On December 23, 1823, “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” perhaps
the most famous and influential Christmas poem ever was
published in the Troy Sentinel newspaper in New York by
an anonymous author.

It wasn’t until nearly 20 years later, in 1844, that American
writer Clement Clarke Moore claimed authorship after
seeing the poem misattributed in the Washington
National Intelligencer.

Moore took credit for the poem, claiming to have authored 
“some lines, describing a visit from St. Nicholas, which I
wrote many years ago, not for publication, but to amuse
my children.”

On December 17, 1892, Arthur Baldwin Turnure first publishes
a new magazine, dedicated to “the ceremonial side of life”
and targeted at “the sage as well as the debutante, men of
affairs as well as the belle.”

A product of the Gilded Age, Vogue has chronicled and
influenced high society, fashion and culture ever since.

The magazine has remained popular and relevant ever since,
regularly featuring the work of world-famous models,
photographers and writers.

   
Arthur Baldwin Turnure (1856–1906)

December 2025

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891)

On November 14, 1851, Moby-Dick was published. Now
considered a great classic of American literature—with
one of the most famous opening lines in fiction: “Call
me Ishmael”—the book about Captain Ahab and his
quest to catch a giant white whale was originally a big
flop.

Its author, Herman Melville was born in New York City
in 1819. As a young man, he spent time in the merchant
marines, the U.S. Navy and on a whaling ship in the South
Seas.

First U.S. edition.

   
CAMILLE BOHANNON

On August 9, 1945, a second atomic bomb is dropped on
Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally
in Japan’s unconditional surrender.

On July 14th, 1946, at the dawn of the post-World War II baby
boom, Dr. Benjamin Spock published The Common Sense
Book of Baby and Child Care. It would become a foundational
work on the topic of parenting, transforming how generations
of children were raised.

The book, which has sold more than 50 million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages, stands as one of the
best-selling nonfiction works of the 20th century.

Dr. Benjamin McLane Spock
(May 2, 1903–March 15, 1998)

In the decades after publishing what would become
a worldwide childcare bible, Benjamin Spock gained
renown for his political activism.

He became a prominent opponent of the Vietnam War,
the military draft and nuclear weapons; in 1968, he was
convicted for aiding draft resisters. In 1972, he ran—
and lost—as the People’s Party’s presidential candidate.