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Posted by: Malea Walker
Do you know how to bring yourself good luck in the New Year? From saying "rabbits" to walking backwards up stairs, these tips from our historic newspapers will tell you what to do, what to say, what to eat, and even what to wear to bring yourself good fortune in the New Year.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Sheng Dan Kuai Le, ¡Feliz Navidad! Christmas celebrations take place around the world and can vary greatly from country to country with traditions that reflect differing cultural history and national customs. Test your knowledge and learn more about how this holiday is celebrated around the globe!
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays, Newspapers, Trivia
Posted by: Malea Walker
The following is a guest post by Arlene Balkansky. Arlene recently retired from being a librarian in the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room, and was a regular writer for Headlines and Heroes. The late 19th century was a time of great change and difficulty for Native Americans navigating challenges to their livelihoods and culture as …
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Journalism, Native American History
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Thanksgiving has long been celebrated at the White House, but in addition to giving thanks, the presidency has a long history with the holiday.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Malea Walker
Is there anything more satisfying than sitting down with a good cup of coffee or tea and working your way through the Sunday crossword puzzle? Or perhaps you carry a book of puzzles with you when you travel, or even have a crossword puzzle app on your phone. If you enjoy a good crossword puzzle, …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Free Puzzles
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and wearing scary costumes are some of the time-honored traditions of Halloween. Yet, the Halloween holiday has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced "SAH-win"), a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor saints. Soon after, All Saints Day came to incorporate some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before All Saints Day was known as All Hallows Eve, and later, Halloween. Here is a look at the origins of some of the classic Halloween traditions we know today.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Halloween, Holidays, Newspapers
Posted by: Amber Paranick
During the 19th century, people read serialized novels the way we watch episodic TV. Momentum was built with each installment and readers tuned in each week (or month) to find out what happened after the last cliffhanger. This is part 1 of a 3-part series that spans the history of serialized fiction in periodicals.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Walt Whitman
Posted by: Library of Congress
On Sept. 8, 2021, “Headlines and Heroes” published a blog post highlighting women’s fashion in the 20th century as shown in newspapers. Although we are proud to enhance discoverability of the Library’s Chronicling America newspaper collections, the blog post used content from the Fashion History Timeline from the Fashion Institute of Technology in an inappropriate manner. After …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Malea Walker
Started in small-town Williamsport, PA, as a pastime for boys, Little League's popularity exploded after WWII as hundreds of leagues started up and the Little League World Series became a major event.
Posted in: Baseball, Digitized Newspapers, Sports