The New York City Origins of Santa Claus

Anyone who knows about Jolly Old St. Nick will tell you that he and Mrs. Claus's lifelong home is at the North Pole...and we're here to tell you otherwise! Sorry, friends. The Santa you know and love today is actually from New York City! Or at least the image of Santa that has become commonplace today was invented by a few prominent 19th-century New Yorkers: Clement Clarke Moore, Washington Irving, and Thomas Nast.

Of course, some notion of Santa existed before the 19th century. Our Christmas elf is based on the real historical figure of St. Nicholas of Myra (or Bari), a man who died on December 6, 343 CE, in modern day Turkey. He was said to have performed many good deeds and miracles in his life. One good deed was secretly giving bags of gold to a family whose three daughters needed dowries to be saved from a life of poverty, and one miracle was a ghastly tale of Nicholas resurrecting three murdered children. Therein lie the origins of associating St. Nick with gift giving and kindness to kids.

Today, Nicholas is revered in the Catholic faith as the patron saint-kind of like a protector-of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, and students. St. Nick is particularly celebrated in the Netherlands, where a holiday called Sinterklaas happens annually on December 5 or 6. Worldwide, many Catholics celebrate St. Nick's Feast Day on December 6-the day he died.

The Dutch brought their devotion to St. Nicholas with them to the places they colonized, including New Amsterdam. New Yorkers of Dutch and other heritages grew up in the late 17th and early 18th centuries celebrating some form of Sinterklaas, or seeing others do so. Many revolutionary-minded New Yorkers developed an interest in Dutch culture because of a distaste for the British after the U.S. gained its independence.

To read the complete article, see:
The New York City Origins of Santa Claus(https://historydetectives.nyhistory.org/2018/12/the-new-york-city-origins-of-santa-claus/)

Gaylen Rust Pleads Guilty

The Utah man who prosecutors and investors have accused of running a $200 million silver trading scheme to fund charitable causes and lure more victims, pleaded guilty in federal court Monday.

Gaylen D. Rust, 62, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The plea agreement calls for prosecutors to recommend 19 years in prison.

Rust and his family operated Rust Rare Coin. According to civil and criminal court documents, beginning in at least 2008, Rust induced investors to put money toward silver trading.

"Their money was going to be used to buy physical silver that was going to be stored at the warehouse, explained Alan Rosca, an attorney representing some of Rust's investors.

"And it turned out that none of that was true, Rosca said. "He was a fraud. It was all smoke and mirrors.

To read the complete article, see:
Gaylen Rust, Utahn accused of $200 million Ponzi scheme, pleads guilty(https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/gaylen-rust-utahn-accused-of-200-million-ponzi-scheme-pleads-guilty)

Chinese Banknote Printing Mischief?
Kavan Ratnatunga writes:

To watch the complete video, see:
How the duplicate banknotes would impact the Chinese financial system/The new level of corruption?(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmgBpRAB8B4&t=10s)

For more information, see:
China Denies Detained Mint Banker Forged $314 Billion of ...(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-22/china-denies-detained-mint-banker-forged-314-billion-of-notes)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
ALVES REIS: THE MAN WHO STOLE PORTUGAL(https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n29a32.html)
1922 BANK OF PORTUGAL 500 ESCUDOS NOTE(https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n18a33.html)