Miscellaneous

    • Bloomers

      If one were to do an online search today for clothing known as ‘bloomers’, you would have the impression of something stylish, sexy, and comfortable to wear. You could probably not imagine how bloomers began as women’s clothing. In the 19th Century, women wore long...

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    • The Presidential Seal

      It’s an image that all those in America instantly recognize: The Presidential Seal (see the image below). For something so familiar, it’s interesting that we know little of its origin. What follows is what we know. At first, the Presidential Seal was likely to be...

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    • Pomp and Circumstance March

      It began as March No. 1 in D Major. When it was performed in concert in 1901, it was the recipient of two encores. Crown Prince Edward was impressed and asked that the middle section of the march be converted into a song to be played at his coronation as King Edward...

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    • The Smiley Face

      Harvey Ball was born in Massachusetts in 1921. Early on he discovered he had a talent for art and hoped to make this his career. But World War II delayed that career. He fought in the Battle of Okinawa earning a Bronze Star for heroism. He returned to the U.S. after...

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    • Abraham Lincoln’s Beard

      Grace (Bedell) Billings was born in 1848 in New York. As an eleven-year-old, she made an indelible mark on how we view President Abraham Lincoln. On October 15, 1860, she wrote the presidential candidate a letter suggesting that more people would vote for him if he...

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