Jacksonville, Florida
The holiday season is full of traditions, some shared and some unique. For many, Christmas requires a tree, greeting cards, parties, food and the sharing of gifts and fellowship. The history of how Americans celebrate the holidays is as diverse and fascinating as the population. Read More …
The world’s love affair with coffee seemingly knows no bounds. Beginning in 13th-century Arabia and later migrating across the globe, coffee — and coffee culture — has shaped the way we work, socialize, and savor our daily rituals. Today, gourmet espresso drinks are an important piece of Read More …
Sierra Vista, Arizona, sits about 20 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, and is home to the Fort Huachuca Army base. While military bases are often good for boosting local businesses, management of the town’s McDonald’s realized that service members often passed by the restaurant without Read More …
The Nazca Lines are massive geoglyphs — sometimes more than a thousand feet long — carved into the ground some 250 miles south of Lima, Peru. At first glance, these lines might look similar to crop circles, and can only be viewed from the cockpit of Read More …
The legend of the Roanoke colony is so enduring because it lies at the heart of the founding of America. Starting in 1584, 23 years before the establishment of the Jamestown colony in nearby Virginia, three English expeditions landed at Roanoke Island, nestled between the Read More …
Rock n’ roll will live on in an old casket factory. The Jacksonville Historical Society is working to renovate a vacant warehouse, which was once the Florida Casket Co., near Veterans VyStar Memorial Arena. The museum will showcase artifacts, posters and other memorabilia that share the long history Read More …
October 1, 1968: The Jacksonville city and Duval County governments merged to form the City of Jacksonville. This is a historic photo of Jacksonville’s first City Council following consolidation. Many of the members are known for their acts of leadership, advocacy, innovation and service
After World War II, the government of the City of Jacksonville began to increase spending to fund new building projects in the boom that occurred after the war. Mayor W. Haydon Burns oversaw the construction of a new city hall, civic auditorium, public library and Read More …
Victorian era cemetery superstitions and traditions help us to better understand the world our ancestors lived in. In our day, we may throw a fancy wedding but during the Victorian era, elaborate funeral customs were all the rage! Many of the cemetery superstitions and traditions Read More …
Not unlike Madonna, Lady Gaga, and other world-famous divas, Miss Piggy has never deigned to use her full name among us mere mortals. If she had, more of us might know that her first name is actually short for “Pigathius,” which comes from a Greek Read More …
The USS “Florida” (BB-30), a dreadnought battleship, was commissioned into the United States Navy on this date in 1911. She was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch guns, sixteen 5-inch guns, and two torpedo tubes. The USS Florida served during World War I Read More …
If you have a smartwatch or other fitness tracker, you might get a little celebratory notification when you hit 10,000 steps — or maybe you’ve just heard someone refer to “getting their 10,000 steps in.” That benchmark persists because it’s a nice, round number that’s Read More …
St. Augustine, Florida, was founded on September 8, 1565 — more than 200 years before the United States was an official country. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was an explorer from Spain who came ashore in Florida on August 28, 1565, on the Catholic feast day Read More …
Originally, it was actually the other way around. For much of the 19th century, most infants and toddlers wore white dresses. Dresses facilitated diaper-changing, and white cotton could easily be cleaned with bleach. But around 1900, childcare experts began to push for a greater distinction between little girls Read More …
If you live in Florida for any length of time, you will probably either ride through a few major hurricanes or get the heck out of the way of one before it arrives. Hurricanes – and their weaker cousin, the tropical cyclone – pose a Read More …
On August 25th, people across the United States observe National Whiskey Sour Day. #NationalWhiskeySourDay Traditionally garnished with half an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry, a whiskey sour is a mixed drink containing whiskey (often bourbon), lemon juice, and sugar. Whiskey sours are shaken then Read More …
On this date in 1821 – The “Floridian, the first newspaper in northwest Florida, was established in Pensacola. Initially published by Nicholas & Tunstall, the first issue ran on August 18, 1821, with an account of Florida’s transfer to the United States. The second page Read More …
On this day in 1968, Snoopy walked into a surprise birthday party, so Peanuts officials give the beagle his birthday cake and candles to blow out every Aug. 10. Some older fans believe his birthday is in October as Snoopy was introduced to the world on its third Read More …