Staff blogs
On This Day, Separate No More
On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education; the decision ruled state laws establishing separate but equal educational institutions violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Finding a Place for Boys to Call Home
On May 15, 1948, Edward Joseph Flanagan, the Catholic priest who founded the America’s most noted orphanage, Boys Town, in 1917, died while visiting Berlin to study child welfare issues.
Character is Found Between the Tides of Friendship
On May 14, 1897, Ed Ricketts was born in Chicago. Immortalized as the character of ‘Doc’ in John Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row,” he was a pioneer in ecology.
Uncovering the Places of the Past Brings Its Stories Alive
On May 13, 1934, Ehud Netzer was born in Haifa. His archeological explorations led to the discovery of Herod’s tomb and the oldest know synagogue, the Wadi Qelt Synagogue.
Hoover's Reign Lasted Nearly 48 Years
On May 10, 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was appointed Director of the Bureau of Investigation, America’s top cop, a position he held until he died on May 2, 1972.
Barrie Was Not a Lost Boy
On May 9, 1860, James Matthew Barrie was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland. He became a successful playwright best known for the enduring “Peter Pan.”
Mill Defined a Positive Approach to Society
John Stuart Mill, the son of a Scottish philosopher, author and Chief Examiner of the East India Company, was considered the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the 19th century; he died on May 8, 1873, in Avignon, France.
Land Was Able to See Solutions 'Instantly'
On May 7, 1909, Edwin Herbert Land was born in Bridgeport, Conn. A Harvard dropout, he became one of America’s most celebrated inventors, and was co-founder of Polaroid Corporation.
Spectacular Disaster Ended Future of Airships
On May 6, 1937, the German airship Hindenburg caught fire as it was docking to the mooring mast at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, 35 people on the airship died and one of the ground crew.
'Four Dead in Ohio...Four Dead in Ohio'
On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen, who had been called up to contain a student protest that had burned the Army ROTC building to the ground, shot and killed four student protestors and wounded nine others on the campus of Kent State University.
In the End, the Justification of Power
On May 3, 1469, Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy. A politician and official of the short-lived Florentine Republic, he turned his observations and insights into one of the Western world’s most read political treatises.
Parenting Is Hard, but Trust Yourself, Advised Dr. Spock
On May 2, 1903, Benjamin McLane Spock was born in New Haven, Conn. His “The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care,” first published in 1946, redefined how American parents reared their children. He later became a staunch opponent of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam and active protester.
Travel By Train Preserve by Radical Move in 1971
After the recession-induced dip in 2008-2009, Amtrak has continued its year over increases in ridership; in fact, March was the single beset month of ridership in the history of the railroad. Ridership quickly recovered from the ravages of Sandy, and the company expects the number of passengers to exceed last ...
Casey Jones' Sacrifice Saved Lives
On April 30, 1900, Jonathan Luther “Casey” Jones was killed when his train collided with cars stuck on the main track near Vaughn, Mississippi. His actions were memorialized in a popular ballad.
Hitchcock Exploited the 'Enjoyment of Fear'
On April 29, 1980, famed film director Alfred Joseph Hitchcock died in California. Though he never won an Oscar as Best Director, he remembered as one of the pioneering influences in filmmaking.
Wollstonecraft Sought a Vindication for Women
On April 27, 1759, Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London. Her “Vindication of the Rights of Women” (1792) is one of the earliest examples of feminist thought.
Wittgenstein Explored How Language Foils Understanding
On April 26, 1889, Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was born in Vienna, Austria. His influence on philosophers far exceeded his meager publishing output.
Murrow Was the Conscience of Broadcast Journalism
On April 25, 1908, Edward R. Murrow was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, and his broadcasts from London during the Blitz captured the American public’s attention.
De Kooning Expressed the Abstractions of Life
On April 24, 1904, Willem de Kooning was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and arrived in the U.S. as a stowaway in 1926. He became one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century.
Bitter Battle Mended by Rare Politeness
On April 23, 1813, Stephen A. Douglas was born in Brandon, Vermont. The Senator from Illinois is most remembered for his 1858 Senate campaign and 1860 presidential campaign against Abraham Lincoln.
