th Prime Minister

1910s

• 1913: The first crossword puzzle was printed in a NY newspaper

1930s

• 1933: Pianist Vladimir Horowitz wed Wanda Toscanini

• Born 1937: Jane Fonda (actress)

• 1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater in Hollywood, California. It was the first animated feature-length film with sound and color

1940s

• Born 1948: Samuel L. Jackson (actor)

1950s

• Born 1957: Ray Romano (comedian & actor)

1960s

• Born 1966: Kiefer Sutherland (actor)

1980s

• Died 1980: Marc Connelly (playwright)

2010s

• 2010: Total eclipse of the Moon