Firework celebrations go back to 1000 A.D. China, where the firework was developed from military rockets and explosive missiles. The use of fireworks to celebrate military victories spread to Europe during the Middle Ages and persist to this day.¹ The colonists brought the tradition to America and since 1777, pyrotechnics have been used to commemorate the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.  The first organized celebration was held in Philadelphia in 1777 and resembled contemporary celebrations.  During the celebration, cannons were fired, one round for each state in the union.  There was ringing of bells, a dinner, music, toasts, a parade, fireworks, and draping of ships in the harbor with the colors of the American flag.²  Have a happy 4th of July! 

 

1) "Independence Day." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 3 July 2008. http://search.eb.com/.

2) Heintze, James R. "A Chronology of Notable Fourth of July Celebration Occurrences."  Fourth of July Celebrations Database. American University. 3 July 2008. http://www.american.edu/heintze/fourth.htm#Notable.

* Flora, Jim. The Day the Cow Sneezed. Harcourt Brace: New York, 1957.

  

Afraid to go out of the house this Friday?  You're not alone, many people suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia, a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th.  Others are affected by Triskaidekaphobia, the fear of 13. Not to worry though, June the 13th is the only Friday that falls on the 13th this year!

Now, on to your question, "Why is Friday the 13th so unlucky?"  The belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day is derived from two long-standing superstitions, the fear of the number 13 and a negative association with Friday itself. The two superstitions are part of a long and fragmented history making it difficult to pinpoint their origin. 

The unlucky 13 seems to have ancient origins giving room for plenty of speculation as to why the number came to be considered unlucky.  Some theories argue that there are mathematical reasons for the fear of 13, others believe that 13 came to be associated with unlucky events.  Whatever the reasons, it is clear that 13 shows up time and time again as the object upon which people have historically projected fear and uncertainty.  One of the first texts to reflect this view is Work and Days written by in 700 B.C.E. in which the Greek poet Hesiod mentions the 13th day of the month as an unlucky day for sewing seeds.  Unlucky 13 is incorporated in the story of the Last Supper at which Judas was the 13th guest.¹

Negativity towards Fridays can be traced as far back as the 16th century in western literature.  The term "friday-faced," meaning sad-looking, and "friday-look," meaning a solemn look, surfaced as early as the the late 1500s.  In 1592, Greene wrote, "The Foxe made a Fridayface, counterfeiting sorrow."  The expression was used again in 1681 by Robertson who wrote, "What makes you look so sad, and moodily? with such a Friday face."  Early in the next century Rowley spoke of a "plague of Friday mornings!" in Match of Midnight.²  Why there's a negative association with Friday is subject to speculation.   

It's unclear when the bad luck of 13 and supertitions of Friday coincided.  One historic event is often cited.  On Friday 13, 1307, members of the Knights of Templar were arrested and their leader was killed.  It came to be recognized as an unlucky date in the calendar.  However, according to Lachenmeyer, Friday the 13th didn't show up in lists of unlucky days until the 20th century.³ 

I hope this cursory history gives you just a taste of the superstitions surrounding this auspicious date.  If you're interested in learning more about the theories of the origin of Friday the 13th, check out 13: The Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition by Lachenmeyer.  It's located in the Lincoln Park Stacks at 133.3359 L137t 2004.  You can find other books on superstitions located in our library catalog. 

1)  Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel. "The Origins of Unlucky 13." 13: the Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition. Thunder Mouth's Press: New York, 2004.

2) "Friday." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2008.

3) Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel. "The Rise of 13." 13: the Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition. Thunder Mouth's Press: New York, 2004.

*Hiironniemi, Mika. Stand. 2005. <http://www.flickr.com>.

Test your knowledge of Asian/Pacific word heritage and inventions with a crossword!!!!! 

 

crossword_Asianpacific.pdf (9.38 kb)

Don't peek yet, but here's the solution:

crossword_Asianpacific_solution.pdf (10.76 kb)

 

Burson, Alexis. Borobudur: Indonesian Buddhist Temple. 1994.

Check out 2 of the recent additions to the Oxford English Dictionary, a recognized authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium.

girlcott, v.

Of a woman or group of women: to boycott.

1884 Argus (New Philadelphia, Ohio) 3 Apr. 3/7 The young women..have resolved to girlcott any young man that smokes or goes out of the theatre between acts. 1943 Kingsport (Tennessee) News (Electronic text) 12 July, The Cabinet wives girlcotted Peggy and lobbied at Jackson until the Secretary was forced to resign. 1987 K. LETTE Girls' Night Out (1989) 215 Julia wears no make-up, always meets her journalistic deadlines, girl-cotts products from South Africa. 2001 F. POPCORN & A. HANFT Dict. Future 192 Female tennis players have considered, but have not yet girlcotted, Grand Slam events that award more prize money to men.

hellzapoppin, adj.

Hectic, chaotic; extremely eventful, action-packed, exciting; ostentatious, flashy.

1945 Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune 27 Dec. 5/8 The Detroits floundered hilariously into the world championship in seven hellzapoppin' games. 1982 K. A. MARLING Wall-to-wall Amer. ii. 120 Their fields fairly crackle with the hell's-a-poppin' energy of great machines that reap and grind. 1994 Sight & Sound Oct. 49/2 As dull-witted and straitjacketed by cliché as it is visually hellzapoppin, the film may be a watershed moment. 1998 Time 23 Feb. 94/1 Bratby, the Kitchen Sink school leader of the 1950s, had a hellzapoppin love affair with a much younger Diane Hills, to whom he wrote letters.

The Oxford English Dictionary can be located in the DePaul Libraries' A-Z database list.

I'd be happy to help! Once you've found articles in a database, you can determine if they are scholarly through a number of means. The first way is to take a look at the articles to determine if they are scholarly. They should meet the specific criteria of a scholarly article. For example, scholarly articles are written for an academic audience, not the general reader. They tend to be lengthier than magazine articles and list references. Scholarly sources often cite studies, statistics, or include other types of data. For a more thorough list of identifying features of scholarly publications visit:

http://library.duke.edu/services/instruction/libraryguide/scholarlyjournal.html

If you're still not sure if an article is from a scholarly journal, you can look it up in Ulrich's, a periodical directory available online in the library's A-Z database list.

I hope this helps and follow up if you have other questions.

 

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, a celebration of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States.  The broad designation "Asian/Pacific" encompasses the entire continent of Asia as well as the Pacific Islands.  The origin of the commemorative month began as a congressional bill.  In 1978 President Jimmy Carter declared the first ten days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week and in 1992, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension turning the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. 

This year's theme for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is "Leadership, Diversity and Harmony-Gateway to Success" in honor of the contributions to America from citizens with Asian or Pacific Island ancestry.¹  To learn more about the Asian-American experience, check out one these books or search our catalog to locate information on specific topics.

Happy Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month from the DePaul University Libraries!

1. "About Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month." Library of Congress. 25 April 2008. <http://www.loc.gov/topics/asianpacific/about/>.

* Warrior Riding a White Cow. Library of Congress, Asian Division, Washington, D.C.

 

In 1861, after Mexico declared a temporary moratorium on the payment of foreign debts, English, Spanish and French forces invaded the country.  By April 1862, English and Spanish forces withdrew and on May 5, 1862, a band of poorly equipped soldiers defeated French troops lead by Napolean III at the Battle of Puebla.  The victory over the French came to symbolize Mexican resistance of foreign domination and is now celebrated in Mexico and the United States as Cinco de Mayo.¹  The celebration has come to more broadly represent Mexican pride and heritage.

1. "Cinco de Mayo." Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 5 May 2008 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9389223>

Saturday May 3 is Free Comic Book Day!  Visit http://freecomicbookday.com for store locations and a sneak peek at some of the titles.

 

After you've grabbed your free comics, check out the Polish Constitution Day Parade.  Go to http://may3parade.org/ for more info.

To make your weekend complete, head out to Chicago's Cinco de Mayo weekend-long celebration. 

Cinco De Mayo Festival: An annual celebration of Hispanic culture featuring live music, food vendors, carnival rides and a parade (noon Sunday).

May 2: 3pm-10pm

May 3: 10am-10pm

May 4: 10am-10pm

The event is free!  

Event phone: 773-837-9738

Location: Douglas Park in the Lawndale Neighborhood

1401 S. Sacramento Drive  Chicago, IL 60623

 

Hope this gives you some ideas.  Enjoy the weekend!!!!

Celebrate the last day of National Poetry Month with a crossword! 

Printer-friendly puzzle: puzzlemaster_poetry.pdf (35.25 kb)

Don't peek yet but here's the solution!  crossword_poetry_sollutionfinal.jpg (13.41 kb)

Help is available!  The library offers research assistance free of charge. Whether you’re having trouble finding books, articles and statistics or need help navigating the library’s databases, we can guide you. Stop by the reference desk or contact us through our Ask-A-Librarian email and IM reference services.  We’re always happy to answer your questions.     

For lengthy or complex questions, schedule a research consultation to work one-on-one with a librarian.  We can provide individual help with your research when you need it and we’ll spend the time it takes to help you find what you need in a friendly and efficient manner. 
Here’s what some former students have said about our research consultation service.

"The great thing about the DePaul Library staff is that they really seem to take an active interest in the student's topic and are willing to pick up the instruction from where the student is and go forward."

"…I have the highest regard for the library staff. In my experience it is singularly the best service available to students. MY HONEST OPINION."

Don’t spend hours at home struggling!  Schedule a research consultation this quarter.