Verso

Sun-drenched Southern California is hardly the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of Ireland and its history. And yet, The Huntington is one of the largest repositories in the world for Irish-related manuscripts and almost certainly the largest single archive for Irish history in North America.

At this time of year, flowering fruit trees are in the spotlight for their showy displays of pink blossoms, but there is a lot of competition throughout The Huntington’s gardens. Although many trees share the pink color palette, if you look closely, you’ll see that each one is distinctive. 

On April 13, 1982, Lily Lee Chen was elected to the city council of Monterey Park, a city in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County that had become one of the first “suburban Chinatowns” in the United States. In 1984, Chen made history by becoming the first female Chinese American mayor in the nation. 

For The Huntington’s 2022 Founders’ Day celebration, a conversation was held on March 2 between acclaimed writer Charles Yu and Huntington Trustee Simon K.C. Li. They discussed Yu’s experiences writing in multiple genres, the role of fiction in constructing identity, and current U.S. dialogues about identity and race.

The life of Sonya Levien (1888–1960) reads like a rags-to-riches fairy tale. But it is also a story of fortitude, feminism, and the ability to balance personal, family, and financial ambitions.

In 1968, the third Monday of February was designated Presidents Day—a U.S. national holiday celebrating all presidents, past and present. The choice of the date was tied to Feb. 22, George Washington’s birthday, which had already been set as a holiday for federal workers in 1885.

The story of pollination seems pretty basic: Plants provide incentives—most often sustenance in the form of nectar and pollen—to entice various animals to transport pollen from flower to flower.

Alyssa Collins, assistant professor of English language and literature and African American studies at the University of South Carolina, is The Huntington's first Octavia E. Butler Fellow for the study of the renowned science fiction writer.