The Almanac

January 4, 2007: Nancy Pelosi Becomes the First Woman Elected Speaker of the House of Representatives

January 4, 2007: Nancy Pelosi Becomes the First Woman Elected Speaker of the House of Representatives January 4, 2007: Nancy Pelosi Becomes the First Woman Elected Speaker of the House of Representatives

“She will be aided if others turn up the heat on her, raising their expectations for what Democrats can achieve.”

Jan 4, 2016 / Richard Kreitner

December 31, 1865: The ‘Year of Jubilee’ Ends

December 31, 1865: The ‘Year of Jubilee’ Ends December 31, 1865: The ‘Year of Jubilee’ Ends

“There has probably been no year which the civilized world will have hereafter so much reason to remember.”

Dec 31, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 30, 1936: The United Auto Workers Sit Down on the Job in Flint, Michigan

December 30, 1936: The United Auto Workers Sit Down on the Job in Flint, Michigan December 30, 1936: The United Auto Workers Sit Down on the Job in Flint, Michigan

“Every night at eight the strikers’ band of three guitars, a violin, a mouth organ, and a squeeze box broadcast over a loud-speaker for the strikers and the women and c...

Dec 30, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 29, 1922: William Gaddis Is Born

December 29, 1922: William Gaddis Is Born December 29, 1922: William Gaddis Is Born

“What [The Recognitions] lacks, like all claustrophobic works of art, is imagination.”

Dec 29, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 28, 1973: Alexsander Solzhenitsyn’s ‘Gulag Archipelago’ is Published

December 28, 1973: Alexsander Solzhenitsyn’s ‘Gulag Archipelago’ is Published December 28, 1973: Alexsander Solzhenitsyn’s ‘Gulag Archipelago’ is Published

“The duty is not only to memorialize the fallen, it is also to confront the living.”

Dec 28, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 27, 1932: Radio City Music Hall Opens

December 27, 1932: Radio City Music Hall Opens December 27, 1932: Radio City Music Hall Opens

“All at once there is a vast firmament overhead, and a great distance stretching out under it.”

Dec 27, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 26, 1991: The Soviet Union Dissolves

December 26, 1991: The Soviet Union Dissolves December 26, 1991: The Soviet Union Dissolves

“However cruelly it developed, the union of peoples from Minsk to Vladivostok had the potential to improve the lives and realize the dreams of millions.”

Dec 26, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 25, ~4 BCE: Jesus Christ Is Born (Allegedly)

December 25, ~4 BCE: Jesus Christ Is Born (Allegedly) December 25, ~4 BCE: Jesus Christ Is Born (Allegedly)

“It was Christmas morning. I was looking for the light of quiet healing, the brightness of good-will, that should usher in the friendly open hand in place of the old, clenched, sha...

Dec 25, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 24, 1865: The Ku Klux Klan Is Formed

December 24, 1865: The Ku Klux Klan Is Formed December 24, 1865: The Ku Klux Klan Is Formed

“If they are so demoralized that they go on robbing, and murdering, and ‘Kukluxing’ each other, we cannot interfere effectively, and had better not interfere at a...

Dec 24, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

December 23, 1913: The Federal Reserve Is Created

December 23, 1913: The Federal Reserve Is Created December 23, 1913: The Federal Reserve Is Created

“The whole thing was a wonderful demonstration of what Christmas can do in the sphere of legislation.”

Dec 23, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

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