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Archive: December 2018 (4 Posts)

A child carrying a bundle of newspapers in one hand, the other arm held high with a copy of the Anchorage Daily Times, the headline reading

Need a last-minute gift?

Posted by: Amber Paranick

Still searching for that last-minute present?  Use Chronicling America for tips/suggestions.  Dolls are so last season.  If you want to win points this year, give a teddy bear instead.   For those with discriminating taste…   Or, how about the gift that keeps on giving? (Be careful what you wish for…)   Treats like chocolates are easy …

Anatomy of a “Dear Santa” Letter

Posted by: Heather Thomas

By the late 19th century, children in the U.S. had begun mailing their Christmas lists in letters to Santa, but the Post Office regarded these letters as undeliverable. Around the same time, newspapers began encouraging children to send their ‘Dear Santa’ letters to them to be published, recognizing the emotional impact the letters would have on their readers.

A child carrying a bundle of newspapers in one hand, the other arm held high with a copy of the Anchorage Daily Times, the headline reading

The Merry Tradition of Christmas Caroling

Posted by: Malea Walker

Christmas carols have been sung for hundreds of years, first as hymns in churches and then performed all around town. Have you ever sung a carol in front of your neighbor’s door? In the early 1800s, hymns, including many songs for Christmas, were published in books that were readily available to the lay person outside …

A child carrying a bundle of newspapers in one hand, the other arm held high with a copy of the Anchorage Daily Times, the headline reading

World War I: A Wartime Clipping Service Update: All 400 Volumes Now Online

Posted by: Arlene Balkansky

The massive collection, World War History: Newspaper Clippings, 1914 to 1926, is now fully digitized and freely available on the Library of Congress website. The 79,621 pages are packed with war-related front pages, illustrated feature articles, editorial cartoons, and more. You can search by keywords, browse the content chronologically, and download pages. Coverage begins on June …