Good morning.
Christmas Eve brings a high of twenty-nine, and a thirty percent chance of snow in the afternoon, to Whitewater.
On this day in 1923, Pres. Coolidge lights the first national Christmas tree:
…President Calvin Coolidge touches a button and lights up the first national Christmas tree to grace the White House grounds.
Not only was this the first White House “community” Christmas tree, but it was the first to be decorated with electric lights–a strand of 2,500 red, white and green bulbs. The balsam fir came from Coolidge’s home state of Vermont and stood 48 feet tall. Several musical groups performed at the tree-lighting ceremony, including the Epiphany Church choir and the U.S. Marine Band. Later that evening, President Coolidge and first lady Grace were treated to carols sung by members of Washington D.C.’s First Congregational Church.
According to the White House Historical Association, President Benjamin Harrison was the first president to set up an indoor Christmas tree for his family and visitors to enjoy in 1889. It was decorated with ornaments and candles. In 1929, first lady Lou Henry Hoover oversaw what would become an annual tradition of decorating the indoor White House tree. Since then, each first lady’s duties have included the trimming of the official White House tree.
Coolidge’s “inauguration” of the first outdoor national Christmas tree initiated a tradition that has been repeated with every administration. In 1981, PresidentRonald Reagan began another custom by authorizing the first official White House ornament, copies of which were made available for purchase.
“The first National Christmas Tree,” lit on December 24, 1923, in the middle of the Ellipse. The Washington Monument is seen in the background. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
In Wisconsin history on 12.24.1814,
1814 – War of 1812 Ends
On this date the Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the the War of 1812 which was fought between the United States and Great Britain from June 1812 to the spring of 1815 (news of the treaty took several months to reach the frontiers of No. America). The treaty provided for the cessation of hostilities, the restoration of conquests, and a commission to settle boundary disputes. John Quincy Adams served as the chief negotiator for the United States. The treaty formalized U.S. possession of land which included present-day Wisconsin. [Source: The Avalon Project at Yale Law School]
Google has out a sports question today, with a metric flavor: “What was the maximum weight (kg) in the men’s middleweight class for the 2012 Olympic Games?”