Category Archives: Christmas

December 14 is:

National Bouillabaisse Day Bouillabaisse is a fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. “What makes a bouillabaisse different from other fish soups is the selection of Provençal herbs and spices in the broth; the use of bony local Mediterranean fish; the way the fish are added one at a time, and brought to a boil; and the method of serving. In Marseille, the broth is served first in a soup plate with slices of bread and rouille (a sauce that consists of olive oil with breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper); then the fish is served separately on a large platter; or, more simply, as Julia Child suggests, the fish and broth are brought to the table separately and served together in large soup plates.”

Monkey Day

National Biscuits and Gravy Day

Physician, astrologer and clairvoyant Nostradamus was born at St. Remy, Provence, France (December 14, 1503).

Princess Mary Stuart became Mary, Queen of Scots in 1542, succeeding her father, James V. She was 6 days old.

The Montgolfier brothers’ first balloon lifted off on its first test flight in 1782.

Publication of Federalist Paper #22: Other Defects of the Present Confederation written by Alexander Hamilton in 1787. The defects of the Articles of Confederation covered in this article are the lack of control of commerce between the States, the inability to raise an Army, the problems with equal voting power by large and small States, the ability of a minority to prevent government action, lack of a national supreme court, and the need for more than a single government body.

Death of George Washington, First President of the United States; died at age 67 at Mount Vernon, Virginia on December 14, 1799. His last words were “‘Tis well”. He was 67. On December 12, 1799, Washington inspected his farms on horseback in snow and sleet. He returned home late for dinner but refused to change out of his wet clothes, not wanting to keep his guests waiting. He had a sore throat the following day but again went out in freezing, snowy weather to mark trees for cutting. That evening, he complained of chest congestion, but was still cheerful. On Saturday, he awoke to an inflamed throat and difficulty breathing. The diagnosis of Washington’s illness and the immediate cause of his death have been subjects of debate since the day he died.

“First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” These famous words about George Washington come from a eulogy written by Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. Lee was a major general in the Continental Army, member of the Continental Congress, governor of Virginia, father of the famous Civil War general Robert E. Lee, and close friend of George Washington.

Alabama Admission day (December 14, 1819), twenty-second state

• Capital: Montgomery
• Nickname: Yellowhammer State/Heart of Dixie/Cotton State
• Bird: Yellowhammer
• Flower: Camellia
• Tree: Southern Pine
• Motto: We Dare Defend Our Rights

See our page Alabama for more interesting facts and trivia about Alabama.

Prince Albert, husband of Britain’s Queen Victoria, died in London in 1861.

Former First Lady Julia Grant (Mrs. Ulysses S Grant) died of kidney and heart failure on December 14, 1902 at the age of 76. She was the first First Lady to write her memoirs. Julia Grant’s memoirs were not published in her lifetime.They first appeared in print in 1975 under the title The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant.

1941 Premier Winston Churchill traveled to U.S. on board HMS Duke of York in 1941. He arrived secretly at the White House just before Christmas in 1941.

From White House History

During his 24-day stay the staff had to adjust to his eccentricities. Chief Usher J.B. West recalled, “We got used to his ‘jumpsuit,’ the extraordinary one-piece uniform he wore every day, but the servants never quite got over seeing him naked in his room when they’d go up to serve brandy. It was the jumpsuit or nothing. In his room, Mr. Churchill wore no clothes at all most of the time during the day.”

On 26 December 1941, Churchill addressed a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.

In 1946, U.N. General Assembly voted to establish United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

“Saturday Night Fever,”starring John Travolta, premiered in New York City on December 14, 1977.

December 12 is:

National Ambrosia Day Ambrosia is a fruit salad made with a variety of fruit, marshmallows, coconut, nuts, and whipped topping.
Foodimentary.com
Ambrosia is a good type of apple for kids and older people to digest because of its low acid content.
Ambrosia need to be stored in the refrigerator to retain its crisp texture.
Ambrosia is known as “The food of the gods” in classical Greek mythology.
In the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, “Ambrosia is a dessert made from fruits, sugar and grated coconut, most popular in the South.”

National Popcorn String Day
National Ding-a-Ling Day
Poinsettia Day

Birthday of John Jay, New York (December 12, 1745), American statesman, 1st US Chief Justice, co-author of the Federalist Papers.

Publication of Federalist Paper #21: Other Defects of the Present Confederation written by Alexander Hamilton in 1787. Hamilton further discusses the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, particularly in the areas of enforcement of laws and protection of the states. The federal government had no authority to enforce laws or regulate contributions or revenues from the States. The national debt was increasing. Also, if a state were overrun by a faction, by another state, or by a foreign power, the federal government had no authority to send in soldiers to help fight for that state.

Pennsylvania Admission day (1787), second state to ratify the U. S. Constitution

• Capital: Harrisburg
• Nickname: Keystone State
• Bird: Ruffled grouse
• Flower: Mountain laurel
• Tree: Hemlock
• Motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence

See our page Pennsylvania for more interesting facts and trivia about Pennsylvania.

“The Katzenjammer Kids,” (Hans and Fritz) the pioneering comic strip by Rudolph Dirks, debuted in the New York Journal on 1897. Dirks was the first cartoonist to express dialogue in comic characters through the use of speech balloons.

Birthday of Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915), American singer and actor. Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.

In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founded Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys in 1917. It began with five boys. Boys Town has grown over the years, providing care to children and families across the country. There are nine sites across the United States, in Central Florida, North Florida, South Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, Iowa, New England, Nevada, and Washington, D.C.

The first motel, the Motel Inn, opened, in San Luis Obispo, California in 1925.

December 12, 2000, the United States Supreme Court released its decision in Bush v. Gore. The decision allowed Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris’s previous certification of George W. Bush as the winner of Florida’s 25 electoral votes to stand. Florida’s votes gave Bush, the Republican candidate, 271 electoral votes, one more than the required 270 electoral votes to win the Electoral College and defeat Democratic candidate Al Gore, who received 266 electoral votes (a District of Columbia elector abstained). Media organizations subsequently analyzed the ballots, and under the strategy that Al Gore pursued at the beginning of the Florida recount — filing suit to force hand recounts in four predominantly Democratic counties — Bush would have kept his lead, according to the ballot review conducted by the consortium.

December 10 is:

Nobel Prize Day

Human Rights Day

Thailand Constitution Day:

National Lager Day
Per Foodimentary.com:
Lager is a type of beer that is fermented at low temperatures and generally takes longer to ferment out than ales.
Most lager has a light color and crispy tasting.
The first US lager was brewed in 1840 by John Wagner in Philadelphia.
Lager beer is the most popular beer style throughout the world except in UK, where ale is dominant.
Besides pale lager, there are also dark lagers, such as Dunkel and Schwarzbier.

Martin Luther publicly burned the papal edict demanding that he recant or face excommunication on December 10, 1520.

Thomas Culpepper and Francis Dereham were executed on this date in 1541 for having affairs with Catherine Howard, Queen of England and wife of Henry VIII.

Mississippi admission day (1817), 20th state

• Capital: Jackson
• Nickname: Magnolia State
• Bird: Mockingbird
• Flower: Magnolia
• Tree: Magnolia
• Motto: By valor and arms

See our page Mississippi for more interesting facts and trivia about Mississippi.

Birthday of Emily Dickinson (December 10, 1830), American poet. One of her best-known poems was
Because I could not stop for Death.

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

The first traffic lights were installed, outside the Palace of Westminster in London in 1868. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and were illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.

Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1884. This book is in the public domain and can be read at our site “nextdoorestore.com”

December 10, 1898, Spanish-American War ended; US acquired Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his role in the mediation of the Russo-Japanese War, becoming the first American to win a Nobel Prize.

Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication in 1936. Edward was the eldest son of King George V and Queen Mary. He became king following his father’s death on 20 January 1936. He was succeeded by his younger brother Albert, who chose the regnal name George VI. Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was pursuing the divorce of her second. Her divorce became final on May 3, 1937 and Edward and Wallis Simpson married on June 3, 1937.