USA: The Night Before Christmas

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The Night Before Christmas-Clement Clarke Moore
First published anonymously in 1822 in the Troy Sentinel Newspaper by reader Harriet Butler, Dr. Moore threatened to sue the paper if they revealed his name or continued to print it. As a professer of Biblical Learning, Hebrew, and Asian Languages at the General Theological Society of New York he feared it would ruin his reputation. The paper re-published the poem with an addition that it was created by a religious scholar. Its popularity increased. In 1837 it was featured in the New York Book of Poetry and Dr. Moore finally gave his name. A version with illustrations by Thomas Nast featured a portly, red-cheeked Saint Nicholas with eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, and Blitzen driving a gift-laden sleigh. Rudolph was invented later by Macy’s department store in 1945. (1,5)