Richard Kreitner

richardkreitner

Richard Kreitner is a contributing writer and the author of Break It Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America's Imperfect Union. His writings are at richardkreitner.com.

October 12, 1870: Robert E. Lee Dies

October 12, 1870: Robert E. Lee Dies October 12, 1870: Robert E. Lee Dies

“Skill, courage, patience, and fortitude, and all in the highest degree, nobody can deny him.”

Oct 12, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 11, 1986: Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev Meet in Reykjavik, Iceland, to Negotiate Disarmament

October 11, 1986: Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev Meet in Reykjavik, Iceland, to Negotiate Disarmament October 11, 1986: Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev Meet in Reykjavik, Iceland, to Negotiate Disarmament

“It is not nor at the most fundamental level has it ever been postwar U.S. policy to relinquish the ambition of superiority in the arms race.”

Oct 11, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 10, 1973: Vice President Spiro Agnew Resigns

October 10, 1973: Vice President Spiro Agnew Resigns October 10, 1973: Vice President Spiro Agnew Resigns

“His is not a rags-to-riches story but a fable about a mediocrity who made it big.”

Oct 10, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 9, 1967: Che Guevara Is Executed in Bolivia

October 9, 1967: Che Guevara Is Executed in Bolivia October 9, 1967: Che Guevara Is Executed in Bolivia

“His is a revolutionary ideology in which death and tragedy occupy, close in the foreground, an unwanted, redemptive place.”

Oct 9, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 8, 1871: The Great Chicago Fire Kills Hundreds and Burns Most of Downtown

October 8, 1871: The Great Chicago Fire Kills Hundreds and Burns Most of Downtown October 8, 1871: The Great Chicago Fire Kills Hundreds and Burns Most of Downtown

“Very sensible men have declared that they were fully impressed at such a time with the conviction that it was the burning of the world.”

Oct 8, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 7, 1998: Matthew Shepard Is Found Brutally Tortured and Left for Dead

October 7, 1998: Matthew Shepard Is Found Brutally Tortured and Left for Dead October 7, 1998: Matthew Shepard Is Found Brutally Tortured and Left for Dead

“The demagogy of the political classes legitimizes the irrational, dehumanizing queer-fear that motors these assaults.”

Oct 7, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 6, 1981: President Anwar Al-Sadat of Egypt Is Assassinated in Cairo

October 6, 1981: President Anwar Al-Sadat of Egypt Is Assassinated in Cairo October 6, 1981: President Anwar Al-Sadat of Egypt Is Assassinated in Cairo

“Policy must be built on a more solid foundation than personal intimacy with the current occupant of the Pharaoh’s throne.”

Oct 6, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 5, 2000: Mass Protests Force the Resignation of Serbian Dictator Slobodan Milošević

October 5, 2000: Mass Protests Force the Resignation of Serbian Dictator Slobodan Milošević October 5, 2000: Mass Protests Force the Resignation of Serbian Dictator Slobodan Milošević

“It is obvious that Milosevic has been humiliated, exposed, unmasked, disgraced.”

Oct 5, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 4, 1965: Pope Paul VI Becomes the First Pope to Visit the Americas

October 4, 1965: Pope Paul VI Becomes the First Pope to Visit the Americas October 4, 1965: Pope Paul VI Becomes the First Pope to Visit the Americas

“Paul VI’s message was unmistakable, and more specific than could have been anticipated.”

Oct 4, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 3, 1925: Gore Vidal Is Born

October 3, 1925: Gore Vidal Is Born October 3, 1925: Gore Vidal Is Born

“In hindsight, I can see that our ending was implicit in our beginning.”

Oct 3, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

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