Author Archives
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Mae West, Sex, Love & Her Secret Valentine
“Love and sex are best together,” said Mae West. “But they ain’t so bad on their own neither.” On Valentine’s Day each year, Mae West could count on getting a heart-shaped box of chocolates, figuratively speaking, from the one person… Read More ›
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Jackie in Harlem, Mamie on TV & Other Former First Lady Campaigning
Just posted on the National First Ladies’ Library Blog is the first compact history of former First Ladies getting out on the presidential campaign trail on behalf of candidates other than their husbands. But it was still, largely, a family affair…. Read More ›
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Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays: Facts Bring It Together
Republican and Democratic. Summer and Winter. Science and Religion. Men and Women. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. Like so much of the national dialogue, even this festive period of the calendar has been reduced to a winner-take-all Team Red versus… Read More ›
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After Terror Attack, First Lady Fortifies Fearful Nation: Mrs. Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Day Address
Terrorism. Refugees. Homeland protection. Fascism. Wartime preparation. Words from the White House. Two days ago, Sunday, December 6, 2015, President Barack Obama addressed the nation on the burgeoning war on terrorism, following a deadly attack in California. Seventy-three years ago… Read More ›
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The Two Faces of World War I: Before The Fighting & After
No matter how empathetic a person may be who pauses today to remember the millions of American military forces who served in armed conflict, the experience of war can’t help but remain an abstract one. Those who’ve known what it’s… Read More ›
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Our Speakers of the House: Violent, Drunk, Lying, Cheating, Cursing
This is an updated version of a previous, deleted version: One died of a drug overdose, another with his mistress. One spit on citizens, another made an ex-con jailed for attempted murder his closest aide. All had the power to… Read More ›
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Presidents in Drag: Under Cartoon Petticoats A Subversive Sexism
In this Halloween season, there’s no better time to look back at what is perhaps the most peculiar propensity of the past presidency. Unknown to most Americans is the custom, begun in 1840 of male Presidential candidates and Presidents cross-dressing as… Read More ›
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Pulaski Days in Grand Rapids: Michigan’s Polish-American Holiday
Yesterday, October 11, was once traditionally celebrated in cities with large Polish-American populations as the traditional Pulaski Day, marking the day that Count Casimir Pulaski, a native of Warka, Poland, heroically died in 1779 while fighting for American independence. By the… Read More ›
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When First Ladies Met Popes: A Photo Essay, 1841-2015
Last week, Roman Catholic Pope Francis made his first trip to the United States. Upon his arrival in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Barack Obama welcomed the Pope to Washington directly at the airport, rather than wait for his arrival at… Read More ›
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