Week of Events
It’s Christmas Day!
Although the holiday is believed to date back to 336 A.D., Christmas did not catch on across the United States until the latter half of the 1700s. During colonial times, celebrations (or lack thereof) greatly depended on the predominant sect of each region. In Puritan New England, Christmas celebrations were often banned as non-Biblical and […]
On December 26, 1935, Shenandoah National Park was established in Virginia
On December 26, 1935, Shenandoah National Park was established in Virginia. Extending along the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian Range, the park contains 100+ miles of the Appalachian Trail, as well as Skyline Drive, a particularly picturesque road running along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Did you know? As it was created […]
28th president Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia
On this day in 1856, 28th president Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia. During Wilson’s administration, he was responsible for the United States abstention from (and subsequent entry into) World War I, as well as the implementation of several progressive policies. Wilson was also responsible for founding the League of Nations. Though the United […]
On this day – Texas became our 28th state
On December 29, 1845, Texas entered the Union as our 28th state. It is the largest state in the continental U.S. and the second largest state by population in the country. Reflecting its huge size, the state contains the largest ranch in the nation, King Ranch, which is bigger than the state of Rhode Island! […]
17th president Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina
On this day in 1808, 17th president Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. The successor to Lincoln, Johnson had huge shoes to fill, wrestling with Reconstruction in a nation still heavily divided. Johnson was at odds with his “Radical Republican” Congress, who condemned his policies as too lenient to the South. This tension […]
On December 31, 1907, the first New Year’s Eve “ball drop” in Times Square took place in New York City
On December 31, 1907, the first New Year's Eve "ball drop" in Times Square took place in New York City. The first ball was tiny, but heavy - only 5 feet in diameter, but 700 pounds, it was carefully lowered down a flagpole by pulley. Unlike the modern ball, which is famously covered in Waterford […]