Interrogatories
Do you decorate your house inside for Christmas? If yes, how?
Do you decorate the outside for Christmas? If yes, how?
What have you done this week to aid in the effort of the War on Christmas?
Do you ever make your own decorations, or aid children in theirs?
The Twitter Emitter
On This Day
In 1787, Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution.
In 1870, Joseph H. Rainey was sworn in as a congressman representing South Carolina, becoming the second black congressman (he was a Republican, but that was back when they were an entirely different party).
In 1901, at the appropriately named Signal Hill in Newfoundland, Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic radio signal.
In 1941, Adolf Hitler announced his plans for mass murder of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.
In 2000, the United States Supreme Court released its decision in Bush v. Gore. Anti-depressant sales skyrocketed and internet traffic spiked.
Born on This Day
1753 - Jean-Claude Naigeon, French painter (d.1832)
1753 - William Beechey, British portrait painter (d. 1839)
1799 – Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
1805 – William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist (d. 1879)
1805 – Henry Wells, American banker (d. 1878)
1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French writer (d. 1880) (a Red Letter day for him!)
1854 - Thomas Cooper Gotch, painter (d. 1931)
1863 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter whose most famous work, The Scream (which he did several versions of), is much parodied. (d. 1944)
1856 - Henry Moret, French impressionist landscape painter (d. 1913)
1872 - Heinrich Vogeler, German painter (d. 1942)
1874 - Leonard Campbell Taylor, British painter (d. 1969)
1881 – Harry Warner, American studio executive (d. 1958)
1893 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973)
1900 – Sammy Davis, Sr., American entertainer (d. 1988)
1909 – Karen Morley, American actress (d. 2003)
1910 – Richard Sagrits, Estonian painter (d. 1968)
1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998) (See Sammy above)
1918 – Joe Williams, American singer (d. 1999)
1919 - John Henry Wilde, U.S. surrealist painter (d. 2006)
1923 - Frank Wesley, Indian painter who worked in Australia (d. 2002)
1929 – John Osborne, English dramatist (d. 1994)
1940 – Dionne Warwick, American singer
1943 – Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist (d. 1999)
1944 – Rob Tyner, American singer, songwriter and activist (The MC5) (d. 1991)
1949 – Bill Nighy, English actor
1957 – Sheila E., American musician
1968 – Rory Kennedy, American documentarian
1970 – Mädchen Amick, American actress (Twin Peaks)
1972 – Brandon Teena, American murder victim (d. 1993)
1975 – Mayim Bialik, American actress
Died on This Day
1694 - Filippo Lauri, Italian painter (b. 1623)
1787 - Jean Valade, French portrait painter (b. 1709)
1793 - Michel-Bruno Bellengé, French flower painter (b. 1726)
1860 - Hendrik van de Sande Bakhuyzen, Dutch animal painter (b. 1795)
1889 – Robert Browning, English poet (b. 1812)
1923 – Raymond Radiguet, French author (b. 1903)
1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (b. 1883)
1968 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress and character (but not a character actress!) (b. 1902) See Tipple Jar
1970 - Natan Altman, Russian Constructivist painter (b. 1889)
1978 – Fay Compton, English actress (b. 1894)
1985 – Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
1998 – Mo Udall, American politician (b. 1922)
1999 – Paul Cadmus, American artist. (b. 1904)
1999 – Joseph Heller, American author (b. 1923
2008 – Van Johnson, American actor (b. 1916)
Today is
Poinsettia Day
Ding A Ling Day
Gingerbread House Day
Festival of Unmentionable Thoughts
National Ambrosia Day
National Popcorn String Day