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Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
When, what is Juneteenth? What to know about the origins, history of the federal holiday
The Fourth of July is just under a month away. Although Independence Day is, for many Americans, synonymous with freedom, July 4, 1776 was not a day of independence for enslaved Americans. Enslaved Black Americans had to wait almost 100 more years for independence, a day that's observed on June 19 every year, called 'Juneteenth.' Often referred to as 'Black Independence Day' or 'Second Independence Day,' Juneteenth commemorates the day that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation made it to enslaved people in the south – years after it was actually signed. Here's when Juneteenth 2025 is, what it is and why it's celebrated. What is Juneteenth? A quick explainer before the important holiday Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 every year, commemorates the day the news of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation reached the south – almost three years after Lincoln signed the proclamation that started the end of slavery in the U.S. Short for 'June Nineteenth,' the holiday marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed, on June 19, 1865, says. The troops arrived with the news a full two-and-a-half years after the signing of the proclamation. And although the day is extremely significant and the longest-running Black holiday in the U.S., the emancipation proclamation was only the beginning of Black Americans' fight for freedom. 'June 19th freed enslaved people in the rebelling states, it did not free enslaved people throughout the nation. Keep in mind, there were still border states which were still part of the Union,' Mary Elliott, Curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), said on the museum's website. 'They had not seceded from the Union, and they still maintained slavery. Maryland, for example, was one of them. It took the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment to finally end slavery throughout the nation.' Other reconstruction amendments also helped solidify freedom for formerly enslaved Black Americans, Elliott said. The 14th and 15th Amendments granted citizenship, due process and equal protection to freed slaves and provided them the opportunity to vote and hold office. Juneteenth 2025 will fall on Thursday, June 19. There isn't one overarching theme for all Juneteenth celebrations nationwide, but the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's 2025 Juneteenth event is titled 'Power in the past, strength in the future!' Yes. This year will be the fourth year that Juneteenth is observed as a federal holiday. It was established as a federal holiday under former President Joe Biden in 2021. 'In 2021, Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday, opening it to symbolic and global interpretation and providing a better understanding of the evolution of our nation and its people,' The NMAAHC website says. 'Juneteenth celebrations then, like now, recognize the ongoing fight for human rights and equality and are commemorated through family cookouts, faith services, musical performances and storytelling.' There are two main flags that people wave on Juneteenth. One is a blue and red flag with a white, five-pointed bursting white star in the center. The other is the African Liberation Flag, which was created in 1920 and is broken into three horizontal color blocks: red, black and green. Here are the meanings behind each flag, according to the NMAAHC: Juneteenth flag: The colors are the same as the American flag – red white and blue. This represents that the people freed in Texas were American citizens. The five-point star is a symbol for Texas (the Lone Star State), where the Juneteenth holiday started. The big starburst around the five-point star represents the spread of freedom. The African Liberation Flag (created in 1920): This flag was designed to represent the story of the unity among people from Africa. The red stripe represents struggle and sacrifice. The black stripe represents Black people. The green stripe represents the natural wealth of the land of Africa. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Juneteenth 2025: Here's when, what the holiday is, represents
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
When is Father's Day 2025? Here's the date and origin story for the June holiday for dads
It's officially June! Which means people with dads and beloved father figures will likely start shopping for golf-themed cards, outdoor gear, whiskey glasses and whatever else the dads in their lives love in the coming days. That's right, Father's Day in the U.S. is just a few weeks away. Like Mother's Day, Father's Day always falls on a particular Sunday in June and isn't tied to a calendar date. Here's when Father's Day 2025 falls on the calendar and how the holiday began in the U.S. This year, Father's Day falls on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Father's Day always falls on the third Sunday of June, which means the calendar date changes every year. Mother's Day came first, and actually inspired Father's Day. According to the commercialized Mother's Day we know and celebrate in the U.S. today began in 1908, but its origins can be traced all the way back to the mid-1800s. 'The 'Mother's Day' we celebrate today has its origins in the peace-and-reconciliation campaigns of the post-Civil War era. During the 1860s, at the urging of activist Ann Reeves Jarvis, one divided West Virginia town celebrated 'Mother's Work Days' that brought together the mothers of Confederate and Union soldiers …' says. 'In 1909, 45 states observed the day, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson approved a resolution that made the second Sunday in May a holiday in honor of 'that tender, gentle army, the mothers of America.'' But Father's Day took a little while longer to get off the ground, due to gender norms of the time. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac and Lawrence R. Samuel, author of 'American Fatherhood: A Cultural History," 'Men had a different role in the family during the first half of that century. It was patriarchal, so they felt that a special day to exalt fatherhood was a rather silly idea, when it was mothers who were underappreciated.' It wasn't until 1972, under President Richard Nixon, that Congress passed an act officially making Father's Day a national holiday. But the first Father's Day celebration can be traced all the way back to 1908, around the same time Mother's Day kicked off in the U.S. 'The first known Father's Day service occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908, after hundreds of men died in the worst mining accident in U.S. history,' the Old Farmer's Almanac says. But the observance didn't become an annual or nationally observed event. A year later, Sonora Smart Dodd, a 27-year-old in Spokane, Washington, was inspired by Mother's Day and came up with the idea to set aside a day in June to celebrate dads. 'She proposed June 5, her father's birthday, but the ministers chose the third Sunday in June so that they would have more time after Mother's Day (the second Sunday in May) to prepare their sermons,' the almanac says. 'On June 19, 1910, the first Father's Day events commenced: Sonora delivered presents to handicapped fathers, boys from the YMCA decorated their lapels with fresh-cut roses (red for living fathers, white for the deceased), and the city's ministers devoted their homilies to fatherhood.' The first bill to make Father's Day a holiday was presented to Congress just a few years later in 1913, but didn't pass. Eight years later, President Calvin Coolidge signed a resolution in favor of establishing a Father's Day and in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order dictating that the holiday would be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. In 1972, Congress approved an act to make it a national holiday, under Nixon. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Father's Day 2025: Here's when, why we celebrate dads every June
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial Day is unique for where your flag should fly and when. Here's what to know
Today is Memorial Day. While the federal holiday has unofficially become the day many think of as the beginning of summer, the day was established to honor members of the U.S. military who have died in service to their country. Flags will fly at half-staff during the day but only until noon, making Memorial Day unique when it comes to flying your flag. Here's what you should know. Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May, so the date moves around each each. In 2025, Memorial Day will be on Monday, May 26. Yes, Memorial Day is one of 11 federal holidays. Here are 2025 federal holidays: Jan. 1: New Year's Day Jan. 20: Inauguration Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 17: Washington's Birthday. Many state and local governments designation it as Presidents Day. May 26: Memorial Day June 19: Juneteenth July 4: Independence Day Sept. 1: Labor Day Oct. 13: Columbus Day Nov. 11: Veterans Day Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day Dec. 25: Christmas Day Yes. Memorial Day also is a paid holiday in Florida. The Florida Department of Management Services lists the following days observed as paid holidays by state agencies: Jan. 1, Wednesday: New Year's Day Jan. 20, Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day May 26, Monday: Memorial Day July 4, Friday: Independence Day Sept. 1, Monday: Labor Day Nov. 11, Tuesday: Veterans Day Nov. 27, Thursday: Thanksgiving Nov. 28: Friday after Thanksgiving Dec. 25, Thursday: Christmas Day ➤ See list of 2025 Florida, federal holidays, including new one for Sunshine State "On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation's battle heroes," according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The flag should first be raised briskly to the top of the staff before being slowly lowered to half-staff. Lowering the flag to half-staff is a sign of mourning and respect for those who have died, particularly in the service of their country. The American flag stays a half-staff on Memorial Day before being raised to the top of the staff at noon, where it stays until it's lowered at sunset. Congress codified the tradition of raising the flag at noon in 1924, saying: 'For the nation lives, and the flag is a symbol of illumination,' adding the noon flag-raising symbolizes the persistence of the nation in the face of loss, according to It's half-mast on ships and half-staff on shore. Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day can trace its origins back to the years after the Civil War when people began to decorate the graves and say prayers to those killed during the war. In 1868, Gen. John Logan called for a nationwide day of remembrance, according to The observance was called Decoration Day, and it was observed on May 30, 1868, as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. The date was chosen because it wasn't the anniversary of any Civil War battle, said. Originally honoring only those who died during the Civil War, Decoration Day expanded to recognize the sacrifices of others after World War I. "The holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars, including World War II, The Vietnam War, The Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum. Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971 and changed from May 30 to the last Monday in May under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. ➤ Fast facts: 10 historical facts about Memorial Day On ships and at naval stations ashore, flags are flown at half-mast. On shore, flags are flown at half-staff. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Why is flag at half-staff today? Memorial Day half-staff until noon
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Is Pennsylvania home to an eternal flame?
(WHTM)– Eternal flames are flames that continuously burn for an extended period of time, often indefinitely. This natural phenomenon doesn't occur often, but there happens to be one right here in Pennsylvania. According to National Geographic, eternal flames can occur when underground natural flammable gas travels to the surface through fractures in holes and rocks. The constant fueling of gas can often cause these flames to burn forever. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now National Geographic says this rare phenomenon can be found worldwide, with one of the most notable locations being the 'Gate to Hell' in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. The United States is home to multiple infamous eternal flames, including Eternal Flame Falls in New York. Pennsylvania's eternal flame is bigger than a flickering fire under a waterfall. It actually caused the majority of an entire town to evacuate more than 40 years ago. Most Pennsylvanians are familiar with the now ghost town of Centralia, which was once home to more than 1,000 people. According to Britannica, Pennsylvania is home to some of the largest coal deposits in the world, which led miners to tunnel beneath the earth and harvest coal. Many of these mines were abandoned by the mid-1900s, one of which was under the town of Centralia. While Pennsylvania has multiple active mining fires, Centralia stands out among the rest due to its longevity and historical relevance. It is unclear how the Centralia fire started in 1962, but 53 years later, it's still burning. Britannica says coal burns when the carbon inside it combines with oxygen, and the tunnels below Centralia provided perfect conditions for a lasting fire. The fire in Centralia didn't seem like a problem at first, but toxic fumes emanating from the ground soon began to push residents from their homes. Additionally, the fire weakened the ground, leaving the area prone to sinkholes, Britannica said. According to Pennsylvania condemned Centrailia in 1992, forcing the town's remaining residents out. Thrill seekers and urban explorers still explore the town today, but it remains a dangerous area. Individuals interested in some of the world's 'eternal flames' can learn more here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Indy 500 2025: Why is Indianapolis Motor Speedway called the Brickyard?
Indy 500 2025: Why is Indianapolis Motor Speedway called the Brickyard? This story was originally published in 2019. It has been updated for the 2025 Indy 500. There are more than 100 years of racing history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the iconic 2.5-mile track that will host the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday (pre-race coverage begins on Fox at 10 a.m. ET but the green flag is set for 12:45 p.m. ET). So obviously, there's a lot to learn about the track, the race and the drivers. The historic track is commonly referred to as the Brickyard — a term that even made its way into the name of the NASCAR Cup Series' previous race there each season. But why? Let us break it down... Why is Indianapolis Motor Speedway called the Brickyard? The simple answer is because it is literally a yard of bricks. At one time, more than a century ago, the whole track was paved with bricks, but to know how that happened, we actually have to go farther back in IMS track history. The original surface of the track when the speedway first opened in August of 1909 was created from "a sticky amalgam of gravel, limestone, tar, and 220,000 gallons of asphaltum oil", according to But this actually turned out to be a dangerously fatal disaster at the very first car race. Five people died as a result of the chaos produced from the rough yet slippery surface, and "flying gravel shattered goggles and bloodied cheeks". So the track owner, Carl Fisher, repaved it with bricks. More from the track's website: In a span of 63 days in fall 1909, 3.2 million paving bricks, each weighing 9.5 pounds, were laid on top of the original surface of crushed rock and tar to upgrade the Speedway. When were the Indianapolis Motor Speedway bricks repaved? Gradually, in the first few decades of the track's existence, asphalt was added to different pieces of the surface, and rougher sections of the turns were covered in 1936. Eventually, all four turns were fully paved with asphalt in 1937. More from Indianapolis Motor Speedway: In 1938, the entire track was paved with asphalt except for the middle portion of the front straightaway. In October 1961, the remaining bricks on the front straightaway were covered with asphalt. A 36-inch strip of the original bricks was kept intact at the start/finish line, where it remains today as the fabled Yard of Bricks. The bricks are still there today and actually continue past the literal track and into the infield. They're part of every celebratory moment. Why do drivers kiss the Yard of Bricks when they win the Indy 500? There are so many elements of the track's and Indy 500 history that come down to tradition. And you won't see an Indy 500 winner (or NASCAR race winner) walk away without kissing the bricks. Drivers and their teams will line up along the Yard of Bricks to take their own always spectacular photos. But it wasn't always that way, and this is a newer tradition compared with the whole history of the track. From IMS' website: The tradition of "kissing the bricks" was started by NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett. After his Brickyard 400 victory in 1996, Jarrett and crew chief Todd Parrott decided to walk out to the start-finish line, kneel and kiss the Yard of Bricks to pay tribute to the fabled history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team joined them for a group kiss on the bricks, and an Indianapolis tradition was born that Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 winners have followed since. And one of 33 drivers will continue the tradition of kissing the bricks this Sunday.
