Category Archives: History

Remembering September 15, 1963

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson At 10:22 on the morning of Sunday, September 15, 1963, a bomb ripped through the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. It was Youth Day in the historic brick church, and five young girls … Continue reading

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Pharmaceutical ads in the U.S.: Top questions answered

Aaron S. Kesselheim is a primary care physician, lawyer, and professor of medicine at Harvard with expertise in pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics. Pharmaceutical ads in the United States are annoying. Absurd. And almost uniquely American. In fact, only one other high-income … Continue reading

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How the Elite rigged Society (and why it’s falling apart) | David Brooks

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We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health

By William FoegeWilliam, Roper, David Satcher, Jeffrey Koplan, Richard Besser, Tom Frieden, Anne Schuchat, Rochelle P. Walensky and Mandy K. Cohen – in the NYT Opinion Section The authors previously led in the C.D.C., as directors or acting directors under Republican and Democratic … Continue reading

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The Nineteenth Amendment

As right-wing Christian nationalists supported by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are calling for an end to women’s right to vote, it seems crucial to remember the history of the drive for women’s suffrage in the United States of America. … Continue reading

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August 19, 1893 – The Invention of the Root Beer Float

Thanks to Bob P. If you’ve ever savored a refreshing root beer soda topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, you have the innovative entrepreneur Frank J. Wisner to thank. On August 19, 1893, Wisner invented the very … Continue reading

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My Year of Living Blurrily

by Dani Shapiro in the NYT The painting beckoned me from across the room. In a bright, high-ceilinged gallery of the Courtauld, a small museum in London known for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, I moved past van … Continue reading

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Sunday thought: Working for the Good

By Robert Reich (thanks to Pam P.) Friends, Over the past several weeks, Trump and his MAGA stooges in Congress have passed legislation to strip health care from 10 million people; cut food stamp benefits for 40 million Americans, half … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Government, happiness, History, Justice | 1 Comment

History of a Jewish community in China

Thanks to Deborah C. Rabbi Anson Laytner, is one of the foremost experts on the history and present-day situation of the thousand-year-old Jewish community of Kaifeng, China. He’ll speak on Friday, August 15th at 11:00 in the Mt. Baker Room. … Continue reading

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The Changing Map of Palestinian Recognition

by Ashley Wu in the NYT (thanks to Janet M.) In the past week alone, three new countries have said they are ready to bestow recognition on a Palestinian state. Recognize (green) Pending (yellow) Do not recognize (gray) Most countries … Continue reading

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Oldies

Thanks to John R. 1. New York Harbor, end of WWII, 1945. The liner Queen Elizabeth is filled with the American troops coming home from war. 2. A boy and two big lobsters that have just been caught on the … Continue reading

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Declaration Book Club

Thanks to Mary M. Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, which created the United States.  To celebrate the Declaration’s upcoming 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, Monticello is launching Declaration Book Club, featuring short readings, lively videos, … Continue reading

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Check out the Declaration’s list of grievances

It’s time to recapture our freedoms. from The Contrarian – thanks to Mary M. Desperate for some inspiration, I decided to reread the entire Declaration of Independence. We know it as an aspirational document (“We hold these truths…”). We understand it … Continue reading

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The 14th amendment and the history of birthright discrimination

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson After the Supreme Court today decided the case of Trump v. CASA, limiting the power of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions, President Donald Trump claimed the decision was a huge victory that would permit him … Continue reading

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IN PERSON: Stomp and Shout: The Untold Story of Northwest Rock & Roll

When July 22, 2025 at 1:00 pm (from Humanities Washington, thanks to Mike C.) Where: Skyline Seattle; 725 9th Ave; Seattle, WA 98104 Northwest Rock & Roll’s historical highpoints are well documented—in the late 20th century, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and other … Continue reading

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Peter Ralston’s “Still There”

from HCR’s newsletter You can find Peter at his gallery in Rockport, Maine, or at https://ralstongallery.com/

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Remembering our history

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson (thanks to Mary Lou P.) Ed Note: You can click this link to find all 10 episodes of Journey to American Democracy | Ten Steps to Revolution. All lessons to be remembered. From HCR’s newsletter: … Continue reading

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CNN To Exclusively Air Live George Clooney’s Five-Time Tony® Nominated Broadway Play “Good Night, And Good Luck” on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm ET Across CNN Platforms

Thanks to Mary Jane F. NEW YORK – (May 15, 2025) – CNN announced today that Good Night, and Good Luck, the critically-acclaimed new play by George Clooney and Grant Heslov that has shattered box office records and is now nominated for five 2025 Tony Awards, will air … Continue reading

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“I do not want to see the Republican party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny—Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear.” Margaret Chase Smith

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson “I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition,” Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine told her colleagues on June 1, 1950. “It is a national feeling of fear and frustration … Continue reading

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Scott Pelley speaks to 2025 graduates

Thanks to Mike C. Good morning, everybody. What a beautiful day. What a beautiful North Carolina day for a graduation. Incredible. Thank you, President Wente, Provost Gillespie, members of the Board of Trustees and Katy Harriger, my faculty sponsor, for … Continue reading

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May we remember

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We Are Not Being Asked to Run Into Cannon Fire. We Just Need to Speak Up.

By Drew Gilpin Faust in the NYT Ms. Faust is the author of “This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War” and a former president of Harvard University. Frederick Douglass thought Decoration Day — the original name for Memorial … Continue reading

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Quo vadis, Pope Leo XIV? – commentary by Heather Cox Richardson

Ed note from ChatGPT: “Quo vadis?” is Latin for “Where are you going?” or more literally, “Where are you marching?” It’s famously associated with a Christian tradition involving Saint Peter. According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, as Peter was … Continue reading

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Ten Famous American Horses

Heather Cox Richardson I had thought to post a picture tonight and then realized that today was the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. The event was launched in 1875 as horse racing—with its famous Black jockeys, who won more … Continue reading

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Are we on the cusp of a new religious revival? 

By David Brooks Opinion Columnist in the NYT – article titled “How to Survive the Trump Years With Your Spirit Intact” I had forgotten how exhausting it is to live in Donald Trump’s world. He’s not only a political figure. He … Continue reading

Posted in Essays, Government, happiness, History, Mental Health, Religion | 1 Comment