A History of Santa Claus From Saint Nicholas to Christmas
A historical overview traces Santa Claus to Saint Nicholas of Myra, noting his charity and legends from the fourth century. It explains gift giving on Nicholas Day evolving into Christmas customs, regional variations in Europe, and how the figure spread to England and America across centuries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Santa Claus
Nicholas
Myra
Lycia
St. Nicholas
Athens
France
England
America
Christ
Amelia
Holland
T. Nicholas
The Christmas Tree Tradition Across Nations
The article traces the Christmas tree origins from 1638 in Germany to France adopting around 1840 and Prince Albert bringing it to England after his wedding. It notes the queen preserving multiple trees for gifts and household, and mentions the ancient tree of candles with a medieval French romance where candles and a radiant child symbolize humanity and Christ.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cat
Germany
Christ
Cape Breton
Carlos
France
Prince Albert
England
Food for the Reindeer in European Christmas Traditions
A brisk survey of holiday customs in the Neitherlands and Austria describes shoe offerings with grain for Santa’s reindeer and candlelit windows guiding the Christ Child. In some regions gifts arrive shouted by a silver bell, sometimes with a rag or peas for naughty entrants.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Neitherlands
Santa Claus
Austria
Christ Child
Igy
Black Forest
Where Toys Are Made in Sonneberg Germany
A detailed look at Sonneberg in the Black Forest region as a world toy center. It notes 18,000 workers in seventy factories, a yearly 25,000,000 mark foreign trade with the United States a major buyer, and the town as the home of extensive doll making and a Sonneberg Technical School. Natives claim the papier mache doll and jointed doll inventions originated there.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Santa Claus
Black Forest
Germany
Sonneberg
Dolis
Christendom
United States
England
France
Sonneberg Technical School
Friedrich Muller
Icelandic Christmas Customs Splendor and Supernatural Night
Read about Icelandic Yuletide rituals including house cleansing with candles to banish darkness, a protective red cloth tradition, and the feared night crossing ritual to glimpse the future. The piece also notes a blend of folklore with a stark economic report on Swiss federal finances for 1902.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iceland
Mother Goose Real Person Elizabeth Foster Born 1685
The article states Mother Goose was a real woman, Elizabeth Foster, born in 1685. It notes her 1693 marriage to Jeaas Goose and mentions her later joining the Old South Church in Bolton, with OCR errors present.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mother Goose
Elizabeth Foster
Bhorn
Jeaas Goose
Old South Church
Bowton
Anv
Vaccination by Pills Question Probed by Health Board
The Iowa board of health is studying if immunity to smallpox can be achieved by internal substances. A Cedar Rapids homeopathic doctor has issued certificates to schoolchildren claiming vaccination. The claimed method involves pills taken into the stomach, not standard vaccination, and it is alleged the pills contain vaccine virus. The committee must decide if stomachly ingested virus is effective.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Towa
Springfield Republican
Budget Dispute Emerges Over Swiss Finance Department
Fragmentary notes suggest a budget controversy involving Switzerland's finance department. Key terms imply ongoing fiscal debate, though details are unclear in the readable text.
Christmas History a Chronology of Notable December Events
A survey of Christmas Day history covers emperors crowned and killed, battles and treaties, early American milestones, abolitionist advances, and major weather events from 496 to 1844. Notable items include Clovis crowned in 496, Washington crossing the Delaware in 1776, Philadelphia convention in 1787, and the 1836 English snowstorm buried towns under deep drifts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marcus Aurelius Carus
Clovis
France
Rheims
Leo V
Constantinople
William the Conqueror
London
Gilles de Retz
Bluebeard
Nantes
Pilgrim Fathers
Plymouth
Bethlthem
James Stuart
Peterhead
Scotland
George Washington
Delaware
Trenton
Philadelphia
United States
Washington
Constitutional Congress
American Republic
Spain
England
Russia
Ghent
John C. Calhoun
Baltimore
Christmas Carols and Ancient English Yuletide Customs
The piece recalls Christmas Eve waits in English towns with carol singing and household hospitality. It describes the wassail bowl ritual at Christmas, the candle socket at Oxford, masking and Lord of Misrule figures, and the festive pageantry surrounding the Nativity and Mother Night.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
St. John’s College
Oxford
Lord
DAR Seeks National HQ Site At Farragut Square
The Daughters of the American Revolution settle on a site formerly General Meyers residence opposite the Army and Navy club—frontage 180 feet on Seventeenth Street and 106 feet on I Street. The 13,806 square foot property may cost $90,000 with plans for a new building costing about $300,000 to house a congress hall and organization offices.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
National Organization of the Daughters of the American Revolution
General Meyers
U.S. A
Army and Navy Club House
Seventeenth Street
Farragut Square
I Street
National Congress of
National Congress
Washington Star
The Religious Spirit Guides Daily Life and Character
A reflection on a religious spirit as comfort and inspiration that strengthens wisdom and virtue. The piece emphasizes clean daily conduct, honorable life, and steady conversation as the path to spiritual growth.
Hawaii May Find Marketable Sponges Near Islands
A United States Fish Commission party will spend the final week of their Honolulu stay investigating reports of marketable sponges in island waters. If found, sponges could boost Hawaii’s wealth more than any other fishery product. Florida leads sponge production with 600000 dollars in annual sales and prices up to 2500 dollars per pound, supported by sixty schooners along the coast.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States Fish Commission
Florida
Pacific Advertiser
America leads in astronomy says Cambridge professor
Sir Robert Ball credits America with dominance in astronomy, citing climate wealth and investment. He praises S. H. Burnham as the greatest living double star astronomer and notes the superiority of the Yerkes and Lick telescopes over European instruments.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Europe
S. H. Burnham
Robert Ball
Cambridge University
Yerkes
Lick
Chicago News
Largest Library in Peru Founded in 1585
The Bibliotheque Nationale in Peru, claimed as the world’s largest library, began in 1585 and houses about 1.4 million volumes 300000 pamphlets 175000 manuscripts 300000 maps 150000 coins and medals. It holds over 1.3 million engravings in 10600 volumes and 100000 portraits. The library receives a copy of every book printed in the republic.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
Bibliotheque Nationale
Peru
Republic
Charlemagne
Charles the Bold
Also Mentioned on This Page
Isla Sesa
Chicago
Switzerland
Post. Saat ‘Railroad Department
Military Department
Postal Department
Federal Council
Confederation
Department of Rfinance
Eayen ‘Bere
Diapateh
Bethlehem
Prince of Peace
Hawaii
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!