P.T. Barnum’s Early Career
P.T. Barnum is remembered as a circus impresario and a huckster. Both those memories do him a disservice. He had a long and varied career prior to entering the circus …
Sports, Cars & Other Pastimes
Pop culture is as American as apple pie. Enjoy the stories behind favorite hobbies, sports, and collectibles.
White Christmas The Story Behind the Song
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas has notched many top positions on “best-selling” and “most–recorded” lists. Exact numbers are difficult to pin down even by the careful staff of Guinness Book of …
Baseball’s Ceremonial Pitch: Presidential Traditions
“Taft Throws Out Ball” read the headline of The New York Times on April 15, 1910. With that report on an easy toss of a baseball, a presidential tradition was …
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Allen Hoskins, Played Farina in Our Gang
Allen Hoskins (1920-1980) was just 14 months old when he was cast as Farina in Hal Roach’s “Little Rascals.” (These film shorts became better known as the Our Gang comedies.) …
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Its Origin
Today Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the star of a popular holiday television special and a live stage show. The song, based on the story, was written in the late …
The Football Huddle: When Was It First Used?
The football huddle came about during the 1890s. This was about 25 years after intercollegiate football began being played in the United States. From the beginning, the game was popular …
