Happy Holidays, folks! I hope everyone is having a good day, week, and month. This time of year is full of family and good things for a lot of people, but it is also a time of year when a lot of people struggle. In case no one has told you today, I’m glad you’re here, and now is a terrible time to check out. If you find yourself needing to talk to someone, in the US you can dial 988. Here is a list of other numbers by country, if you find yourself in crisis. Remember, asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a show of strength.
On to the Spark!
Today in History: 19 December
1154 – King Henry II of England crowned King of England
1686 – Robinson Crusoe leaves his island after 28 years (as per Daniel Defoe’s famous novel)
1776 – Thomas Paine publishes his first “American Crisis” essay beginning “These are the times that try men’s souls” (date disputed)
1843 – “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens is published, 6,000 copies sold
1918 – Robert Ripley begins his “Believe it or Not” column (NY Globe)
1971 – Stanley Kubrick’s film and cult classic “A Clockwork Orange” based on the book by Anthony Burgess and starring Malcolm McDowell premieres
1972 – Apollo 17 (last of Apollo Moon landing series) returns to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, southeast of Samoa
1978 – Indira Gandhi arrested on corruption charges in India
1980 – “Raging Bull,” directed by Martin Scorsese, is released in the United States
1980 – Comedy film “9 to 5” is released
1991 – Boris Yeltsin takes control of the Kremlin
Download Complete! –
1813 – Thomas Andrews, Irish chemist and physicist
1902 – Ralph Richardson, English actor
1919 – Benedict Freedman, novelist and mathematician
1961 – Reggie White, American College-Pro Football HOF player
1972 – Alyssa Milano, American actress
Unrecoverable Error –
1848 – Emily Bronte, English novelist
1915 – Alois Alzheimer, German psychiatrist and neuropathologist
1953 – Robert A. Millikan, American physicist
1982 – Frederick Terman, American professor of engineering at Stanford University, known as the “father of Silicon Valley”
The Funnies:
Quote of the Day
YouTube Song of the Day
Comic of the Day
Mouseover: Why couldn’t the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
Explain XKCD
Image Credit: XKCD
Inspirobot Sometimes Controversial Inspirational Quote of the Day:
In case you missed it, you can go read yesterday’s Elfin Spark by @lonnyl over here ….
