1818 Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for Silent Night to words written by Josef Mohr The traditional song was sung for the first time during Midnight Mass this night 1867 It was Christmas Eve that R.H. Macy’s department store in New York City remained open until midnight to catch last-minute shoppers. The store took in a record $6,000, giving itself a very [...]
Rudolph's shiny red nose can really help him see in the fog because of reindeers’ blue eyes. Experts say reindeers’ eyes have a reflective tissue changes from a golden color during the summer to a deep blue in winter. They say this would be a distinct disadvantage on a foggy Christmas Eve because fog [...]
When it comes to alcohol, some choices are better for you than others. Nutritionist Charlotte Watts has offered her top tips on how to drink smart for your health, this holiday season. RED WINE - THE DEEPER THE BETTER Quality is key. In red wine, the deeper the color, the higher the amount of antioxidants [...]
He's checked his list, and he's checked it twice. It's too late; he already knows who's naughty or nice! The ole jolly elf known as Santa Claus is currently moving at the speed of light to deliver lots of goodies to all the little boys and girls around the world... Where is he at this [...]
1888 Following a quarrel with Paul Gauguin, Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh cut off part of his own earlobe Van Gogh arrived at a brothel called House of Tolerance and asked for "Rachel"...He then handed her his ear, saying “Keep this and treasure it.” Then he disappeared. Police went to the man’s address the next [...]
1895 German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen made the first X-ray It was of his wife's hand 1961 James Davis became the first U.S. soldier to die in Vietnam U.S. involvement was still limited to the provision of military advisers Specialist Four James T. Davis served as a 3rd Radio Research Unit advisor to elements of the Army of the [...]
West Coast cities top a Washington Post list of the 10 best food cities The newspaper's food critic, Tom Sietsema, spent 60 days traveling and tasting food from different cities to determine America's Best Food Cities Portland, Oregon was ranked first, followed by San Francisco in second and Los Angeles in third New York, Chicago [...]
Nameberry's Top Baby Names Of 2015 Nameberry released its list of the top baby names of 2015 and Charlotte was the top name for a girl and Ezra was the top boy’s name. Some of the hottest baby names in 2015 were based on literary characters like Esme and Kai. The top 10 [...]
1891 The first basketball game was played The modern game was invented at Springfield College in Massachusetts by Dr. James E. Naismith 1913 Arthur Wynne published a new "word-cross" puzzle in the "New York World" in England. The name was later changed to crossword 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released This was [...]
1961 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens, hit #1 on the pop singles chart It went on to earn at least $15 million in royalties from cover versions and film licensing 1966 Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" aired for the first time on CBS It was the first Dr. Seuss book to be adapted into a [...]