The Gaelic League and Irish-American Club of Detroit turns 90 this year. Whether your roots stem from Eire or you just know you were Irish in another life, you'll want to check out its pictorial history, A Glimpse of Irish Detroit: through the eyes of the Gaelic League, now available just in time for St. Paddy's Day.

The Ghost Army is here! Sixty-five years after this top-secret group went into action, the University of Michigan’s Hatcher Library will unveil the first public exhibit of this captivating group of materials documenting The Ghost Army. This exhibit is available during library hours. Along with the exhibit, a screening of producer/director Rick Beyer's documentary The Ghost Army will be presented on March 17th at 7pm. To learn more about this extraordinary regiment read Jack Kneece's Ghost Army of World War II or Secret Soldiers by Philip Gerard.

Pioneering women who led and won struggles for equality and civil rights; created and advanced educational and professional opportunities; and made great contributions to the arts, sciences and humanistic causes are honored each year during the month of March - National Women's History Month. This special celebration evolved from National Women's History Week which began in 1981 as a result of a Joint Congressional Resolution. In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. The Canton Public Library offers year-round access to a wide variety of resources highlighting the accomplishments and achievements of women.

Join us as Judge Ron Lowe, 35th district court judge in Plymouth, shares his characterization of Abraham Lincoln as a courtroom lawyer.  We can compare Lincoln's courtroom to our modern day courtrooms as portrayed in Scott Turow's "Presumed Innocent", the Everyone's Reading selection and original courtroom thriller.
Monday, February 22nd at 7:00 pm in the library community room.  Join the community dialogue by joining in the community read of "Presumed Innocent."

Instead of going to the mall for the Presidents Day sale, you can really celebrate by brushing up on some presidential history. A great place to start is the Internet Public Library's POTUS which provides biographical information, historical documents, and audio and video files. If this doesn't satisfy your historical sweet tooth, check out Public Papers of the Presidents at the American Presidency Project which has digitized over 85,000 documents related to the Presidency, including audio and video. Still not enough? The Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections contains detailed national results of all U.S. presidential elections since 1789.

How'd They Do That? is another cool history series that just hit our shelves! It examines how people lived hundreds of years ago. If you've ever wondered what people used to do when they got sick or how they had fun, this is the series for you. It covers everywhere from Ancient Persia to Colonial America. Look for these books on the Children's New Bookshelf today!

If you’re a chocolate lover, February 9 is no ordinary day — it’s the day that Hershey’s Chocolate Company was founded in 1894. Hershey’s was started by Milton S. Hershey, the son of a Mennonite family who had little formal education but went on to become one of the richest men in America. By 1905, Hershey had built a state-of-the art factory to mass-produce chocolate bars, wafers and other delicious delectables. By 1907, his company had cracked the code and created what would become their best-selling product: the Hershey’s kiss. Coincidentally (or not!), Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so celebrate by getting your sweetie some Hershey’s kisses and checking out a book about this American original.
(© 2010 BookLetters LLC)

If you've ever been interested in the history of famous Wonders of the World, check out Elizabeth Mann's series. Covering structures from the Taj Mahal to the Brooklyn Bridge, there's all sorts of cool information and beautiful photos/artwork in these books. Look for them today on the Children's Department New Bookshelf!

The Great Michigan Read program selection is Stealing Buddha’s Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen and this month the University of Michigan Library is hosting the Michigan Humanities Council’s traveling exhibit, Their Journey: Vietnamese in Michigan, which is on display February 1-24, 2010 (University of Michigan Hatcher Graduate Library, Ann Arbor) as well as a live webcast conversation on February 10 with Professor Peter Ho Davies and

On Sunday, February 21 at 2:00PM in the University of Michigan's Hatcher Graduate Library (Room 100/Gallery) Curator Kathryn Beam will share her personal memories of how the exhibit History of the Bible from Ancient Papyri to King James came to be and what the process has meant to her in Sharing a Personal View of the Bible Exhibit.

Sponsored by the University of Michigan Special Collections Library.

The month of February has been set aside to celebrate the contributions of the country's African Americans. It was in 1926 that  Negro History Week was first organized by historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) and others. During America's Bicentennial celebration in 1976, the one-week span was lengthened to four and February was established as Black History Month.  The Canton Public Library has a vast amount of resources for and about African Americans.

Books: Reference

If you've ever been interested in the meaning behind a particular country or state's flag, the World Book Encyclopedia of Flags is for you. Covering everywhere from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, this series provides brief country and state histories, along with detailed information about flags. It's pretty cool to figure out that a colorful stripe or star on a country's flag represents more than just a nifty decoration! Happy Reading!

Howard Zinn (1922 – 2010) an American historian and Professor of Political Science at Boston University from 1964 to 1988, died on Wednesday, January 27, 2010. He was the author of more than 20 books. Zinn was active in and wrote extensively about the African-American Civil Rights Movement 1955-1968, civil rights and civil liberties and peace movements. In his best-selling A People's History of the United States, "he concentrated on what he saw as the genocidal depredations of Christopher Columbus, the blood lust of Theodore Roosevelt and the racial failings of Abraham Lincoln.

Opening in the Detroit area tomorrow, the film Invictus tells the inspiring true story of how newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, to help unite their country. Knowing that his nation remained racially divided - as well as economically - in the wake of apartheid, Mandela and team captain Francois Pienaar used the universal language of sport to rally South Africa’s underdog rugby team to an unlikely run to the World Cup Championship

Because I Love Her: 34 Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond edited by Andrea N. Richesin

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Tim Egan

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, Or How Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper

Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free by Charles P. Fierce

Mark Twain, one of America's best-known and well-loved authors, was born on November 30, 1835. His works have been translated into hundreds of languages, and Hollywood continues to produce film adaptations of his books. The following Special Collection focuses on his life and work.

...or maybe a little bit longer than that. On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. In this short, but powerful speech that is still known almost one hundred and fifty years later, Lincoln spoke about ideas of both war and freedom. Find out more about our sixteenth president on this historic day.

Two days have been set aside to honor the memory of those who have served America in the armed forces:

Veterans Day

Originally known as Armistice Day, this day of remembrance was conceived to celebrate the end of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918. (The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.) It became a national holiday in 1926, when World War I was still known as "the War to end all wars." Unfortunately, this was not to be. At the conclusion of World War II and the Korean War, Congress was requested to change the nature of this day to honor those who have served America in all wars.

Thousands of visitors, including dignitaries and world leaders, are in Berlin today to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Wall divided the city and Germany into East and West for three decades until it was brought down on November 9, 1989. Today's celebration will include concerts, fireworks and the symbolic collapse of a wall of oversize dominoes that has been set up in the area where the Wall once stood. It will be toppled later today - just like the Wall was 20 years ago.

Amelia, starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere opened in theaters on October 23rd.  Check out our collection of Amelia Earhart books and movies  to learn more about this adventurous woman pilot.