• The tradition of predicting weather on February 2, dates back to the Dark Ages. Peasants and farmers first noticed a strong connection between a bright, sunny, medieval Candlemas Day and long, dreary winter weather extending into the next 6 weeks.
• Punxsutawney PA held the first Groundhog Day in the 1800’s.
• Punxsutawney Phil has been at Gobbler’s Knob, predicting whether spring is near, since February 2, 1887.
• Phil sees his shadow about 9 out of 10 times.
• Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. There are others……. All others are imposters.
• When he’s not at Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney Phil and 3 other groundhogs, including his wife, Phyllis, live in the children’s portion of the Punxsutawney Memorial Library.
• A groundhog can whistle when it is alarmed. Groundhogs also whistle in the spring when they begin courting.
• The celebration of Groundhog Day began with German immigrants, Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states “For as the sun shines on Candlemas day, so far will the snow swirl in May…”.  In Germany, they used Hedgehogs to predict weather. The settlers found that groundhogs were plentiful and were the most intelligent and sensible animal to carry on the legend of Candlemas Day.
• Groundhog Day the movie, premiered in 1993.
• During the filming of Groundhog Day, Bill Murray was bitten by the groundhog twice during shooting. He had to have rabies shots.
• Punxsutawney Phil is not the only one to come out on February 2 to make a prediction on when winter will be over. He is by far the best known. Others include Buckeye Chuck in Ohio and General Beauregard Lee in Georgia.

Also see; All about Groundhog’s Day

1. Everyone gets to find out whether or not they are truly essential.
2. We all learn to enjoy exciting, action-filled hobbies like gardening and bird watching. Wow, watch that pumpkin grow!
3. Everyone gets to learn how to measure and judge distances. You no longer need a yardstick to measure six feet.
4. There’s no thirty-minute wait to get a table at your favorite restaurant.
5. You have a valid excuse not to go to church.
6. With nothing to sell, there are far fewer robocalls.
7. There’s much more time to lose weight, so you will fit into your spring wardrobe.
8. Everyone has time to get more sleep. Aren’t two-hour naps a wonderful thing!?
9. You didn’t want to see your mother-in-law for Easter anyways.

And the top silver lining of COVID-19 – – People in polluted cities all over the world no longer have to wear masks to breathe fresh air. Pretty ironic, isn’t it!?

• The first American flag, sometimes called the “Continental Colors”, was first used by the Continental Army in 1777.
• On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white,” and that “the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field.
• Betsy Ross, a seamstress, made the first flag.
• The red, white, and blue colors represent valor (red), liberty and purity (white), and justice and loyalty (blue).
• Our flag is also referred to as “Old Glory”, “Stars & Stripes”, and “Red, White & Blue”.
• Francis Scott Key wrote the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the back of an envelope.
• The 50th star was added in 1960 after Hawaii became the 50th state.
• After Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states in the union, Bob Heft, a 17-year-old student in Lancaster, Ohio, created the 50-star flag design. President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the design in 1960.
• Flag Code states that the Stars and Stripes should not appear on apparel, bedding, or decorative items. Obviously, no one enforces this code.
• Flying Old Glory upside down is usually a sign of protest. But, it is also displayed in this manner as a sign of distress.
• A Vexillologist is an expert on flags and their history.