Category: History

Cinco de Mayo

Debbie Roney Smith on

While not a federal holiday, today is a culturally significant national holiday – Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated annually on May 5th in honor of the anniversary of an early victory by Mexican forces over French forces in the Battle of Puebla, 1862. These days, it is an opportunity to celebrate the culture, achievements, and experiences of people with a Mexican background. Celebrations include food, drinks, and music. You can learn more about the history and current state of Cinco de Mayo here: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/cinco-de-mayo

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

Debbie Roney Smith on

Did you know that every single year, over 6.5 million companion animals end up in animal shelters in the U.S.? Sadly, over 1.5 million are euthanized and only 3.2 million are adopted. National Adopt A Shelter Pet Day was created in order to bring awareness to these tragic numbers. It is the result of the annual Adopt A Dog Month that the American Humane Society founded in 1981. Observed annually on April 30th, this national observance helps bring attention to the needless suffering of animals in shelters and encourages people to make to adopt not shop.

Below are the links to some local Panhandle animal shelters and their online listings of adoptable pets!

Earth Day

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is Earth Day 2021! Beginning in 1970, it was created to bring awareness to serious environmental concerns and to address the need for environmental reform. It grew to an international level in 1990 and is now practiced in 142 nations. Don’t forget that today is the second Earth Day Live digital event, held on the official website here. The global show begins at 12 p.m. Eastern Time and will include workshops, panel discussions, and special performances that focus on this year’s theme of Restore Our Earth™. 

National Poetry Month

Debbie Roney Smith on

April is National Poetry Month! The Academy of American Poets – an organization that includes booksellers, librarians, teachers, publishers, poets, and literary associations – met in 1995 to discuss the need for a month-long celebration of poetry. The meeting was successful, and the holiday was officially launched in April of 1996. There are 6 key goals of National Poetry Month:

1) to highlight the achievements and legacy of American poets

2) to encourage poetry reading

3) to help teachers introduce poetry into the classroom

4) to increase media coverage of poetry and poets

5) increase publication of poetry books 

6) to increase support for poetry and the poets who produce it

National Deaf History Month

Debbie Roney Smith on

National Deaf History Month, which began on March 13th and runs through April 15th, is a celebration of contributions of the hard-of-hearing and the Deaf community to American society. It’s a great time to recognize deaf champions, and increase awareness of the deaf community’s rich history.

Deaf History Month was originally envisioned as just one week. In 1996, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) suggested the week become a full-fledged month, and in 1997, the first annual, nationwide National Deaf History Month was celebrated, March 13 – April 15.

2006; thanks to the efforts of Alice Hagemeyer, a deaf American librarian who’s worked to make libraries more accessible to deaf people.the American Library Association (ALA) and NAD 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, an annual event that began as a religious holiday honoring St. Patrick. Also called the Feast of St. Patrick, it is observed on the day of St. Patrick’s death. As the patron saint of Ireland, this day of observance has evolved into a fantastic celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and drinking. Interested in learning more about the history of the holiday, the culture, or how you can participate? Visit A&E’s History page on St. Patrick’s Day HERE. 

 

Fairy Tales

Debbie Roney Smith on

Tomorrow, February 26th, is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day! Celebrate by reading your favorite fairy tales, watching TV or movie adaptations, or retelling a tale from your own childhood to family or friends. The term ‘fairy tale’ was coined in 1697 by Madame d’Aulnoy. However, some fairy tales originated as early as the bronze age over 6,000 years ago according to historical research. 

Valentine’s Day

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is Valentine’s Day! It is also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. The Feast of Saint Valentine was established in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I. It was an annual event celebrated on February 14th in honor of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on the 14th in 269 AD. Saint Valentine’s Day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries with the rise of courtly love. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, confectionery, and sending greeting cards.

In fact, greeting cards (now referred to as valentines) were created in 1797!  A British publisher issued The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, which contained suggested sentimental verses for young lovers who were unable to compose their own sweet words. Printers had begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches based on The Young Man’s Valentine Writer sometimes called “mechanical valentines.” These mechanical valentines have grown into the valentine industry (worth over $19 billion as of 2018) that is known today.

Victorian England-era Valentine Card

Black History Month

Debbie Roney Smith on

February is Black History Month! An annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history, the event is the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson. Since 1976, February has been acknowledged as Black History Month in the U.S.A. Other countries around the world such as Canada and the United Kingdom also devote a month to celebrating Black history.

Historically, Black History Month grew from Carter G. Woodson and prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland’s Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). ASNLH was an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other peoples of African descent. It grew into a month dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the incredible effort put into the creation of the U.S.A. as we know it by African American and Black communities. 

Groundhog Day

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Today is the day Punxsutawney Phil will deliver a prediction for a longer winter or an early spring! Groundhog Day is a very popular North American tradition observed primarily in the United States and Canada. Historically, it is a holdover of an old Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that says a groundhog emerging from its burrow on February 2nd sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks; but if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early.

While the in-person event has been canceled for safety, there will be an official livestream broadcast of the event offered by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. There will be a video preshow beginning at 6:30 a.m. on February 2nd with fun facts and history. The live show, beginning at 7:15 a.m., will include Phil’s emergence and an official translation of his prediction. Visit the official website HERE to stream now!