Tuesday, December 27 — The reliable TV remote control, a crucial labor saving device for couch potatoes, was unveiled this month in 1957. Robert Adler of the Zenith Corporation received a patent for a mechanical unit that used a striker and […]
Monday, December 26 — The millions of Americans who for a century and a half have enjoyed well-brewed coffee can direct their gratitude to James H. Nason of Franklin, Massachusetts. He received the nation’s first patent for a coffee percolator on […]
Sunday, December 25 — Today is Christmas Day — a joyous religious observance for many, but for almost everyone, one of the happiest days of the year. Outside or indoors, whether in balmy or snowbound climates, children are busy trying out […]
Our friends at the U.S. Census Bureau remind us that while this holiday season is a time for gathering and celebrating with family and friends, gift giving, reflection and thanks, it is a major time for business. So as you […]
Saturday, December 24 — This is Christmas Eve, a time of gathering families close together and to wind down from the hectic weeks of shopping and mailing. But it also is a night of wrapping presents, especially toys — some of […]
Friday, December 23 — An institution that has been in the news a lot these past few years, and which has come in for its share of criticism during the nation’s stubborn economic problems, observes the anniversary of its founding today. […]
Thursday, December 22 — One of the most important inventions of modern times dates to this week in 1947. Three Bell Laboratory scientists successfully tested what would become the junction transistor, vital to our information age. The three shared the Nobel […]
Wednesday, December 21 — This month in 1823, Georgia became the first state to enact a birth registration law. It required county clerks to record in a book the dates of birth of all new Georgians upon obtaining satisfactory proof by […]
Tuesday, December 20 — Throughout history, bachelors have had to put up with a lot of pressure from friends, family and society in general. They tend to be stereotyped, and for years many television sitcoms have portrayed their supposedly dissolute lives. […]
Monday, December 19 — The satellite Atlas was launched from Cape Canaveral on this date in 1958. The spacecraft would make history the next day, beaming the first voice heard from space — a recording of President Eisenhower with a 58-word […]
Sunday, December 18 — The month of December has given Americans a lot to chew on, beyond holiday cookies, fruitcakes and candies. In December 1869, chewing gum was patented by Ohio dentist William Semple, who hoped that the flavored gum would […]
Saturday, December 17 — A dream of the ages became reality 113 years ago today on a windswept beach at North Carolina’s Outer Banks. There, the Wright brothers made the world’s first powered, heavier-than-air flight. With Orville and Wilbur alternating as […]
Friday, December 16 — One of the most familiar and cherished Christmas stories has been around a long time — 173 years in fact. Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the 1843 publication of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with sales starting […]
Thursday, December 15 — America’s first life insurance policy issued by a general insurance company was issued on this date in 1794 in Philadelphia. The Insurance Company of North America was organized two years earlier, with a capital of $600,000. But […]
Wednesday, December 14 — Among other special observances being noted in December is Learn a Foreign Language Month, with the goal of getting people to broaden their outlook on the world by taking a course in another language. Increasingly, many different […]
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