This Presidents’ Day, Get To Know George Washington
The Papers of George Washington Project Uses Photo Scanning To Preserve And Share Washington’s Letters, Speeches
For most of us, Presidents’ Day (or George Washington’s Birthday, as it is officially known) isn’t a huge holiday. Sure, it’s a great time for bargain-hunters to find 50%-off sales and reduced prices on everything from TV’s to cars, but George Washington’s Birthday usually doesn’t stir up the kind of large-scale family trips and grand celebrations that are common on holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, and even Veterans’ Day. Still, many Americans, especially history buffs and die-hard patriots, consider Presidents’ Day to be a holiday worthy of full-scale celebration.
Originally implemented by the United States Congress in 1880, George Washington’s Birthday was the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen. Currently celebrated nationwide on the third Monday of February (that’s the 15th, this year) George Washington’s Birthday gives all Americans the chance to honor the accomplishments of our nation’s first president, who has been known for over 200 years as the “Father” of the United States. Military personnel and veterans also have a chance to pay tribute to the man who created the Purple Heart, which was the first military badge of merit for the common soldier.
In order to preserve and commemorate the life and career of our nation’s “Father,” a grant-funded project in Virginia called The Papers of George Washington has been working since 1968 to publish a comprehensive edition of George Washington’s letters and other personal and professional documents. Established at the University of Virginia, under the joint auspices of the University and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union, The Papers of George Washington aims to publish a complete edition of Washington’s correspondence, consisting of approximately ninety volumes. The project hopes to make the material “available not only to scholars but to all Americans interested in the founding of their nation.”
As part of the project, letters written to Washington, as well as letters and documents written by him, are now being digitized using photo scanning equipment, and then typed into a searchable format for indexing and cross-referencing. Photo scanning technology allows the original documents, which ordinarily are available for viewing only to scholars and historians, to be viewed by anyone, anywhere. So take some time this Presidents’ Day and get to know George Washington a little bit better. Read the Farewell Address that he gave shortly before leaving office or take a look at his letters, his portraits, or his home. As it turns out, he wasn’t just our first president; he was also a pretty interesting guy!
There are many benefits to maintaining an organized environment. Besides being more efficient (i.e., finding things more quickly) and more productive (i.e., completing tasks fully and on time), living in an organized home or office space allows one to be more stress free. It’s no secret what stress can do to the body. One of the biggest side effects of stress is high blood pressure. Stress also affects your critical thinking ability, how well you sleep, and can even make you more susceptible to illnesses. Less stress = happier, more productive life.
January 27th marked the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi death camp. It also marked the fifth annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which the United Nations General Assembly designated an international holiday in 2005. On this annual day of commemoration, nations all over the world honor the millions of people who fell victim to genocide during Nazi rule. Here in the the United States, we officially commemorate the Holocaust each April, during the Days of Remembrance, which mark the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. But International Holocaust Remembrance Day did not go unobserved in Washington D.C., where the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum hosted a candle-lighting ceremony attended by the diplomatic community, Holocaust survivors, and the general public. President Obama delivered a television address, and reminded Americans of their “sacred duty to remember the cruelty” of the Holocaust.
At each junction of your family tree photographs and other visual representations of ancestors are either handed down or discarded. Before you claim that your ancestors weren’t interested in pictures or were too poor to afford them, remember that photography began in 1839, which means it’s possible your ancestors sat for a picture anytime in the last one hundred and seventy years. Even before the first camera, individuals captured their visages in paintings, sculptures, engravings and silhouettes. The fact is you just never know where they are going to turn up.
Ask Maureen to Analyze Your Family Photos
The recent disaster of the devastating earthquake in Haiti has sparked an enormous response from Americans. Volunteers from across the globe continue to travel to Haiti to provide much needed health care, cleanup, and other services, while millions of Americans have donated money to aide the relief efforts. Even during this difficult time, the people of Haiti remain hopeful that there are better times ahead, and many world leaders, including President Obama, have expressed hope that the recovery process will grow into a full-fledged rebuilding process for the Haitian nation.
1. Clean Out Your Inbox Daily
About Melissa:
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