Every year, millions of Americans send their loved ones a card on their birthday. Whether it’s the traditional paper Hallmark card or the eco-friendly e-cards (check out our e-cards at morebirthdays.com!), greeting cards are a big business.
But why do we send greeting cards on birthdays and holidays? When did this tradition begin? I went to Tokenz.com to learn more!
History of Greeting Cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese who are said to have started the tradition of sending goodwill messages on a New Year. Early Egyptians too are believed to have made used papyrus scrolls to convey greetings to dear ones. During early 1400 the tradition of exchanging handmade paper greeting cards developed in Europe while Germans at that time are known to have printed New Year’s greetings from woodcuts
The advancement in printing technology and mechanization besides introduction of postage stamps in 1850s helped to make greeting cards more affordable. No wonder, they soon became popular means of personal communication.
However, credit for the start of Greeting Card industry in US is given to Louis Prang, a German immigrant who started a small lithographic business near Boston in 1856. Prang perfected printing over a decade and in early 1870s, he published deluxe editions of Christmas cards that became an instant hit in England. US Card Industry saw a slump in 1890 and 1906 but soon after 1906, the situation improved and a number of leading card producers of today were founded. Now the cards played on sentimentality and were quite unlike Prang’s elaborate creations.
Increased competition during World War I improved printing process. Early 1930s saw the use of color lithography. The move lead to an unprecedented growth in US Card industry. 1950s saw the entry of humor in cards with the creation of studio cards that were long cards with a short punch line. During 1980s non-event cards or the cards not made for any particular occasion began popular and helped card industry reach a new high.
The Queen of Rap herself, is celebrating a birthday today — happy birthday Queen Latifah!
While she may have earned her fame from her rap skills, Queen Latifah is far more than just a rapper! The popular actress and singer has already earned a Golden Globe award, 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards, 2 Image Awards, a Grammy (and 6 Grammy nominations), an Emmy nomination and an Academy Award nomination!
And when she’s not acting or singing, she’s also a spokeswoman for CoverGirl cosmetics! Talk about a busy schedule!
Want to learn more about Queen Latifah? Check out the video below where she answers her fans top 10 questions!
All my basketball fans out there know that today is a big day — it’s the first day of March Madness!
For sports fans, March Madness is one of the best months of the year as we root for our favorite teams and watch some of the nation’s finest athletes and coaches battle it out on the hardwood.
But did you know that many of the coaches we’ll watch this month are also some of the American Cancer Society’s most passionate cancer fighters? That’s right! Through ACS’s Coaches vs. Cancer program, these men empower their teams and communities to take an active role in the fight against cancer — and you can too! For information on this amazing program, click here!
And if your birthday is in March, join in on all the excitement and throw a March Madness-themed party! I went to purpletrail.com to find these amazing tips!
March Madness Party Invitations:Invite your college friends, or mix it up with family and friends of the rival team to create a lively rooting section. And don’t forget to tell everyone to wear their team colors. Since it’s a casual party you could invite people with just a phone call.
There are few athletes that have quite as many accolades as today’s birthday girl!
Although now retired from professional soccer, Mia is an inspiration to female athletes everywhere! The soccer great has scored more international goals (158) in her career than any other player — male or female! She has also been named the women’s FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and is listed as one of FIFA’s top 125 best living players.
She is also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and is an accomplished author having penned the book “Go For the Goal: A Champion’s Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life.”
But Mia isn’t just a soccer stud, she’s also the wife of baseball superstar Nomar Garciaparra and the proud mother of twin girls!
The ever so handsome Rob Lowe is celebrating a birthday today — happy birthday Rob!
Rob is an actor who first made heads turn in the 1980s when he appeared in movies such as The Outsiders and St. Elmo’s Fire. But Rob is still a hot commodity. His more recent work includes a stint on NBC’s The West Wing and currently, he plays the role of Senator Robert McCallister on ABC’s hit Brothers & Sisters.
Can’t get enough of today’s birthday boy? Check him out on Ellen!
Standing at over 7’1, Shaq is one of the biggest players to ever play professional basketball — not to mention one of the most talented.
An overall 1st draft pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, he quickly became one of the most dominant post players in the league. Some of his accolades include: 1992-1993 Rookie of the Year, 1999-2000 MVP, 3 All-Star Game MVPs, 2 scoring titles and 4 NBA Championships. Not bad!
The NBA’s big man has been playing professional basketball for 17 years, but he shows no signs of slowing down! He is now a Cleveland Cavalier, playing alongside NBA superstar LeBron James. With those 2 on the same court — who knows — there could be a 5th NBA Championship on the way!
You never forget birthdays that are special to you… for me it was my 7th birthday and my mom orchestrated a surprise party in our garage. She did it with such secrecy and pizazz and that I will never forget… It was a typical Saturday at our house. I had a soccer game in the morning and my mom had made cupcakes for the team instead of the usual orange slices. I had told my mom I wanted a party but it was a week or so away so I wasn’t really thinking about anything happening until then… After the game was over, we headed home and as my mom opened the garage door, there were my friends and family waiting to say, “SURPRISE!” Indeed I was suprised. My mom had pulled off an unbelievable birthday celebration for me and managed to keep both of my older brothers from spilling the beans!
The reason this story is so memorable is because this was the last time I remember my mother healthy… shortly after this, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and although she was a fighter, she gave up her battle on June 14, just 2 1/2 years after her diagnosis. She was 41. She died 1 week before her 42nd birthday…
So you see, birthdays are not just special, they create lasting memories when there are no more birthdays to celebrate with loved ones gone before us…
Treasure each birthday and treasure each day… remember someone, somewhere is making a memorable birthday today.
This weekend, my 12-year old daughter and her friends are hosting a surprise birthday sleepover for one of their friends whose mother lost her very short battle with lung cancer this past July. Each year, her Mom would have a huge sleepover birthday party for her which all the girls looked forward to. This will be the first birthday she will have without her Mom and it will probably be difficult for her and her Dad and brothers.
I am so touched by the extraordinary compassion and sensitivity displayed by my daughter and her friends. While they are just 12 years old, they instinctively knew what to do for their friend. So, Saturday evening, think about the 10 twelve year olds who understand the meaning of more birthdays!
Birthdays…for some it’s a special day to acknowledge another year of life and for others it’s just another day. For me, something always comes up on a birthday whether it be my own or that of someone I know…
In the summer of 2002 birthdays took on a whole new meaning. For 7 months I was sick on and off. I had suffered from fevers of 102, 103, and sometimes 104 degrees. I had drenching night sweats to the point that I would wet my clothes and the sheets of my bed. My lymph nodes were enlarged and in less than a couple of months I had shed a little over 20 pounds. These symptoms would come and go during the 7 months and when summer came I knew this all couldn’t be, “just another cold.”
In July, my mom who is a nurse had me stop by her clinic to see the doctor that she had worked for. There I told him my symptoms and he had examined me. When he was done he told me that I had Lymphoma. At 23 years old I had no clue what that meant. He had left the room to tell my mom the news. When she returned to the room it was clear she had been crying. I thought to myself, “Oh God, I am dying…” I asked my mom, “What is Lymphoma?”
On July 24, 2002 which is my dad’s birthday I was officially diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Stage 3. From there I underwent chemotherapy for 6 months and my cancer went into remission. Four short months later while randomly scratching my neck I found a lump. The cancer had returned. For my 2nd battle with cancer my oncologist suggested that we do an Autologus Stem Cell Transplant. It’s a transplant procedure where they harvest your own stem cells and re-infuse them back into your body. It’s like taking apart an old car, getting rid of the bad parts and rebuilding it with new parts. So, since the cancer didn’t hit my bone marrow, I was able to be the donor and recipient of my own stem cells.
On June 21, 2003, my 23rd birthday I sat in a chair for several hours with an IV drip of various chemo drugs instead of behind a table with a birthday cake. For several weeks after that there was more preparation for the transplant. In August I was admitted to the hospital for more chemo and to complete the transplant process. I was scheduled to be there for 30 days straight.
On August 18th, my oncologist’s birthday; he re-infused me with my stem cells and I also had 5 blood transfusions that week. Weeks later, I was released from the hospital on August 31st, the day before my son’s 3rd birthday. Jacob was born on September 1st which was also my OBGYN’s birthday. I made her miss dinner with her family that day due to Jacob’s arrival which was actually 3 days late. I have been in remission since October of 2003!
As you can see birthdays are not just another day for me…even if it’s not my own. Prior to my transplant my friends and co-workers celebrated my several times in the month of June to make up for having chemo on my special day. Every day of life is precious! Celebrate the birthdays in your life because you never know what someone else is going through that day. This year is my 30th birthday and 6 year cancer free anniversary. It’s also the 25th anniversary of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. So, how am I celebrating all these special events? I am attending 25+ Relay For Life events this summer from March through August. I’m a 2 time cancer survivor so what better way to live out the rest of my life than to… CELEBRATE, REMEMBER, FIGHT BACK!
For my 18th birthday, I was a senior in high school. I was at school for 15 hours that day because on top of school, it was Tech Week for our Winter Play. When school let out for the day, my friend and I hung out with our friends down in the Robotics Lab before grabbing a bite to eat for dinner and heading for rehearsal. Rehearsal went very well, and when it was over, the Stage Manager told my friend and I to organize the prop closet. Later, she came back and told us to sweep the stage. When I came onto the stage, the entire cast and crew was standing there, and started to sing Happy Birthday to me, and my other friend brought out the cake he made for me. I was completely surprised, and that made me so happy!