Daily Calendar for Friday, December 8, 2023
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
Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. —Abraham Lincoln
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
Whangdoodle
An imaginary creature, or an undefined character.
Puzzle of the Day
What is the difference between a professor and a mosquito?
One is a mentor, and the other is a torment.
Born
- Eli Whitney (inventor) –
- Diego Rivera (artist) –
- Elzie Crisler Segar (Popeye creator) –
- Sammy Davis, Jr. (entertainer) –
- Flip Wilson (comedian) –
- Jim Morrison (lead singer of The Doors) –
- Kim Basinger (actress) –
- Dominic Monaghan (actor) –
- Ian Somerhalder (actor) –
- Utkarsh Ambudkar (actor) –
- AnnaSophia Robb (actress) –
Died
- Major Robert Lawrence (the first African American astronaut, was killed during training exercises) –
- John Lennon (musician, founding member of The Beatles) –
- John Glenn (astronaut, first American to orbit Earth) –
- Caroll Spinney (puppeteer; best known for Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch) –
Events
- American Federation of Labor is organized at Columbus, Ohio, with Samuel Gompers as first president–
- American Bird Banding Association formed, first such society in U.S.–
- The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert–
- John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields poem was published–
- U.S. declared war on Japan (WW II)–
- Nine N.Y.C. newspapers shut down when International Typographical Union workers strike–
- Musician and former Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City–
- Russian leaders announced the dissolution of the Soviet Union–
- Element 111, roentgenium, first created–
- At three Anheuser-Busch properties (Merrimack, New Hampshire; St. Louis, Missouri; and Fort Collins, Colorado) 896 couples gathered to kiss under the mistletoe, setting a new Guinness World Record–
Weather
- Icefalls at Gay Hill, Texas, averaged four to six inches in diameter–
- 92 degrees Fahrenheit, Ojai, California–