The first American Thanksgiving, the one celebrated by Pilgrims and Indians according to well-established historical tradition, provides at best a mixed legacy.
Culture
Walter White: A Real American Cowboy
It has been over one year since Breaking Bad ended, and three months since its impressive showing at the Emmy Awards. Breaking Bad was not just about manufacturing meth. It had a lot to say about western history.
Spain and the Harlem Renaissance: To be Simply a Man
The Harlem Renaissance was a diverse artistic movement of great creativity that took place in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s.
Interstellar and the Myth of the American Hero
Interstellar is about a farmer (played by Matthew McConaughey) who literally tries to save the world. The average-man hero is a central premise of many Hollywood films.
The First Football Funeral and the Origins of the College Sport
During the first month of the 2014 NFL season the Oakland Raiders lost four games, were outscored by more than fifty points and fired their head coach Dennis Allen. At practice on October 6, 2014 Allen’s replacement Tony Sparano did something unusual: he buried a football.
“The Whole Enchilada:” Religious Exemptions for Children’s Medical Care
In March, 1967, thirty-one-year-old Dorothy Sheridan, a single mother and a Christian Scientist, prayed that her five-year-old daughter Lisa would understand that God had created a sinless, illness-free spiritual world and thus be freed from the illusory grip of pneumonia.
Ours to Fight For: Norman Rockwell and the Four Freedoms
Norman Rockwell was one of the most prominent painters in American history. During his lifetime, he produced over 4,000 works that have appeared in magazines, literature, and on calendars.
Mary Baker Eddy and the American Dream
Mary Baker Eddy was born in 1821 in Bow, New Hampshire, a small hardscrabble farming community. Fifty-four years later, she launched the wildly popular religion Christian Science when she published Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures.
A Wise Man of Music
Recently, the Country Music Hall of Fame held its “Medallion Ceremony,” an evening set aside to honor its annual inductees.
Why We Shouldn’t Be Celebrating 100 Years of Refrigerators
A number of people in the media have been discussing the so-called “centennial” of the refrigerator. None of them have explained why.