Day: July 16, 2025

A birthday is the yearly anniversary of the day a person was born. It is a time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the future. People often celebrate their birthday with friends and family by hosting a party or having dinner at a restaurant. Some people give gifts to others on their birthday, such as money or a gift card. Birthdays can be celebrated by individuals, families, groups of people, or even whole countries.

A common practice is to sing happy birthday on the person’s special day. It is a great way to make them feel loved and appreciated. Many people also like to receive cards with thoughtful messages and words of love.

For a birthday that is extra special, you can plan to travel somewhere new. This is a fun way to treat yourself and get to know the local culture in a different setting. You can go to a popular attraction in the city, or opt for a place that is less well known but has plenty of things to offer.

If the celebrant loves music, a live performance is a wonderful option for them to enjoy on their special day. There are many great NYC venues that host a variety of musical acts, from major artists to emerging talents.

Another idea is to plan a movie night. You can choose a classic film they love, or pick something that is new and exciting. It is a great way to relax with friends and family while celebrating the person’s big day.

A themed costume party is a fun way to add some creativity to your birthday celebration. You can choose a theme that is personal to the person, or one that reflects their favourite decade or age group. You can create unique decorations and food that all tie into the theme, and it is a fun way to add some creative flair to your birthday.

Birthdays are a great time to set some goals and accomplishments for yourself. You can plan to work on a skill, take on a challenge, or even try something completely new and out of your comfort zone. You can then mark the occasion by achieving your goal.

For example, you might set a goal to learn how to play a musical instrument or take up photography. You can also celebrate a big accomplishment, such as graduating from college or law school, getting a promotion at work, or buying a new home.

The best birthday present is a day filled with friends and family. You can make this day memorable by adding some special touches, such as an extravagant cake or a personalized gift basket. You can also plan a surprise party for the celebrant to ensure that they have a great day. You can even hire a professional photographer to capture their big day, so they can look back on it with fond memories in the years to come.

Every year, hundreds of history exhibitions are mounted in museums nationwide. These exhibitions, shaped and crafted by the best of current scholarship, contribute mightily to expanding our knowledge and understanding of the past. Yet exhibitions are a temporary medium and, unlike a monograph or book, they live only for the duration of the show’s life. This is why the publication of exhibition reviews—in scholarly journals such as Perspectives—is so valuable to the field. It creates a literature of historical presentations, establishes a common vocabulary for discussing them, and assures that the critical assessments that go into an exhibit’s design will survive its run.

Museum exhibitions reach diverse audiences of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. They celebrate common events, memorialize tragedies or injustices, and present a range of viewpoints about their significance. Regardless of their content, however, all exhibitions contain an interpretive element—a judgment about cause and effect, perspective, or significance that is communicated through the selection of themes, photographs, documents, and artifacts included in the exhibition.

The ability of museum staff to interpret a broad range of historical sources and engage with visitors is the cornerstone of a museum’s mission. Whether through exhibitions, programs, or publications, museums must show that they perform a useful service for the communities in which they serve.

Throughout the country, many museums are taking this challenge seriously by focusing on new and more inclusive histories in their exhibits. These “histolircal” exhibits—which seek to connect history to the lives and experiences of people in their community and beyond—have gained popularity among both large and small institutions.

These exhibitions have a wide appeal for the public because they speak to the issues of our day. They encourage us to question the old narratives of our town’s and our nation’s past in order to form a more just, inclusive, and representative public memory.

To accomplish this, the historical museum needs to embrace new research, reach out to local communities, and work with community historians and organizations to explore a broader range of subjects. But it is equally important to maintain the traditional core of the museum, which is to be a repository of collections and provide access to them for research and education.

The Vermont Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) collaborates with local libraries, cultural centers, and community organizations to bring historic exhibits to their communities. These traveling exhibits are a part of the VMHC’s Partner Exhibit Program. Learn more about this free, collaborative program and how to apply to host an exhibit.