Let's start with a little history, shall we? On this day in 1927, sculpting begins on the face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota. It would take another 12 years for the impressive granite images of four of America’s most revered and beloved presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt–to be completed. The monument was the brainchild of a South Dakota historian named Doane Robinson, who was looking for a way to attract more tourists to his state. He hired a sculptor named Gutzon Borglum to carve the faces into the mountain. According to the National Park Service, the first face to be chiseled was George Washington’s; Borglum first sculpted the head as an egg shape, his features added later. Thomas Jefferson’s image was originally fashioned in the space to the right of Washington, but, within two years, the face was badly cracked. Workers had to blast the sculpture off the mountain using dynamite. Borglum then started over with Jefferson situated on the left side of Washington.Also-On this day in 1957, The Soviet Union inaugurates the “Space Age” with its launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. The spacecraft, named Sputnik after the Russian word for “satellite,” was launched at 10:29 p.m. Moscow time from the Tyuratam launch base in the Kazakh Republic. Sputnik had a diameter of 22 inches and weighed 184 pounds and circled Earth once every hour and 36 minutes. Traveling at 18,000 miles an hour, its elliptical orbit had an apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 584 miles and a perigee (nearest point) of 143 miles. Visible with binoculars before sunrise or after sunset, Sputnik transmitted radio signals back to Earth strong enough to be picked up by amateur radio operators. Those in the United States with access to such equipment tuned in and listened in awe as the beeping Soviet spacecraft passed over America several times a day. In January 1958, Sputnik’s orbit deteriorated, as expected, and the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere.And-On this day in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln observes a balloon demonstration near Washington, D.C. Both Confederate and Union armies experimented with using balloons to gather military intelligence in the early stages of the war, but the balloons proved to be dangerous and impractical for most situations. Though balloons were not new, many felt that their military applications had yet to be realized. Even before the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861, marking the start of the Civil War, several firms approached the U.S. War Department concerning contracts for balloons. The primary figure in the Union’s experiment with balloons was Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, an inventor who had been working with hydrogen balloons forseveral years before the war. He had built a large craft and hoped tomake a transatlantic crossing. In April 1861, he conducted trials around Cincinnati, Ohio, with the support of the Smithsonian Institutution. On April 19, he took off on a flight that floated all the way to Unionville, South Carolina, where he was jailed briefly by Confederates who were convinced he was a Union spy. Sears shutting down more stores. Still hoping that the Christmas catalog will make a come-back. $SHLDQ, Sears Holdings Corp. / H1 Above: $SHLD.Was looking for some follow-up on the big Toys 'R' Us news from yesterday. Maybe tomorrow? $GM showing strength with its partially automated driving system. Looks like Tesla has catching up to do. Not a surprise that while all the hype and print space goes to every Tesla thought, other car companies are quietly moving forward with better technology. Looking forward to Trending News covering GM by-the-minute as they do with Tesla. Fair is fair, right? This is the day The Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Flying cars? Somewhere the creator of the Jetson's is smiling. FedEx pilots should have a Merry Christmas. Nice bonus money being offered to stay on and keep flying.$FDX: $FDX, FedEx Corporation / H1 Where is Jon Corzine and when will MF Global get into the autonomous car race? Where is Marissa Mayer and how is her Business Ethics class going at the local community college? Have a great day everyone. Stay safe, sage, and sane out there. Excelsior! Make your day a great one.Notes via @deercreekvols