Francis Pharcellus Church, writer of the famous editorial.

"Is There A Santa Claus?" was the headline that appeared over an editorial in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. The editorial, which included the response of "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus," has become an indelible part of popular Christmas lore in the United States. Image File history File links FrancisPharcellusChurch. ... Image File history File links FrancisPharcellusChurch. ... Francis Pharcellus Church. ... A headline is text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it. ... An editorial is a statement or article by a news organization (generally a newspaper) that expresses an opinion rather than attempting to simply report news, as the latter should ideally be done without bias. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The original New York Sun began publication September 3, 1833, as a morning newspaper, and an evening edition began in 1887. ... Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. ...

History

In 1897, Dr. Philip O'Hanlon, a coroner's assistant on Manhattan's Upper West Side, was asked by his eight-year-old daughter, Virginia, whether Santa Claus really existed. Virginia had begun to doubt whether there was a Santa Claus, because her friends had told her that he did not exist. 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River above West 59th Street. ... A Santa Claus doll. ...

Dr. O'Hanlon told her to write to the Sun, a prominent New York newspaper at the time, assuring her the paper would tell her the truth. While he was possibly passing the buck because he could not bear to tell his daughter that Santa Claus was a myth, he unwittingly gave one of the paper's editors, Francis Pharcellus Church, an opportunity to rise above the simple question, and address the philosophical issues behind it. Nickname: Big Apple; City that never Sleeps; Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Francis Pharcellus Church. ... The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David (1787) depicts the philosopher Socrates carrying out his own execution. ...

Church was a war correspondent during the American Civil War, a time which saw great suffering and a corresponding lack of hope and faith in much of society. Although the paper ran the editorial in the seventh place on the editorial page, below even an editorial on the newly invented "chainless bicycle", its message was very moving to many sentimental people who read it. More than a century later it remains the most reprinted editorial ever to run in any newspaper in the English language^[1]; the Sun itself reprinted it annually for years after its initial publication. A few have questioned the veracity of the letter's authorship, noting that a young girl such as Virginia would not refer to children her own age as "my little friends;" however, the original copy of the letter appeared and was authenticated by an appraiser on Antiques Road Show in 1997.[1] The message contained in the response is considered as pertinent today as in 1897. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Lincoln, President Ulysses S. Grant, General Jefferson Davis, President Robert E. Lee, General Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Two Tamil girls in Tiruvannamalai. ... Antiques Roadshow is a human interest television show in which antique appraisers travel across the country. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Interestingly enough, when the editorial is reproduced today, it often omits more than half of Church's original response. One paragraph that is not often repeated begins, "Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies."

Every year, Virginia's letter and Church's response are read at the Yule Log ceremony at Church's alma mater, Columbia College of Columbia University. A chocolate yule log A Yule log is a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in some cultures. ... Columbia College is the main undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the universitys main campus of Morningside Heights in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York. ...

The story of Virginia's inquiry and the Sun's response was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning animated television special in 1974, animated by Bill Melendez (best known for his work on the various Peanuts specials) and featuring the voices of Jim Backus and Jimmy Osmond. An Emmy Award. ... Animation is the filming a sequence of drawings or positions of models to create an illusion of movement. ... A television special is a television program, typically a short film or television movie intended to debut in prime time, the term used to define any television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Bill Melendez (born José Cuauhtemoc Melendez on November 15, 1916 in Hermosillo, Mexico) is a Mexican-born American character animator, film director, and film producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers and the Charlie Brown series. ... Peanuts was a syndicated daily comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000 — the day after Schulzs death. ... James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 in Cleveland Ohio - July 3, 1989 In Los Angeles, California). ... James Jimmy Arthur Osmond is a singer, actor, and businessman, born on April 16, 1963 in Canoga Park, California. ...

"Yes, Virginia..." in popular culture

• The story was also adapted to a TV movie in 1991.
• "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1996 song The Night Santa Went Crazy has a line referencing the editorial: "Yes, Virginia, now Santa's doin' time" or, in the Extra Gory version, "Yes, Virginia, now Santa Claus is dead".
• In 2006, the band Dresden Dolls released an album titled Yes, Virginia.

A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alfred Matthew Weird Al Yankovic (IPA pronunciation: ) (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, satirist, parodist, accordionist, and television producer. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Night Santa Went Crazy is an original song by Weird Al Yankovic. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dresden Dolls are a two-piece band from Boston that formed mid-2000, made up of singer/pianist Amanda Palmer and drummer (and occasional guitarist) Brian Viglione. ... Yes, Virginia is the third album from Boston-based band The Dresden Dolls, released on April 18, 2006. ...

See also

• Christmas stories
• Yes, Virginia (Dresden Dolls' 2006 music album)

Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus, at the first Christmas Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Yes, Virginia is the third album from Boston-based band The Dresden Dolls, released on April 18, 2006. ...

References

The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

• Full text of the editorial with digital image from the original newspaper. From the Newseum, Arlington, VA
• Yes, Virginia, There Is Still a Santa Claus
• Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (1974 animated) at the Internet Movie Database
• Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1991) at the Internet Movie Database

CBC radio interview of Virginia O'Hanlon Douglas in 1963 http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-69-412-2344/life_society/christmas_fun/clip4 Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ...