• The first word most people say every year is “happy.”
• 1600 – The British East India Company was chartered. At one point it had a hand in 50% of the whole world’s trade and business.
• 1907 – The first New Year’s Eve celebration was held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in Manhattan.
• December 31, 1926 Birthday (fictional) Tom Marvolo Riddle, Voldemort, Harry Potter
• 1983 – the United States Government broke up AT&T ‘Ma Bell’ telephone system monopoly.
• On December 31, 1999, Albert Einstein was chosen as person of the century by Time.
• If you were born on December 31st,
  You were likely conceived the week of… April 8th (same year)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here’s a hand, my trusty friend
And gie’s a hand o’ thine
We’ll tak’a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

FYI – An old Scotch tune, ‘Auld Lang Syne’ literally means ‘old long ago’ or ‘the good old days.’

“For my part, I have never avoided the influence of others. I would have considered it cowardice and a lack of sincerity toward myself.”
– Henri Matisse

“The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it.”
– George Marshall

“My message is to never quit, never give up. When you have a little trouble here and there, just keep fighting. In the end, it will pay off.”
– Gabby Douglas

“It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy… Let’s go exploring!”
– Calvin, via Bill Watterson, in the final comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes

“When a thing is done, it’s done. Don’t look back. Look forward to your next objective.”
– General George Marshall

“Gold medals are made out of your sweat, blood, and tears.”
– Gabby Douglas

“At each stage, I reach a balance, a conclusion. At the next sitting, if I find that there is a weakness in the whole, I make my way back into the picture by means of the weakness; I re-enter through the breach, and I reconceive the whole. Thus everything becomes fluid again.”
– Henri Matisse

1869 – Henri Matisse, French artist (died in 1954)
1880 – George Catlett Marshall, American General (died in 1959)
1930 – Odetta (Holmes), American singer-songwriter and actress (died in 2008)
1942 – Andy Summers, English guitarist, and songwriter
1943 – John Denver, American singer-songwriter
1943 – Ben Kingsley, English actor
1947 – Burton Cummings, Canadian singer-songwriter
1947 – Tim Matheson, American actor
1948 – Donna Summer, American singer (died in 2012)
1956 – Steve Rude, American comic book author, and illustrator
1958 – Bebe Neuwirth, American actress, and dancer
1959 – Val Kilmer, American actor
1977 – Donald Trump, Jr., American businessman
1995 – Gabby Douglas, American gymnast

1600 – The British East India Company was chartered. It was the first global mega-corporation.

1759 – Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 per year and began brewing Guinness Beer.

1796 – Baltimore, Maryland incorporated as a city.

1805 – The ‘Calendar of Reason’ had been introduced in France on November 24, 1793. It was abandoned, and the Gregorian calendar, which we still use today, replaced it.

1831 – Gramercy Park was presented to New York, New York.

1865 – “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” were some of the phrasings in the 13th Amendment, eliminating Slavery in the US.

1870 – The ‘Goodrich, Tew & Co’ was formed as a partnership by B.F. Goodrich and his brother-in-law, Harvey W. Tew, and others in Akron, Ohio.

1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrated the incandescent light to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

1923 – The chimes of Big Ben were broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.

December 31, 1926 Birthday (fictional) Tom Marvolo Riddle, Voldemort, Harry Potter

1935 – The patent (# 2,026,082) was issued for the game of Monopoly, assigned to Parker Brothers, by Charles Darrow of Pennsylvania.

1938 – The “drunkometer” – the first breath test for car drivers, was invented by Dr. Rolla N. Harger of Indiana University School of Medicine.

1955 – General Motors became the first US corporation to make over $1 billion in a single year.

1956 – Bob Barker made his national debut on Truth or Consequences.

1966 – #1 Hit December 31, 1966 – February 17, 1967: The Monkees – I’m a Believer

1972 – Roberto Clemente was killed, along with four others when the cargo plane in which he is traveling crashes off the coast of Puerto Rico.

1985 – Singer Rick Nelson was killed in a plane crash in De Kalb, Texas.

December 31, 1989, (fiction) Thousands of ghosts and spirits terrorized New York, Ghostbusters II, Film

1999 – The United States, in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, officially handed over control of the Panama Canal to Panama.

1999 – The first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, resigned from office, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President and eventual successor.

2005 – #1 Hit December 31, 2005 – January 13, 2006: Mariah Carey – Don’t Forget About Us

WC Fields – Real Name: William Claude Duckenfield

In 2010, a woman named Lori Ruff committed suicide. Her husband’s family found a box among her possessions that contained name change documents and the birth certificate of a long-dead two-year-old girl, named Lori Ruff. The true identity of Lori Ruff was a woman named Kimberly McLean.

“You play the hand you’re dealt. I think the game’s worthwhile.” – Christopher Reeve

“Good friend for Jesus’ sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.” – Shakespeare’s Tombstone

Clarke’s Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Starbucks should have a line for everybody who wants their venti triple half-caf soy mochas with no whip, and a separate line for people who want a cup of coffee.

The “-wright” in “playwright” is from the Old English “wryhta” meaning “worker,” not “writer”.

In the scene in Alien when the alien pops out of John Hurt’s stomach, the actors were not told it was going to happen.

When ants signal to other ants about food somewhere, but the food is gone by the time the ant army gets there, does the signaling ant get a bad reputation?

A group of Teddy Bears is a Hug.

The Beatles song, Something, and the Derek and the Dominos song, Layla, were both created for the same person, Pattie Boyd.

The original drawings of Snoopy were based on Charles Schulz’s childhood dogs, Snooky and Spike.

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1903 – A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois killed at least 605 people.
• 1916 – Russian mystic and advisor to the Tsar Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was murdered by a group led by Prince Felix Yusupov. His frozen, partially-trussed body was found in a Moscow river three days later.
• If you were born on December 30th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… April 7th (same year)

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too…
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And- which is more- you’ll be a Man, my son!
– Rudyard Kipling

I thank you in advance for the great round of applause I’m about to get.
– Bo Diddley

I opened the door for a lot of people, and they just ran through and left me holding the knob.
– Bo Diddley

Don’t let your mouth write a check that your tail can’t cash.
– Bo Diddley

1610 – Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who had tortured and killed possibly hundreds of young girls for over a dozen years, was captured. She believed eating flash and bathing in their blood would keep her youthful.

1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes was proclaimed.

1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation was proclaimed.

1916 – Russian Mystic and political advisor Rasputin was murdered. He was a family friend and confidant of Russia’s Czar Nicholas II and Czarina Alexandra.

1922- Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation formed the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

1948 – Broadway Show – Kiss Me, Kate (Musical) December 30, 1948. It was based on Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew.

1950 – #1 Hit December 30, 1950 – March 2, 1951: Patti Page – The Tennessee Waltz

1951 – The Roy Rogers TV Show debuted on NBC.

1953 – The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando was released.

1967 – #1 Hit December 30, 1967 – January 19, 1968: The Beatles – Hello, Goodbye

1968 – The Gonzaga ’68 bootleg was recorded at a western Washington State gym. The music was of the opening act, Vanilla Fudge, and was one of the earliest performances by Led Zeppelin. They were locally advertised as ‘Len Zefflin.’

1993 – Israel and Vatican City establish diplomatic relations.

1994 – Anti-abortionist John Salvi III killed two people and injured five more at an abortion clinic in Brookline, Massachusetts.

2011 -If you happened to be in Samoa at the end of 2011, you never experienced December 30, 2011. The country decided to change timezones, thus switching sides of the international date line and skipping December 30th altogether.

A group of Swans (at rest) is called a Bevy or Bank or Herd. A group of Swans (in flight) is called a Wedge or Flight.

In 2011, a copy of Action Comics No 1 (the first comic featuring Superman) was found in an abandoned storage unit, estimated to be worth over $1 million. The comic actually belonged to Nicholas Cage, who had it stolen from his house 11 years earlier, and was returned to him.

The names Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint sound more made-up than Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

Robert Stack (original host of the popular Unsolved Mysteries television show) was extremely skeptical about the segments involving paranormal occurrences. While recording his famous narrations, he would often turn to his producer in between takes and exclaim: “Oh, come on, Raymond!”

A group of Tasks is an Agenda.

In 1910, a series of books were published featuring a fictional boy-inventor by the name of Tom Swift. One of these books was titled “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle.” Many years later, this led to the naming of the TASER that police now carry: “Tom A. Swift Electric Rifle”

If you do something which you are sure will meet with everyone’s approval, somebody won’t like it.

In 458 BC Roman farmer Lucius Cincinnatus was named absolute dictator of Rome during a crisis. After achieving victory he resigned and returned power to the senate.

His resignation of absolute authority is often cited as an example of outstanding leadership, serving the greater good and civic virtue.

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1895 – Louis and Auguste Lumiere screened a series of short movie scenes from everyday French life (and charged admission for the viewing) at the Grand Cafe in Paris.
• 1958 – Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in the first (ever) National Football League sudden-death overtime game at New York’s Yankee Stadium. #thegreatestgameverplayed
• 1973 – The United States Endangered Species Act was signed into law by US President Richard Milhous Nixon.
• If you were born on December 28th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… April 5th (same year)

“No nation is fit to sit in judgment upon any other nation.”
– Woodrow Wilson

“I get a wave of pride in America when I look back at what we’ve accomplished in the field of music.”
– Johnny Otis

“We can’t escape the shadow, so the best thing we can do is notice the light and be open to it.”
– Maggie Smith

“Science is not a boy’s game, it’s not a girl’s game. It’s everyone’s game. It’s about where we are and where we’re going. Space travel benefits us here on Earth. And we ain’t stopped yet. There’s more exploration to come.”
– Nichelle Nichols

“Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, or dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by the heart.”
– Denzel Washington

“I was never a celebrity – just a working actor.”
– Martin Milner

“If I am a cup maker, I’m interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it.”
-Denzel Washington

169 BC – The menorah was lit to rededicate the Holy Temple of Jerusalem after two centuries of foreign rule and religious oppression and a seven-year revolt. The menorah burned for eight days without the sufficient fuel needed to do so, birthing the holiday Hanukkah.

1065 – Westminster Abbey was consecrated.

1846 – Iowa was admitted as the 29th US state.

1869 – The Knights of Labor, a labor union of tailors in Philadelphia, PA, held the first Labor Day.

1895 – Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays.

1908 (Earthquake & Tsunami) Messina, Italy.

1916 – Portrait of The Artist as A Young Man, by James Joyce, was published.

1957 – #1 Hit December 28, 1957 – January 10, 1958: Pat Boone – April Love

1959 – #1 Hit December 28, 1959 – January 3, 1960: Frankie Avalon – Why

1973 – The Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States.

1974 – #1 Hit December 28, 1974 – January 3, 1975: Helen Reddy – Angie Baby

1974 – Tom Baker made his first full appearance as the Fourth Doctor on Doctor Who.

1991 – Nine people were killed in a mini-riot at a hip-hop event promoted by Dwight “Heavy D” Myers and Sean “P Diddy” Combs. Over 3000 tickets were sold for the event, which had space for less than 2800 people.

1996 – E! True Hollywood Story has its debut episode.

2000 – Founded in 1872, retailer Montgomery Ward announced it was going out of business.

2001 – Black Hawk Down debuted in theaters.

“Never assume …” – Felix Unger (The Odd Couple)

The original drummer of The Velvet Underground, Angus MacLise, once showed up for a show a half-hour after it started and played for a half-hour after the rest of the band ended.

He later quit the band after they took a paying gig because he considered that as selling out.

A group of Stories is an Anthology.

Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (86 AD – 161 AD) had the most peaceful reign of any ruler in antiquity. There is no record of any major events or conflicts during his 23-year reign.

He was a skilled administrator and was praised by his contemporaries for his effective style of governance.

The Vatican broadcast its public approval of Pokémon in April 2001 after Christian groups argued that it promoted Satanic themes.

Somewhere in the universe, there is probably a space war going on. #whatisitgoodfor

Biggest film of 2010: Toy Story 3 (Action/Adventure) earned ~ $415,000,000

TV Quotes… “And that’s the way it is” (Walter Cronkite) on CBS Evening News.

Diet Coke was first marketed in 1982.

The Bee Gees song Stayin’ Alive was used in a study to train medical professionals to provide chest compressions per minute while performing CPR.

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1927 – Kern and Hammerstein’s musical play Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.
• 1945 – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was founded with an agreement by 29 nations.
• 1947 – The Howdy Doody TV show premiered on NBC. It was the first popular children’s television show.
• If you were born on December 27th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… April 4th (same year)

“I am on the edge of mysteries and the veil is getting thinner and thinner.”
– Louis Pasteur

“Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight; always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary?”
J.M. Barrie

“I am utterly convinced that Science and Peace will triumph over Ignorance and War, that nations will eventually unite not to destroy but to edify, and that the future will belong to those who have done the most for the sake of suffering humanity.”
– Louis Pasteur

“There is a gigantic difference between earning a great deal of money and being rich.”
– Marlene Dietrich

“What motivates me is seeing people in the crowd and wondering what they’re going home to and what they’re dealing with, and knowing that for the time being, we’re their escape.”
– Hayley Williams

“It was an ongoing struggle to say no, I don’t want to be a part of the perpetuation of this stereotype.”
– John Amos

“Superstitions are habits rather than beliefs.”
– Marlene Dietrich

“Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand.”
– Hayley Williams

“At twenty you have many desires which hide the truth, but beyond forty there are only real and fragile truths – your abilities and your failings.”
-Gérard Depardieu

“I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”
– Johannes Kepler

1831 – Charles Darwin set sail in the HMS Beagle, beginning his journey discovering evolution.

1895 – “Stag” Lee Sheldon killed his friend Billy Lyons over a drunken political argument. Various versions of the encounter have been sung about “Stagger Lee.”

1904 – Duke of York’s Theatre – Peter Pan the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (Play), by J.M. Barrie, opened on December 27, 1904

1927 – Show Boat, considered to be the first American musical play, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.

1932 – Built during the Great Depression, Radio City Music Hall, a modern Art Deco theater in New York City, opened.

1952 – #1 Hit December 27, 1952 – January 9, 1953: Jimmy Boyd – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

1969 – #1 Hit December 27, 1969 – January 2, 1970: Diana Ross & the Supremes – Someday We’ll Be Together

1975 – #1 Hit December 27, 1975 – January 2, 1976: The Staple Singers – Let’s Do It Again

1979 – Knots Landing premiered on CBS

1983 – Pope John Paul II visited Mehmet Ali Agca in prison and personally forgave him for shooting him in 1981, in St. Peter’s Square.

1986 – Brighton Beach Memories debuted in theaters.

1991 – Fried Green Tomatoes and The Prince of Tides were released in theaters.

2002 – Chicago debuted in theaters.

2013 – August: Osage County was released in theaters.

Biggest film of 2012: The Avengers (Action) earned ~ $623,000,000 (in the USA)

“Oh, no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.” – Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) in King Kong, 1933

Boy George – Real Name: George O’Dowd

Watching the Big Bang would have been like seeing a clown car for the first time. “There’s NO WAY anything else is coming out of there!” #nerdhumor

The official nut of Alabama is the pecan.

The Hatfield-McCoy Feud was settled by the doctrine that possession is nine-tenths of the law, giving possession of the pig that the McCoys claimed was their property.

Notice the big letter on the face of the dollar bill? Each letter represents which Federal Reserve Bank printed it! “K” is for Dallas

Charles Darwin collected a Galápagos tortoise during his 1835 visit to the Galápagos Islands as part of his round-the-world survey expedition. It lived 175 years and died of heart failure at the Australia Zoo in 2006.

A group of Jellyfish is called a Smack or Brood.

The biggest film of 2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (Action/Adventure) earned ~ $381,000,000

“Wake up late for school man, ya don’t wanna go…” #songlyrics

The Noid, Domino’s 80’s Pizza mascot, was retired after a paranoid schizophrenic named Kenneth Lamar Noid entered a Domino’s Pizza in Atlanta and held two employees hostage at gunpoint. He believed the commercials were making fun of him.

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1898 – Marie and Pierre Curie announced the isolation of radium.
• 1908 – Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight boxing champion, after defeating Tommy Burns in Australia.
• 1991 – The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union formally dissolved the Soviet Union.
• If you were born on December 26th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… April 3rd (same year)

Kwanzaa is a week-long secular holiday that celebrates African American heritage. Each year it is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. Kwanzaa was founded by a black nationalist by the name of Ron Karenga in 1966. The name is derived from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits.”

The additional “a” was added to represent the seven children in the United Slaves Organization at the time. Karenga also wanted the seven letters to represent the “Seven Principles of Blackness.” Each one of the principles represents one day of the celebration, which are as follows: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), imani (faith).

Kwanzaa was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African culture and heritage. It was originally created by Karenga to spread offensive views about the Christian Faith.

During Kwanzaa, people decorate their houses with colorful art and African cloth. Fresh fruits are put out on tables as centerpieces to represent African idealism. The colors of Kwanzaa are black, which represents the people, red, which represents struggle, and green which represents the future. During the celebration, observers must choose a central place in their homes for the symbols of Kwanzaa.

The celebration includes drumming and musical selections, libations, which are a reading of the “African Pledge” and the Principles of Blackness, a reflection of Pan-African colors, a candle lighting ritual, artistic performances, and a feast. Zawadi (gifts) such as books and heritage symbols are given to the children.

Each day, observers greet each other with, “Habri Gani” which means “What’s the news?”

The last day of Kwanzaa is the first day of the New Year; it is a day of self-reflection and reflection on life and future of people, and the recommitment of one’s highest cultural values.

Kwanzaa celebrates family, community and culture. The holiday is built on the five fundamental activities of the continental African “first fruit” celebration which are: ingathering, reverence, commemoration, recommitment, and celebration. Although it may seem like it, Kwanzaa is NOT a religious holiday; it is a celebration of heritage and culture.

“All about us we see a world in revolt; but revolt is negative a mere finishing-off process. In the midst of destruction, we carry with us also our creation, our hopes, our strength, our urge to be fulfilled. The climate changes as the wheel turns, and what is true for the sidereal world is true for man. The last two thousand years have brought about a duality in man such as he never experienced before, and yet the man who dominates this whole period was one who stood for wholeness, one who proclaimed the Holy Ghost. No life in the whole history of man has been so misinterpreted, so woefully misunderstood as Christ’s.”
– Henry Miller

“Banks have a new image. Now you have ‘a friend,’ your friendly banker. If the banks are so friendly, how come they chain down the pens?”
– Alan King

“I felt obligated to change music to art, the same way that Galileo proved the Earth was round to the world and that the Sun did not stand still.”
– Phil Spector

“I used to like to break into other people’s houses and sit in their rooms. I found it very comforting to be in someone’s empty house.”
– Jared Leto

“I’ve always said I have an amazing team and network of friends and people that I work with that, you know, inspire me and enable me to do what I do.”
– Alexander Wang

“I dreamt I slept on a sidewalk, but you still laid with me. I dreamt I fell into a lion’s den, and you still came for me. I dreamt I lost all of my faith, and you still prayed for me.”
– Jon Bellion, in Conversations With My Wife

1610
Countess Elizabeth Bathory had tortured and killed possibly hundreds of young girls for over a dozen years. She believed eating flash and bathing in their blood would keep her youthful.

1862
Four nuns serving as volunteers on board USS Red Rover were the first female nurses on a US Navy hospital ship.

1865
James H. Mason of Franklin, Mass., was issued a patent (# 51,741) for a coffee percolator.

1878
The first electric lighting in an American store was installed at John Wanamaker’s “Grand Depot” department store in Philadelphia, PA.

1906
The world’s first full-length feature film, Story of the Kelly Gang (about 70 minutes) was presented in the Town Hall at Melbourne, Australia.

1908
Jack Johnson became the first black Heavyweight Boxing Champion, defeating Tommy Burns in Australia.

1919
Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox was sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee, beginning the ‘Curse of the Bambino,’ which lasted until 2004.

1935
Shenandoah National Park: Established on December 26, 1935, in Virginia, this park spans 311 square miles. Known for its beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, waterfalls, and part of the Appalachian Trail.

1941
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

1946
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel opened The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

1963
The Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand, and I Saw Her Standing There were released as singles in the US.

1964
#1 Hit December 26, 1964 – January 22, 1965: The Beatles – I Feel Fine

1966
Maulana Karenga held the first Kwanzaa in California.

1967
A patent (# 3,359,678) was issued to Wham-O to improve the Frisbee, an “aerodynamic toy to be thrown through the air ? in throwing games.”

1970
#1 Hit December 26, 1970 – January 22, 1971: George Harrison – My Sweet Lord / Isn’t It a Pity

1973
Based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, The Exorcist, starring Linda Blair, was released in theaters.

1982
The (object?) of the Year in Time magazine was the personal computer.

2004
(Earthquake & Tsunami) Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. A series of tsunamis killed over 225,000 people in eleven countries with waves up to 100 feet high. It was the deadliest natural disaster in modern history.

Tilly Smith, a 10-year-old British schoolgirl, saved her family and 100 other tourists from the 2004 Asian tsunami by recognizing signs of tsunamis she had learned in a geography lesson two weeks before.

2020
#1  Hit December 26, 2020, – January 1, 2021: Willow – Taylor Swift

My daughter-in-law asked my grandson if he had seen Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Little Jimmy said, “No, but I heard what he said when he stubbed his toe on the sofa.”

The biggest film of 2013: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action/Adventure) earned ~ $424,000,000

TV Quotes… “Live long and prosper” (Spock) on Star Trek.

“How do you like them apples?” – Will Hunting (Matt Damon) #moviequotes

President pro tempore of the Senate David Rice Atchison was President of the United States for one day (March 4, 1849) because Zachary Taylor did not want to be sworn in on a Sunday.

Minnie Mouse’s full name is Minerva Mouse.

On my Porsche I have a bumper sticker on it that says “See, I told you my other car was a Porsche.”

“I joined the army ’cause my father and my brother were in the army. I figured I better join before I got drafted.” – Cruiser, in Stripes #moviequotes

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx

After he finished school, Benedict Cumberbatch took a year off to volunteer as an English teacher in a Tibetan monastery in Darjeeling, India.

Walter Matthau – Real Name: Walter Matuschanskavasky

The word “dude” first appeared in the 19th century to describe young men who were way too engrossed in the task of being fashionable.

According to the creator, a bikini can only be considered genuine if “it can be pulled through a wedding ring.”

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 800 – The coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.
• 1066 – William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy was crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London.
• 1758 – Halley’s Comet was sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, per Edmund Halley’s prediction.
• 1776 – George Washington crossed the Delaware River from Bucks County, PA, to surprise attack the Hessians in Trenton, New Jersey, winning the battle and changing the course of The Revolutionary War.
• The Eggnog Riot, sometimes known as the Grog Mutiny, was a drunken riot that took place at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on December 24-25 1826. 70 cadets were implicated.
• 1950 – The Steve Allen Show premiered on CBS.
• If you were born on December 25th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… April 2nd (same year)

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.’ ”
– Luke, chapter two

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”
– Yeshua (Jesus Christ)

“How many observe Christ’s Birth-day! how few his Precepts! O! ’tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.”
– Benjamin Franklin

“All you owe the public is a good performance.”
– Humphrey Bogart (Said to Frank Sinatra)

Christmas is the one time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.
– Bart Simpson, The Simpsons, 1989

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
– Yeshua (Jesus Christ)

“The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart.”
– Helen Keller

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
– Isaac Newton

December 25, 3018 T.A. (fiction) The Company of the Ring left Rivendell, The Lord of the Rings, Books

0 (possibly 4 or 6 BC) – Jesus was born.

350 – Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.

800 – Charlemagne was coronated as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1066 – William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy, was crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London.

1643 – Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, was found and named by English Captain William Mynors.

1776 – George Washington led a successful raid on the Hessian/British troops in Trenton, NJ. There are reports that the usually stoic future president made a request of the big-boned General Harry Knox: “shift that fat ass Harry, but slowly, or you’ll swamp the damned boat.”

1809 – The first US ovariotomy (the surgical removal of an ovarian tumor) was performed by Dr. Ephraim McDowell, in Danville, KY.

1815 – The Handel and Haydn Society gave its first performance in Boston, MA.

1868 – US President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers and officers.

1914 – German and British soldiers stopped firing late Christmas Eve and started singing Christmas Carols. In the morning, they exited their trenches and walked towards the side of their enemies shouting ‘Merry Christmas.’ Both sides stopped fighting, played football (soccer), and even exchanged token gifts.

1941 – Bing Crosby premiered White Christmas on his weekly radio show.

1962 – To Kill a Mockingbird, a film based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Harper Lee, opened in theaters.

1965 – #1 Hit December 25, 1965 – December 31, 1966: The Dave Clark Five – Over and Over

1971 – #1 Hit December 25, 1971 – January 14, 1972: Melanie – Brand New Key

1987 – Good Morning, Vietnam debuted in theaters.

1989 – Nicolae Ceaucescu, the last dictator of Romania, together with his wife, was executed by firing squad after a two-hour trial.

1990 – The Godfather Part III was released in theaters.

1992 – Chaplin and Hoffa were released in theaters.

1993 – #1 Hit December 25, 1993 – January 21, 1994: Mariah Carey – Hero

1993 – Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Grumpy Old Men were released in theaters.

1996 – JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her home.

1998 – Mighty Joe Young was released in theaters.

1999 – Galaxy Quest and The Talented Mr. Ripley were released in theaters.

2001 – Kate and Leopold and Ali debuted in theaters.

2003 – Cheaper by the Dozen debuted in theaters.

2007 – Aliens Vs. Predator – Requiem and The Bucket List debuted in theaters.

2008 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Marley & Me, Valkyrie, and Bedtime Stories debuted in theaters.

2009 – Sherlock Holmes and It’s Complicated were released in theaters.

2011 – War Horse was released in theaters.

2012 – Django Unchained, Les Miserables, and Parental Guidance were released in theaters.

2013 – Lone Survivor, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Grudge Match, and 47 Ronin were released in theaters.

2014 – The Interview, Selma, Unbroken, Into the Woods, and American Sniper were released in theaters.

#1 Hit December 25, 2021 – January 14, 2022: All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

ISAAC NEWTON’S THIRD LAW: Whenever one body exerts a force upon a second body, the second body exerts an equal and opposite force upon the first body.
PARKINSON’S LAW II: Expenditure rises to meet income.
SEGAL’S LAW: A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.

The Terminator is the only cinematic character to appear on AFI’s list of Top 100 Villains and Heroes twice, once under each category.

Doc Brown needed 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to generate to power the Delorean in “Back to the Future”.

The Orcs in The Lord Of The Rings have fabrics right? So… Does that mean they have Orc textilers? Orc fashion models? Are they always Orc angry all the time?

Chisholm’s Second Law: When things are going well, something will go wrong.

Walt Disney refused to grant Alfred Hitchcock permission to shoot a movie inside Disneyland, “because he made that disgusting film Psycho.”

C.S. Lewis’ middle name is Staples.

Biggest film of 2014: American Sniper (Drama) earned ~ $350,000,000

Every time you get dressed, remember that, if you die, that’s your ghost outfit forever.

When co-inventing the CD, Sony and Phillips agreed the length should be 74 minutes as to fit Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Australia has three A’s, all pronounced differently.

The wife of the French Minister of Finance murdered the editor of Le Figaro in 1914. She was later acquitted due to her “uncontrollable female emotions”.

A group of Stockbrokers is called a Portfolio.

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.
• 1947 – The transistor was demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
• 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York topped out at 1,368 feet, making it the tallest building in the world.
• 1975 – The US Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act. It was authorized in 1866.
• If you were born on December 23rd,
  You were likely conceived the week of… March 31st (same year)

Festivus was first debuted on “The Strike” episode of the hit sitcom Seinfeld, aired on December 17th, 1997. The actual holiday is celebrated every year on December 23rd and was created in despair of the commercialization of Christmas.

In place of an aromatic, flush evergreen as a Christmas tree, Festivus followers use an aluminum pole. A traditional Festivus celebration consists of the following: first, families and friends take part in the “Airing of Grievances,” where everyone vents their hostilities towards each other. After a nice meal of meatloaf or spaghetti in red sauce, it is time for the “Feats of Strength.” To take part in the “Feats of Strength,” one must be chosen by the head of the household. The chosen one must then fight the head until he/she is wrestled to the ground and admits defeat.

Seinfeld writer Daniel O’Keefe’s father found Festivus in a book that outlined observed holidays published in 1966.

Since the episode in 1997, Festivus has become a renowned holiday that is celebrated by many. Ben and Jerry had an ice cream flavor dubbed Festivus but renamed it “Gingerbread Cookie” in 2001 for reasons unknown. Festivus is the name of a red wine produced by Grape Ranch Vineyards in Oklahoma. Its holiday song, Oh Festivus, was first sung in Dallas, TX to the tune of O, Canada.

In the 2000 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick didn’t allow the team to use the “P-Word” (Playoffs- for those who are football ignorant) until the team got there. In its place, they had to use the word Festivus. The Ravens referred to the Super Bowl as the “Festivus Maximus,” and actually went on to defeat the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV.

The 2006 Baltimore City Department of Public Works calendar highlights Festivus Appreciation Day. Seems like those Baltimorians really enjoy the merriments of Festivus.

Festivus
Human Light
National Roots Day
National Pfeffernüsse Day

“Welcome, newcomers. The tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now you’re gonna hear about it! For some people, the revelation comes too late that life is best kept to the essentials. Some people are given their last rites and that person might say in their last breath, ‘I should have celebrated Festivus.’”
– Jerry Stiller, as Frank Costanza, on Seinfeld

“You know what my greatest personal stumbling block is? My shyness.”
– Susan Lucci

“The final frontier is perhaps the most difficult, but it’s also the most important – and that’s the frontier of the human spirit. For too long, people have allowed differences on the surface; differences of color, ethnicity, and gender – to tear apart the common bonds they share. And the human spirit suffers as a result. Imagine a world in which we saw beyond the lines that divide us, and celebrated our differences, instead of hiding from them. Imagine a world in which we finally recognized that, fundamentally, we are all the same. And imagine if we allowed that new understanding to build relations between people and between nations.”
– Wesley Clark

“Too many in your state [Pennsylvania], as in this [New York], love pure democracy dearly. They seem not to consider that pure democracy, like pure rum, easily produces intoxication, and with it a thousand mad pranks and fooleries.”
– John Jay

Every December 3rd, 23 Thousand luminaries are lit and placed at the site of the Civil War battle of Antietam, to remember the lives lost over the course of 8 hours of fighting.

1815 – The novel Emma by Jane Austen was published.

1823 – A Visit From St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, was published. Clement Clarke Moore acknowledged authorship in 1837.

1888 – Suffering from severe depression, Vincent Van Gogh cut off the lower part of his left ear with a razor in Arles, France.

1913 – The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.

December 23, 19** Birthday (fictional) Billy and Mary Batson were born, Fawcett/DC Comics.

December 23, 1944 (fiction) Hellboy (Anug Un Rama) was summoned by Rasputin, Hellboy, Comics

1947 – Walter H. Brattain and John Bardeen at Bell Laboratories first demonstrated the transistor.

1954 – Dr. John P. Merrill led the first successful kidney transplant between identical twins at Peter Bent Hospital, Boston, Mass. His identical twin, Ronald, donated the kidney to Richard Herrick, 23.

1959 – Early rocker Chuck Berry was arrested for bringing a 14-year-old girl from Mexico to Missouri.

1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York reached 1,368 feet, making it the tallest building in the world at that time.

1972 – NFL’s “Immaculate Reception” – Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed a deflected pass from quarterback Terry Bradshaw to score a touchdown, winning the game for the Steelers 13-7 over the Oakland Raiders.

December 23, 1979 Birthday (fictional) Peter Petrelli, Heroes, TV

1986 – Experimental aircraft Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California, completing the first nonstop flight, just over nine hours, around the globe on a single load of fuel.

1988 – Working Girl, Beaches, Dangerous Liaisons, The Accidental Tourist, and Hellbound: Hellraiser II were released in theaters.

1989 – #1 Hit December 23, 1989 – January 19, 1990: Phil Collins – Another Day in Paradise

1989 – To celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall, Leonard Bernstein and an international orchestra & chorus performed in Berlin a version of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, in which Freude (Joy) was changed to Freiheit (Freedom).

1992 – Scent of a Woman was released in theaters.

1994 – Legends of the Fall and Nobody’s Fool were released in theaters.

1997 – As Good As It Gets was released in theaters.

2009 – Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel was released in theaters.

2011 – We Bought A Zoo was released in theaters.

#1 Hit December 23, 2017 – January 26, 2018: Ed Sheeran solo or duet with Beyoncé – Perfect

Veni, Vedi, Visa. I Came. I Saw. I Did a Little Shopping.

Daughter: “Mommy, why did Mrs. Santa Claus drive by on a tractor?” Mommy: “Rain, dear”

Raw materials on earth haven’t changed much. Dinosaurs could have had iPhones if they had been smarter.

What if when pirates were sailing the ocean blue all that time looking for hidden treasure, the real treasure was in the friendships they were making?

The first movie to gross over $100 million was Jaws, 1975.

Since 1987 the fictional license plate # 2GAT123 has appeared in dozens of commercials and over 20 films

“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” – Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)

In a 1931 exhibition game between the New York Yankees and the Chattanooga Lookouts, a 17-year-old girl named Jackie Mitchell struck out baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Creator Chuck Jones said he created the Coyote-Road Runner cartoons as a parody of traditional “cat and mouse” cartoons like Tom and Jerry.

The first nativity scene staged was by St Francis of Assissi in 1223. He got permission from Pope Honorious III to set up a manger with hay and two live animals—an ox and an ass – in Grecio, an Italian village. He invited villagers to view it while he preached.

Biggest film of 2016: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Action/Adventure) earned ~ $532,000,000

“Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac… It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole!” – Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) in Caddyshack, 1980

People with higher incomes generally prefer their toilet paper to come over the roll, while those with lower incomes prefer it to go under.

Due to an error by one of the creators of the HTTP specification, every web page request made contains the misspelling ‘Referer’.

“Alright, alright, Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck, Pluto’s a dog. What’s Goofy?” – Gordie in Stand By Me #moviequotes

“Your desire is not up to your decision, your decision is not up to your determination, your determination is not up to your destiny.” – Oladosu Feyikogbon

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1776 – Thomas Paine published one of a series of pamphlets in The Pennsylvania Journal entitled The American Crisis.
• 1998 – President Bill Clinton was impeached by the United States House of Representatives, becoming the second President of the United States to be impeached.
• 1917 – The first NHL Games took place. Montreal Canadians vs Ottawa Senators (7-4 final) and Montreal Wanders beat the Toronto Arenas (10 to 9 final).
• If you were born on December 19th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… March 27th (same year)

“Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
– Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, first published December 18, in 1843.

“When the mind, body, and spirit work together I believe anything is possible.”
– Criss Angel

“This is the President of the United States speaking. Through the marvels of scientific advance, my voice is coming to you from a satellite circling in outer space. Through this unique means I convey to you, and to all mankind, America’s wish for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men everywhere.”
– President Dwight Eisenhower, in the first voice radio message in space.

“The easiest and simplest thing that anyone can do to make their car safer, more gas efficient, whatever – check the tire pressure.”
– Richard Hammond

• 1958 – Project SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite, was launched.
• 1912 – Piltdown Man’s skull was found in a gravel pit in Sussex, England. At first, it was believed to be the ‘missing link’ between man and early primates but was later discovered to be a hoax
• 1936 – The first giant panda in the US, Su-Lin, arrived in San Francisco from China.
• December 18, 1969 Birthday (fictional) Bruce Banner, Hulk, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Film
• If you were born on December 18th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… March 26th (same year)

“It is better to die for an idea that will live than to live for an idea that will die.”
– Steve Biko

“I regret to this day that I never went to college. I feel I should have been a doctor.”
– Ty Cobb

“Success is a beast. And it actually puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. You get away with more instead of looking within.”
– Brad Pitt

“I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me… but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch.”
– Ty Cobb

“It’s great to be here. It’s great to be anywhere.”
– Keith Richards

“I phoned my grandparents and my grandfather said ‘We saw your movie.’ ‘Which one?’ I said. He shouted ‘Betty, what was the name of that movie I didn’t like?”
– Brad Pitt

“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.”
– Paul Klee

“If you don’t know the blues… there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music.”
-Keith Richards

1787 – New Jersey became the 3rd state.

1839 – John William Draper took a daguerreotype of the moon, the first celestial photograph made in the US.

1865 – The 13th Amendment went into effect, abolishing slavery in the US.

1878 – Joseph Swan demonstrated his carbon filament electric light, almost a year before Edison.

1892 – The premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

1961 – Based on an African sing called Mbube – The Lion Sleeps Tonight was the # 1 song on the Billboard Charts. It is probably the most well-known doo-wop song of all time. (#1 December 18, 1961 – January 12, 1962)

1968 – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was released. It was based on Ian Fleming’s book of the same name.

1969 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was released, starring George Lazenby as Agent 007, James Bond.

1977 – George and Kathleen Lutz purchased their new home at their home at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville New York. Their 28-day adventure in the home was dramatically portrayed in the 1977 book and 1979 film, The Amityville Horror.

1982 – #1 Hit December 18, 1982 – January 14, 1983: Daryl Hall and John Oates – Maneater

1985 – Brazil was released in theaters.

1987 – Moonstruck, Broadcast News, Eddie Murphy Raw, *batteries not included, Overboard, Ironweed, and Leonard Part 6 debuted in theaters.

1996 – The Oakland, California school board unanimously passed a resolution for the incorporating of Ebonics in the classroom.

1997 – Comedian Chris Farley died from a drug overdose, at the age of 33.

1997 – HTML 4.0 was published by the World Wide Web Consortium.

1998 – The Prince of Egypt and You’ve Got Mail were released in theaters.

2002 – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers debuted in theaters.

2009 – Avatar and Nine were released in theaters.

2010 – #1 Hit December 18, 2010 – January 7, 2011: Katy Perry – Firework

2013 – A&E suspended Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson for comments he made regarding homosexuality and the civil rights era in an interview with GQ magazine. He was reinstated on December 27.

2013 – Her and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues were released in theaters.

Why was the Batphone in a glass casing? Was Commissioner Gordon a germ freak in the ’60s?

Due to the mild temperatures in 1949, the Rockefeller Christmas Tree was spray-painted with hundreds of gallons of silver paint in efforts to look more winter-like.

If Burger King and Dairy Queen got married, they would live in White Castle. Their first son would be named Jack. He’d live in a box.

Old Quaker Oats advertising identified the “Quaker man” as William Penn, but today he is referred to as “Larry”.

Malcolm’s last name in Malcolm in the Middle is Wilkerson. Although never spoken aloud in the series it can be seen on the name badge Francis is wearing in the pilot episode.

In Animaniacs, Dot’s full name is Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Banna Bo Besca, the Third.

Biggest film of 1916: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Action/Adventure) earned ~ $8,000,000

US President #40 Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Reagan was the oldest president elected to office (aged 69). His favorite all-time job? As a teenage lifeguard!

We are about 100 million million million million million degrees away from the hottest temperature possible and only a few hundred degrees away from the coldest one.

The Capital of Andorra is Andorra la Vella

“Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?” – Cesare Enrico “Rico” Bandello (Edward G. Robinson) in Little Caesar, 1931

The dinner I was cooking for my family was going to be a surprise but the fire trucks ruined it.

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1843 – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was published.
• 1903 – The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
• 1969 – Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closed its study of UFOs.
• 2101 – The Arab Spring began
• 2014 – The United States and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations after severing them in 1961.
• If you were born on December 17th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… March 25th (same year)

“To even mention all the things the bird must constantly keep in mind in order to fly securely through the air would take a considerable part of the evening… The bird has learned this art of equilibrium and learned it so thoroughly that its skill is not apparent to our sight. We only learn to appreciate it when we try to imitate it.”
– Wilbur Wright

“I’ve always been taught to play the game hard. Baseball is such a tough game, it really humbles you at times, you just have to try not to get too high or too low.”
– Chase Utley

“Live music is where you get the inspiration and creativity. I just try to keep an open mind, and that’s the way a lot of good things happen.”
– Paul Rodgers

“When someone asks if you’re a god, you say YES!”
– Ernie Hudson

“He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Everyone!”
– Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol

1538 – Pope Paul III excommunicated England’s Henry VIII.

1777 – American Revolution: France formally recognized the United States.

1790 – The Aztec Stone (‘Sun Stone’) was excavated in the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City. It is about 12 feet across and weighs about 24 tons.

1835 – The Great Fire of New York took place in New York City in 1835, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing two people.

1843 – Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol novella was published by Chapman and Hall. It is one of the most well-known books and stories of all time.

1865 – First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert.

1880 -The Edison Electric Illuminating Company was incorporated to provide electric light to New York City.

1892 – First issue of Vogue magazine was published.

1903 – Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane he made with his brother Wilbur, which stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

1933 – The Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 23-21 in the first NFL Championship game.

1957 – The United States successfully launched the first (Atlas) InterContinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1969 – Tiny Tim married Miss Vicky (Victoria May Budinger) on The Tonight Show.

1969 – The United States Air Force closed its study of UFOs, Project Blue Book.

1976 – Cable channel TBS premiered and eventually became known as “The Superstation”.

1979 – The first rocket automobile vehicle to break the sound barrier on land was driven by Stan Barrett who reached 739.7 mph (speed of sound: 761.2) on a 3-mile test-strip at Rogers Lake, Edwards Air Force Base, CA.

1980 – Broadway Show – Amadeus (Play) December 17, 1980

1982 – Tootsie and The Dark Crystal debuted in theaters.

1987 – Final Fantasy (I) was released in Japan.

(fictional) December 17, 1991, Maria and Tony Start were murdered, Iron Man, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Film

1989 – The Simpsons television series first premiered on television with the episode “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”.

1991 – Gilbert O’Sullivan’s Alone Again (Naturally) was ‘sampled’ in Biz Markie’s Alone Again, and the United States Federal Court for the Southern District of New York agreed with the 70’s artist that Biz needed to get permission to use his music in a very landmark case. That permission typically involves direct payment or a portion of the net profits today.

1993 – What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Pelican Brief and Beethoven’s 2nd were released in theaters.

1994 – #1 Hit December 17, 1994 – January 27, 1995: Ini Kamoze – Here Comes The Hotstepper

1999 – Stuart Little was released in theaters.

2000 – In addition to a 17-0 victory by the San Francisco 49ers over the Chicago Bears, San Francisco’s wide receiver Terrell Owens set a new NFL record of 20 catches in a single game.

2003 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was released, and it went on to win 11 Oscars. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was first published in 1954/1955.

2004 – Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Aviator debuted in theaters.

2008 – The Wrestler debuted in theaters.

2011 – Yogi Bear was released in theaters.

2011 – Kim Jong Il, ‘Beloved, Brilliant, Perfect, Wise, Unique and Dear’ Leader and Father of the People of North Korea, Died. He was also referred to as the Superior Person, Sun of the Communist Future, and The Shining Star of Paektu Mountain. #RIP

2011 – The Adventures of Tintin was released in theaters.

2014 – The United States and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations.

2014 – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was released in US theaters

#1 Hit December 17, 2022 – January 13, 2023 – All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

Now You Know: When you stop believing in Santa Claus you start getting clothes for Christmas!

TV Quotes… “Smile, you’re on ‘Candid Camera’ ” (Alan Funt) on Candid Camera.

We need to come up with new phrases to replace “you sound like a broken record” and “roll up the window” etc. #newwords

The biggest film of 1915: The Birth of a Nation (Drama) earned ~ $10,000,000

Shania Twain – Real Name: Eileen Regina Edwards

A Dutchman named Jan de Doot, in 1651, removed his own bladder stone with a kitchen knife. He pulled it out through an incision he made in his perineum. It was the size of an egg and weighed a quarter of a pound. He lived for years after and had the stone plated in gold.

Sammy Davis Jr was outlived by his mother (died 2000 at age 95) and his grandmother (died 1996 at age 112).

Today I solved a captcha, and as a result, the system confirmed to me that I am not a robot. I feel reassured knowing that I really am a human. Thank you, captcha people!

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” – Zig Ziglar

<spoilers> In The Sixth Sense (1999), Bruce Willis is dead and doesn’t know it. In Unbreakable (2000), Bruce Willis is the only one still alive, and he doesn’t know why. </spoilers>

The reason the taste of artificial banana flavoring and artificial banana flavored products doesn’t taste like bananas is because it is based on a type of banana that was wiped out by a plague in the 1950s.

The Capital of Angola is Luanda

“Sorry folks, the park’s closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya.” #moviequotes

“I just want you to know that even though you tried to terminate me, revenge is not an idea we promote on my planet.” – Buzz Lightyear #moviequotes

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1773 – The Boston Tea Party: Members of the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Mohawk Indians, dumped hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act.
• 1944 – The Battle of the Bulge
• 1947 – William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain built the first practical point-contact transistor.
• 1950 -US President Harry S. Truman declares a state of emergency after Chinese troops enter the fight in support of communist North Korea.
• If you were born on December 16th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… March 24th (same year)

“Fear… can make you do more wrong than hate or jealousy. If you’re afraid you don’t commit yourself to life completely; fear makes you always, always hold something back.”
– Philip K. Dick

“People are wrong when they say opera is not what it used to be. It is what it used to be. That is what’s wrong with it.”
– Noël Coward

“The one thing for an actor that is death, is if you’re bored. The boredom will show in your work. It’s an amazing blessing to do something you love.”
– Benjamin Bratt

“The higher the building the lower the morals.”
– Noël Coward

“Perhaps it is better to be un-sane and happy, than sane and un-happy. But it is the best of all to be sane and happy. Whether our descendants can achieve that goal will be the greatest challenge of the future. Indeed, it may well decide whether we have any future.”
– Arthur C. Clarke

“Law school teaches you one thing above all: how to speak while saying absolutely nothing.”
– Krysten Ritter

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”
– Philip K. Dick

1777 – Virginia became the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

1811 (Earthquake) An 8.6 magnitude earthquake hit the United States, the largest in our history. The area affected included: Missouri, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Amazingly, no people were killed.

1835 – Great Fire of New York City. Over 600 buildings were destroyed.

1884 – The first US patent (#309,219) was issued for an automatic liquid vending machine to William H. Fruen of Minneapolis, MN. People could get a measured amount of a liquid for coin payment.

1893 – Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor From the New World was performed at Carnegie Hall. The music had African roots, and the piece greatly influenced the American musical landscape for the next century.

1912 -The world’s first stamp to depict an airplane was issued in the US, available at Post Offices on January 1, 1912.

1920 (Earthquake) Haiyuan County, Ningxia, China

1944 – Attacking the Allies in northern France through northwestern Belgium, Hitler’s army started the Operation Mist (aka Ardennes Offensive or the Battle of the Bulge).

1951 – Dragnet debuted on NBC.

On December 16, 1965, The first music played in Space was on GEMINI SIX, to wake up Astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford – it was the first Musical Astronaut WAKE UP CALL, that has become a tradition with NASA since then. Jack Jones sang a parody of the hit Broadway tune Hello Dolly – which was a big hit at the time.
In the early days, they went with classical music like Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, Hungarian Rhapsody #2 by Lizst, and Madame Butterfly by Puccini. Over Time they really mixed it up, Flinstones Theme, Theme From Friends, and Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner, which would be an excellent song to wake up to, with a sunrise over the Earth’s Horizon.

1968 -Second Vatican Council: Officially revoked of the 1492 Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.

1972 – #1 Hit December 16, 1972 – January 5, 1973: Billy Paul – Me and Mrs. Jones

1983 – Silkwood and Uncommon Valor debuted in theaters.

1988 – Rain Man, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Torch Song Trilogy were released in theaters.

1994 – Dumb and Dumber was released in theaters.

2006 – #1 Hit December 16, 2006 – February 23, 2007: Beyonce – Irreplaceable

2010- CNN’s Larry King Live aired the last original episode.

2011 – Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol were released in theaters.

Make out your Chopin Liszt early before Debussy season, when you have time to check out Verdi good bargains are, can still get gifts Faure good price, not have to Handel large crowds and have time to give Bach things you decide you don’t want.

Every day, man is making beggir and better fool-proof things, and every day, nature is making beggir and better fools. So far, I think nature is winning.

Astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford made Jingle Bells the first song performed in space. They played it on a harmonica with bells (and implied spotting Santa) while orbiting Earth on Gemini 6 on Dec. 16, 1965.

The Capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires

“Rosebud.” – Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) in Citizen Kane, 1941

Three sports movies have won the Oscar for best picture: Rocky (1976), Chariots of Fire (1981), and Million Dollar Baby (2004)

They say you shouldn’t make mountains out of molehills, but somewhere out there there are actual moles making molehills out of mountains. Good on them.

The 1960 Italian film La Dolce Vita was the origin of the term ‘paparazzi’, named after a character in the film, Paparazzo.

The ‘talking mirror’ trope from fairy tales probably originated when a careless time-traveler was seen using a Smartphone or a tablet.

1986, London’s bakers apologized for the Great Fire of London, 320 years after it happened.

“It never rains in California… Matadors…” #misunderstoodlyrics

The Scary Statistic: Lightning Strike odds: 1-in-83,930

What to do: Stay indoors, be grounded, or live in your car.

Many people who win the lottery end up bankrupt. Few financially responsible people win the lottery, because buying lottery tickets is not a financially responsible thing to do.

The Capital of Antigua and Barbuda is Saint John’s

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1791 – The Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution.
• 1933 – The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol.
• 1973 – The American Psychiatric Association voted 13 to 0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders.
• If you were born on December 15th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… March 23rd (same year)

1. Freedom of religion, speech, and assembly
2. Right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of a well-regulated militia
3. No forcible quartering of soldiers during peacetime
4. Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure
5. Right to a grand jury for capital crimes and due process. Protection from double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and public confiscation of private property without just compensation.
6. Right to speedy and public trial by jury and a competent defense
7. Right to trial by jury for monetary cases above $20
8. Protection against excessive bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishments
9. Rights not enumerated are retained by the people
10. Rights not given to the federal government or prohibited the state governments by the Constitution are reserved to the States (the people).

Some US politicians still debate whether the “rights” are granted to the citizens by the government, or if they are Creator-driven protection from the government “for” the people.

1. Those who are around when you need them.

2. Those who are around when they need you.

“Comic books aren’t nerdy. You’d have to be an idiot to think computers are nerdy.”
-Adam Brody

“It appears that mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent inherent in every atom. The universe as a whole is also weird, with laws of nature that make it hospitable to the growth of mind. I do not make any clear distinction between the mind and God. God is what mind becomes when it has passed beyond the scale of our comprehension.”
– Freeman Dyson

“It’s hard to be sad when you’re laughing, so I enjoy making people happy.”
– Tim Conway

“I’ve realized over the years that, with rare exceptions, most writer’s block isn’t writer’s block at all: It’s necessary time that allows the unconscious mind to do its deep work.”
– J.M. DeMatteis

“And in a world without heroes, as the movie trailer voice-over guy might say, the slightly awkward can be slightly cool.”
– Adam Brody

“A good cause can become bad if we fight for it with means that are indiscriminately murderous. A bad cause can become good if enough people fight for it in a spirit of comradeship and self-sacrifice. In the end, it is how you fight, as much as why you fight, that makes your cause good or bad.”
– Freeman Dyson

1836 – A fire destroyed the US Patent Office, erasing the records of most of the first 9,957 US patents’ records.

1890 – Native American Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake) was shot and killed by Indian police over a political misunderstanding.

1933 – The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment.

1939 – Gone with the Wind premiered at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

1944 – Bandleader Glenn Miller’s plane disappeared over the English Channel. One of the largest pop stars of his day, he was the first of many who died in an airplane mishap.

1951 – #1 Hit December 15, 1951 – December 28, 1951: Eddy Howard – Sin

19454 – Davy Crockett, starring Fess Parker, premiered. It was the first mini-series, lasting 5 episodes.

1970 – Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully landed on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet.

1973 – The American Psychiatric Association voted 13-0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders.

1973 – #1 Hit December 15, 1973 – December 28, 1973: Charlie Rich – The Most Beautiful Girl

1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would recognize the People’s Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

1989 – Driving Miss Daisy debuted in theaters.

1993 – Schindler’s List, starring Liam Neeson, opened in theaters.

1995 – Sense and Sensibility, Heat, and Jumanji were released in theaters.

1999 – Vargas Tragedy, Venezuela

2000 – The Emperor’s New Groove, What Women Want, Dude Where’s My Car, and Chocolat debuted in theaters.

2000 – Chernobyl nuclear plant was officially, permanently shut down in Ukraine, after the April 26, 1986 disaster.

2004 – Million Dollar Baby debuted in theaters.

2006 – The Pursuit of Happyness, Dreamgirls, Eragon, and Charlotte’s Web debuted in theaters.

2011 – Impractical Jokers premiered on TruTV

What to do: No Trailer Parks. Living in a big city.

Nobody is going to open the time capsule my 5th-grade class buried next to the school in 1971. I bet my teacher doesn’t even remember where it is or that we even had one.

The Capital of Armenia is Yerevan

TV Quotes… “The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat” (Jim McKay) on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

A group of Insects is called a Horde or Nest or Swarm or Rabble or Plague.

Phones have an asterisk and pound sign because when Bell Labs designed the first touch-tone phone, their system had two tones that were not assigned values. So, they threw in * and #.

Carol King – Real Name: Carole Klein

The biggest film of 1902: Le Voyage dans la Lune (Action/Adventure) earned ~ $45,000

“I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!” – Elvira Gulch in The Wizard of Oz (1939) #moviequotes

“You can’t make footprints in the sands of time if you’re sitting on your butt. And who wants to make buttprints in the sands of time?” – Bob Moawad

Cartoon Fact: A cat will assume the shape of its container.

Although Mercury is closest to the sun, it is not the hottest planet in our solar system. Venus is hotter due to its atmosphere trapping the heat.

• Today in History
• Number One Hits
• Award Winners
• Conception Songs

• 1287 – St. Lucia’s flood: The Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapsed, killing over 50,000 people.
• 1780 – Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York. #hamilton
• 1900 – Max Planck presented a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law. (Quantum Mechanics)
• 1962 – NASA’s Mariner 2 became the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.
• 2017 – The Walt Disney Company announced plans that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, for $52.4 billion.
• If you were born on December 14th,
  You were likely conceived the week of… March 22nd (same year)

Nostradamus: Renaissance’s Most Widely Read Seer