The Almanac

Today in history—and how The Nation covered it.

March 29, 1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Are Convicted of Espionage

March 29, 1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Are Convicted of Espionage March 29, 1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Are Convicted of Espionage

You can imagine what would be our own emotional response if two Russians were sentenced to death for supplying information to us while we were allied with Russia.

Mar 29, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 28, 1979: Nuclear Meltdown at Three Mile Island

March 28, 1979: Nuclear Meltdown at Three Mile Island March 28, 1979: Nuclear Meltdown at Three Mile Island

It should have been clear that one self-serving segment of our society was pushing the rest of us into the arms of a technology that could not tolerate, nor contain, a major accide...

Mar 28, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 27, 1963: Quentin Tarantino is Born

March 27, 1963: Quentin Tarantino is Born March 27, 1963: Quentin Tarantino is Born

“Pulp Fiction hits you like a jolt of adrenaline,” Stuart Klawans wrote in his 1994 review.

Mar 27, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 26, 1979: Israel and Egypt Sign Peace Treaty

March 26, 1979: Israel and Egypt Sign Peace Treaty March 26, 1979: Israel and Egypt Sign Peace Treaty

“Whatever [Israel’s] reasons for postponing a termination date on the occupation,” The Nation observed, “the sooner it sets one the better.”

Mar 26, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 25, 1911: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

March 25, 1911: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire March 25, 1911: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

The Nation, oddly, didn't take notice of the fire until a year later.

Mar 25, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 24, 1989: The ‘Exxon Valdez’ Spills Oil in Alaska

March 24, 1989: The ‘Exxon Valdez’ Spills Oil in Alaska March 24, 1989: The ‘Exxon Valdez’ Spills Oil in Alaska

“The whole corporate system of extraction and consumption that has proved so profitable and disaster-prone must be challenged,” The Nation observed.

Mar 24, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 23, 1983: Reagan Proposes the ‘Star Wars’ Initiative

March 23, 1983: Reagan Proposes the ‘Star Wars’ Initiative March 23, 1983: Reagan Proposes the ‘Star Wars’ Initiative

“There is only one shield against chaos,” the historian E.P. Thompson wrote in The Nation. “It is time to put it in repair.”

Mar 23, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 22, 1941: The Grand Coulee Dam Opens

March 22, 1941: The Grand Coulee Dam Opens March 22, 1941: The Grand Coulee Dam Opens

“Grand Coulee is magnificent,” The Nation observed. “But don’t call it planning.”

Mar 22, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 21, 1980: Carter Announces US Boycott of the Moscow Olympics

March 21, 1980: Carter Announces US Boycott of the Moscow Olympics March 21, 1980: Carter Announces US Boycott of the Moscow Olympics

The Nation supported the boycott, but not for Carter’s reasons.

Mar 21, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 20, 2003: The United States Invades Iraq

March 20, 2003: The United States Invades Iraq March 20, 2003: The United States Invades Iraq

The invasion, Jonathan Schell wrote, revealed “a naked ambition to establish hegemony over the earth.”

Mar 20, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

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