In 1879, Thomas Edison first demonstrated his electric incandescent lights for the public by illuminating some 100 bulbs in and around his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. In 1904, New York’s Times Square saw its first New Year’s Eve celebration, with an estimated 200,000 people in ...

Dear Readers: Before we rush into a brand-new year, I want to pause and say thank you. Thank you for reading, for writing in and for trusting me with the parts of your life you don’t always share at the dinner table. Thank you for letting this corner of the page be a place where we can talk ...

Dear Heloise: I sympathize to some extent with the writer in a recent column of yours lamented how doctor’s offices will say the appointment is at 10:00 a.m. but ask that you arrive at 9:30 a.m. for paperwork. However, I think it actually makes sense to do it this way. Ten a.m. is the time ...

Dear Annie: Every December, my life starts to feel like one of those “year in review” videos -- only mine looks more like the blooper reel. Back in January, I sat at my kitchen table with a brand-new planner, a cinnamon latte and all the determination in the world. I even wrote, “This ...

NEW YORK — Stocks slipped in quiet trading on Wall Street Monday to kick off another holiday-shortened week. The losses have little impact on the broader annual gains for major indexes as they close out their final days of the year. There are two trading days left before the year ends. ...

In 1860, 10 days after South Carolina seceded from the Union, the state militia seized the United States Army arsenal in Charleston. In 1896, José Rizal, whose writings inspired the Philippine Revolution, was executed by Spanish army troops after being convicted of rebellion, sedition and ...