Today's Calendar
Friday, May 10, 2024
Question of the Day
I heard on a radio program that you can keep your drainpipes open with a combination of baking soda and another ingredient that’s a common household product. What is it, and what are the amounts you use?
It’s vinegar. Pour a cup of baking soda into your clogged drain, then add a cup of hot vinegar. After a few minutes, flush the drain with a quart of boiling water.
Advice of the Day
He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
Home Hint of the Day
In an old brick home, mortar typically requires repointing (replacing or refreshing) every 20 to 30 years. If you can easily scrape out pieces of mortar with a knife, repointing is needed.
Word of the Day
Civvies
Civilian garb as opposed to a military uniform.
Puzzle of the Day
What sound do porcupines make when they hug?
Ouch!
Born
- Gaspard Monge (mathematician) –
- Robert Gray (sailor) –
- John Wilkes Booth (assassin) –
- Mae Murray (actress) –
- Max Steiner (composer) –
- Fred Astaire (actor & dancer) –
- Maybelle Carter (country musician) –
- Donovan Leitch (singer) –
- Bono (singer) –
- Kenan Thompson (actor) –
Died
- Paul Revere (patriot) –
- Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Confederate Army general) –
- Joan Crawford (actress) –
- Shel Silverstein (poet, author) –
- David Riesman (author) –
Events
- Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands and named them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there–
- Louis XVI became King of France–
- Golden spike linked Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads at Promontory Point, Utah, creating the first continental railroad–
- Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for President of the United States–
- The Centennial Exhibition opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at which Caroline Shawk Brooks displayed her sculpture of a woman’s face made out of butter. The rendering, Dreaming Iolanthe, sparked a movement of serious artistic butter sculpting in America. Butter sculptures remain a popular attraction at state fairs–
- The Society of American Magicians was founded–
- Mother’s Day first celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia.–
- J. Edgar Hoover was appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation–
- First submerged voyage around world completed by submarine USS Triton–
- Nelson Mandela sworn in as first black president of South Africa–
- An earthquake near Ardekul in northeastern Iran killed at least 2,400 people–
- FBI agent Robert Hanssen was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for selling American secrets to Moscow–
- Sonic boom possibly due to meteor, Virginia Beach, Virginia–
Weather
- Bloomington-Normal and Aurora, Illinois, established a state record for the month of May with morning lows of 21 degrees F–
- A foot of heavy snow fell on upper Michigan–
- 14.2 inches of snow fell in Marquette, Michigan–