Contact Information: Contact: Stephanie Pettinati Zeno Group for History.com 415-369-81115
Halloween Facts and Fun With Interactive Site at History.com
History.com Brings Fully-Interactive, Haunting Holiday Web Site on the Origins of Halloween
| Source: History.com
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - October 8, 2007) - Each year, as the last night of October creeps
up, millions of children dress in costume and take to the streets for a
spooky dose of Trick-or-Treat fun. However, Halloween is not just about
ghosts, goblins and candy -- it has a rich and fascinating history that can
be discovered on History.com's fully-interactive Halloween resource.
History.com's Halloween feature, which includes the origins of Halloween,
spooky recipes, and creepy video clips, is available now at
http://www.history.com/halloween.
History.com's Halloween destination Web site is guaranteed to entertain
with themed history and trivia, including:
-- Halloween Symbols
The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most
prominent symbols. This is an Irish tradition of carving a lantern which
goes back centuries. These lanterns are usually carved from a turnip or
swede. The carving of pumpkins was first associated with Halloween in
North America, where the pumpkin was available, and much larger and easier
to carve.
-- Pumpkin Carving Patterns
Use spooky templates from History.com to carve your pumpkins. Simply select
the template you want to use, print it out and get carving!
-- Modern
Halloween Traditions
The American tradition of Trick-or-Treating dates back to the early All
Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would
beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in
return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.
--
Historic Haunts
The Rose Room is believed to be one of the most haunted spots in the White
House. It contains Andrew Jackson's bed, and if we are to believe
testimony of those who have felt his presence, "Old Hickory" himself still
dwells in his former bed chamber.
-- Ghost Stories
Get into the holiday spirit by watching haunted history video stories about
Lavender, the date to the prom who had died years before, or Tombstones
famous Woman in White. Video shorts of these spooky stories are guaranteed
to give watchers the chills.
-- Halloween Treats
To celebrate Halloween, History.com is putting the "eat" into Trick or
Treat, with bewitching recipes like Creepy Cupcakes, Spooky Sugar Cookies,
Eerie Icing and Frightening Frosting.
History.com's Halloween feature also includes a variety of other data and
historical accounts, including the history of the Jack-O'Lantern, Halloween
celebrations around the world and creepy video clips about this haunted
holiday.
"Halloween is not just about costumes and candy, but rather includes a deep
history dating back to an ancient Celtic festival. Our interactive feature
presents a comprehensive history of Halloween, and the evolution of this
holiday to its modern traditions," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, senior vice
president, corporate outreach and chief historian, AETN. "We are dedicated
to providing our viewers with content-rich resources to learn about the
holidays they love and the Halloween minisite demonstrates this
commitment."
In addition to being able to view a variety of informational resources,
visitors of History.com's Halloween feature will also have access to
holiday facts and trivia.
About History.com
History.com is the definitive historical online resource that delivers
entertaining and informative content through interactive timelines; video;
maps; games; podcasts and RSS feeds. History.com delivers thousands of
video streams, from presidential speeches, to UFO sightings, to D-Day, the
award-winning site will showcase newly created video clips daily. Web
exclusive broadband video content has been developed from popular series
and specials on The History Channel including "Modern Marvels,"
"Digging for
the Truth," and "Lost Worlds."
Search through History.com which provides access to an extraordinary amount
of historical information with unprecedented speed. In addition, an online
classroom will supply educational resources including study guides and
lesson plans for teachers. The website is located at http://www.History.com/.
About The History Channel®
The History Channel® is a leading cable television network featuring
compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to
life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The
network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new
and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great
lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The
History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy®
Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the
prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
for the network's Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic
preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than
95 million Nielsen subscribers.