<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):
* 'National Ambrosia Day'.
- From Wikipedia (Ambrosia (fruit salad)):
'Ambrosia is a variation on the traditional fruit salad. Most ambrosia
recipes contain fresh or sweetened pineapple, mandarin oranges or fresh
orange sections, miniature marshmallows, and coconut. Other ingredients can
include maraschino cherries, bananas, strawberries, peeled grapes, or
crushed pecans. Ambrosia can also include whipped cream (or whipped
topping), sour cream, cream cheese, pudding, yogurt, or cottage cheese. The
mixture is refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before serving.
Although the name references the food of Greek gods, it is widely believed
to be an American dish originated in the late 19th century'.
* 'Gingerbread House Day'.
- From Wikipedia (Gingerbread house):
'A gingerbread house is a model house made of gingerbread. The usual
material is crisp ginger biscuit made of gingerbread – the ginger nut.
Another type of model-making with gingerbread uses a boiled dough that can
be moulded like clay to form edible statuettes or other decorations. These
houses, covered with a variety of candies and icing, are popular Christmas
decorations, often built by children with the help of their parents.
ecords of honey cakes can be traced to ancient Rome. Food historians ratify
that ginger has been seasoning foodstuffs and drinks since antiquity. It is
believed gingerbread was first baked in Europe at the end of the 11th
century, when returning crusaders brought back the custom of spicy bread
from the Middle East. Ginger was not only tasty, it had properties that
helped preserve the bread. According to the French legend, gingerbread was
brought to Europe in 992 by the Armenian monk, later saint, Gregory of
Nicopolis (Gregory Makar). He lived for seven years in Bondaroy, France,
near the town of Pithiviers, where he taught gingerbread cooking to priests
and other Christians. He died in 999. Gingerbread, as we know it today,
descends from Medieval European culinary traditions. Gingerbread was also
shaped into different forms by monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th
century. Lebkuchen bakers are recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm and 1395 in
Nuremberg, Germany. Nuremberg was recognized as the Gingerbread Capital of
the World when in the 1600s the guild started to employ master bakers and
skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread.
Medieval bakers used carved boards to create elaborate designs. During the
13th century, the custom spread across Europe. It was taken to Sweden in
the 13th century by German immigrants there are references from Vadstena
Abbey of Swedish nuns baking gingerbread to ease indigestion in 1444. The
traditional sweetener is honey, used by the guild in Nuremberg. Spices used
are ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. Gingerbread figurines
date back to the 15th century, and figural biscuit-making was practised in
the 16th century. The first documented instance of figure-shaped
gingerbread biscuits is from the court of Elizabeth I of England: she had
gingerbread figures made in the likeness of some of her important guests.
The tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started in Germany in
the early 1800s. According to certain researchers, the first gingerbread
houses were the result of the well-known Grimm's fairy tale Hansel and
Gretel in which the two children abandoned in the forest found an edible
house made of bread with sugar decorations. After this book was published,
German bakers began baking ornamented fairy-tale houses of lebkuchen
(gingerbread). These became popular during Christmas, a tradition that came
to America with Pennsylvanian German immigrants. According to other food
historians, the Grimm brothers were speaking about something that already
existed'.
[The Hankster says] Since it is known as the food of the Gods, I'll have a double portion please. I need all the help I can get.
<> Other holidays / celebrations
* 'National Poinsettia Day'.
Marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the man responsible for bringing
the plan to the United States.
- From Wikipedia (Poinsettia):
'The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a culturally and commercially
important plant species of the diverse spurge family that is indigenous to
Mexico and Central America. It is particularly well known for its red and
green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. It derives
its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States
Minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the United States in
1825.'. Poinsett died December 12 1851.
[The Hankster says] A sub-tropical plant as a winter season symbol? What a marketing coup.
* 'Green Monday'.
From Wikipedia: 'Green Monday is an online retail industry term similar to
Cyber Monday. The term was coined by eBay to describe its best sales day in
December, usually the second Monday of December. Green Monday is defined
more specifically by business research organization comScore as the last
Monday with at least 10 days prior to Christmas. In 2009, $854 million was
spent online in the US on Green Monday, with sales in 2011 reaching $1.133
billion. In 2012, Green Monday topped out at $1.27 billion, up 13% from
2011 and the third heaviest online sales day for the season behind Cyber
Monday and Dec. 4, 2012 (which had no marketing tie-in), according to
comScore.
In 2014, Green Monday online sales grossed a record $1.6 billion, albeit
still lower than Cyber Monday's $2.68 billion during the same year'.
* 'National Ding-a-Ling Day'.
Created in 1972 by Franky Hyle. This is a day set aside for getting in
contact with others who could use a friendly conversation.
[The Hankster says] I hope you read the note. This is not a day to recognize my shortcomings and label them as such.
* 'Bonza Bottler Day'.
A do anything day(s) when the month and day are the same, as in December 12
(12/12).
[The Hankster says] I like the idea of a free holiday. I make fewer mistakes at the costume shop.
<> Awareness / Observances:None.
<> Historical events on December 12
* 'In 1787, Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United
States Constitution, five days after Delaware became the first. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Pennsylvania (officially the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northern and Mid-Atlantic regions
of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle. The
commonwealth borders Delaware to the southeast, Maryland to the south, West
Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, Lake Erie and the Canadian
province of Ontario to the northwest, New York to the north, and New Jersey
to the east.
Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 6th most populous, and the 9th most
densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's five most populous
cities are Philadelphia (1,560,297), Pittsburgh (305,801), Allentown
(118,577), Erie (100,671), and Reading (89,893). The state capital is
Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 51 miles (82 km) of coastline along Lake Erie
and 57 miles (92 km) of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary.
The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States it
came into being in 1681 as a result of a royal land grant to William Penn,
the son of the state's namesake. Part of Pennsylvania (along the Delaware
River), together with the present State of Delaware, had earlier been
organized as the Colony of New Sweden. It was the second state to ratify
the United States Constitution, on December 12, 1787. Independence Hall,
where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States
Constitution were drafted, is located in the state's largest city of
Philadelphia. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was
fought in the south central region of the state. Valley Forge near
Philadelphia was General Washington's headquarters during the bitter winter
of 1777–78'.
* 'In 1897, The comic strip 'The Katzenjammer Kids' (Hans and Fritz), by
Rudolph Dirks, appeared for the first time.
- From Wikipedia: 'The Katzenjammer Kids is an American comic strip created
by the German immigrant Rudolph Dirks and drawn by Harold H. Knerr for 37
years (1912 to 1949).It debuted December 12, 1897 in the American Humorist,
the Sunday supplement of William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal. Dirks
was the first cartoonist to express dialogue in comic characters through
the use of speech balloons'. .
* 'In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal
(the letter 'S' [...] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's,
Newfoundland. .
- From Wikipedia: 'At the turn of the 20th century, Marconi began
investigating the means to signal completely across the Atlantic in order
to compete with the transatlantic telegraph cables. Marconi established a
wireless transmitting station at Marconi House, Rosslare Strand, Co.
Wexford in 1901 to act as a link between Poldhu in Cornwall, England and
Clifden in Co. Galway, Ireland. He soon made the announcement that the
message was received at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland (now part of
Canada) on 12 December 1901, using a 500-foot (150 m) kite-supported
antenna for reception—signals transmitted by the company's new high-power
station at Poldhu, Cornwall. The distance between the two points was about
2,200 miles (3,500 km). It was heralded as a great scientific advance, yet
there also was—and continues to be—considerable skepticism about this
claim. The exact wavelength used is not known, but it is fairly reliably
determined to have been in the neighborhood of 350 meters (frequency ˜850
kHz). The tests took place at a time of day during which the entire
transatlantic path was in daylight. We now know (although Marconi did not
know then) that this was the worst possible choice. At this medium
wavelength, long distance transmission in the daytime is not possible
because of heavy absorption of the skywave in the ionosphere. It was not a
blind test Marconi knew in advance to listen for a repetitive signal of
three clicks, signifying the Morse code letter S. The clicks were reported
to have been heard faintly and sporadically. There was no independent
confirmation of the reported reception, and the transmissions were
difficult to distinguish from atmospheric noise. (A detailed technical
review of Marconi's early transatlantic work appears in John S. Belrose's
work of 1995.) The Poldhu transmitter was a two-stage circuit'.
* 'In 1915, The first all-metal aircraft, the Junkers J-1, is test flown at
Dessau, Germany.
- From Wikipedia: 'Built early in World War I, when aircraft designers
relied largely on fabric-covered wooden structures, braced with struts and
exposed rigging lines, the Junkers J 1 was a revolutionary development in
aircraft design, being built and flown only 12 years after the Wright
Brothers had first flown the 'Flyer I' biplane in December 1903'. .
* 'In 1917, In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a
farm village for wayward boys.
- From Wikipedia: 'In 1917, a young Irish priest named Father Edward J.
Flanagan grew discouraged in his work with homeless men in Omaha, Nebraska.
He shifted his attention and in December of that year, borrowed $90 to pay
the rent on a boarding house that became Father Flanagan’s Home for Boys.
Flanagan welcomed all boys, regardless of their race or religion. By the
spring, 100 boys were living at the Home. In 1921, Father Flanagan
purchased Overlook Farm on the outskirts of Omaha and moved his Boys’ Home
there. In time, the Home became known as the Village of Boys Town. By the
1930s, hundreds of boys lived at the Village which grew to include a
school, dormitories and administration buildings. The boys elected their
own government which included a mayor, council and commissioners. In 1936,
the community became an official village in the state of Nebraska'. .
* 'In 1925, Arthur Heinman coins the term 'motel' and opens the Motel Inn,
San Luis Obispo, Calf. One of his Milestone Motel series. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Arthur S. Heineman (1878–1974) was the inventor and
primary architect of the world's first motel. It was originally called the
Milestone Mo-Tel and is located in San Luis Obispo, California. It opened
on December 12, 1925. Although it was planned to be only the first of a
chain of eighteen motor courts, Heineman was unable to register the name as
a trademark, which allowed competitors to use the name, and his plans to
extend the concept himself were scuttled.
He also designed (or co-designed, together with one or both of his
brothers) a number of notable houses in Pasadena, California, including the
following homes:
The Parson house on East California, built during 1909–10 Bowen Court, at
539 E. Villa St., a large L-shaped house built during 1910–12 that is the
oldest bungalow court style house in Pasadena (and is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places) The house at 674 Elliot Drive, a wood
frame house in the American Craftsman style built in 1911 (listed in the
National Register of Historic Places) The house at 1186 West 27th St.,
which is one of only a few houses in the American Craftsman style in its
historic neighborhood The house at 1233 Wentworth Ave., a Cotswold style
house built in 1917 (listed in the National Register of Historic Places)'.
* 'In 1955, Bill Haley and the Comets recorded 'See You Later Alligator',
which became a hit in 1956. .
- From Wikipedia: 'See You Later, Alligator is the title of an iconic rock
and roll song of the 1950s written and first recorded by Robert Charles
Guidry, known as Bobby Charles. The song was a Top Ten hit for Bill Haley
and His Comets in 1956 in the U.S
Originally entitled Later Alligator, the song, based on a 12-bar blues
chord structure (141541), was written by Louisiana songwriter Robert
Charles Guidry and first recorded by him under his professional name Bobby
Charles in 1955. His recording was released on Chess Records under the
title Later Alligator as 1609 in November, 1955 backed with On Bended Knee
Guidry, a Cajun musician, adopted a New Orleans-influenced blues style for
the recording. The melody of the song was borrowed from bluesman Guitar
Slim's Later for You Baby which was recorded in 1954. Guidry also wrote
Walking to New Orleans, which was recorded by Fats Domino.
The song was also recorded by Roy Hall (who'd written and recorded Whole
Lotta Shakin' Goin' On ten weeks before) on December 1, 1955 at a Nashville
session.
The most famous recording of the song, however, was that created on
December 12, 1955 by Bill Haley and His Comets at a recording session for
Decca Records. Unlike most of Haley's recordings for Decca, which were
created at the Pythian Temple studio in New York City, Alligator and its
flip-side, The Paper Boy (On Main Street U.S.A.), were recorded at the
Decca Building in New York. The song was featured in Rock Around the Clock,
a musical film Haley and the Comets began shooting in January 1956.
Regarding the claim that Decca records released this disk on February 1,
1956 in both 45 and 78 formats, Billboard had already listed the song as
debuting on 14 January 1956 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart at #25 and
on the Top 100 at #56. The Decca single peaked at no. 6 on the Billboard
and CashBox pop singles chart in 1956'.
* 'In 1957, The U.S. announces the manufacture of Borazon, which is judged
harder than diamond. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Borazon is a brand name of a cubic form of boron nitride
(cBN). Its color ranges from black to brown and gold, depending on the
chemical bond. It is one of the hardest known materials, along with various
forms of diamond and boron nitride. Borazon is a crystal created by heating
equal quantities of boron and nitrogen at temperatures greater than 1800 °C
(3300 °F) at 7 GPa (1 million lbf/in2).
Borazon was first produced in 1957 by Robert H. Wentorf, Jr., a physical
chemist working for the General Electric Company. In 1969, General Electric
adopted the name Borazon as its trademark for the material'.
* 'In 1964, The 'Star Trek' pilot is shown 'The Cage' (shown in 1988 in a
two-part episode 'The Menagerie'). .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Cage is the first pilot episode of Star Trek. It was
completed in early 1965 (with a copyright date of 1964), but not broadcast
on television in its complete form until late 1988. The episode was written
by Gene Roddenberry and directed by Robert Butler. It was rejected by NBC
in February 1965, and the network ordered another pilot episode, which
became Where No Man Has Gone Before
Much original footage from The Cage was later incorporated into the
first-season two-parter, The Menagerie'.
No. 1 song
Top movie
Monthly holiday / awareness days in December
Food
Buckwheat Month
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month
Health
Aids Awareness Month
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Animal and Pet
Operation Santa Paws
Other
National Tie Month
National Write A Business Plan Month
Universal Human Rights Month
Youngsters on The Air Month
December is:
December origin (from Wikipedia): '
December gets its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained its name.
'
'
December is the first month of meteorological winter in the Northern
Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, December is the seasonal equivalent
to June in the Northern hemisphere, which is the first month of summer. D
ecember is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the
Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the
Southern Hemisphere.
'
December at Wikipedia: More
If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago,
or your 45 RPM record player was broke, you might watch one of these shows on TV.
From this Wikipedia article: More
Best selling books of 1966 More
Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More