When was the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade?

The first parade held in honor of Saint Patrick took place not in Ireland, but in the United States, on March 17, 1762. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day

* You can see the West Warwick Public Library in the 54^th Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in West Warwick on Sunday, March 17. The parade begins at 1 p.m. at the intersection of 117 and Washington Street, and continues on to Main Street.  

Why are the Academy Awards also called the Oscars?

Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar. While the origins of the nickname aren’t clear, a popular story has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar.

             The Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939, but it was widely known enough by 1934 that Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in a piece referring to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win.

Source: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/about/awards/oscar.html

What is the most popular major in college?

According to the Princeton Review, Business Administration and Management/ Commerce is the top major.  Rounding out the top five college majors are psychology, nursing, biology, and education. 

For the complete top 10 list visit: http://www.princetonreview.com/college/top-ten-majors.aspx

How is the wind chill calculated?

 

Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to the wind. Wind chill is calculated by the formula Wind Chill = 35.74 + 0.6215T "“35.75(V^0.16) + 0.4275T(V^0.16), where T stands for temperature and V is wind speed in miles per hour.

For more on how the wind chill is calculated visit:  http://mentalfloss.com/article/26730/how-wind-chill-calculated

Why is the Presidential Inauguration on January 21st?

 The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which changed the beginning of a Presidential term from March 4 to January 20, was ratified in 1933, and took effect for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second term in 1937.

Inauguration Day, normally on January 20, falls on a Sunday this year. Only six times in the nation's history has the constitutionally-mandated date for a Presidential Inauguration fallen on a Sunday. January 20, 2013 will be the seventh time, and following historical precedent, the public ceremony will be held at the U.S. Capitol on Monday, January 21, 2013. In a tradition that dates back to 1917, the White House will likely arrange a private swearing in before noon on January 20, 2013.

Source: http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/jan-21

When did Kwanzaa first become a holiday?

Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26 until January 1, was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga. He created Kwanzaa as the first specifically African American holiday.

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

What is the best selling Christmas Album of all time?

Elvis Presely’s holiday album Elvis’ Christmas Album is widely considered to be the most popular Christmas album of all time. Originally released in 1957, it has sold more than 12 million copies, allowing it to beat out Kenny G's 1994 smash Miracles-A Holiday Album.

Presley's album logged three weeks at #1 in December 1957, before surrendering the top spot to Bing Crosby's holiday classic Merry Christmas.

To see the top 40 most popular Christmas albums of all time visit: http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/chart-watch-extra-the-top-40-christmas-albums.html

What was the lowest temperature ever recorded in Rhode Island?

The lowest temperature in Rhode Island, -26˚F was recorded on February 5, 1996 in Greene. 

Source: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm

 

Why are winter storms now being named?

During the upcoming 2012-13 winter season The Weather Channel will name noteworthy winter storms. Their goal is that by naming a storm it will bring more awareness to the storm, make the storm easier to follow and therefore make people more informed and prepared.

For more information on the naming of the winter storms visit: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/why-we-name-winter-storms-20121001

Why is Election Day held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November?

 For much of our history, America was a predominantly agrarian society. Law makers therefore took into account that November was perhaps the most convenient month for farmers and rural workers to be able to travel to the polls.

Since most residents of rural America had to travel a significant distance to the county seat in order to vote, Monday was not considered reasonable since many people would need to begin travel on Sunday. This would have conflicted with Church services and Sunday worship. Tuesday, would also not conflict with market day, which was on Wednesday in many towns.   

Lawmakers wanted to prevent Election Day from falling on the first of November for two reasons. First, November 1st is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics. Second, most merchants were in the habit of doing their books from the preceding month on the 1^st and Congress did not want the economic success or failure of the previous month to influence the outcome of the election.

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/electionday1.html

What does the Commission on Presidential Debates do?

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) began in 1982 by both the Democratic and Republican parties to establish a way to run presidential debates between the candidates that are running for President of the United States. The CPD sponsors and produces debates for the United States presidential and vice presidential candidates and undertakes research and educational activities relating to the debates. The organization, which is a nonprofit corporation controlled by the Democratic and Republican parties, has run each of the presidential debates held since 1988.

Source: http://www.debates.org/

When was Columbus Day first established?

Columbus Day first became a holiday in 1906 in Colorado, and it officially became a federal holiday in 1937. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday,  as a result of intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus. Originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971.

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day

How is the start of autumn determined?

On the first day of autumn or the fall equinox, day and night are each about 12 hours long. Therefore the Fall Equinox or the start of autumn is when day when night and day are of equal length making the start of Autumn for September 22, more specifically in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22 at 10:49 A.M. EST.

Source: http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-seasons

What is a blue moon?

 

In the first half of the 20th century a blue moon was referred to as the third full moon of a season — spring, summer, winter or fall, that has four full moons instead of the usual three. But that definition was misinterpreted over the years, and today we call the second full moon in a single month a "blue moon."

Because a blue moon occurs only every two or three years, the term blue moon is used colloquially to mean a rare event, as in the phrase "once in a blue moon." Blue moons come along once every 2.7 years on average, and sometimes much more frequently. The next blue moon will not occur again until July 2015. 

Source: http://www.space.com/17291-blue-moon-night-sky-friday.html

Is Rhode Island the only state to celebrate Victory Day?

September 2 is the designated V-J Day in the United States, and it is only recognized as an official holiday in Rhode Island. The official name Victory Day, is observed on the second Monday in August.

What do the Olympic rings represent?

The Olympic rings were designed in 1912 by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.  The Olympic rings composed of five interlocking rings colored blue, black, red, yellow and green represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The Colors of the rings were chosen because every National flag in the world contains one of the five colors. 

Source: http://www.janecky.com/olympics/rings.html

When does Ramadan begin?

Ramadan which occurs during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar begins July 19 and lasts until August 18, 2012. Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting, where participating Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours. This is done to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. The dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards by about eleven days each year depending on the moon. 

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

How many hot dogs will be eaten on the Fourth of July?

July is National Hot Dog Month and according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, over the Fourth of July (the biggest hot dog holiday of the year) over 155 million hot dogs will be consumed. The council also estimates Americans eat over twenty billion hotdogs a year.

Source: http://www.factmonster.com/spot/hotdog1.html

When was the first Father’s Day?

After the success of Mother’s Day in the early twentieth century, many wanted to create a similar holiday for other family members, and Father’s Day became the choice to succeed Mother’s Day. Founded in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd, its first celebration was in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. Dodd wanted to celebrate her father who was a Civil War Veteran and a single parent who raised six children. Initially the holiday did not have much success and it faded into obscurity through the 1920s. In the 1930s, Dodd began promoting the holiday again, but most Americans resisted as they saw it as an attempt by merchants to repeat the commercial success of Mother’s Day. After many attempts by Congress, and several U.S. presidents to make Father’s Day a national holiday, in 966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. It was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father%27s_Day