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| Overview | Did you know? | Get with the program |
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born to Rev. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr. in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. Dr. King passed the entrance examination to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia without graduating from high school. He graduated from Morehouse on June 8, 1948 with a BA degree in Sociology. Dr. King received a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania in May, 1951. Dr. King was featured on the cover of Time magazine on February 18, 1957. Dr. King’s last speech titled “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” was delivered at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN on April 3, 1968. Dr. King was assassinated while he stood talking on the balcony of his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. (Source: www.thekingcenter.org) Presidents' Day Until, 1971, both Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12), and George Washington’s birthday (Feb. 22), were observed as federal holidays. In 1971, President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal holiday called Presidents’ Day to be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States. George Washington, the first United States President, was born February 22, 1732 in Virginia. He was inaugurated on April 30, 1789. He dies of a throat infection ten years later at his home at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president, was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky. He was nominated by the Republican Party in 1860 as its candidate for the Presidency of the United States and won by a small margin. Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, only days after the Civil War ended, and died the next day. (Source: www.whitehouse.gov) St. Patrick's Day St. Patrick was actually not born in Ireland. He was born around the year 385 A.D. in a small village near the mouth of the Severn River in what is now Wales. When he was sixteen, Patrick was sold as a slave and worked for six years as a sheepherder in Country Antrim, Ireland. After escaping Ireland and slavery he spent numerous years in a monastery in Gaul. During these years, Patrick studied under St. Germain, the bishop of Auxerre, and developed a desire to convert Ireland to Christianity. He traveled throughout Ireland founding monasteries, schools, and churches. St. Patrick died on March 17th in or about the year 461 A.D., the origin for the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The first public celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in America was in 1737 and was sponsored by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston. (Source: Panati, Charles. 1987. Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. New York: Harper & Row.) The First Bristle Toothbrush The first bristle toothbrush originated in China around 1498. The bristles were plucked from the necks of hogs from Siberia and China (where they grew firmer bristles because of frigid weather) and then attached to the handles of bamboo or bone. Traders took the toothbrush to the Europeans, who were using softer horsehair toothbrushes. The father of modern dentistry, Dr. Pierre Fauchard was critical of the horsehair brushes. He believed they were ineffective because they were too soft. When Louis Pasteur developed his theory of germs, the dental profession realized that animal hair toothbrushes were sterilized in boiling water, they would be ruined, and were too expensive to be replaced. This problem was finally solved in 1938 with the invention of the nylon-bristle toothbrush. (Source: Panati, Charles. 1987. Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things: New York: Harper & Row) April Fool's Day Although many different explanations exist regarding the origins of April Fool's Day, the most convincing evidence suggests that the holiday originated in France under King Charles IX. In the early 16th century, New Year's Day was observed on March 25 in France, the advent of spring. Celebrations continued through the week, ending with parties on April 1. In 1564, the reformed Gregorian calendar was adopted, and King Charles proclaimed that New Year's day be moved back to January 1. Many either forgot about the change or refused to accept it, and continued to exchange gifts the week before April 1. Some citizens made fun of those that clung to old traditions and jokingly sent them foolish gifts and invitations to parties that didn't exist. Many became attached to "April Fooling" and continued the tradition. (Source: Panati, Charles. 1987. Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. New York: Harper & Row.) Easter Eggs Exchanging real eggs is an ancient custom, that predates Easter by centuries. In many cultures, the egg signified birth and resurrection. When the church started to celebrate the Resurrection in the 2nd century they used the eggs as a symbol. Legend said that Simon of Cyrene who helped carry Christ’s cross to Calvary was an egg merchant, and after the crucifixion, all his hen’s eggs were allegedly turned into a rainbow of colors. When eggs were first tied with the Church, the wealthy people would cover a gift egg with gold or a gold leaf and peasants would dye their eggs. In Germany during the 1880’s, Easter eggs were substituted for birth certificates, and honored in law courts as evidence of identity and age. (Source: Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things: 1987.) Origins of Mother's Day Anna Jarvis, a West Virginia schoolteacher, is largely responsible for establishing a national Mother's Day. After her mother died, she contacted the superintendent of a Methodist Sunday School where her mother had taught a class to have a celebration to honor her mother and by extension, all mothers. The service took place May 10, 1908 and afterwards, all mothers and children received a carnation, the favorite flower of Anna's mother. This became a Mother's Day tradition. After Anna's successful letter-writing campaign, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation in 1914 designating the second Sunday in May to be Mother's Day. (Source: Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things: 1987.) Origins of Father's Day In antiquity, Romans honored their fathers every February, but only those deceased. In modern times, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd is considered the founder of Father's Day. She got the idea to set aside a special day to honor fathers after listening to a sermon on Mother's Day. The sermon discussed the sacrifices mothers made for their children. In Dodd's own family, her father had made many sacrifices for his 6 children after his wife died. Her town, Spokane, Washington celebrated the first Father's Day in 1910. Father's Day was not accepted as quickly as Mother's Day. President Woodrow Wilson and his family observed the day in 1916, and in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended that states should hold their own observances, if they wished. Sixty-two years after a Father's Day was proposed, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Father's Day into law, recognizing Father's Day as a national holiday. (Source: Panati's Extraordinary Orginis of Everyday Things: 1987.) Independence Day (4th of July) Independence Day commemorates the birthday of the United States of America. It is celebrated on July 4th each year. In 1774, American colonies sent delegates to the First Continental Congress. For almost a year the congress tried to work out its differences with England. By June 1776, their efforts had become hopeless and a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favor of the Declaration, Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted no, Delaware was undecided, and New York abstained. Since the Declaration was adopted, July 4th has been celebrated as the nation's birthday. In 1941, Congress declared July 4th a federal legal holiday. (Souce: Embassy of the United States of America)
An annual thanksgiving celebration is ancient and universal, celebrated by Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and others. The event we now recognize as the first US Thanksgiving occurred in 1621 when the Pilgrims celebrated a bountiful crop with Indian braves from the Wampanoag tribe. They ate venison, boiled pumpkin, cranberries and corn cakes. They also had a parade of soldiers with muskets and bugles. George Washington called for the first national Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789 after the independence of the US. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation setting aside the last Thursday in November as a national Thanksgiving Day. Franklin D. Roosevelt established the fourth Thursday in November for Thanksgiving celebration in 1941. (Source: Panati, Charles. 1987. Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. New York: Harper & Row.) Christmas Facts
The sending of commercially printed Christmas cards originated in London in 1843. Respected 19th century artist and illustrator John Calcott Horsley produced the first Christmas card designed for sale, commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy British businessman. Printed cards became popular in England, then in Germany, but Christmas cards did not catch on in the United States until 1875 when Boston lithographer Louis Prang began publishing holiday cards. Prang's cards, while of high quality, were quite costly. Americans embraced the idea of holiday cards, but not Prang's. In fact, he was forced out of business in 1890. What did become popular were the cheap penny Christmas postcards imported from Germany that remained the rage until World War I when American’s modern greeting card industry began to thrive. (Source: Panati, Charles. 1987. Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. New York: harper and Row.) Poinsettia Today we easily identify the poinsettia as the traditional Christmas flower. However, the adoption of the poinsettia as a symbol of the holiday season is relatively recent. The poinsettia plant is a member of the spurge family and has small yellow flowers surrounded by large red leaves (often mistaken for petals). Native to Mexico, the plant was referred to as the "flower of the blessed night," because of its resemblance to the Star of Bethlehem. The plant was first brought to the United State by Dr. Joel RobertsPoinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico, in 1828. The poinsettia was renamed in his honor and continues its Christmas association today. (Source: Panati, Charles. 1987. Panati's Extraordianary Orgins of Everyday Things. New York: Harper and Row. )
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The History of Thanksgiving
