The History of Santa Claus

Have you ever wondered how and why Christmas came to be associated with jolly old Santa Claus? In keeping with my holiday goal to raise my laziness to sloth-like proportions, I will allow the following video to explain how Sinterklaas, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Kris Kringle figure into the history of that portly, good-natured fellow who satisfies our materialistic appetites each December. Happy Holidays, everyone!

The Photographic Past, Part IV

After an extremely unfortunate, finals-induced hiatus, "The Hopeless History Major" is finally back. To make amends for my prolonged absence from the blogosphere, Part IV of The Photographic Past will be a "Supersized Edition." With a few extra photographs in tow, this post pairs well with freedom...err..french fries & a soda (or a milkshake, for the bolder individuals in the audience). As always, please enjoy the scenery of history.

Armed neutrality aside, these Swiss soldiers look seriously formidable. As far as military training goes, wrestling in the Alps seem to be a viable route. The impeccable form on that pile driver alone would be enough to drive "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to sobriety. (ca. 1919)

Though she was not the first woman in space (that title belongs to Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union), Anna Lee Fisher became "the First Mother in Space.". As part of mission STS-51A, the 2nd flight of Space Shuttle Discovery and the 14th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle Program, Fisher spent just under eight days in outer space. (ca. 1984)

The first-ever broadcast of ESPN's flagship program, SportsCenter, which opened with the line, "Yea, verily, a sampler of wonders." SportsCenter certainly hasn't become any less strange over the years, nor has the set become any less ugly. (ca. 1979)  

"Four small stepladders for men; one giant leap for mankind." -Neil Armstrong (not really).
Even though these NASA scientists appear to be conducting a glorified high school physics review session in this photo-op, they were part of an agency that would produce one of the human race's greatest accomplishments by the end of the decade: the moon landing. (ca. 1960's.)

A real-life Rosie the Riveter, though "Wendy the Welder" may be a more appropriate title for her line of work.  When the United States entered the Second World War there were 12 million women in the workforce. By the end of the war, that number had risen to over 18 million- more than one-third of the country's total workforce. (ca. 1943)

Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is returned to the Louvre after the conclusion of World War II in Europe. Prompted by the organized "Nazi Plunder" of priceless works of art all across Europe, the world-famous portrait was transferred first to Château d'Amboise, then to Loc-Dieu Abbey, Château de Chambord, and- finally- the Ingres Museum in southern France. (note: In the linked picture, Generals Eisenhower & Patton can be seen inspecting art that had stolen by German officials.) (ca. 1945)

A tale of two presidents. President John F. Kennedy visits former president Dwight D. Eisenhower at his home in Palm Springs, FL. Apparently, neither of them understood what a "swim suit" was. (ca. 1962)

Adolf Hitler shakes hands and bows deferentially to President Paul von Hindenburg on the day he was named Chancellor of Germany. Hindenburg was known to be privately skeptical of the young Austrian-born Hitler, who would come to control nearly 2.5 million square miles of European territory- a landmass nearly two-thirds the size of the continental United States. (ca. 1933)

Steve Cathey, one of the first professional skateboarders, photographed while riding through a housing development in La Costa, California. Though skateboarding was invented during the late 1940's and experienced brief periods of popularity throughout the '50's and '60's, the 1970's are now viewed as the truly formative period for the sport. (ca. 1975)

The unbroken seal of King Tutankhamun's tomb. The entrance to the nineteen-year old Pharaoh's tomb went untouched in the Valley of Kings for 3,245 years until Howard Carter's discovery in 1922. The result was one of the most extraordinary photographs of all time, in my opinion. Forgotten to the ages, the tomb remained hidden from discovery for thousands of years- allowing Harry Burton, a member of Carter's expedition, to photograph it essentially as it was when it was sealed more than three millennia before. (ca. 1922)