December 10 in Pop Culture History

 

December 10th History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

December 10th History Highlights

  • 1768 – The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica was published.
  • 1884 – Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published.
  • 1901 – The first Nobel Prizes were awarded. President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt became the first person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • If you were born on December 10th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… March 18th (same year)

The Nobel Prize

  • In 1888, Nobel was saddened to read his obituary, titled The Merchant of Death is Dead, in a French newspaper. It was actually his brother’s obit. He cautiously decided to dedicate his fortune in a positive way.
  • In 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.
  • Except for the Peace Prize, the Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm, Sweden, at the annual Prize Award Ceremony on December 10, 1901, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.
  • The peace prize is held in Oslo, Norway. The inscription on the Nobel Peace medal is- ‘Pro pace et fraternitate gentium’ (For the peace and brotherhood of men)
  • According to the Nobel Foundation statutes, each laureate must give a public lecture on a subject related to the topic of their prize.

December 10th is…

Dewey Decimal System Day
Human Rights Day
National Lager Day
Nobel Prize Day

Dewey Decimal System Day

National Dewey Decimal System Day is celebrated annually on December 10th. It is celebrated on the birthday of its namesake, Melvil Dewey (1851-1931). Dewey was a librarian who invented the library organization system known as the Dewey Decimal System. 

About the Dewey Decimal System
The Dewey Decimal System uses shelfmark numbers on the spines of library books to arrange them in order by subject. It was first used at Amherst College Library in 1873. It is the most popular library classification system in the world, used in over 135 countries. 

How to Celebrate National Dewey Decimal System Day

Visit Your Local Library
Local libraries are community hubs that contain a lot more than just books. They often have computers, free classes, kids’ programs, and more. On this holiday,  you can celebrate by taking advantage of a library program, checking out a new book, or talking to a librarian about how your library classifies books. 

Learn About Melvil Dewey
There are several books written about the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System. If you’re looking for a new read, pick up a copy of Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey; The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey; or another of the books written about this fascinating man. 

Start Organizing
The Dewey Decimal System is all about organization. You can celebrate this day by choosing something in your life to organize. Pick a room, a closet, a pantry, or maybe your bookshelf, and get organized

The Dewey Decimal System revolutionized library book classification. Take advantage of the services offered at your local library or find your own way to honor its creator on December 10.

December 10th Birthday Quotes

“I met Drew Barrymore in New York and she said she liked the band. That was really cool. I grew up on her.”
– Meg White

“I intend to leave after my death a large fund for the promotion of the peace idea, but I am skeptical as to its results.”
– Alfred Nobel

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all.”
– Emily Dickinson

“Don’t try to be the next Rachael Ray or Bobby Flay, we already have those people. We want someone who is going to make their own mark on Food Network.”
– Bobby Flay

“Glamor is just sex that got civilized. A pretty girl, tastefully posed in a scant costume, is even a sort of cultural achievement.”
– Dorothy Lamour

“Friendship is one of the most tangible things in a world which offers fewer and fewer supports.”
– Kenneth Branagh

December 10th Birthdays

1830 – Emily Dickinson, American poet (died in 1886)
1911 – Chet Huntley, American journalist (died in 1974)
1914 – Dorothy Lamour, American actress, and singer (died in 1996)
1952 – Susan Dey, American actress
1957 – Paul Hardcastle, English composer
1960 – Kenneth Branagh, Northern Ireland-born English actor-director, producer, and screenwriter
1961 – Nia Peeples, American singer
1964 – Bobby Flay, American chef
1974 – Meg White, American drummer
1978 – Summer Phoenix, American actress

December 10th History

1033 (Earthquake) Ramala (West Bank)

1478 – Arte dell’Abbaco (‘The Art of the Abacus’), the first teaching math book, was printed and distributed in Treviso, Italy. Author unknown.

1817 – Mississippi became the 20th US state.

1845 – British engineer Robert Thompson patented the first pneumatic (air pressured) tires.

1869 – Montana granted women the right to vote.

1884 -Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published.

1899 – George Safford Parker was issued a US patent (#635,700) on his improved fountain pen.

1948 – The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

1955The Mighty Mouse Playhouse began a long-standing ‘Saturday Morning Cartoon’ tradition on CBS.

1963 – Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped, then released after a $250,000 ransom was paid. The kidnappers were all caught a few days later.

1964 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize.

1965 – The Grateful Dead played their first concert, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.

1966 – #1 Hit December 10, 1966 – December 30, 1966: The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations

1967 – Otis Redding and members of the Bar-Kays were killed in a Wisconsin plane crash.

198248 HRS, Gandhi, Airplane II: The Sequel, The Toy, The Verdict, and Sophie’s Choice debuted in theaters.

1983 – #1 Hit December 10, 1983 – January 20, 1984: Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson – Say, Say, Say

1984 – South African Bishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize.

1987 – Based on the comic books, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon premiered, in syndication.

1988 – #1 Hit December 10, 1988 – December 23, 1988: Chicago – Look Away

1994 – Advertising executive Thomas Mosser of North Caldwell, NJ, was killed by a mail bomb sent by the Unabomber.

1994 – Palestinian Yasser Arafat, and Isrealis Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize.

1999The Green Mile and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo were released in theaters.

2009 – Avatar was released in theaters.

2010The Tourist, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Fighter were released in theaters.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The Capital of Barbados is Bridgetown

“I see dead people.” – Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) in Sixth Sense, The Sixth Sense, 1999

“They call me ‘Mister’ Tibbs!” – Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier)

“Honestly it’s the honest ones you have to watch out for, you never can predict if they’re going to do something incredibly stupid.” – Captain Jack Sparrow #moviequotes

Bill Wyman – Real Name: William Perks

In order to qualify for the invitation-only American Express Black Card, a person must spend at least $250k/year, make $1.3mil/year, and have a net worth of at least $16 million dollars.

Ewoks are never referred to as Ewoks in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

The brightest things in the universe are quasars, which can be 429 trillion times brighter than our sun.

US President #38 Gerald Ford (1974-1977) Mr. Ford was the only President not elected. (VP Spiro Agnew & President Richard Nixon had resigned and Gerald was next in line.)

Winston Churchill is one of eight people to have been granted “Honorary Citizenship” by the United States

The Capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka

I guess if I had to eat a person I would want them to be a vegetarian. I like irony and prefer grass-fed beef.

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