by Clements Library | Jun 18, 2012 | Graphics, Holidays, Today in history
Guest post by Esti Brennan, Social Media Intern[“Constitution and Java, December 29th, 1812.” Oil on canvas by Nicholas Pocock.]Two hundred years ago today, the United States declared war on the United Kingdom, initiating a conflict sometimes...
by Clements Library | Jan 27, 2012 | Collections, Holidays, Today in history
Guest post by Molly Malcolm, Clements Library volunteerToday is National Chocolate Cake Day, and although it is not an officially recognized holiday, the Clements Library is celebrating it by offering a short history of the evolution of chocolate cake in the United...
by Clements Library | Jan 26, 2012 | Manuscripts, Today in history
Guest post by Cheney Schopieray, Assistant Curator of ManuscriptsOn January 26, 1837, Michigan became the 26th state of the Union.This detail from David Burr’s Map of the Northern Parts of Ohio, Indiana And Illinois With Michigan And That Part of the Ouisconsin...
by Clements Library | Sep 14, 2011 | Today in history
The Star Spangled Banner: A Pariotic Song. Baltimore: Printed and sold at Carrs Music Store, 36 Baltimore Street, [1814].The lyrics of “The Star Spangled Banner” come from “Defence of Fort McHenry,” a poem written by Francis Scott Key after...
by Clements Library | Sep 6, 2011 | Today in history
With classes starting at the University of Michigan today, and the football season already begun on Saturday, we offer this selection from the Clements Library in keeping with the theme. Nathan Hayward’s College Scenes, a collection of satirical drawings of...
by Clements Library | Mar 25, 2011 | Library Work, Manuscripts, Today in history
Today in History: Greek Independence Day Cheney J. Schopieray, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts, has worked at the Clements Library since 2002. His list of favorite manuscripts grows longer on a daily basis, but in honor of the 190th anniversary celebration of the...
by Clements Library | Nov 25, 2010 | Collections, Holidays, Today in history
Guest post by JJ Jacobson, Curator of American Culinary HistoryIf Americans have any one person to thank for the Thanksgiving holiday, it is Sarah Josepha Buell Hale. Hale waged a decades-long campaign for the establishment of a national Thanksgiving Day on the last...
by Clements Library | Oct 11, 2010 | Holidays, Today in history
When Columbus returned from his 1492 voyage to the New World, he reported his discoveries in a letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Editions of this letter were printed in major cities across Europe, spreading the news of his travels. This book is significant...
by Clements Library | Feb 14, 2010 | Holidays, Today in history
Saint Valentine’s Day was first established in 496 A.D., and became associated with the celebration of romantic love in the Middle Ages. In the United States, mass-produced paper valentines were first sold in the mid-1800s. The Ephemera collection at the...
