June 3, 1924: Franz Kafka Dies June 3, 1924: Franz Kafka Dies
"In time much is sure to be written of Franz Kafka, for he is inevitably sure of a place...among the foremost writers of our time."
Jun 3, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
June 2, 1924: Calvin Coolidge Signs the Indian Citizenship Act June 2, 1924: Calvin Coolidge Signs the Indian Citizenship Act
"America is a reckless squanderer where small racial units are concerned, and the cause of any Indian race seems a priori a lost cause."
Jun 2, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
June 1, 1968: Helen Keller Dies June 1, 1968: Helen Keller Dies
“Perhaps the best thing about it all is that Miss Keller has come through to middle age a liberal in spirit. The injustices of our society weigh heavily upon her.”
Jun 1, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
May 31, 2005: W. Mark Felt, Former FBI Official, Says He Was the Mysterious Watergate Source ‘Deep Throat’ May 31, 2005: W. Mark Felt, Former FBI Official, Says He Was the Mysterious Watergate Source ‘Deep Throat’
In a twist worthy of le Carré, Deep Throat was assigned the mission of unearthing—and stopping—Deep Throat.
May 31, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
May 30, 1967: Biafra Declares Independence From Nigeria May 30, 1967: Biafra Declares Independence From Nigeria
"Like the Jews of Harlem or the Asians of East Africa or the Chinese of Southeast Asia, the Ibos were the prominent outsiders in the economic life of the dominant population a...
May 30, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
May 29, 1932: The ‘Bonus Army’ of Disgruntled Veterans Arrives in Washington, DC May 29, 1932: The ‘Bonus Army’ of Disgruntled Veterans Arrives in Washington, DC
"The bonus march must be considered simply a minor manifestation of the unrest spreading through the country."
May 29, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
May 28, 1948: The National Party Wins South African Elections, Promises to Introduce Apartheid May 28, 1948: The National Party Wins South African Elections, Promises to Introduce Apartheid
“Politically, the Africans are becoming more conscious of their own rights and wrongs. They are not wholly ignorant of the fact that world opinion is on their side.”
May 28, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
May 27, 1907: Rachel Carson is Born May 27, 1907: Rachel Carson is Born
"It may well be that she has made a real contribution to our salvation."
May 27, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
May 26, 1868: President Andrew Johnson, Impeached by the House, Is Acquitted by the Senate May 26, 1868: President Andrew Johnson, Impeached by the House, Is Acquitted by the Senate
"The greatest of all questions for the American people is, whether amongst all the troubles and changes of this and coming ages the popular respect for the forms of law, for j...
May 26, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac
May 25, 1977: ‘Star Wars’ Opens in Theaters May 25, 1977: ‘Star Wars’ Opens in Theaters
The following review of the first Star Wars film was written by Robert Hatch, The Nation’s longtime film critic, as well as former managing editor and executive editor. Years from now, long after the last bucket of popcorn has been eaten at the last neighborhood showing of Star Wars, film buffs will be regaling one another with recollections of their favorite scenes and persons: the frontier bar patronized by the offspring of improbable matings (I liked the elephant/crocodile); the entrapment within a huge garbage compacter (courtesy of Edgar Allen Poe); the deal with cold-light swords; the bombing run down a narrow chasm to the one vulnerable spot in the Death Star; the poignant falling out of the two robots in a Beau Geste stretch of desert; the amiable but quick-tempered 7-foot man/bear navigator of the space ship; the bustling little brown-habited dwarfs with flashlight eyes, who sell second-hand automatons from a cave in the wilderness; and, of course, Luke Skywalker, the very fair-haired boy who discovers that he too possesses the Force. All in all, it is an outrageously successful, what will be called a “classic,” compilation of nonsense, largely derived but thoroughly reconditioned. I doubt that anyone will ever match it, though the imitations must already be on the drawing boards. May 25, 1977 To mark The Nation’s 150th anniversary, every morning this year The Almanac will highlight something that happened that day in history and how The Nation covered it. Get The Almanac every day (or every week) by signing up to the e-mail newsletter.
May 25, 2015 / Richard Kreitner and The Almanac