Archive for August 2018
History of the Holidays
HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAYS Welcome to this year’s edition of the History of the Holidays. I’m Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian. From now through the Spring or vernal equinox, we celebrate most of the major secular and sacred holidays. This is a series that recounts the history behind the major American holidays, some of…
Read MoreHow I Spent My Summer Vacation
HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION I spent an extended two-week period this summer in New England and Canada, particularly Maine and Prince Edward Island. Here is my travel log. Day 1: Maine My first time in Maine. Motto of the Interstate “Camp in the woods, not the left lane.” It only…
Read MoreHistory of the California Gold Rush
HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH On August 19, 1848, the New York Herald reported the news along the American East Coast of the California Gold Rush. It was not new news to those further West, as the gold rush had started in January and was publicized in San Francisco in March. However, the New…
Read MoreHistory of Woodstock
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK August 15 marks the anniversary of the “3-days of Peace & Music” held in 1969 at Max Yasgur’s 600 acre dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York, southwest of the village of Woodstock. I’d like to share with you what it was like to be there — the music,…
Read MoreHistory of August
HISTORY OF AUGUST What’s in a name? The name of this month wasn’t always August, previously it was called Sextilis by the Romans, back in the days of Romulus in 753 BC when there were originally 10 months (Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec.) The Roman Senate, in 8 B.C. decided to honor their first Emperor, Augustus…
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