Hey there, History Buffs!

Happy Columbus Day, Everybody! If you’re reading this Blog post you must be pretty smart, so I’ll just go ahead and assume that you already know all the basic stuff about Christopher Columbus—you know, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492” with the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria–not to mention, he most-likely took a footlocker or two with him on his travels.

But here are three things that I bet you didn’t know about Chris…

If That is his Real Name…

First of all, Christopher Columbus’ name is not actually Christopher Columbus. Actually no one knows what his real name really was. We call him Christopher Columbus after what we believe his original, Genoan name to be: Cristoforo Colombo. In Spain, his name is Cristóbal Colón. But the fact is, no one really knows what it was; one thing is for sure, though: his name was not Christopher Columbus.

Not Checking for Roundness

Contrary to popular belief, Christopher Columbus was not trying to prove that the earth was round. In fact, by 1492, most educated people knew that the world was a round spinning ball and not a flat disc, so there was no misnomer to correct. What Columbus was doing was looking for a shortcut to India. He thought that heading West might get you there quicker which is why he dubbed the Natives of the New World “Indians” when he first saw them.

And lastly,

Columbus Crashed

Well, he didn’t do it himself exactly, but he put the cabin boy in charge of the flagship who crashed it. It was Christmas Eve of 1492 when the Santa Maria was beached on a coral reef around the northern coast of present-day Haiti. The wreck cost Columbus the ship itself along with 40 crewmembers who Columbus was forced to leave behind.

So, History Buffs, you can wish people a Happy Cristoforo Colombo Day today and spread these little known facts about the “discoverer of the Americas.”

- John

Hey, Faithful Customers!

Today begins the celebratory event that gets recognized the world over—welcome to Customer Service Week. Since we have the utmost respect and appreciation for our customers, everyone here at Everything Summer Camp is happy to acknowledge the importance behind customer service and to salute everyone who consistently displays diligent service and effective support for their customers.

So how did such an event come to be? Customer Service Week is a rather new event to be celebrated. It started in the early 90’s. Since 1991, an organization called the Customer Service Group has continued to sponsor an official program dubbed the Customer Service Week.

From providing instructional information on customer service to getting materials ready for celebration, the Customer Service Group has done so much to inspire the hundreds of professionals who help create the Customer Service Week celebration with their celebration ideas and plans.

One year later, the United States Congress declared the first full week in October to be Customer Service Week, making it a nationally recognized, annual event. This year’s Customer Service Week starts today and ends on Friday the 11th.

So what’s the point in celebrating Customer Service Week? Well, because we’re people—because our hard work continues when we see that people appreciate it. We want to know that we’re making a difference.

Without customers who appreciated the way they were served and taken care of, Everything Summer Camp couldn’t exist (nor could any other organization that relies on its customers). It’s a pretty important thing.

Customer Service Week is based off five essential goals:

1.) Motivate, encourage teamwork and boost morale in general

2.) Reward representatives for the important work they do all throughout the year

3.) Raise company-wide understanding of the importance behind customer service

4.) Thank other departments for their support

5.) Remind customers of your commitment to customer satisfaction

 

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

You know your education doesn’t always have to happen within the walls of a school building, right? In fact, throughout you entire life, you’ll probably do most of your learning outside of school. Just think of how much you learn every year at summer camp!

Today I’m talking about the history of the Mexican Independence Day. Contrary to common belief, Mexican Independence Day is celebrated today and not on the fifth of May as so many people think it to be. Cinco de Mayo is actually Mexico’s regaining of their freedom in 1862 from the short-lived French invasion. Their freedom from Spain is much more important to the people of Mexico.

September 16, 1810 is the day that one Father Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, literally rounded people up from the markets and streets of Mexico to declare their independence from Spain. Hidalgo’s rallying is known as the Cry of Delores. Hidalgo gathered more than 600 men in a matter of minutes and by the end of his leadership had amassed an army of 80,000.

Spain had ruled Mexico for hundreds of years and, despite the revolt in 1810, the war for freedom lasted 11 years. In those eleven years guerilla warfare ensued in Mexico wherever Father Hidalgo led his growing, angry mob of rebels to take Mexico back from every Spaniard they could find.

Regarded as one of their most important holidays, September 16 is celebrated in Mexico with dances, parades, and festivals. And on the night of the 15th, there’s an annual reenactment put on by mayors and other local politicians of Father Hidalgo’s Cry of Delores speech in which they ring the very bell Father Hidalgo did over 200 years ago and give the same speech that rallied hundreds.

The crowd cheers and fireworks explode in the sky!

So the next time someone tries to tell you that Cinco De Mayo is the Mexican Independence Day, you’ll know better. Till next time, Readers.

 

- John

Hey, Sports Fans!

For today’s blog post I’m talking about football. Not about tips for throwing a great football party or going to your kid’s high school game. No, today I’m talking about the history of a league that we’re all pretty familiar with: the National Football League, or NFL.

The birth of this now super-famous organization has quite a long history to it; after all it got started nearly a hundred years ago! Back in 1920, representatives of four existing football teams got together to hold a meeting that resulted in forming the NFL, though it wouldn’t be called the NFL until two years later.

In 1933 things started looking a little more like the NFL we know so well today.  
It wasn’t until 1960 when the American Football League, or AFL, started to steal some popularity from the NFL. Six years later the two leagues began a merger that finally went into effect in 1970. In the four years it took to complete the merger, the leagues still held four “Super Bowls” as they came to be known after the first two.

As the Super Bowl continues to break viewing records for the last three years, over 111 million people watched the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots last year in Super Bowl XLVI (46). Just to give you a little context of that viewing audience, 20.6 million viewers watched President Obama’s Second Inauguration.

So, enjoy America’s most popular sport, and join in the fandom that seems to grow a little more every year. Thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

 

- John

Hey, Summer Lovers!

Happy Labor Day from all of us at Everything Summer Camp, your one stop shop for all your camping gear and camping supplies.

Back in May, I told you about the history of Memorial Day, how (though it’s actually meant to remember and honor not just the soldiers who died in the Civil War, but all soldiers who have fallen during their time in the service of the United States Military) nowadays, it’s usually thought of as a marker for beginning of the summer season—as opposed to Labor Day which marks its end.

Now that you know about the history of Memorial Day, today I’ll fill you in on the history of Labor Day and tell you why it’s so much more to celebrate than just the end of summer.

See, life in America was pretty different back in the 1800’s when the holiday first came to be. Going to work wasn’t the same, typical nine to five with the weekends off that it is today. Instead, people worked twelve hour shifts, seven days a week without any real rest except to eat and sleep.

Why did they work so hard? This much work was necessary just to keep America running in the 1800’s. First celebrated on a Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York, it wasn’t until three years after the first celebration that it became a nationally celebrated holiday.

We still don’t know who should get credit for Labor Day. Some say it was a general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters named Peter J McGuire while others think it was a different man named Matthew Maguire, a machinist of the International Association of Machinists.

In either case, Labor Day is now celebrated on the first Monday of September to remember and appreciate the contributions of the American workforce from more than 100 years ago that have led to our country’s power, prosperity, and well-being that we still see today.

Happy Labor Day, Folks!

- John