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If all you know about Ireland is that it inspires people of all nationalities to drink to excess every March 17th, you’ve taken for granted a land full of rich history and fantastic tales. Irish st...

The Claddagh ring is one of Ireland’s great historical mysteries, as nobody can be sure exactly how it came to exist.  There are literally dozens of origin stories, but many of them are rich in fol...

For a short month, February really knows how to pack it in: Black History Month, Presidential Birthdays (and the inevitable auto and furniture sales that seem to be oddly tied to them) and Groundho...

Countless nations around the world can claim at least a vague familiarity with the heart shape, or heart symbol, that has become so intertwined with modern pop culture.  Like so many other symbols,...

Christmas is coming on fast (just a few days away!), but there’s something else worthy of merriment this week.  It’s a day that’s been celebrated since the ancients roamed the earth: the celestial ...

If you’re like me, you love HBO’s Emmy-winning Boardwalk Empire, based on the book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. While the character in...

Tomorrow is a funky and offbeat holiday known simply as Pins and Needles Day.  Originally celebrated as the anniversary of the Pins and Needles musical that opened on Broadway in 1937, this awkward...

November 22, 1963 is a day that many baby boomers remember: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.  Since 1990, November 22nd has been designated as “Stop the Violence Day...

Hanukkah starts on November 27th, and it’s definitely time to get ready to celebrate.  For those who don’t know, Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that lasts eight days, and just like its Christian coun...