With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

A 200th birthday bash for Lincoln

Happy 200th birthday, Honest Abe! The nation is preparing to throw you a party.

The celebration will be focused in the nation's capital, where museums, theaters and other attractions announced plans yesterday for more than 80 exhibits and programs in the coming months to celebrate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The events will run from January through the end of April.

"I haven't heard anything about a birthday cake," a Lincoln look-alike said, interrupting the announcement yesterday.

Organizers assured the bearded impersonator he would get a slice of his favorite vanilla-almond cake - and a giant birthday card signed by thousands around the nation. Other programs are planned in all 50 states.

The D.C. festival's highlights include a reenactment of Lincoln's second inaugural ball Jan. 31 in the building that now houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. Ford's Theatre - where Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 - will also reopen after extensive renovation.
Read entire article at Boston Globe