Pop Culture

History of Groundhog Day

By billpetro / February 2, 2023 /

HISTORY OF GROUNDHOG DAY Groundhog Day comes from Candlemas Day, observed for centuries in parts of Europe on February 2. The custom was to have the clergy bless candles — representing how long winter would be — and distribute them to the people. Pagan Roots This seems to have derived from the pagan celebration of Imbolc…

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Mozart

History of Mozart: today’s his birthday

By billpetro / January 27, 2023 /

HISTORY OF MOZART Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, but he was baptized under the name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart.   What’s In A Name? When he was an adult, he referred to himself as “Wolfgang Amadè Mozart,” signing his marriage certificate that way. His baptismal name was Latinized, as was…

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History of Australia Day: Ties to the American Revolutionary War?

By billpetro / January 26, 2023 /

HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA DAY Did you know that the history of European Australia has ties to the American Revolutionary War? When the 13 American Colonies were part of the British Commonwealth, it was convenient for England to transport its convicts to the Colonies. Indeed, it was considered more humane to “transport” prisoners than to execute…

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Macintosh

History of Macintosh: a 39-Year Love Affair

By billpetro / January 24, 2023 /

HISTORY OF MACINTOSH: A 39-YEAR LOVE AFFAIR The now-famous Macintosh computer turns 39. When Apple President Steve Jobs launched this computer at the Flint Center on the De Anza College campus on January 24, 1984, to the theme from the movie Chariots of Fire, he called it “insanely great!”   Macintosh Launch The $1.5M “1984”…

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CNY 2023

History of Chinese New Year: Lunar New Year

By billpetro / January 20, 2023 /

HISTORY OF CHINESE NEW YEAR Chinese New Year is China’s oldest, longest, and most important social and economic holiday, beginning on the first day of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. It starts this year on January 22, though the celebrations continue for around two weeks. Chinese New Year is also known as Lunar New Year or…

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Friday The 13th

History of Friday the 13th

By billpetro / January 13, 2023 /

HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13TH If you’re reading this article to learn the history of Friday the 13th, you’re in luck. Or perhaps bad luck. No one knows, with any certainty, when it began or why it’s to be feared. However, there are lots of entertaining speculative theories about the topic.     What is…

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Auld Lang Syne

History of Auld Lang Syne: What Does It Mean?

By billpetro / December 30, 2022 /

HISTORY OF AULD LANG SYNE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN Why do we sing “Auld Lang Syne” each New Year’s Eve, but do we know what it means? The song contains words from a language that few are familiar with, in a syntax that is confusing to most, and is from a poem about friends recalling…

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Christmas Truce

History of the Christmas Truce of 1914: Peace in the WWI Trenches

By billpetro / December 25, 2022 /

History of the Christmas Truce of 1914: The Surprising Peace in the WWI Trenches

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Santa_tracker

History of the Santa Tracker: How a Typo began Christmas tracking at NORAD

By billpetro / December 22, 2022 /

History of the NORAD Santa Tracker: How a typo began Christmas tracking at NORAD

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A Christmas Carol

History of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas

By billpetro / December 19, 2022 /

History of A Christmas Carol and the impact of Charles Dickens’ classic

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TheNutcracker

History of The Nutcracker: the Ballet That’s a Christmas Tradition

By billpetro / December 18, 2022 /

HISTORY OF THE NUTCRACKER: THE BALLET THAT’S A CHRISTMAS TRADITION On December 18, 1892, The Nutcracker premiered at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, a week before Christmas.   Nutcracker Popularity The Nutcracker has had such an enduring influence on the celebration of Christmas for over a century that no one even notices…

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5 Christmas Myths

5 Christmas Myths, Not Found in the Nativity Story

By billpetro / December 16, 2022 /

5 CHRISTMAS MYTHS: NOT FOUND IN THE NATIVITY STORY I’m often asked to explain the history behind a holiday: is it based on history, tradition, or legend? The best historical sources we have on the birth of Jesus are found in two Gospel accounts in the New Testament: St. Matthew and St. Luke. St. Matthew…

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