Dear Readers,
On Dec. 1, 1990, British and French construction workers joined the two halves of the Eurotunnel, physically linking Britain and France for the first time since the end of the ice age. 
The dream of connecting Britain and France through bridges or tunnels dates back to the 18th century and Napoleon Bonaparte himself had been convinced that a tunnel could be built. There were many obstacles to overcome, both logistically and mentally. The British, with their traditionally insular attitude, were reluctant to join Europe. "More important than the physical separation of Britain from the Continent was the psychological separation," said John Neerhout Jr., the project's chief executive. "For centuries, the English regarded them selves as distinct from and superior to their neighbors 'across the water.'"
Attitudes began to change in Britain in the 1950s, but it took until 1981, when the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her French counterpart Francois Mitterrand came to office, for real progress to begin.
Many of your students will know of Madame Marie Tussaud, born this day in 1761, as a famous 18th century French wax sculptor whose name adorns wax museums in cities around the world. Few will know she was jailed during the French Revolution and nearly beheaded; she was forced to pay for her freedom by making death masks of those who faced the guillotine, including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Robespierre. She used the allure of her macabre beginnings to create a traveling road show that lasted 33 years.
From SweetSearch2Day:
NatGeo's Photo of the Day is of a Praying Mantis.
The Poem of the Day is "Dawn Dreams" by Rachel Hadas.
Interview of the Day is with the master interviewer, Barbara Walters, who recounts how she overcome a rough start to her career through the support of many female viewers, and one decidedly male viewer, who sent a telegram saying "'Don't let the bastards get you down' - John Wayne."
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