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Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Have you noticed people wearing the paper red poppies that veterans sell each Memorial Day? This tradition can be traced back to Miss Moina Michael of Athens, Georgia. She had the inspiration on November 9, 1918 to make the red poppy (Papaver rhoeas) the symbol of remembrance for the sacrifices of fallen soldiers during World War I. Her …
Posted in: Biography, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History, Women's History
Posted by: Donna Scanlon
Masking tape, transparent (cellophane) tape, duct (or duck) tape… we use tape when we paint, wrap gifts, mend things, and create clothing. Yes clothing! My daughter made a dress from duck tape for her junior prom – it is quite the competition. Where did it all begin? An engineer by the name of Richard Drew …
Posted in: Business, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History, Inventions
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
It may sound clichéd, but as a librarian, one of the best gifts you can give me is a book. For Christmas one year, I received a re-issue of Rachel Carson’s 1965 Sense of Wonder . This book is an expansion of her 1956 essay “Help Your Child to Wonder” published in the July issue …
Posted in: Biography, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History, Women's History
Posted by: Donna Scanlon
The 2010 calendar in my office is from The Economist. It is quite colorful and full of little tidbits of information and has, on more than one occasion, provided me with ideas for this blog. The entry on the calendar for today is “1st McDonald’s Opens, San Bernardino, California, 1940.” Those of you who may …
Posted in: Business, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History
Posted by: Donna Scanlon
Our guest author today is Gulnar Nagashybayeva, Business Reference Specialist, with another “Favorite from the Fifth Floor.” May 10, 1876 was the opening date of the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia where industrial exhibits of 37 nations were displayed in over 250 pavilions for six months until its formal closure on November 10, 1876. It was …
Posted in: Favorites From the Fifth Floor, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
In observance of Mother’s Day many of us in the United States will be buying and sending flowers to the mothers in our lives. You might not know it, but this tradition of sending flowers started back in the early 1900’s before ‘Mother’s Day’ was proclaimed. The connection of flowers to Mother’s Day can partially …
Posted in: Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History, Women's History
Posted by: Donna Scanlon
Today the Library of Congress is 210 years old. It was on this date in 1800 when our building name sake and President, John Adams, approved the appropriation of $5,000 for the purchase of “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.”
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Big blue marble, blue planet, Gaia, terra firma, terrestrial sphere, world- these are some of the words we use to describe Earth. On April 22 we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which was first initiated on April 22, 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. Back in 1990, in celebration of 20 …
Posted by: Donna Scanlon
Our guest author today is Ellen Terrell, Business Reference Specialist. A perennial question for Business Reference staff is about old companies and businesses. And by old I mean from the 1890’s (or earlier!) not necessarily the 1990’s. One of our go-to sets is the old Mercantile Agency Reference books that developed into Dun & Bradstreet …
Posted in: Business, Favorites From the Fifth Floor, New Orleans