St. Patrick's Day: Did you know...?

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th every year by Catholics and non-Catholic, Irish and non-Irish, but did you know...?

1. St. Patrick's given name was Maewyn Succat.

2. Patrick was not Irish. He was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave.

3. Patrick died in 461 CE

4. Boston held the first St. Patrick's Day celebration in 1737.

5. The first St. Patrick's Day parade anywhere was held in New York City in 1762.

6. Blue was originally the color associated with St. Patrick.

(sculpture by Frank Brito in the Smithsonian's American Art Museum)





7. McDonald's Shamrock shake and a little girl with leukemia led to the first Ronald McDonald House.

8.
The Plumbers Union, Local 130, dyes the Chicago River green every year. (Click for video)

9. The third largest market for Guinness is Nigeria.

10. The ratio of 4-leaf clovers to 3-leaf is 1:10,000.

Written by Susan Brandt