Daily Calendar for Sunday, January 21, 2024
Question of the Day
My compost pile smells terrible, even in winter. What can I do to get rid of the odor?
If your compost is a little, um, fragrant, you have what’s called an anaerobic condition, which is decomposition without oxygen. To eliminate the odor, you need to do two things. First, turn the compost to get more air in there. Second, add material with a high carbon content, such as shredded newspaper, sawdust, twigs, or even wood chips.
Advice of the Day
If you trip while going upstairs, money is coming your way.
Home Hint of the Day
If the wooden handle on a hammer or ax is loose, immerse the head in a bucket of cold water overnight. In the morning, dry the head to prevent rust, then soak it for 12 hours in a solution of half turpentine and half boiled linseed oil.
Word of the Day
Bilge
The protuberant part of a cask, which is usually in the middle. Also the part of a ship’s hull or bottom which is broadest and most nearly flat.
Puzzle of the Day
How could the letter G surprise a farmer?
By changing oats into goats.
Born
- Ethan Allen (patriot) –
- John Fitch (inventor) –
- Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Confederate Army general) –
- Christian Dior (fashion designer) –
- Jack Nicklaus (golfer) –
- Plácido Domingo (tenor) –
- Billy Ocean (singer) –
- Robby Benson (actor) –
- Geena Davis (actress) –
- Hakeem Olajuwon (basketball player) –
- Jacob Smith (actor) –
Died
- Calixa Lavallée (composer) –
- George Orwell (author) –
- Cecil B. DeMille (director) –
- James Beard (chef & food writer) –
- Jack Lord (actor) –
- Peggy Lee (singer) –
- Terry Jones (member of the Monty Python comedy troupe) –
Events
- First American novel, The Power of Sympathy, published in Boston.–
- Louis XVI of France was beheaded–
- New York City’s Sullivan Ordinance made it illegal for women to smoke in public places–
- Kiwanis International founded–
- Song Over the Rainbow, by Arlen and Harburg, copyrighted–
- First commercial extraction of magnesium from seawater began, in Freeport, Texas–
- U.S.S. Nautilus, world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, was launched–
- President Jimmy Carter issued a pardon for Vietnam War draft evaders–
- Pittsburgh Steelers won their third Super Bowl–
- Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame–
Weather
- Sacramento, California, had a high of only 19 degrees F–
- Deadly avalanche occurred at Twin Lakes in Colorado–
- Caesars Head, South Carolina, experienced a cold temperature of -19 degrees F–
- As much as 3.5 inches of snow fell in Tokyo, Japan–
- A 3-day, 81-tornado outbreak in the Southeast United States began–
