Why is Tax Day April 15?

Since 1955, Tax day has typically fallen on April 15. If April 15 falls on a Friday, Taxes are due the following Monday. If April 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then taxes are due the following Tuesday due to the observance of Emancipation Day in Washington, DC. Which is why this year taxes are due on April 17.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Day

What does Jaycees stand for?

The United States Junior Chamber or more commonly known as the Jaycees are a leadership training and civic organization for people ages 18-41. They focus on business development, management skills, international connections and community service. For more information visit: www.usjaycees.org.

What is the most popular blood type in the United States?

There are eight different common blood types, which are determined by the presence or absence of certain antigens. Antigens are substances that can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to the body. The four major blood groups are A, B, AB and O. The blood type is either positive or negative if the antigen called the Rh factor is present or absent. The most common blood type is O Positive, and AB Negative is the rarest.

*There will be a blood drive at the West Warwick Public Library on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 from 3 PM to 6PM in the Bloodmobile.

Source: http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types

What do the colors of the Irish flag represent?

The Irish flag was introduced by Thomas Francis Meagher in 1848. The green represents the Irish people, most of whom most are Catholic. The orange color represents the British supporters of William of Orange who settled in Northern Ireland in the 17th century most of whom are Protestant. The white in the center represents the peace between the two groups. Thomas Meagher on the meaning of the Irish flag said, "The white in the center signifies a lasting truce between the Orange and the Green; and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in heroic brotherhood."

* Be sure to show your Irish spirit and love of the library while the library marches in the 53^rd annual Friendly Son’s of Saint Patrick Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday March 11^th.

Source: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/europe/ireland/flag.shtml

Which U.S. President had the most children?

John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States from April 4, 1841 to March 4, 1845 fathered more children than any other president. With his two wives, Tyler fathered 15 children. He had eight children with first wife Letitia Tyler and seven children with his second wife, Julia Gardiner Tyler.

Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_president_had_the_most_children#ixzz1n4PFq5pU

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When was Black History Month first celebrated?

Black History Month, which acknowledges and celebrates the accomplishments of African American culture, and people, started in 1926 as “Negro History Week.” Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week. Dr. Woodson, whose parents were former slaves, graduated from high school at age twenty and went on to earn a PhD from Harvard. While there he was disturbed that history books ignored the African American population, so he established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the Journal of Negro History and launched Negro History week on Feb. 12, 1926. The date was chosen to acknowledge the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States who helped abolish slavery, and Frederick Douglass, a leader in the abolitionist movement. In 1986, Congress officially designated February as National Black (Afro-American) History Month.

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmintro1.html

The Chinese New Year begins on January 23rd. What animal is represented this year and what does it mean?

Chinese New Year is the most important Chinese holiday. The Chinese celebrate with parades, festivals, feasts and parties to celebrate the end of the winter season and the start of spring. The Chinese Year of the Dragon is in 2012. Astrology is very important to the Chinese and the dragon is one of their most important symbols. The dragon is one of the twelve animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac, and is considered the luckiest year. In ancient China, the celestial Dragon represented an emperor and power. Today, it is the ultimate symbol signifying success and happiness, bringing luck to all those born in a year of the dragon, and to everyone in 2012!

Source: http://www.about-sichuan-china.com/year-of-the-dragon.html

What is the history of the nutcracker?

Since the beginning of time, nuts have been a large part of the food supply, and therefore ways of opening nuts had to be created. Early civilizations opened nutshells with stones if they were too hard to open with teeth. The oldest known metal nutcracker dates to the third or fourth century B.C. Iron nutcrackers were first used in the 13^th century and brass nutcrackers were used in the 14^th and 15^th centuries. At first, these metal nutcrackers were hand shaped, but in later centuries, hot metals were poured into molds.

Wooden nutcrackers were later introduced and were simply two pieces of wood fastened together by a leather strap or metal hinge. In the 15th and 16th centuries, wood carvers in France and England were creating beautiful wooden nutcrackers and by the 18th and 19th Centuries, carvers in Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy were producing nutcrackers in the likeness of animals and humans. Standing wooden nutcrackers in the form of soldiers and kings appeared in Germany by the 1800s, and the term “Nussknacker” appeared in the dictionary of the Brothers Grim. It was defined as “often in the form of a misshaped little man, in whose mouth the nut, by means of a leaver or screw, is cracked open”. Today many wooden toy soldier nutcrackers are manufactured in Germany to meet the demands of collectors in the U.S. This interest is renewed each year by the many productions of the Nutcracker Ballet.

Source: http://www.nutcrackermuseum.com/history.htm

How many new quarters will there be in the America the Beautiful Quarter series?

The America the Beautiful series, which released the first quarter In April 2010, will have 56 quarters with staggered release dates until 2021. There will be five designs each year, each depicting a national park or national site from each state, federal district and U.S. territory. The Rhode Island Coin will feature the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_the_Beautiful_Quarters

What is the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time?

The highest grossing Christmas movie of all time was the 1990 hit Home Alone. It brought in $285.8 million dollars during its original release, making it the 37^th highest grossing film of all time. Home Alone is also in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the highest comedy box office grosses with $533 million internationally. The 2000 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is second with $260 million and Home Alone 2 is third with $173.6 million.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-nashville/top-grossing-christmas-movies

Who was the first woman elected to U.S. Congress?

Jeanette Rankin, a Republican from Montana, was the first woman elected to Congress on November 6, 1916. Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and the first woman elected to a national legislature in any western democracy.

Source: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/congress/a/jeanette_rankin.htm

What is the most expensive university in the U.S.?

Determining the price of tuition at a college or university can be confusing as the sticker price is not always the true cost of tuition. There is a growing gap between the list price and net price of schools, which makes the true cost of college tuition somewhat unreliable.

For the 2009-2010 academic year, the most expensive school was listed as Bates College in Maine. The tuition at Bates is $51,300 however; this price includes fees and living expenses. If the price did not include those, it would not be ranked as the most expensive school. George Washington University is the most expensive university not including living expenses with tuition at $41,655. Penn State is also ranked as the most expensive public university with annual in-state tuition of $14,416.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/feds-unveil-list-of-most-expensive-colleges/2011/06/30/AGVGi9rH_blog.html