In 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated; The Kinsey Report was released; Sri Lanka and Israel became independent nations; NASCAR was founded; The US Supreme Court ruled religious instruction in public schools was unconstitutional; ABC began broadcasting; William Shockley filed a patent for the first transistor; Alger Hiss was accused of being a Communist spy; Harry… Continue reading Little Donnie Trump turned two: A look back at 1948
Category: Retrospective
A detailed look at my top ten films for a given year
When American turned 203: A look back at 1979
In 1979: The Dukes of Hazzard debuted on CBS and ESPN launched; Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi fled Iran; Michigan State defeated Indiana State in the NCAA Championship game; The nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island suffered a meltdown; Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Micronesia and Kiribati became independent nations; McDonald’s introduced… Continue reading When American turned 203: A look back at 1979
Seven years before the first NBA game: A look back at 1939
In 1939, Lou Gehrig’s streak of 2130 consecutive games played ended; The University of Oregon won the first NCAA college basketball tournament; Francisco Franco came to power in Spain; Billie Holliday recorded “Strange Fruit;” Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27; Teddy Roosevelt’s head on Mount Rushmore was dedicated; Germany invaded Poland; President Franklin Roosevelt laid… Continue reading Seven years before the first NBA game: A look back at 1939
The year of the great video game crash: A look back 1983
The Disney Channel began broadcasting; Sally Ride became the first American woman in space; Dragon’s Lair was released in arcades; The Famicom (known in the United States as the Nintendo Entertainment System) was released; Vanessa Williams became the first African-American Miss America; Brunei and Saint Kitts and Nevis became independent states; Microsoft Word was released;… Continue reading The year of the great video game crash: A look back 1983
Reflections on 3174, Year of Our Lady of Discord: A look back at 2008
In 2008, Iran launched its first rocket into space; Kosovo declared independence from Serbia; The Summer Olympics took place in Beijing; A global financial crisis dominated headlines; Spotify launched; Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper announcing Bitcoin; Barack Obama was elected as the 45th President of the United States of America; The Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted… Continue reading Reflections on 3174, Year of Our Lady of Discord: A look back at 2008
A century before Barack Obama: A look back at 1908
In 1908, Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys was published; The Olympics were held in London; The Chicago Cubs won the fifth World Series; Jack Johnson became the first African-American to win the World Heavyweight Championship; Henry Ford introduced the Model T; Bulgaria declared independence from the Ottoman Empire; William Howard Taft defeated William Jennings Bryan… Continue reading A century before Barack Obama: A look back at 1908
The year Trump entered the world: A look back at 1946
In 1946, The United Nations held its first meeting; Juan Perón was elected president of Argentina; Trygve Lie became the first Secretary-General of the United Nations; Syria and the Philippines became independent nations; Sony was founded (as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering); The first bikini was modeled in Paris; Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis debuted their comedy partnership; Mensa was founded;… Continue reading The year Trump entered the world: A look back at 1946
Men are pigs: A look back at 2017
In 2017, Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States; The Nintendo Switch was released; Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria struck the US; Stephen Paddock killed 58 people at a Las Vegas music festival; The Walt Disney Company announced plans to purchase 21st Century Fox; The exposure of Harvey Weinstein as… Continue reading Men are pigs: A look back at 2017
When Elvis was king: A look back at 1956
In 1956: Elvis Presley made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; Pakistan became the first Islamic republic; The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over five hundred for the first time; As the World Turns debuted on CBS; Rocky Marciano retired from boxing with a career record of forty-nine wins and zero losses; Dean Martin and Jerry… Continue reading When Elvis was king: A look back at 1956
“That’ll never happen”: A look back at 2016
In 2016: The United Kingdom voted in a nationwide referendum to leave the European Union; The Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro; Donald Trump was elected President of the United States of America; Peyton Manning retired from professional football; The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a three games to one deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors… Continue reading “That’ll never happen”: A look back at 2016