Which Christmas carol has the distinction of being written in its entirety on Christmas Eve? That would be Silent Night, which sprang from a musical 911 call at St. Nicholas’ Church in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1818. On December 22 assistant priest Josef Mohr learned that the organ made no noise at all. It was indeed going to be a silent night. … Read more »
As 2020 draws to a close, people everywhere are hungry for good news. Here are some happy news stories that have managed to stay under the radar this year: Giant pandas and manatees were taken off the endangered species list in 2020, and tigers are rebounding in the wild for the first time in more than a century.Some 800,000 volunteers in India… Read more »
Which traditional Christmas carol is not really a carol at all? That would be Joy to the World. This 1719 song, which is based on Psalm 98, makes no reference to the standard images of Christmas and was originally intended to be sung year-round. But that dramatic phrase in the first verse – “The Lord is come!” – quickly made it a… Read more »