I’m sure that there many of the people who defended the Capital were former Boy Scouts. I’m also sure that many of those attacked the building also were former Boy Scouts. I have zero evidence or proof of this. But – having been a Boy Scout and having worked for two summers at Camp Glen […]
Sady, Boy Scouts Were On Both Sides When the Capital Was Assaulted Read More »
We never spoke about it, but I suspect that my father had a particular soft spot for Joseph Priestly. As someone trained as a chemist, my father would have known of and respected Priestly who died on February 6, 1804. He’s pictured on today’s #stampoftheday, a 20-cent stamp issued in 1983 and shown here on
My Father Would Have Loved Joseph Priestly Read More »
I live close to Concord, Massachusetts which means that whenever I’m feeling too adequate, I can recalibrate by taking a modest bike ride past the homes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. And if I’m still feeling too good about myself, I can go a bit father to a pond where
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Enduring Legacy Read More »
“Valor is a gift,” Carl Sandburg once said. “Those having it never know for sure whether they have it until the test comes.” The four chaplains on the SS Dorchester displayed extraordinary valor on February 3, 1943 when a German submarine sank the converted luxury coastal liner, which was carrying about 900 servicemen, merchant seamen
Valor and the Four Chaplains Read More »
Every once in a while, I find myself reflecting on what I wrote in a #stampoftheday post and wondering if I went down the wrong path or, at least, missed an interesting opportunity. Yesterday’, when I wrote about a stamp issued in 1967 to honor the 25th anniversary of Voice of America (VOA), was one
Georg Olden Was a Voice of America Read More »
“We bring you ‘Voices from America,’” said announcer William Harlan Hale at the start of a 15-minute shortwave radio broadcast that was transmitted into Germany on February 1, 1942. “Today, and daily from now on, we shall speak to you about America and the war,” he continued. “The news may be good for us. The
Voice of America and the Promise of Truth Telling Read More »
Maybe it’s something in the water or perhaps it’s the famous fog but San Francisco, apparently, has a thing for name changes. One hundred and seventy four years ago today, the Alcalde (or mayor) of a hamlet called Yerba Buena changed its name to San Francisco, which already was what the adjacent bay was called.
What’s in Name in San Francisco? Read More »
I don’t know what you would do, but I want to know more when I see a listing that says: “NEWS OF THE WORLD OF STAMPS; In Honor of the U.N.’s Weather Bureau – – Swedish Railways Worldwide Coverage SWEDISH RAILWAYS CASPARY SALES BEE MAN FIRST-DAY SALE STAMP DAY.” That was one of three listings
The UN’s Weather Bureau Meets Swedish Railways and The Bee Man Read More »
I haven’t seen the eyes of Isabella Gibbons, which look out from the exterior wall of the new Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia. But reviewers say they are haunting, in part they are so lightly etched in the stone that they are only clearly visible at dawn and dusk. They also
Hidden in Plain Sight: Jefferson’s Rotunda and the New UVA Slave Memorial Read More »
“I thought this was supposed to be a work of fiction,” a member of my book group wrote just before we met to discuss Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America.” Published in 2004, the book imagines that Charles Lindbergh defeated Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election and, naturally, how that affected a Jewish family
Lindbergh Testifies Against Lend-Lease Read More »