December 17 is:
National Maple Syrup Day
from Foodimentary.com
Usually a maple tree is at least 30 years old and 12 inches in diameter before it is tapped.
The maple season may last eight to 10 weeks, but sap flow is heaviest for about 10-20 days in the early spring.
It takes 30-50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.
It takes one gallon of maple syrup to produce eight pounds of maple candy or sugar.
Maple syrup is boiled even further to produce maple cream, maple sugar, and maple candy.
Underdog Day
Pope Paul III excommunicated Henry VIII of England in 1538.
On this date in 1777, France recognized the independence of British colonies in America.
1791 – A traffic regulation in New York City established the first street to go “One Way.”
First impeachment trial against a US senator, William Blount of Tennessee began. An aggressive land speculator, Blount gradually acquired millions of acres in Tennessee and the trans-Appalachian west. His risky land investments left him in debt, and in the 1790s, he conspired with England to seize the Spanish-controlled Louisiana Territory in hopes of boosting western land prices. When the conspiracy was uncovered in 1797, he was expelled from the Senate, and became the first U.S. public official to face impeachment. Blount nevertheless remained popular in Tennessee, and served in the state senate during the last years of his life.
1862 – Gen U S Grant issued Order #11, expelling Jews from Tennessee; the order was rescinded 21 days later. Grant believed gold and cotton were being smuggled through enemy lines, thus interfering with military operations.
1865 – Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” premiered.
Anti-Saloon League of America formed, Washington, DC in 1895.
In 1900, a first prize of 100,00 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrials. Martians excluded–considered too easy.
The Wright Brothers made their first powered and heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.
1935 – First flight of the Douglas DC-3 airplane. Over 16,000 were built under various licenses. It was the “C-47” workhorse of WW II and they’re still in service around the world to this day.
Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen & dummy Charlie McCarthy, first appeared on TV in 1936.
On December 17, 1944, US Army announced end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast, detainees released.
The United States successfully launched the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile in Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 17, 1957.
1959 – The film “On the Beach” premiered in New York City and in 17 other cities. It was the first motion picture to debut simultaneously in major cities around the world. See review of the book written by co-author of this website.
Project Blue Book: The USAF closes its study of UFOs in 1969, stating that sightings were generated as a result of “A mild form of mass hysteria, Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or seek publicity, psychopathological persons, and misidentification of various conventional objects.”
The United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 54/134 in 1999, designating November 25 as the annual International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.
Christmas Music:
Several years ago I worked on a project to celebrate the music in my life. Nothing says Christmas like the carols and songs heard only at this time of year. Here’s today’s sample:
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
(by clicking the Windows Media Player icon button, a midi file will play [if it’s installed on your computer]. No music has been embedded.
Lyrics can be printed by using the File->Print Preview Commands. They will print in black ink with no images.)