Holidays

Did you know that President Taft was the first president to toss the ceremonial first pitch before a Major League Baseball game? He did in in 1910 on Opening Day at Griffith Stadium before a Washington Senators game. Since Taft, every president has followed suit taking the mound at some point during his presidency.

Franklin Roosevelt holds the record for the most times a president got the honor, hurling nine different times (eight opening days and an All-Star Game). Here’s a look back at some of the more memorable performances of presidents over the past century:

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The king cake is a traditional Mardi Gras food. It is usually a ring-shaped pastry, sometimes filled with cheese or jelly and sprinkled with the colors of Mardi Gras. It began as an Epiphany treat, celebrating the arrival of the Three Wise Men to the stable where Jesus was born. Oh, and it’s delicious.

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For a guy, finding the right Valentine’s Day gift for his beloved can be a challenge. And if a new online survey is to be believed, it just got a little harder — women say the stand-by chocolates and flowers simply won’t do.

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Americans shelled out more for holiday presents last year, and it looks like that trend will carry over to Valentine’s Day — analysts expect spending on gifts like flowers, candy, cards and jewelry to rise eight percent compared to numbers seen in 2011.

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Groundhog Day was first celebrated on February 2, 1886 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but the legend of the groundhog’s prognosticating prowess was first established a year later. A group of devoted followers went to Gobbler’s Knob to spread word that the little rodent had special powers to determine the length of the winter.

If the furry mascot emerges from its cave only to scamper back in without spotting its shadow, we should rejoice: Winter would be ending soon. However, if the sun that morning allows the groundhog to see its shadow the winter weather will go on for an additional six weeks.

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It’s February, so that means you’re on the Valentine’s Day clock, fellas.

While knowledge of your special lady should be what dictates what you get her, come the 14, perhaps this survey from Sears of more than 1,000 adults on their V-Day gift preferences can also help you out.

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On the Sunday before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett visited Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to give a political speech, in support of her boss (Barack Obama) and congressional Democrats.

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Giving a day of commemoration to one of the world's most instrumental civil rights leaders whose peaceful words and deeds contributed to a whole new understanding of equality and brotherhood seems like a no-brainer. Martin Luther King Day's history, however, was fraught with controversy and took years just to get on the federal government's official calendars.

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