The Ten Year War - Michigan vs. Ohio State

Hundreds of thousands of college football fans will be donning their maize and blue or scarlet and gray this weekend for the big rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State on November 29th. This year Ohio State will be hosting the game at Ohio Stadium, lovingly referred to as The Horseshoe or The Shoe. But before the kick-off both campuses have a week-long tradition of events that include the annual "blood battle", which benefits the Red Cross, food drives for local food banks, and spirit events such as banner contests. And in keeping with tradition on the OSU campus, the Mirror Lake jump took place on Tuesday night this week. Read that story in The Columbus Dispatch.

The Ohio State Unviversity vs. University of Michigan football rivalry really heated up during the reign of coaches Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. For ten years, aka "The Ten Year War", OSU and UM dominated the "Big 2 and Little 8," splitting ten conference titles between them and finishing second eight times. Hayes supposedly could not bring himself to speak the name of "that school up north" and Schembechler, who had played for Hayes as a student at Miami of Ohio and was an Ohio State assistant coach under Woody, savored nothing more than putting it to his old mentor. After a decade of memorable on-field stratagems, sideline antics, and locker room psychological ploys, the two coaches came out almost dead-even, Schembechler holding a slim 5-4-1 advantage. Read all that stats of Woody vs Bo, 1969-1978 here.

Today that rivalry continues strong, not only in football but in academics and other athletic rivalries. Both schools pride themselves on excellence in all things collegiate. And for all things football - the libraries and archives of the two institutions jointly sponsor a website on Ohio State vs. Michigan. Let the game begin!

History of the American Christmas Card

Every year, many check their Christmas Card list to make sure that every family member, friend or special someone gets just the right card. Have you ever thought about how this Christmas card exchanging tradition came to be? It was Boston-based printer Louis Prang who, in 1875, introduced the Christmas card to America.

As a teenage boy in Prussia (todays Poland), Prang began a textile apprenticeship with his father, Jonas Louis Prang.  He studied wood and metal engraving, and learned to dye and print calico. As an adult Prang emigrated to the United States, settling in Boston in 1850.

In 1864, Prang returned to Europe to study the latest techniques in German lithography.  He came home to Boston to introduce a new process he called “chromolithography.”  Chromolithography involved creating a litho stone plate for each of the colors to be printed. Some prints required up to twenty plates to create the intense color and gradation Prang envisioned.  It was a costly and labor intensive process, but the quality was unmatched, and for Prang, who considered his “chromos” works of art, nothing less would do.

Prang published his first Christmas cards for the American market in 1875.   Their popularity was  immediate.  By 1881, he was reportedly printing five million Christmas cards a year.  Prang’s earliest cards were simple flower designs with the words “Merry Christmas.” Later cards often featured more traditional holiday motifs, some of which were adorned silk fringe, cords and tassels.

Prang retains the title “father of the American Christmas card.”

Christmas card, L. Prang and Co., 1876. PR 31, Bella C. Landauer Collection

Reference: Marybeth Kavanagh, New-York Hisorical Society Musuem & Library,Print Room Reference Librarian.

Holiday Decorating Simply

Tis the time of year when we get out the lights, ornaments, stockings, wreaths, candles, garland and so much more and turn our homes into wonders of the holiday season. Many have had their halls decked out for weeks now, some will wait until after Thanksgiving festivities, and yet others will do no decorating at all, claiming no desire to do so because it takes too much time and money.

Well, there are ways to decorate for the holidays simply with little time and money involved while still appealing to your own unique style. Below are three resources for lots of simple holiday decorating ideas.

     Easy Holiday Decorating                    Simple Citrus Wreath & more          DIY Christmas Decorations
           by Coastal Living                                        by Real Simple                    by Good Housekeeping

Tripp's Laugh Lines

It's nice being born with opposable thumbs ...

I live with a golden retriever named Stewart. We share a nice house that I pay for, clean up, maintain, insure and lose equity in every year. He's a great dog, true companion, fun-loving, athletic and has no clue about pulling his own weight around here. When I ask him about maybe getting a job to help offset the cost of a bag of his designer dog food ($42), he gives me the same answer every time... continued here!