New Year's Resolutions History

New Year's Resolutions History---New Year's traditions, The tradition of making a resolution on New Year's Day and trying to stick with it for a whole year has been done for centuries. Here's how modern promises to lose weight, quit smoking and work harder have evolved from humble beginnings.

2,000 BCE: Babylonians return borrowed items

The ancient Babylonians celebrated New Year's March 23 and marked the day by returning something borrowed from neighbors the previous year. It was the first time in history a New Year's resolution was made as far as historians have discovered.

New Year's Celebrations Around The World

New Year's Celebrations Around The World---New Year 2013 Celebrations start around the world Celebrations have started around the world as 2013 is welcomed in. When you think of New Year's Eve, you might think of revelers wearing number-shaped glasses while sipping champagne, singing "Auld Lang Syne" and puckering up to their mates.  But around the world, people have other (some surprising!) ways of ringing in the New Year.

Clone Perfect Christmas Tree

Clone Perfect Christmas Tree---German scientists are working to create the perfect Christmas tree.

They are searching a way to ensure that the sensitive saplings of the popular Nordmann fir species grow into impressive specimens, News.com.au reported.

The fir is native to the Caucasus, but is often cultivated on massive plantations in Germany.

Stranger Picks Up Family's $211 Bill

Stranger Picks Up Family's $211 Bill---A stranger in the Christmas spirit picked up an Iowa family’s $211 grocery bill at Walmart last week, causing the family’s matriarch to cry tears of joy at the register for the "angel of Christmas."

The Modlins recounted the experience to Des Moines news station KCCI on Wednesday, of having a stranger pick up the tab on the $211 bill.

The family’s matriach, Ruby Modlin, said she and her family were grocering shopping at the Walmart in Altoona, Iowa, when she spotted the man who would later foot the family’s $211 bill.

Notable Deaths Of 2012

Notable Deaths Of 2012---Those we lost in 2012:List of notable deaths in 2012. Names are listed under the date of death. This year we lost icons and mavericks, celebrities and sports figures. The list includes the first man to walk on the moon, a fearsome NFL defensive player and a voice of an angel. To read about notables who passed away in 2012.

Splits of 2012: Biggest divorces/splits of the year

Splits of 2012: Biggest divorces/splits of the year---This year, we saw some new couples get together (hello, Haylor!), but we also saw a bunch of them split. The stories behind Hollywood's biggest breakups of 2012.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

Katie shocked the world when she filed for divorce in June. But perhaps no one was more surprised than her hubby of five years, Tom, who never saw it coming. Suri cruise primary custody, Katie Holmes' dad helped plan tom cruise split, Tom Cruise Katie Holmes.

Top Health Stories Of 2012

Top Health Stories Of 2012---2012's top health stories: Review NYC's Big Gulp ban, Robin Roberts' transplant & other events that made news. This year, the world of health saw sorrow (the tragic death of Whitney Houston), outrage (the Lance Armstrong doping scandal), hope (Giuliana Rancic becoming a mom via surrogate), and a lot of "Oh, no they didn't"s (the man in the cockroach-eating contest who unfortunately died, well, choking on cockroaches). The biggest, wildest health stories of 2012:

Ryan Lanza Facebook Hoax

Ryan Lanza Facebook hoax---According to earlier reports Ryan Lanza - Adam Lanza's older brother who was originally identified as the Sandy Hook shooter - broke his silence via Facebook this weekend by posting the comment: "I am a victim," Ryan Lanza allegedly wrote.

Now Ryan's family says the comments are a hoax. Since the Newtown massacre on Dec. 14 which took the lives of 20 children and seven adults Ryan Lanza has stayed out of the press. And it surprised observers that it was legally permissible for Adam's older brother to comment during an ongoing investigation.

Biggest Scandals Of 2012

Biggest Scandals Of 2012---What were the biggest scandals of 2012?, This year made it hard to believe in heroes. Celebrities from four-star general David Petraeus to cycling legend Lance Armstrong fell under the shadow of scandal. To look back at the biggest scandals of the year.

Real life Christmas Legends

Real life Christmas Legends---Christmas legends in real life: You may have started questioning Santa’s existence when you were old enough to wonder how an old, obviously out-of-shape man can hustle around the globe in just one night. But old St. Nick’s ambitious ride isn’t the only mystery of the holiday season. Wondering where reindeer live in the offseason and who helps the elves make all those toys through to discover the real-life answers.

Vitamin Supplements Good

Vitamin Supplements Good---Vitamin supplements can benefit your health, but they don't replace a healthy, well-balanced diet which incorporates fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats.

Supplements can provide you with an extra boost of a vitamin you may be deficient in, or assist your body in reaching a balance when you are recovering from illness or anemia.

How Many Hours Of Sleep Do You Need

How Many Hours Of Sleep Do You Need---Forty-seven million Americans put themselves at risk for injury or problems with their behavior or health because they aren’t getting enough sleep. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver drowsiness or fatigue contributes to 100,000 crashes a year.

Twenty-seven percent of adults in the U.S. report feeling sleepy more than twice a week, causing them to have less concentration and more difficulty handling stress, solving problems and making decisions, as well as listening and relating to co-workers.

Organic Not Healthier

Organic Not Healthier---Eating organic food will not make you healthier, according to researchers at Stanford University, although it could cut your exposure to pesticides.

They looked at more than 200 studies of the content and associated health gains of organic and non-organic foods.

Overall, there was no discernible difference between the nutritional content, although the organic food was 30% less likely to contain pesticides.

Hillsborough Soccer Deaths

Hillsborough Soccer Deaths---Hillsborough verdicts quashed after more than 20 years: The deaths of 96 soccer fans in the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster will be reinvestigated after Britain's High Court quashed the original inquest verdicts on Wednesday due to a "profound and almost palpable" sense of injustice.

The government also set up a new police investigation into Britain's worst sporting disaster, in a victory for victims' families who never accepted the official version of events and have campaigned for more than 20 years for "Justice for the 96".

Wisconsin Governor Walker Declares State Of Emergency

Wisconsin Governor Walker Declares State Of Emergency---Governor Scott Walker declared a State of Emergency in response to the winter storm that could drop 12-18 inches of snow in parts of the News 8 viewing area.

The Executive Order will ready the Wisconsin Emergency Management, the Wisconsin National Guard, the State Patrol, and other Wisconsin state agencies.

Misheard Holiday Carol Lyrics

Misheard Holiday Carol Lyrics---Misheard holiday lyrics: Tis the season to huddle around the piano and belt out your favorite holiday song, only to suddenly realize you've been singing the wrong words for years. Don't panic; you're not alone. Lyrics to your favorite carols you've gotten wrong and find out what the songs are really saying.

Crocodile Leaps At Tourists

Crocodile Leaps At Tourists---crocodile take a flying leap at some foolhardy tourists: Amateur video from Australia shows a crocodile leaping at a tourist as he swims in the Litchfield National Park.

The crocodile was being filmed sitting on a rock near a group of swimmers when it suddenly lunged at one of the tourists and into the water in Litchfield National Park, northern Australia.

Fortunately for the young man targeted, the crocodile was somewhat on the small side, and he and his friends were able to laugh off the attack.

60 Vehicle Pileup On I-5

60 Vehicle Pileup On I-5---60-Vehicle Pileup On I-5, Ice on the roadway triggered a massive 60-vehicle accident in freezing, foggy weather on Interstate 5 in Siskiyou County on Tuesday night. Cal Fire confirmed the pileup took place on about a two-mile stretch of the northbound I-5 between Yreka and Hornbrook, just south of the Oregon border.

Wedding Dresses of 2012: Celebrities Wedding Dresses

Wedding Dresses of 2012: Celebrities Wedding Dresses, Wedding Dresses of 2012---The rush of excitement doesn't stop once a lucky bride-to-be accepts her fiance's proposal and she slips on that bling. Wedding plans spring into action and so does the hunt for the perfect dress. And while saying yes to the dress is sometimes just as hard as finding an ideal mate, celebrity brides know that all eyes will be looking on as they make their way down the aisle. Click through to see what star brides wore on their wedding day in 2012.

Three Michigan Players Suspended

Three Michigan Players Suspended---Michigan coach Brady Hoke has suspended cornerback J.T. Floyd, punter Will Hagerup and linebacker Brandin Hawthorne for a violation of team rules.

Hoke says in an announcement Sunday that the three players will not travel with the 19th-ranked Wolverines for the Outback Bowl against No. 11 South Carolina because each of them used poor judgment. He didn't specify which team rules were broken.

Mangaung Terror Plot

Mangaung Terror Plot---Mangaung conference: South Africa foils 'bomb plot': South African police have arrested four people, amid reports that they planned to bomb the national conference of the governing African National Congress.

The four white suspected right-wing extremists were arrested in raids across the country, a policeman said.

President Jacob Zuma and other top officials are at the heavily-guarded conference in Mangaung, where the ANC is due to start electing its leaders.

Chad Johnson + Evelyn Divorce Sept. 19

Chad Johnson + Evelyn Divorce Sept. 19, Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Johnson’s divorce is final from reality TV star Evelyn Lozada, a month after his arrest on a domestic battery charge.

Mark Sanchez Struggling Season

Mark Sanchez Struggling Season, According to ESPN Stats & Information, Sanchez has the worst QBR (15.0) in the NFL against five or more pass-rushers. Opponents are taking notice, because Sanchez also is the league’s most-blitzed quarterback at 37.7 percent.

Cavallari & Cutler Wedding Plans 2012

Cavallari & Cutler Wedding Plans 2012, You may assume that they would tie the knot on the beaches of the Hills in California, but it sounds like Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler will be exchanging vows in Chicago, IL.

Athlete Relationships of 2012

Athlete Relationships of 2012, Athlete relationships---Here's a look at athletes whose relationships were in the news this year.

Mark Sanchez
Many celebrity watchers got fired up when Eva Longoria and Mark Sanchez  were spotted out and about the Big Apple. Unfortunately for adoring fans, Sangoria  didn't last to see the end of 2012. On a positive note, they top the list of athlete-celebrity couples that made headlines this year. eva longoria gq shoot, mark sanchez struggling season,

Wacky Gift Ideas

Wacky Gift Ideas---List of gifts and unique gift ideas for Wacky: Still looking for that perfect gift for the funniest, quirkiest, most out-of-the-box person on your list? Look no further: We’ve compiled a collection of unique gift items that you're not going to find at the mall, because not even holiday mall shoppers are crazy enough to buy some of these items.  

Lapd Apologizes To B.I.G.'s Family

Lapd Apologizes To B.I.G.'s Family---LAPD apologizes to Notorious B.I.G.'s family: Police detectives apologized to the family of Notorious B.I.G. for failing to warn them about the planned release of his autopsy report more than 15 years after he died in a drive-by shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department said Saturday.

The detectives had intended to notify the rapper's family, but the report was released prematurely "due to an administrative error," the department said in a statement.

Raid Rescues American

Raid Rescues American---Raid rescues U.S. citizen kidnapped by Afghan Taliban: A U.S. citizen who was abducted by Taliban insurgents was rescued by U.S. forces in an operation in eastern Afghanistan early on Sunday, NATO-led forces said in a statement.

The statement said the American, identified as Dr. Dilip Joseph, had been abducted on Wednesday in the Sarobi district of Kabul province. It gave few other details.

Secret Files On Aliens

Secret Files On Aliens---"Men in Black" agents K and J may be about to recruit a new Russian assistant: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Medvedev has spoken about top secret files on aliens that may have landed in Russia.

Lverson Fights Foreclosure

Lverson Fights Foreclosure---Allen Iverson Fights To Keep Foreclosed $4.5 Million Atlanta Mansion Off The Auction Block:  Former NBA star Allen Iverson isn’t just gonna stand by and watch while his Atlanta mansion hits the foreclosure auction block — TMZ has learned he’s already filed legal docs to put a stop to the sale.

TMZ broke the story … Iverson’s $4.5 million mansion was scheduled to go up for auction on December 4th after he allegedly defaulted on a $1.2 million mortgage.

Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke---If the Los Angeles Dodgers were planning on taking over baseball, along with the entire galaxy, it appears they'll have to leave Nashville undisturbed.

They arrived with their new financial might and a hole or two in their starting rotation, only to rediscover that the meetings find their own pace, and Zack Greinke his, and the Texas Rangers theirs. As a result, the Dodgers' sole extravagance was a team dinner at Morton's.

Patrick Moore Dies

Patrick Moore Dies---Astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore has died at his home at the age of 89.

He passed away peacefully on Sunday afternoon in Selsey, West Sussex, his friends and staff said in a statement.

They added: "After a short spell in hospital last week, it was determined that no further treatment would benefit him, and it was his wish to spend his last days in his own home, Farthings, where he today passed on, in the company of close friends and carers and his cat Ptolemy."

Jenni Rivera Plane Crash

Jenni Rivera Plane Crash---Jenni Rivera Singer 'Killed In Plane Crash': Mexcian-American singer Jenni Rivera is feared to have died in a plane crash after wreckage was found with no survivors.

Rivera, who was born in California to Mexican parents, has sold more than 15 million records and has huge numbers of fans on both sides of the border.

The wreckage of the small aircraft in which she is believed to have been travelling hours after a concert was discovered in northern Mexico on Sunday.

Manchester Derby

Manchester Derby---The Manchester derby refers to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the Etihad Stadium and United at Old Trafford.

City and United have the two highest record home attendances in the history of English football – City in 1934 with 84,569 and United with 83,260 in 1948, played at Maine Road due to damage to Old Trafford during the Second World War.

Financially, both clubs' combined 2010 revenue of £410m (City – £125 million and United – £286 million) makes up nearly a quarter of the twenty-team Premier League revenue alone.

Kate Middleton Morning Sickness

Kate Middleton Morning Sickness---It's hard to imagine the likes of Kate Middleton--jet-setting, glossy-smiled, impeccably-dressed royalty--falling victim to something so decidedly not glamorous: morning sickness. Severe morning sickness, at that. News that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting broke Monday when she was hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum--a term typically used to distinguish between tolerable morning sickness and vomiting so frequent that it impairs a woman's life, says Elizabeth Lyster, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Holtorf Medical Group in Foster City, Calif. Women with this condition are so sick that they can't go to work or manage their normal responsibilities, and they're often hospitalized for dehydration, which requires IV therapy.

Prank DJS May Face Probe

Prank DJS May Face Probe---Prank DJs In Kate Middleton Hoax In Hiding, May Get Police Probe: Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian hit headlines when they duped staff at the King Edward VII Hospital in London by pretending to be members of Britain's royal family in a bid to access Catherine's private medical information.

A nurse who was targeted by the pranksters, Jacintha Saldanha, was found dead outside the medical center on Friday (07Dec12) in a suspected suicide, and the 2Day FM hosts were subsequently taken off air.

Celebrity Engagement Ring & Famous Engagement Rings

Celebrity Engagement Ring & Famous Engagement Rings---The Most Beautiful Celebrity Engagement Rings of 2012, celebrity engagement rings, including diamond engagement rings, antique engagement rings and platinum engagement rings.

The holidays on the horizon, engagement season is upon us, which means several stars will be adding to their jewelry collections in the coming months. But plenty of stars already have some pretty serious bling on their ring fingers. Scroll through to learn more about the beloved baubles belonging to Jennifer Aniston, Blake Lively, Miley Cyrus, and more celebs.

Most Powerful People in History

Most Powerful People in History---The Most Powerful Person in History and People in History, Here are some of the most powerful Person and People in history. The world's most powerful people

David Cameron press regulator
Title: Prime minister, United Kingdom
Age: 46

Famous People Who've Contracted HIV

Famous People Who've Contracted HIV, Those who've contracted HIV---Celebrity Who've Contracted HIV: December 1 is World AIDS Day, a day founded in 1987 by two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS, James W. Bunn world aids day and Thomas Netter world aids day, to raise awareness about the disease and the HIV virus. Let's take a moment to remember some famous entertainers, politicians, artists and athletes who've contracted HIV or passed away from AIDS.