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.

April 1, 1901: Whittaker Chambers Is Born

April 1, 1901: Whittaker Chambers Is Born April 1, 1901: Whittaker Chambers Is Born

Whittaker Chambers, a Wobbly and a hobo before he was a a red-hunter, published poetry in The Nation in the 1920s.

Apr 1, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 31, 1995: Pop Star Selena Is Shot and Killed

March 31, 1995: Pop Star Selena Is Shot and Killed March 31, 1995: Pop Star Selena Is Shot and Killed

Unlike the male rock star who, having killed himself, gave his fans a taste of ultimate fatalism, Selena’s life, not death, offered joy to so many who admired her.

Mar 31, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

March 30, 1981: Ronald Reagan Is Shot

March 30, 1981: Ronald Reagan Is Shot March 30, 1981: Ronald Reagan Is Shot

An available gun transforms violent emotions into deadly action.

Mar 30, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac

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

We Need a Million More Bowe Bergdahls, Says a Former US Army Ranger

We Need a Million More Bowe Bergdahls, Says a Former US Army Ranger We Need a Million More Bowe Bergdahls, Says a Former US Army Ranger

To kill somebody for a cause you don’t believe in is potentially worse than being killed yourself, because those scars last forever.

Mar 26, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and Back Issues

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

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