Happy Mother’s Day! Carnations are said to represent a mother’s love, dating back to 1907 when Anna Jarvis (creator of Mother’s Day) selected white carnations as the symbol of the holiday, based on her own mother’s love of the flower. Over time, however, floral companies chose pink carnations as the Mother’s Day flower, and reservedContinue reading “Mother’s Day”
Tag Archives: holidays
Seward’s Day
Yesterday marked a statewide holiday throughout Alaska, one that is observed on the fourth Monday of each March. Each year, the state of Alaska observes Seward’s Day on behalf of William H. Seward, Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state and individual who orchestrated the purchase of the Alaska territory from Russia. At the time, the moveContinue reading “Seward’s Day”
International Women’s Day
Today marks International Women’s Day, and an opportunity to shed light on the representation of women in Alaska’s historical newspapers, focusing primarily on women’s suffrage and the Alaska Native Sisterhood. Alaska’s territorial government granted women the right to vote in 1913, a full seven years before the 19th Amendment was ratified. This right to voteContinue reading “International Women’s Day”
Presidents Day Observed
Welcome back from the three-day holiday weekend in honor of Presidents Day! Alaska’s Digital Newspaper Project’s Instagram provided a collage of news items from Washington’s birthday, but today we’re giving Abraham Lincoln a proper shout-out:
Groundhog Day
February 2 marks Groundhog Day. While a relatively small population of groundhogs or woodchucks live in the Interior of Alaska, their relative the marmot is a more common resident. Alaska marmots (Marmota broweri), hoary marmots (Marmota caligata), and woodchucks/groundhogs (Marmota monax) all belong to the squirrel family. Alaska sees its fair share of hoary marmotsContinue reading “Groundhog Day”
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, dear readers! May 2019 bring you all happiness and prosperity!
Santa Claus In Alaska’s Newspapers
Greetings, all! ‘Tis the season for gift giving and merry making, and no one is more prominently featured in historic Alaska newspapers as the symbol of generosity (and consumerism!) than Santa Claus. It is well documented that the Coca-Cola corporation popularized (but did not invent) the modern image of Santa Claus in a red suit,Continue reading “Santa Claus In Alaska’s Newspapers”
Black Friday and Holiday Shopping: a Post-Thanksgiving Tradition
Greetings, all! Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, many folks are hitting the shopping malls across the country to get a head start on their holiday shopping. Leafing through historic Alaska newspapers, one can find plenty of news items involving holiday shopping, too. Although Black Friday as the “busiest shopping day of the year”Continue reading “Black Friday and Holiday Shopping: a Post-Thanksgiving Tradition”
Tricks and Treats, Pranks and Parties: Alaska Historical Newspapers Celebrate Halloween
Happy Halloween, everyone! On this Halloween, like many other holidays, it’s fun to ask: what did people do to celebrate one hundred (or so) years ago? I’d like to share a few findings from Alaska Historic Newspapers that demonstrate differences and similarities. Notable in news coverage is the association between specific vandalism involving the theftContinue reading “Tricks and Treats, Pranks and Parties: Alaska Historical Newspapers Celebrate Halloween”
