A day to support peace and non-violence throughout the world. Observed on the opening day of the annual regular session of the United Nations.
Daily Calendar for Thursday, September 21, 2023
Question of the Day
What is the best way to stack firewood?
You want to stack wood in a way that permits air to circulate through it. You also want to stack it so that it is stable and does not tip, causing a domino effect. Wooden pallets that lie flat provide a good base for firewood and can keep the wood away from ground moisture.
Advice of the Day
Asters, September’s flowers, were once burned to ward off serpents.
Home Hint of the Day
Rule of thumb, Part II: When you’re working with hardwood lumber, select nails one penny smaller than the thickness of the nailed piece. For a 3/4 inch (6/8 inch) board, use a 5d nail.
Word of the Day
Cat Nights
This term harks back to the days when people believed in witches. An old Irish legend says that a witch could turn into a cat and regain herself eight times, but on the ninth time, August 17, she couldn’t change back, hence the saying: “A cat has nine lives.” Because August is a “yowly” time for cats, this may have prompted the speculation about witches on the prowl in the first place.
Puzzle of the Day
In music I’m an instrument, Of sweet and solemn tone, But if I be transposed aright, I then become a moan. (What word fits the first clue, but when rearranged, fits the second?)
organ - groan
Born
- Louis Joliet (explorer) –
- Francis Hopkinson (judge) –
- Margaret Taylor (U.S. First Lady) –
- Sir Edmund William Gosse (poet) –
- H.G. Wells (writer) –
- Henry Lewis Stimson (politician) –
- Chuck Jones (Bugs Bunny animator) –
- Larry Hagman (actor) –
- Don Felder (musician) –
- Stephen King (author) –
- Bill Murray (actor) –
- Dave Coulier (actor) –
- David James Elliot (actor) –
- Cheryl Hines (actress) –
- Luke Wilson (actor) –
- John Kitna (football player) –
- Virginia Ruano Pascual (tennis player) –
- Jana Kandarr (tennis player) –
- Maggie Grace (actress) –
Died
- Sir Walter Scott (poet) –
- Florence Griffith Joyner (Olympic gold medalist) –
- Alice Ghostley (actress) –
- Richard D. Trentlage (American jingle writer) –
Events
- The New York Sun’s Frank Church replied, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.–
- Stonehenge was sold to a local landowner for 6,600 pounds–
- J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit published–
- The NFL’s longest punt, 98 yards, came off the foot of Steve O’Neal of the NY Jets–
- The NY Jets competed against the Cleveland Browns in the first televised NFL Monday Night Football game–
- Belize becomes fully independent from Great Britain–
- Canada’s “toonie” coin unveiled–
- John F. Kennedy, Jr. married Carolyn Bessette–
- Singer Billy Joel was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame–
Weather
- The hurricane that came to be known as the Long Island Express slammed into Long Island at 60 mph–
- The Blue Hills Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts, had a sustained wind of 121 mph, with a peak gust of 186 mph–
- Hurricane Georges struck Puerto Rico–
- Hurricane Igor struck Newfoundland and Labrador–