1940s
Harlan Sanders: The Kentucky Colonel Who Made Chicken Finger-Lickin’ Good
TweetShareShare The story of the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken is one worth knowing. Harlan Sanders (1890-1980) was a true late bloomer. He was also a man who relentlessly refused to give up on his dreams. And later, even his own soul. Sanders didn’t open his first restaurant until he was 40 years old, and…
Read MoreFour Chaplains Day: A Day When Faith Led Through Sacrifice and Service
TweetShareShare February 3 is honored as “FOUR CHAPLAINS DAY.” Never heard of it? It’s a fascinating story that needs to be told and shared. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1943 the U.S.A.T. Dorchester–packed with 902 servicemen–was hit by a Nazi torpedo. The surprise attack killed several soldiers and trapped dozens of others.…
Read MoreFirst World Series: How Baseball Opened the American Century
TweetShareShareNo sport framed 20th century American culture more than baseball. In fact, America’s story–how we worked, what we believed, the battles we fought and the glory we shared–is found in the game. From the rise of a new industrialized economy to racism (against Jew, Italian, blacks) to celebrity culture, baseball was there. And every time…
Read MoreThe Real Thing: Coke Advertising
TweetShareShareI’ll confess. I’m deeply biased when it comes to my favorite carbonated beverage. If it’s not a Coca-Cola, it’s not a cola. I don’t know if I was born with this affection (some might call it an affliction), but here I am 58 years later still sipping Coke…albeit in more sugar-free varieties. My favorite is…
Read MoreThe Model T Defined an Era
TweetShareShareThe Model T was not Henry Ford’s first car, but it might’ve been his best. Also known as the “Tin Lizzie” or “Leaping Lena” or “Jitney” or “Flivver,” the Model T was the first truly affordable automobile. In 1999, it was honored as the “most influential car of the 20th century.” Manufactured between 1908 and…
Read MoreNetwork News is Born!
TweetShareShareIf your over 40, you remember a day when the three big networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) dominated the television news landscape. Indeed, the 1960s and 1970s were the “golden age” of network news, featuring personalities like Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley and Howard K. Smith. There were also new emerging (and future) stars like Dan Rather…
Read MoreThe First Family of Radio
TweetShareShare You’ve probably heard of the radio shows “The Shadow,” “Abbott and Costello,” “Amos ‘n Andy” or “Ozzy and Harriet,” but what about One Man’s Family? This popular American radio soap opera broadcasted from 1932 to 1959. Developed by Carlton E. Morse, One Man’s Family was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of…
Read MoreJackie Robinson Makes a Hit!
TweetShareShare In 1947, in many U.S. places (from Birmingham to Philadelphia, Cincinnati to Little Rock), black Americans were segregated into “ghettos” and separated in public life. In the South, especially, blacks had to use different bathrooms, eat at different restaurants (or on different chairs), sleep at different hotels, ride at the back of the bus,…
Read MoreRoosevelt Dies, Truman New President
TweetShareShare The last president to die of natural causes while in office was Franklin D. Roosevelt on this day in 1945. His VP Harry Truman was the new President. TweetShareShare
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