Word of the day
- menorah December 26, 2024Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2024 is: menorah • \muh-NOR-uh\ • noun A menorah is a candelabra with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship. // At sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, Elliott's father helped him light the first candle on the menorah. See the entry > […]Merriam-Webster
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On This Day
1962 – Telstar, the world’s first communications satellite, is launched into orbit.
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the first television pictures, telephone calls, and telegraph images, and provided the first live transatlantic television feed. Telstar 2 launched May 7, 1963. Telstar 1 and 2—though no longer functional—still orbit the Earth.[1]
Born On This Day
1724 – Eva Ekeblad, Swedish noble and agronomist (d. 1786)
Eva Ekeblad (née Eva De la Gardie; 10 July 1724 – 15 May 1786) was a Swedish countess who was a salon hostess, agronomist, and scientist. She was widely known for discovering a method in 1746 to make alcohol and flour from potatoes, allowing greater use of scarce grains for food production, significantly reducing Sweden’s incidence of famine.
Ekeblad was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1748).[1][2][3]
FYI
Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, television host, pop singer, film producer, and author. He starred in more than 40 films and was a well-known Hollywood star and heart throb of the 1950s and 1960s, known for his Golden Blond Californian surfer-boy looks. At his height he had his own television show The Tab Hunter Show and a hit single with “Young Love”.
Early life
Hunter was born in New York City, the son of Gertrude (née Gelien) and Charles Kelm. His father was Jewish and his mother was a German (Christian) emigrant, from Hamburg.[3] He had an older brother, Walter, and two paternal half-sisters, Sarah and Rebecca.[4]
Hunter’s father was reportedly abusive, and within a few years of his birth, his parents divorced. He was raised in California living with his mother, brother, and maternal grandparents, John Henry and Ida (née Sonnenfleth) Gelien, living in San Francisco, Long Beach and Los Angeles.[5] His mother reassumed her maiden surname, Gelien, and changed her sons’ surnames, as well. As a teenager, Arthur Gelien, as he was then known, was a figure skater,[6] competing in both singles and pairs. Hunter was sent to Catholic school by his religious mother.[7]
He joined the U.S. Coast Guard aged 15, lying about his age to enlist. While in the Coast Guard, he gained the nickname “Hollywood” for his penchant for watching movies rather than going to bars while on liberty.[8] When his age was discovered, he was discharged by the Coast Guard. He met actor Dick Clayton socially; Clayton suggested that Hunter become an actor.[9]
Eds. note: We received the following email from a reader, who requested that we publish it because he thinks it can help other people. We strongly agree. After verifying facts of the story, we are republishing it in full—with names changed and lightly edited for clarity, and with the express permission of him, his wife, and the approval of their advocate at the child advocacy center. Please be aware that there are potentially disturbing discussions of child sexual abuse and suicide.
A Letter From A Parent
Anonymous
We learned later it is not ideal to ask many detail questions, or to bring the subject back up ourselves. Also avoiding leading the child is of utmost importance. If anyone reading this is ever in a similar situation, we have learned the best response is along the lines of “Thank you for telling me, that was very important information. Is there anything else important you want to tell us? I love you,” while remaining as neutral as possible.
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wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for December 26 December 26, 2024Picture of the day Khone Phapheng Falls, Si Phan Don, Laos. Located on the Mekong River near the border with Cambodia, at 10.7 kilometres (6.6 mi) wide, it is the widest waterfall in the world.
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Recipes
By mikeasaurus: Watermelon Shark
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