Thanksgiving is not just a United States celebration; harvest festivals have been celebrated throughout the world for hundreds, probably thousands, of years. (In 2008 Canadians celebrated their ....

Winslow Homer: Window to Laie 19th century America

I admit it: whenever I discover an artist, or composer, or politician, or social activist, or writer – or anyone I admire, I want to know about their life as well as their work. I wa....

When Did American Start Playing Football?

Games in which groups of people, often unorganized, without rules, try to kick a ball toward a certain line or place while simultaneously trying to prevent others from doing the same thing have been p....

Creating America's Santa: Clement Clarke Moore and Thomas Nast

Saint Nickolas and Sinter Claes were European figures, and their stories contributed to the creation of the figure who climbs down United States chimneys on Christmas Eve. But two nineteenth century A....

When Did We Start Sending Christmas Cards?

The sending of Christmas cards, a custom we take for granted today, required that society take several things for granted. First: that Christmas was celebrated as more than a day to attend church a....

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