Bill of Rights Day honors the ratification of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which occurred on December 15, 1791. These laws protect basic human rights, including freedom of religion, speech, and peaceable assembly. Franklin D. Roosevelt first proclaimed Bill of Rights Day in 1941. Occurring on December 15 each year, it is a day for people to fly the U.S. flag and to reflect upon the significance of these amendments.
Daily Calendar for Friday, December 15, 2023
Question of the Day
Can you tell me the origin of the saying “by hook or by crook”?
Reapers’ hooks and shepherds’ crooks are the instruments referred to here. In Old England, forests were the private property of the king, and permission to cut wood was rarely given. Commoners could take deadwood, though, and they increased their bounty by bringing down branches from the trees in any way they could—including by hook or by crook.
Advice of the Day
Instinct is the nose of the mind.
Home Hint of the Day
Pouring vinegar down the drain is an effective means of eliminating odors.
Word of the Day
Utah
Named after the Ute tribe. The word ute means “people of the mountains.”
Puzzle of the Day
Which is swifter — heat or cold?
Heat, because you can catch cold.
Born
- Gustave Eiffel (architect) –
- Betty Smith (novelist) –
- Muriel Rukeyser (poet) –
- Tim Conway (comedian & actor) –
- Stuart Townsend (actor) –
- Adam Brody (actor) –
Died
- Sitting Bull (Sioux Chief) –
- Dick Stuart (also known as Dr. Strangeglove, baseball player) –
Events
- The Bill of Rights, first ten amendments to U.S. Constitution, ratified–
- Fire at the U.S. Patent Office–
- Philadelphia streets were first cleaned by a machine–
- Battle of Fredericksburg ends in defeat of union troops by Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Civil War)–
- Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Jefferson Memorial took place in Washington D.C.–
- Gone With the Wind premiered, at Loew’s Grand Theater in Atlanta, Georgia–
- Commemorative stamp depicting Echo I, world’s first passive communications satellite, issued by U.S. post office, D.C., 1960–
- First rendezvous of two manned spacecraft, Gemini 6 and Gemini 7–
- Venera 7 Soviet unmanned spacecraft landed on Venus–
- Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, premiered–
Weather
- An intense cold front swept the East Coast, dumping heavy rain on Louisiana and heavy snow on the Northeast–
- Great Blizzard hit the Prairie provinces–
- O’Hare Airport in Chicago was closed because of high winds and heavy snowfall–
- Approximately 1.5 million homes and businesses in Washington and Oregon were without power after windstorms and heavy rains caused flooding, several deaths and closed two major bridges–