In 1963, The United States banned travel to Cuba; Harold Wilson became prime minister of the United Kingdom; Marin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail,” and gave his “I Have a Dream,” speech; Buddy Rogers became the first WWWF Champion; Coca Cola introduced its first diet drink, Tab; ZIP codes were… Continue reading Camelot ended: A look back at 1963
Stuck at Home(r): Season 15
15.1 Treehouse of Horror XIV The fourteenth edition of the Simpsons annual tradition is one of the better ones. In the first segment, Homer takes on the role of Grim Reaper, but balks at killing Marge. In the second, Professor Frink wins a Nobel Prize and, while dealing with his long gestating daddy issues, briefly… Continue reading Stuck at Home(r): Season 15
Three years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1973
In 1973, Richard Nixon was sworn in for a second term as President of the United States; George Foreman defeated Joe Frazier to become world heavyweight champion; The Vietnam War ended; Major League Baseball debuted the designated hitter; The Sears Tower became the world’s tallest building; Skylab launched; The Bahamas, Guinea-Bissau, and Papua New-Guinea became… Continue reading Three years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1973
Everything that follows is older than Harry Styles: A look back at 1993
In 1993, Eritrea became an independent nation, and Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States of America; Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal A. Ayyad, Abdul Rahman Yasin, and Ahmed Ajaj attempted to blow up the World Trade Center; Janet Reno became the first… Continue reading Everything that follows is older than Harry Styles: A look back at 1993
Stuck at Home(r): Season 14
14.1 Treehouse of Horror XIII Another excellent installment in the venerable Treehouse series. In the first segment, Homer clones himself with predictably disastrous results (a funnier version of Multiplicity). In the second, undead outlaws Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Kaiser Wilhelm(!) take over Springfield. While the final segment is a delightfully absurd take on… Continue reading Stuck at Home(r): Season 14
Iraq War part 2: A look back at 2003
In 2003, The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentry into earth’s atmosphere; The US and allied forces invaded Iraq; The Human Genome Project was completed; The Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia joined the European Union; Tesla was founded; Robert Novak controversially identified Valeria Plane as a covert agent; 4chan… Continue reading Iraq War part 2: A look back at 2003
Four years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1972
In 1972, Kurt Waldheim became Secretary General of the United Nations; President Nixon visited China and met with Mao Zedong; Pioneer 10 became the first man-made spacecraft to leave the solar system; Five White House operatives were arrested for breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee; On Bloody Friday, twenty-two bombs planted by… Continue reading Four years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1972
100 years of the Income Tax: A look back at 2013
In 2013 Barack Obama began his second term as President of the United States; Benedict XVI resigned and Francis was chosen to replace him as the 266th pope; Edward Snowden revealed the US government had been engaged in mass surveillance of its population; Grand Theft Auto V was released; Croatia joined the European Union; In… Continue reading 100 years of the Income Tax: A look back at 2013
History has its eyes on you: A look back at 2022
In 2022, The XXIV Winter Olympics were held in Beijing; Russia invaded Ukraine; Troy Kotsur became the second deaf performer to win an Academy Award; Salman Rushdie was attacked while giving a speech in New York; Charles III became King of England; Liz Truss became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for fifty days days;… Continue reading History has its eyes on you: A look back at 2022
Class of 2022
In 2022, The Winter Olympics were held in Beijing, China; Russia invaded Ukraine; Argentina won the World Cup; Benjamin Netanyahu won a third term as Israeli prime minister; King Charles III ascended the British throne; Elon Musk bought Twitter; The cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy; The US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade; CNN+ debuted… Continue reading Class of 2022