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12/11/2009: The Lake Region Curling Club of Devils Lake is holding their annual Northern Lights Open Bonspiel today through Sunday. Although curling is not a familiar part of every North Dakotan's vocabulary, the sport has a long history and a very active following in the state. The object of the game is to slide a large, heavy disk across an icy rink in an attempt to get closer to the target, or "button," than one's opponents.

12/12/2009: A horrible catastrophe was reported from Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on this day in 1900. It was days earlier, however, that a steamboat carrying tanks of fuel crashed on the Missouri River.

12/16/2009: Hunters in North Dakota are well aware of the variety of the state's game birds, both native and imported.

12/15/2009: Newspapers reported on the outcome of a very public trial on this date in 1900. In the case of the State of North Dakota vs. Freeman, Mr. Freeman of Valley City was acquitted of charges of two counts of physical assault with a firearm and attempted murder. Although these were very serious charges and a shotgun was involved, the acquittal met with grand approval by the residents of the city.

12/17/2009: The American Red Cross labeled a nationwide flu epidemic a "disaster situation" on this date in 1968. The organization called on public schools and colleges throughout the country to close for winter break earlier than scheduled if respiratory illnesses appeared high. The 1968-69 flu season was the last recorded flu pandemic in the United States; it was caused by a genetic change in the Influenza Type A strain, resulting in the Hong Kong flu.

12/20/2009: Mr. R. C. Wynn, founder of the Non-Swearing Knights of America, announced on this date in 1908 that the organization would build its headquarters in Minot.

12/21/2009: Canadian Football League All-Star Garney Henley was born on this day in 1937 in Elgin, North Dakota. To this day, Henley is considered one of the CFL's greatest players, where he had an amazing career with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. His life is documented in the biography, Garney Henley: A Gentleman and a Tiger, by Robert Nielson.

12/28/2009: The North Dakota State Capitol building burned to the ground on this date in 1930. The four-story, red-brick building burst into flames sometime during the night. Two state employees suffered injuries while attempting to save some of the files and records from the flames, but when all was said and done, most of the state's records and documents were turned to ash, along with most of the building.

12/29/2009: Bismarck's mayor, E. G. Patterson, was arrested on this date in 1900 on charges of keeping a gambling house. The "gambling house" in question was none other than one of Mayor Patterson's hotels, in which he had been running games quite publicly for some time.

12/30/2009: A few residents of Jamestown wrote to the Fargo Forum on this date in 1898, relating a practical joke that some in the city had played on a certain prohibition officer.