Connecting the past to the present.
Happy 60th birthday to Magic Johnson! Few athletes in any sport were more fun to watch, while also being tremendous winners. Magic didn’t just play basketball, he changed basketball. For my generation, everyone remembers where they were when he announced he had H.I.V.. We were all convinced he would die in an ugly way, soon. […]
Read More Magic Turns 60, A Feat Nobody Saw Coming in 199175 years ago today, the oldest of the Kennedy children, Joseph P. Jr. was killed in action during World War Two. This started a long line of tragedy and early death for the Kennedy family. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was incredibly smart, handsome, and talented. His father had been grooming him to be President since […]
Read More 75 Years Ago Today: The First Of Many Kennedy TragediesFive years ago today, we were shocked by the tragic news that Robin Williams unthinkably took his own life. Americans took this hard, as many felt like they had lost a close friend. Some older people remembered him as the genius who made them laugh clear back to the Mork from Ork days. Youngsters identified […]
Read More Robin Williams Five Years LaterHappy birthday to Jimmy Dean, who gave the world some great music and wonderful food. Mr. Dean was born on August 10, 1928 in the rural community of Plainview, Texas. His family suffered terrible poverty. His father once had to slaughter Jimmy’s pet goat to put food on the table. His mom would sew together […]
Read More Jimmy Dean: One Hell of a Man74 years ago today the United States dropped the second of two atomic bombs on Japan. This happened in the city of Nagasaki, where over 100,000 people were killed. Ever since the world entered the era of using weapons of mass destruction, we have hoped that the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would prevent anyone […]
Read More Hiroshima and Nagasaki: History That is Always On the Mind of True LeadersHappy 84th birthday to one of America’s greatest Icons: Mr. Lee Corso. Every saturday in the fall, over two million college football fans tune in to watch Mr. Corso on ESPN’s “College Gameday.” His first appearance on the popular show was in 1987, and since then he has been the main attraction. His knowledge, wit, […]
Read More Lee Corso: Child of Non-English Speaking Immigrants Who Became an American IconThe history of August 6th is a rich and wide ranging. It is a day that shows the many complex sides of the human story. 1. 74 years ago today, the United States dropped the first of two atomic bombs on Japan, killing approximately 150,000. There is no telling how this decision by President […]
Read More August 6th: A Day Filled with History of Every KindHappy 93rd birthday to Mr. Tony Bennett. You probably have some idea that Mr. Bennett is one of the most successful recording artists of all time. He has sold over 50 million records, won 19 grammy awards, has been a Kennedy Center Honoree, and most impressively is still recording and touring with as much vigor […]
Read More Tony Bennett: One of the Greatest Living AmericansJohn F. Kennedy’s childhood was far from ideal, even farther from easy. When he was three years old he contracted scarlett fever, which hospitalized him for nearly three months. Later in his childhood and teenage years he suffered from diphtheria, appendicitis, whooping cough, jaundice, asthma, and pneumonia. By the time he turned 17, he had spent […]
Read More John F. Kennedy: From Sickly Kid to War HeroEmmett Till should have turned 78 today. If you don’t know the story of Emmett Till, you should. It is one of the major sparks that set the American civil rights movement. Till was just 14 years old, visiting family in Money, Mississippi. He spoke to a white woman in a grocery store. She went […]
Read More Emmett Till: He Never Got the Chance To Be a Man.