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Celebrate Roast Chestnuts Day

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In the chill of December, there’s one warming treat that is especially popular across the world to keep the cold away. Roasted chestnuts are often seen this time of year being cooked by street vendors, and the earthy, spicy scent is more than enough to get anyone into the Christmas spirit.

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On the 14th of December, it’s time to honor the humble chestnut. Or specifically, mark the time-honored tradition of roasting chestnuts round about the season of good cheer.

The History of Roast Chestnuts Day

Roast Chestnuts Day is a relatively new day in the calendar, but the practice of roasting chestnuts has been around for donkey’s years. Although it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when they started to become so popular, historians pencil the 16th century in as being a turning point, when the nuts would be sold by street vendors to anyone wanting a quick and warming snack. It has also long been a tradition in Portugal to eat them roasted on Saint Martin’s Day, and in Tuscany on Saint Simon’s Day.

When chestnuts are carefully roasted, the natural sweetness of the nut is revealed. This makes them an ideal snack if you want something to stave off a sweet tooth that also happens to be quite nutritious, chestnuts being comparatively low in calories and being a good source of fibre. They are also very rich in vitamin C, which may come as a surprise to you. Although they are technically nuts, they taste very unlike other nuts – the sweet, earthy taste is certainly worth a try if you’ve never had one before – and Roast Chestnuts Day is the perfect time to try that first one.

Chestnuts are often roasted on a grill, which helps to remove their bitter, shiny skins, but you can make them at home using your conventional kitchen oven. All you need to do is cut a cross into each nut, put them on a roasting tin and bake them until the skins open. They are eaten after peeling away that tough, shiny skin.

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Word of the Day

sanctify

Definition:

(verb) Render holy by means of religious rites.

Synonyms:

hallow, bless, consecrate

Usage:

Though they are comfortable with the fact that their marriage has not been sanctified in a Christian church, their parents are not.

Idiom of the Day

take a telling-off

— To be scolded, rebuked, or reprimanded, as for a wrongdoing.

This Day in History

USSR Expelled from the League of Nations (1939)

The League of Nations was an international confederation of countries created after World War I and disbanded following World War II when many of its functions were transferred to the United Nations. The League collapsed when faced with threats to international peace from all sides in the 1930s, including the Spanish civil war, Japan's resumption of war against China, and the appeasement of Adolf Hitler at Munich.

George VI, King of Great Britain and Ireland (1895)

The subject of the Academy Award-winning 2010 film The King's Speech, George VI became king of the United Kingdom following the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. George was an important symbolic leader of the British people during World War II, supporting the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill and visiting armies on the battlefield. He earned the respect of his people by scrupulously observing the responsibilities of a constitutional monarch.

Halcyon Days

The ancient Greeks called the seven days preceding and the seven days following the Winter Solstice the "Halcyon Days." Greek mythology has it that Halcyone (or Alcyone), Ceyx's wife and one of Aeolus's daughters, drowned herself when she learned her husband had drowned. The gods took pity on her and transformed them both into kingfishers. Zeus commanded the seas to be still during these days, and it was considered a period when sailors could navigate in safety. Today, the expression "halcyon days" has come to mean a period of tranquility, often used as a nostalgic reference to times past.

Ancient, Unknown Strain of Plague Found in 5000-Year-Old Tomb in Sweden

In a nearly 5,000-year-old tomb in Sweden, researchers have discovered the oldest-known strain of the notorious bacterium Yersinia pestis — the microbe responsible for humanity's perhaps most-feared contagion: the plague. The finding suggests that the ...

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Ancient, Unknown Strain of Plague Found in 5,000-Year-Old Tomb in Sweden

1503 - Physician, astrologer and clairvoyant Nostradamus was born at St. Remy, Provence, France.

1799 - The first president of the United States, George Washington, died at the age 67.

1819 - Alabama joined the Union as the 22nd state.

1900 - Professor Max Planck of Berlin University revealed his revolutionary Quantum Theory.

1901 - The first table tennis tournament was held. It was a the London Royal Aquarium.

Image result for 1911 - Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole. He reached the destination 35 days ahead of Captain Robert F. Scott.

1911 - Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole. He reached the destination 35 days ahead of Captain Robert F. Scott.

Image result for 1962 - The U.S. space probe Mariner II approached Venus. It transmitted information about the planet's atmosphere and surface temperature.

Image result for 1962 - The U.S. space probe Mariner II approached Venus. It transmitted information about the planet's atmosphere and surface temperature.

1962 - The U.S. space probe Mariner II approached Venus. It transmitted information about the planet's atmosphere and surface temperature.

Image result for 1977 - "Saturday Night Fever" premiered in New York City.

1977 - "Saturday Night Fever" premiered in New York City.

Image result for 1984 - Howard Cosell retired from the NFL's Monday Night Football.

1984 - Howard Cosell retired from the NFL's Monday Night Football.

Image result for 1985 - Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe as she formally took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of OKlahoma.

Image result for 1985 - Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe as she formally took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of OKlahoma.

1985 - Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe as she formally took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of OKlahoma.

Image result for 1995 - AIDS patient Jeff Getty received the first-ever bone-marrow transplant from a baboon.

Image result for 1995 - AIDS patient Jeff Getty received the first-ever bone-marrow transplant from a baboon.

1995 - AIDS patient Jeff Getty received the first-ever bone-marrow transplant from a baboon.

Image result for 1999 - Charles M. Schulz announced he was retiring the "Peanuts" comic strip. The last original "Peanuts" comic strip was published on February 13, 2000.

Image result for 1999 - Charles M. Schulz announced he was retiring the "Peanuts" comic strip. The last original "Peanuts" comic strip was published on February 13, 2000.

1999 - Charles M. Schulz announced he was retiring the "Peanuts" comic strip. The last original "Peanuts" comic strip was published on February 13, 2000.

Image result for 1999 - Paul McCartney played a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. It was the first time that McCartney had played at the club since 1963.

1999 - Paul McCartney played a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. It was the first time that McCartney had played at the club since 1963.

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DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, December 14

You are a spirited, sensitive, and intelligent person who has a true spirit for adventure, yet a down-to-earth side to you that is unmistakable. Enterprising and ambitious, you are also very versatile, sometimes to the point of leaving a trail of unfinished projects and endeavors behind you! You need to experiment and mix things up a little in order to feel like you are truly living. Intensely curious, you never stop learning. Because you are easily bored, there are times that you have the urge to stir up a bit of controversy just to get some sort of debate started. Others find you fascinating and multi-talented. Famous people born today:

1546 Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer (Golden nose), born in Knudstrup, Denmark (d. 1601)

King of Great Britain George VI

1895 George VI, King of the United Kingdom (1936-52), born in Norfolk, England (d. 1952)
Writer Shirley Jackson

1916 Shirley Jackson, American writer (Road Through the Wall), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1965)

READERS INFO

1799 -

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)

The first president of the United States, George Washington,
died at the age 67 on this day in 1799. The diagnosis of his final illness and the immediate cause of his death have been subjects of debate since the day he died.

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George Washington’s Death Bed in his home at Mt Vernon, VA.

2.
1847 -

TODAY: Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey are published in a three-volume set under the pen names Ellis and Acton Bell respectively in London by T.C. Newby.

Omaha Holiday Lights Festival 2018

Nov 23, 2018 - Jan 1, 2019 | Omaha, NE

Downtown Omaha around Gene Leahy Mall|Douglas St & S 13th St
Image result for Omaha Holiday Lights Festival 2018 Nov 23, 2018 - Jan 1, 2019 | Omaha, NE

Tis the season to be jolly at the annual Omaha Holiday Lights Festival in Nebraska. Held over the course of six festive weeks and spanning 40 city blocks, the engagement features a Thanksgiving lighting ceremony, musical performances by brass brands and carolers, an ice skating rink, a family festival and a fireworks display on New Year's Eve.

further information: Omaha Holiday Lights Festival Calendar Omaha's Holiday Lights Festival

4.

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Film Fest 2018

Dec 15, 2018 | Los Angeles, CA

The NewFilmakers Los Angeles host monthly Film Fests to show off talented filmmakers independent films. They typically screen three films per month. Support and mingle with up-and-coming filmmakers at the NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Film Fest.

further information: NewFilmmakers Los Angeles - LA Film Festival

Image result for thanks for the ipad grandma

Image result for thanks for the ipad grandma

Pictures of the day

The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also known as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic, after the southern elephant seal. Its only natural predators are the killer whale and possibly the elephant seal. It feeds on a wide range of prey including cephalopods, other pinnipeds, krill, birds and fish. Together with the Ross seal, the crabeater seal and the Weddell seal, it is part of the tribe of lobodontini seals. This image shows a leopard seal in the Antarctic Sound in 2016.

Common Snipe