ON THIS DAY

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution (known as the Bill of rights), were ratified on this day in Virginia way back in 1791.

On this date in 1836, a fire destroyed the patent office in Washington, DC.

In 1854, the first mechanical street-cleaning machine was invented. 

On this date, Thomas Edison patented the phonograph. It was in 1877, just for the record.

It was on this date in 1944 that Dwight Eisenhower became a five-star general.

Davy Crockett premiered on television way back in 1954. The show -- which aired in five segments -- is considered TV's first mini-series. The show spawned the famous coonskin cap, although Crockett never wore one.

Don Johnson of "Miami Vice" fame turns 60, and Tim Conway turns 76 today.

Underdog Day -- "There's no need to fear - Underdog is here!" How about a little "Underdog" trivia?

• The popular 60's and 70's actor was the voice of "Underdog?" (Wally Cox)
• Who is Underdog's girlfriend? (Sweet Polly Purebread)
• Sweet Polly Purebread was a reporter. Name her boss? (OJ Squeeze)
• Which early 50's sitcom starred Wally Cox prior to his voice work on "Underdog"? ("Mr. Peepers")
• Shoeshine Boy, Underdog's alter ego, was "both _____ and loveable." (humane)
• For what television station did Sweet Polly Purebread work? (TTV)
• Who was Underdog's nemesis? (Overcat)

Sleep Comfort Day -- According to Dr. Naomi Quenck, a clinical psychologist, here's what those dreams mean:

• Falling: Means you have a feeling that you're not meeting standards set by yourself or others, and with one wrong step, you'll fall below expectations. This kind of dream is experienced by 75% of people and they usually dream it when they are not feeling well.
• Being Nude: This dream stems from people worrying what other people think if they saw them as they really are.
• Being Chased: This dream usually pertains to being in a hostile environment, where we must look over our shoulders. It's experienced by 80% of people.
• Taking an Exam: This one stems from worries that we'll come up short when people evaluate our competence. You'll most likely have this dream when you're up for a raise or if you're dating someone new.
• Flying: This is the only common dream to involve a positive feeling... the feeling that the world is wondrous and at your command.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes are still doing fine, but Eddie's ex is questionable. She admits that in August, she slashed the tires on his motorcycle and it felt good.
• "Flight of the Conchords" is only going to last two seasons. HBO says after this one, it's over.
• Mariah Carey's hitting the concert road for 8-weeks, kicking things off in New York City on New Year's Eve.
• Playgirl magazine says it won't show photos of an allegedly naked Tiger Woods because it's not clear in the photos it's really Tiger.
• Simon Cowell has hired former Spice Girl Mel B-Scary Spice-to be a judge on his X-Factor show over in the UK.
• Stephen King and his wife are donating money so that 150 soldiers from the Maine Army National Guard can come home for the holidays.

Consider this fact presented by Women's Health magazine: The average American eats 600 additional calories per day between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Translation: That's an extra six pounds. Yikes! But if you know which foods are the worst culprits for your waistline, you can battle back more effectively:

1. Worst Classic Holiday Drink: Eggnog -- At 350 calories and 19 grams of fat, eggnog, even without the booze, is on the naughty list because it consists of milk, cream and eggs. If you want a festive seasonal drink, choose homemade hot chocolate instead. Just limit how much whipped cream you squirt on top.
2. Worst Holiday Appetizer: Crab Cakes -- When crab is blended with mayonnaise and then rolled in bread crumbs and cooked in a vat of bubbling fat, you end up with an appetizer that weighs in at 400 calories and 19 grams of fat. Each. That's more calories than three dozen shrimp.
3. Worst Holiday Party Cocktail: Gin and Tonic -- It may taste light, but a gin and tonic has 210 calories and 22 grams of sugar, thanks to the tonic water. Choose Champagne instead for one-fourth the amount of sugar.
4. 4. Worst Holiday Party Snack: Spinach and Artichoke Dip -- In addition to the spinach and artichokes, this dip has mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese, which add up to a whopping 285 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving. And that's without the crackers or chips! If you simply must have some, limit yourself to dip on one cracker.
5. Worst Holiday Entree: Prime Rib -- This coveted holiday cut of beef comes from one of the fattiest parts of the cow, which means you're ingesting 750 calories and 45 grams of fat with just one serving. Beef tenderloin is a tasty alternative at a fraction of the calories and fat.
6. Worst Holiday Dessert: Pecan Pie a la Mode -- There is no pie that has more calories, fat and sugar than pecan. Even though some of the 810 calories and 65 grams of fat come from the healthy nuts, most come from the corn syrup and sugar filling. A better alternative after a filling heavy meal is angel food cake. Made from egg whites, it's virtually fat-free.

Men, it would seem, are obsessed with pornography. Thanks in large part to the Internet, the average young male heterosexual, who is not in a committed relationship, watches porn three times a week for 40 minutes. Those who have a girlfriend or wife limit their viewing, on average, to 1.7 times a week for 20 minutes. That's the word from researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada who studied the effect of pornography on young men in their 20s. But get this, porn searching begins at age 10. The Internet provides 90% of the porn materials the young men watched, with the remaining 10 percent from video store purchases.

If you want to go where the beautiful people are, stay away from Philadelphia, St. Louis and Cleveland. According to the 2009 "America's Favorite Cities" survey by Travel + Leisure magazine, the least attractive people in the U.S. live there. This is the third year in a row that Philadelphia has placed last on the list of the most attractive people. The online survey ranked 30 U.S. cities. Here are some of the results:

• Most Friendly: Nashville. Least Friendly: New York City.
• Most Stylish: New York City. Least Stylish: St. Louis.
• Most Intelligent: Minneapolis. Least Intelligent: Las Vegas.
• Most Athletic/Active: Denver. Least Athletic/Active: New Orleans.
• Best Nightlife: New Orleans. Worst Nightlife: Santa Fe.
• Best Skyline/Views: Chicago. Worst Skyline/Views: Orlando.
• Best Food/Dining: New Orleans. Worst Food/Dining: Las Vegas.
• Best Culture: New York City. Worst Culture: Las Vegas.
• Best Museums/Galleries: Washington, DC. Worst Museums/Galleries: Las Vegas.
• Best Theater: New York City. Worst Theater: Honolulu.
• Best Shopping: New York City. Worst Shopping: Honolulu.
• Best Quality of Life: Honolulu. Worst Quality of Life. Dallas-Fort Worth

The largest graveyard in London, England, is asking city dwellers to share nicely after they've died because there's no more room for new tombs. The City of London Cemetery has introduced a plan to reuse graves that are more than 75 years old. Grave diggers are reburying old remains deeper than before and placing new coffins on top in what they're calling "double decker" graves. The plots are sold at the same price as normal graves, but with an added bonus the antique headstones are turned around so that the new occupant's name can be engraved on the back at a greatly reduced cost. (Sun)