In 1993, Eritrea became an independent nation, and Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States of America; Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal A. Ayyad, Abdul Rahman Yasin, and Ahmed Ajaj attempted to blow up the World Trade Center; Janet Reno became the first… Continue reading Everything that follows is older than Harry Styles: A look back at 1993
Tag: Holocaust
100 years of the Income Tax: A look back at 2013
In 2013 Barack Obama began his second term as President of the United States; Benedict XVI resigned and Francis was chosen to replace him as the 266th pope; Edward Snowden revealed the US government had been engaged in mass surveillance of its population; Grand Theft Auto V was released; Croatia joined the European Union; In… Continue reading 100 years of the Income Tax: A look back at 2013
Camelot was just beginning: A look back at 1961
In 1961, The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba; John F Kennedy became the 35th President of the United States of America; Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, debuted; Adolf Eichmann’s trial took place in Jerusalem; Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Kuwait declared independence from the UK; Alan Shephard became the first American in space; Newton Minnow… Continue reading Camelot was just beginning: A look back at 1961
Best of the 2010s
Incendies (2010) When Nawal Marwan dies, she leaves instructions for her twin children, Jeanne and Simon, to find their father and half-brother. Retracing their mother’s steps, they discover their elder half-brother was born out-of-wedlock to their Christian mother and a Muslim. To minimize the family’s shame, he was hidden in a local orphanage, but Nawal… Continue reading Best of the 2010s
Before Elvis and his gyrating hips ruined everything: A look back at 1955
In 1955: Jim Henson built the first version of Kermit the Frog; The first US advisors arrived in South Vietnam; Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the UK; The Salk polio vaccine received FDA approval; Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s in Illinois; Disneyland opened to the public; Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The… Continue reading Before Elvis and his gyrating hips ruined everything: A look back at 1955
Back when Ronald Reagan Was most known for being the 33rd Governor of California: A look back at 1975
In 1975: Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac; Wheel of Fortune and Saturday Night Live debuted; Space Mountain opened at the Magic Kingdom; Margaret Thatcher became the leader of the Conservative Party; Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft; The Vietnam War ended with the Fall of Saigon; Cape Verde, Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, and East… Continue reading Back when Ronald Reagan Was most known for being the 33rd Governor of California: A look back at 1975
The year after Big Brother started watching us all: A look back at 1985
In 1985: Ronald Reagan began his second term as US President; Mikhail Gorbachev assumed power in the Soviet Union; Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the inaugural Wrestlemania; Elmo first appeared on Sesame Street; New Coke debuted and, after a disastrous couple of months, was removed from US stores; David… Continue reading The year after Big Brother started watching us all: A look back at 1985
Reflections on 3171, Year of Our Lady of Discord: A look back at 2005
In 2005: Saddam Hussein was tried for crimes committed against humanity during his time in power; YouTube launched; Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles; Former FBI agent Mark Felt publicly identified himself as Deep Throat; Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans; The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve controversial drawings of the prophet Muhammad; Angela Merkel was elected Chancellor of Germany; Logo debuted; Lost… Continue reading Reflections on 3171, Year of Our Lady of Discord: A look back at 2005
Best of the 1960s
Testament of Orpheus (1960) In the final film installment of Jean Cocteau’s Orphic trilogy, he encounters characters from his previous films and appears before a tribunal to defend his life and art. Though not as well-known as later French filmmakers, Jean Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut, Cocteau’s films introduced avant-garde sensibilities and philosophical underpinnings into cinemas.… Continue reading Best of the 1960s
Best of the 2000s
The Gleaners and I (2000) Agnes Varda’s beautiful film follows gleaners at work, from people who depend on the practice for survival to hobbyists. She exposes how connected we are and shines a light on our coldness to the needs of others as she pointedly interviews jurists about the seemingly arbitrary French laws which prohibit some forms of… Continue reading Best of the 2000s