26 November-Ireland’s Own

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Ireland’s Own is the longest running and bestselling family magazine in Ireland. Published weekly by People Newspapers in Wexford town it has a circulation of over 50,000 in Ireland and abroad. It is one of hundreds of weekly and monthly, national and regional magazines published in Ireland. Ireland’s Own continues to be as popular as ever, over one hundred years after it was first published.

Ireland’s Own grew out of a tradition of Irish magazines which began to be published in the middle of the 19th century. These magazines were aimed at an Irish readership and they prioritised the work of Irish authors. They were designed to meet the increasing demand for Irish related material from a growing literate population.

The first editor of Ireland’s Own was John Mellifont Walsh. The front page of the new magazine, which cost one penny, carried an ‘Address to the First Number’. There were also six other articles including ‘Ballooning in a Thunderstorm’, ‘Silkworms in New York’ and ‘Some Irish Bon Mots’. The magazine was described as having something for all the family. It was, and still remains non-political and non-sectarian.

Today Ireland’s Own continues as a non-glossy, old-fashioned publication which has remained true to its traditions while managing to adapt to the modern era. Every week it has regular features, short stories, articles on history and a section for children. Using the publicity slogan ‘The Week Wouldn’t Be the Same Without It’ the publishers say that ‘many people have rightly observed that it is amazing the diversity of interesting material that can be packed into one magazine every week’

The first edition of Ireland’s Own was published in Wexford town in the year 1902 On This Day.

Samples of Ireland’s Own magazine

Courtesy Ireland’s Own

Wexford photo

Main Street, Wexford by Poole Studios by National Library of Ireland on The Commons on 1895-01-01 00:00:00

Photo by National Library of Ireland on The Commons

28 January-Carnegie Institution of Washington

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Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist and philanthropist who was born in Scotland in 1835. He grew up in the United States where by 1889 he was the owner of the Carnegie Steel Corporation. His corporation became the largest of its kind in the world.

In 1901 Carnegie sold his business and devoted his time to philanthropic activities. One of those activities was supporting the establishment of libraries. Over 2,500 ‘Carnegie’ libraries established with the aid of Carnegie grants in the United States, Britain, Canada, Ireland and other English-speaking countries.

Together with his support for libraries Carnegie established six other large charitable foundations. The foundations provided support for various areas including, universities, theatres, child welfare centres and scientific research including the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The Institution was established to ‘encourage investigation, research, and discovery [and] show the application of knowledge to the improvement of mankind’

The Carnegie Institution of Washington (Carnegie Institution for Science) was founded in Washington, D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie in the year 1902 On This Day.

Photo by NCinDC

Carnegie Institution of Washington

04 December-The Dow

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Charles Dow created the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is usually referred to as the Dow. He was a journalist and economist who was a native of the USA. He was a co-founder of Dow Jones & Company in 1882. He also founded the Wall Street Journal.

Charles Henry Dow was born in Sterling, Connecticut on November 6^th 1851. He worked as a journalist before moving to New York in 1880. He worked for a financial news service and in 1882 he founded the Dow Jones & Company with Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Based on research he carried out into market movements he invented the Dow (Dow Jones Industrial Average) in 1896.

Charles Dow, creator of the Dow and founder of the Wall Street Journal, died aged 51 in the year 1902 On This Day.

Photo by YoTuT

Dow Falls in High-Speed Drop by YoTuT on 2010-05-06 12:07:02

16 January-Chariots of Fire

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Chariots of Fire is a film which tells the story of two athletes, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. They competed in the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924. They both won Gold Medals at the games. Chariots of Fire was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1982 and won four.

Eric Liddell was born in Tientsin, China in 1902. His parents were Scottish who were working as missionaries in China. Liddell was an outstanding athlete who was educated at the University of Edinburgh. He competed successfully in sprint races and played on the wing for the Scotland national rugby union team in the 1922 and 1923 Five Nations Championships.

Harold Abrahams was born in Bedford England in 1899. He was educated at Cambridge where he was a member of Cambridge University Athletics Club. He was chosen to represent Great Britain in the Olympic Games in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. He competed in the 100m and 200m events and was a member of British relay team.

In the 1924 Olympic Games Liddell was listed to compete in the 100m. A heat for the race was to be held on Sunday. Because of his Christian convictions Liddell would not compete on the Sabbath. Abrahams, who had previously been beaten in the 100m by Liddell, competed and won gold. Liddell later competed in the 400m race and won gold. In 1925 Liddell returned to China to work as a missionary. He died there in 1945.

Eric Liddell, Olympic Gold Medal winner, rugby player, and missionary whose story was told in the film Chariots of Fire was born in the year 1902 On This Day.

Photo by AndyRobertsPhotos

Chariots of Fire

Photo by gnomonic

Eric H Liddell

27 February-John Steinbeck

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John Steinbeck was an award winning author who was a native of the United States of America. His novels, which are described as social novels are generally set in the state of California. Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962.

John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in February 1902. He was of German, English, and Irish descent. He enrolled in Stanford University in 1919 but dropped out to write. While writing he also worked as a manual labourer.

Steinbeck’s most notable works include Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. In 1940 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath. It is the story of a dispossessed family’s migration from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression. Steinbeck died in New York City on December 20^th 1968.

John Steinbeck was born in the year 1902 On This Day.

Photo by Satyricon86

John Steinbeck