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 31, 1926: Harry Houdini Dies

October 31, 1926: Harry Houdini Dies October 31, 1926: Harry Houdini Dies

“His complete silence since his death…furnishes perhaps the strongest argument against the spiritualists.”

Oct 31, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

Sheldon Wolin speaks with Bill Moyers in 2008.

Sheldon Wolin, 1922–2015 Sheldon Wolin, 1922–2015

The late scholar and Nation contributor brought left-leaning political philosophy to the fore.

Oct 30, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 30, 1885: Ezra Pound Is Born

October 30, 1885: Ezra Pound Is Born October 30, 1885: Ezra Pound Is Born

“There is no reason why poetry should not be so perplexingly simple as Mr. Pound’s, and be about nothing at all.”

Oct 30, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 29, 1929: The Stock Market Crashes, Plunging the World Into Economic Depression

October 29, 1929: The Stock Market Crashes, Plunging the World Into Economic Depression October 29, 1929: The Stock Market Crashes, Plunging the World Into Economic Depression

“Obviously the market must have been extremely vulnerable to offer so little resistance.”

Oct 29, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 28, 2005: White House Official ‘Scooter’ Libby Is Indicted in the Valerie Plame Affair

October 28, 2005: White House Official ‘Scooter’ Libby Is Indicted in the Valerie Plame Affair October 28, 2005: White House Official ‘Scooter’ Libby Is Indicted in the Valerie Plame Affair

“One doesn’t need indictments—or convictions—to see this case as a clear representation of the way Bush and his crew do business.“

Oct 28, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 27, 1904: The New York City Subway System Opens

October 27, 1904: The New York City Subway System Opens October 27, 1904: The New York City Subway System Opens

“The bearing of this upon social conditions can hardly be overestimated.”

Oct 27, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 26, 2001: President George W. Bush Signs the USA Patriot Act Into Law

October 26, 2001: President George W. Bush Signs the USA Patriot Act Into Law October 26, 2001: President George W. Bush Signs the USA Patriot Act Into Law

“At times of crisis the most patriotic act of all is the unyielding defense of civil liberties, the right to dissent and equality before the law for all Americans.”

Oct 26, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 25, 1881: Pablo Picasso Is Born

October 25, 1881: Pablo Picasso Is Born October 25, 1881: Pablo Picasso Is Born

“Cultured young men were seen to faint with delight. Ladies of uncertain age struck attitudes giving one to understand that they felt—inexpressible things.”

Oct 25, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 24, 1923: Denise Levertov Is Born

October 24, 1923: Denise Levertov Is Born October 24, 1923: Denise Levertov Is Born

Denise Levertov, born on this day in 1923, was The Nation’s poetry editor in the 1960s. Her first poem in our pages was “The Sage,” published in the issue of November 1, 1958. The…

Oct 24, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

October 23, 1956: Hungarians Rise Up Against Soviet Rule

October 23, 1956: Hungarians Rise Up Against Soviet Rule October 23, 1956: Hungarians Rise Up Against Soviet Rule

“This is a time of reappraisal for the Western liberal who, for his inability to build his own spiritual home, has sought it in what he thought was a Socialist paradise in the East...

Oct 23, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

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