Guest blog post by D. Lawrence Tarazano, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office This originally appeared on Smithsonian.com on March 14, 2017. When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, people think of many different things: Irish folk music, green beer, corned beef and cabbage. But I have something else in mind. Championed by a leprechaun, they’re magically delicious!™ If you guessed Lucky Charms™ breakfast...

Ed. note: This post is part of the Spotlight on Commerce series highlighting the contributions of current and past members of the Department of Commerce during Women's History Month. The U.S. Census Bureau has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to employing women. Ever since 1880, when it started using professional enumerators rather than U.S. marshals, the Census Office had employed...

Ed. note: This post is part of the Spotlight on Commerce series highlighting the contributions of current and past members of the Department of Commerce during Women's History Month. It's a dark cold night in the early 1830s in Nantucket, Massachusetts. On one house's widow's walk, a father and daughter, bundled against the cold, are studying the night sky, stars, and seas, armed with telescope...

The roots of National Women’s History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it was not until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month...

Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991, and the President issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year. Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish. The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762...

Whales are beautiful and magnificent creatures and are the largest and oldest mammals on Earth. This week, NOAA Fisheries and partners are celebrating Whale Week 2017. Whales are found in every ocean of the world. Twenty-nine species of whales live in U.S. waters. All of these species are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Endangered and threatened marine mammals are also...

Expressing one’s affection to another is a celebrated custom on Valentine’s Day. Sweethearts and family members present gifts to one another, such as cards, candy, flowers and other symbols of affection. Opinions differ as to who was the original Valentine, but the most popular theory is that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. In A.D. 496, Pope...

Just in time for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, the U.S. Census Bureau compiled various statistics covering sound recording studios, artists, writers and more. The 59th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 12, 2017, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will recognize the best recordings, compositions, and artists for 2016. A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The...