President Coolidge (center) illuminating the community Christmas
tree, south of the White House.

On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge presses 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.

President Coolidge and the first lady Grace.

The Washington Monument is seen in the background.

John Calvin Coolidge Jr.
(July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933)         
        
        
        
        
First Lady Melania Trump, joined by President Donald J. Trump,
lights the 2019 National Christmas Tree during the 97th annual
National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Thursday, Dec. 5,
2019, on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. 
        
        
       

TIM MAGUIRE

On this day in 1936, the first issue of the pictorial magazine Life 
was published, featuring a cover photo of the Fort Peck Dam’s
spillway by Margaret Bourke-White.

Life actually had its start earlier in the 20th century as a different
kind of magazine: a weekly humor publication, not unlike today’s
The New Yorker in its use of tart cartoons, humorous pieces and
cultural reporting. When the original Life folded during the Great
Depression, the influential American publisher Henry Luce
bought the name and re-launched the magazine as a picture-
based periodical on this day in 1936. By this time, Luce had
already enjoyed great success as the publisher of Time, a
weekly news magazine.

Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967)      
      
      

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a film about a group of patients at a
mental institution, opened in theaters on this day in 1975. Directed by
Milos Forman and based on a 1962 novel of the same name by Ken
Kesey, the film starred Jack Nicholson and was co-produced by the
actor Michael Douglas. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest went on to
become the first film in four decades to win in all five of the major
Academy Award categories: Best Actor (Nicholson’s first win), Best
Actress (Louise Fletcher, who played Nurse Ratchet), Best Director,
Best Screenplay (Adapted) and Best Picture.

Louise Fletcher as Nurse Frida Ratchet.

Oregon State Psychiatric Hospital, now a museum in Salem, was
the setting for the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.

Moby-Dick is now considered a great classic of American literature and
contains one of the most famous opening lines in fiction: “Call me Ishmael.” Initially, though, the book about Captain Ahab and his quest to catch a giant
white whale was a flop.

Its author, Herman Melville was born in New York City in 1819. As a young
man, he spent time in the merchant marines, the U.S. Navy and on a whaling
ship in the South Seas. In 1846, he published his first novel, Typee, a
romantic adventure based on his experiences in Polynesia. The book was
a success and a sequel, Omoo, was published in 1847. Three more novels
followed, with mixed critical and commercial results. 

Herman Melville (Melvill) (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891)

Jailhouse Rock premiered on October 17, 1957 in Memphis, Tennessee
and was released nationwide on November 8, 1957. It peaked at number
3 on the Variety box office chart, and reached number 14 in the year’s
box office totals, grossing $4 million.