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Persons.
On April 1. 1854, the first serialized installment of Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, was published in his magazine "Household Words."
In October of 2022, British novelist and screenwriter Nick Hornby published Dickens and Prince, actually comparing the seemingly disparate lives of Dickens, considered one of the greatest writers of the English language ( Although I've only ever been able to finish A Tale of Two Cities) and Prince, the greatest musician who ever lived (at least in my opinion). It's a great read. If I were still grading essays, it would definitely be an A+. It's also an interesting dissertation on popular culture in general.
Similarities briefly:
1. Poor tumultuous childhoods
2. Incredible genius
3. Inhuman amount of output
4. Not perfectionists (sounds wrong at first, but he makes the point), able to create and move on
5. Critical and popular reception
6. Taken advantage of by others in business and fighting back
7. Fantastic stage performers
8. Icons and legends in their lifetimes
9. Legacies that few ever leave
Just to name a few.
Place.
On April 1. 1854, the first serialized installment of Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, was published in his magazine "Household Words."
In October of 2022, British novelist and screenwriter Nick Hornby published Dickens and Prince, actually comparing the seemingly disparate lives of Dickens, considered one of the greatest writers of the English language ( Although I've only ever been able to finish A Tale of Two Cities) and Prince, the greatest musician who ever lived (at least in my opinion). It's a great read. If I were still grading essays, it would definitely be an A+. It's also an interesting dissertation on popular culture in general.
Both Dickens and Prince discovered that they belonged on stage, and that's where the money was. Dickens started touring in Europe and America to sold-out audiences for years. He had once considered becoming an actor himself. He didn't just read his work; he selected passages to perform. His Christmas-themed passages were especially popular, even year-round.
If you know Prince, you know he was extremely introverted. Just watch his interviews, especially the earliest ones, and you can see how excruciatingly awkward they were for him, even painful for viewers. (On YouTube, look for Prince on American Bandstand and on Midnight Special.) However, he became a different person on stage, usually performing at full speed for 2-3 hours and then going to a smaller club and performing a whole other after-show for 2-3 hours more. Unfortunately, his stage performances led to intense hip and knee pain, which led to his painkiller addiction, which led to his death.
On April 1. 1854, the first serialized installment of Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, was published in his magazine "Household Words."
In October of 2022, British novelist and screenwriter Nick Hornby published Dickens and Prince, actually comparing the seemingly disparate lives of Dickens, considered one of the greatest writers of the English language ( Although I've only ever been able to finish A Tale of Two Cities) and Prince, the greatest musician who ever lived (at least in my opinion). It's a great read. If I were still grading essays, it would definitely be an A+. It's also an interesting dissertation on popular culture in general.
Both Dickens and Prince discovered that they belonged on stage, and that's where the money was. Dickens started touring in Europe and America to sold-out audiences for years. He had once considered becoming an actor himself. He didn't just read his work; he selected passages to perform. His Christmas-themed passages were especially popular, even year-round.
If you know Prince, you know he was extremely introverted. Just watch his interviews, especially the earliest ones, and you can see how excruciatingly awkward they were for him, even painful for viewers. (On YouTube, look for Prince on American Bandstand and on Midnight Special.) However, he became a different person on stage, usually performing at full speed for 2-3 hours and then going to a smaller club and performing a whole other after-show for 2-3 hours more. Unfortunately, his stage performances led to intense hip and knee pain, which led to his painkiller addiction, which led to his death.
Thing.
Legacy.
On April 1. 1854, the first serialized installment of Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, was published in his magazine "Household Words."
In October of 2022, British novelist and screenwriter Nick Hornby published Dickens and Prince, actually comparing the seemingly disparate lives of Dickens, considered one of the greatest writers of the English language ( Although I've only ever been able to finish A Tale of Two Cities) and Prince, the greatest musician who ever lived (at least in my opinion). It's a great read. If I were still grading essays, it would definitely be an A+. It's also an interesting dissertation on popular culture in general.
One of the greatest similarities between Dickens and Prince is the huge legacy left by each. Dickens is one of the most widely read novelists of all time. His works continue to be adapted into movies, plays, and tv shows. He's credited with creating much of the traditional Christmas popularized in Victorian Britain and still celebrated today. He's coined words used in the English language today. He's often mentioned in the same breath as Shakespeare.
When Prince died, he left behind as many as 8,000 recorded original songs. While some are fragments, there are enough fully produced songs to release an album of unheard material each year for 100 years, at least. If only 50-100 of those songs are good to great, isn't that more than 90%, or more, of all professional musicians produce in their careers?
Legacy.
On April 1. 1854, the first serialized installment of Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, was published in his magazine "Household Words."
In October of 2022, British novelist and screenwriter Nick Hornby published Dickens and Prince, actually comparing the seemingly disparate lives of Dickens, considered one of the greatest writers of the English language ( Although I've only ever been able to finish A Tale of Two Cities) and Prince, the greatest musician who ever lived (at least in my opinion). It's a great read. If I were still grading essays, it would definitely be an A+. It's also an interesting dissertation on popular culture in general.
One of the greatest similarities between Dickens and Prince is the huge legacy left by each. Dickens is one of the most widely read novelists of all time. His works continue to be adapted into movies, plays, and tv shows. He's credited with creating much of the traditional Christmas popularized in Victorian Britain and still celebrated today. He's coined words used in the English language today. He's often mentioned in the same breath as Shakespeare.
When Prince died, he left behind as many as 8,000 recorded original songs. While some are fragments, there are enough fully produced songs to release an album of unheard material each year for 100 years, at least. If only 50-100 of those songs are good to great, isn't that more than 90%, or more, of all professional musicians produce in their careers?
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Person.
On April 2, 1792, President Washington signed into law the Coinage Act of 1792, also known as the Mint Act, establishing the US Mint in Philadelphia and authorizing American coinage. Before that, Americans had used a mix of foreign coins and a few coins produced by the individual colonies. The first circulating coin produced was the copper cent showing "Liberty" on the front, or obverse, and a 15 link chain for the states on the reverse. It was not the most popular, larger than a modern quarter, Liberty looking "in a fright," and the chain reminding some of slavery ( soon replaced with a wreath).
The first Chief Coiner and Engraver of the US and presumably the designer of the first coins was Henry Voight (1738-1814), a maker of clocks, mathematical instruments, and steam engines, and other machines. He was a longtime business partner and friend of John Fitch, and they invented the first practical steamboat, but Robert Fulton later made improvements and took all the credit. The Fitch-Voight friendship came to an end after Fitch married a widow with whom Voight was having an extramarital affair and fathered two children; Fitch originally married the widow to provide cover for his friend, while the affair continued.
Coin collecting, or numismatics, was one of the activities that fueled my childhood love history, and I spent a great deal of time with Yeoman's Red Book, THE reference book for US coins and their values. Unable to afford American collecting, I turned to foreign collecting, which literally opened up a whole new world. I still have a jar near my desk here into which I deposit leftover coins from foreign travels.
On April 2, 1792, President Washington signed into law the Coinage Act of 1792, also known as the Mint Act, establishing the US Mint in Philadelphia and authorizing American coinage. Before that, Americans had used a mix of foreign coins and a few coins produced by the individual colonies. The first circulating coin produced was the copper cent showing "Liberty" on the front, or obverse, and a 15 link chain for the states on the reverse. It was not the most popular, larger than a modern quarter, Liberty looking "in a fright," and the chain reminding some of slavery ( soon replaced with a wreath).
The first Chief Coiner and Engraver of the US and presumably the designer of the first coins was Henry Voight (1738-1814), a maker of clocks, mathematical instruments, and steam engines, and other machines. He was a longtime business partner and friend of John Fitch, and they invented the first practical steamboat, but Robert Fulton later made improvements and took all the credit. The Fitch-Voight friendship came to an end after Fitch married a widow with whom Voight was having an extramarital affair and fathered two children; Fitch originally married the widow to provide cover for his friend, while the affair continued.
Coin collecting, or numismatics, was one of the activities that fueled my childhood love history, and I spent a great deal of time with Yeoman's Red Book, THE reference book for US coins and their values. Unable to afford American collecting, I turned to foreign collecting, which literally opened up a whole new world. I still have a jar near my desk here into which I deposit leftover coins from foreign travels.
Place.
On April 2, 1792, President Washington signed into law the Coinage Act of 1792, also known as the Mint Act, establishing the US Mint in Philadelphia and authorizing American coinage. Before that, Americans had used a mix of foreign coins and a few coins produced by the individual colonies.
The first Mint was built at the corner of Arch and 7th streets in Philadelphia, the first three story building in the city and the first federal building erected under the US Constitution. Today, the Mint maintains production facilities in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, and West Point, and a bullion depository in Fort Knox.
Coin collecting, or numismatics, was one of the activities that fueled my childhood love history, and I spent a great deal of time with Yeoman's Red Book, THE reference book for US coins and their values. Unable to afford American collecting, I turned to foreign collecting, which literally opened up a whole new world. I still have a jar near my desk here into which I deposit leftover coins from foreign travels.
On April 2, 1792, President Washington signed into law the Coinage Act of 1792, also known as the Mint Act, establishing the US Mint in Philadelphia and authorizing American coinage. Before that, Americans had used a mix of foreign coins and a few coins produced by the individual colonies.
The first Mint was built at the corner of Arch and 7th streets in Philadelphia, the first three story building in the city and the first federal building erected under the US Constitution. Today, the Mint maintains production facilities in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, and West Point, and a bullion depository in Fort Knox.
Coin collecting, or numismatics, was one of the activities that fueled my childhood love history, and I spent a great deal of time with Yeoman's Red Book, THE reference book for US coins and their values. Unable to afford American collecting, I turned to foreign collecting, which literally opened up a whole new world. I still have a jar near my desk here into which I deposit leftover coins from foreign travels.
Thing.
On April 2, 1792, President Washington signed into law the Coinage Act of 1792, also known as the Mint Act, establishing the US Mint in Philadelphia and authorizing American coinage. Before that, Americans had used a mix of foreign coins and a few coins produced by the individual colonies.
"Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects.
Coin collecting may have possibly existed in ancient times. Caesar Augustus gave "coins of every device, including old pieces of the kings and foreign money" as Saturnalia gifts.
Petrarch, who wrote in a letter that he was often approached by vinediggers with old coins asking him to buy or to identify the ruler, is credited as the first Renaissance collector. Petrarch presented a collection of Roman coins to Emperor Charles IV in 1355.
The first book on coins was De Asse et Partibus (1514) by Guillaume Budé. During the early Renaissance ancient coins were collected by European royalty and nobility. Collectors of coins were Pope Boniface VIII, Emperor Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire, Louis XIV of France, Ferdinand I, Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg who started the Berlin coin cabinet and Henry IV of France to name a few. Numismatics is called the "Hobby of Kings", due to its most esteemed founders." (Wikipedia)
Coin collecting was one of the activities that fueled my childhood love history, and I spent a great deal of time with Yeoman's Red Book, THE reference book for US coins and their values. Unable to afford American collecting, I turned to foreign collecting, which literally opened up a whole new world. I still have a jar near my desk here into which I deposit leftover coins from foreign travels.
On April 2, 1792, President Washington signed into law the Coinage Act of 1792, also known as the Mint Act, establishing the US Mint in Philadelphia and authorizing American coinage. Before that, Americans had used a mix of foreign coins and a few coins produced by the individual colonies.
"Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects.
Coin collecting may have possibly existed in ancient times. Caesar Augustus gave "coins of every device, including old pieces of the kings and foreign money" as Saturnalia gifts.
Petrarch, who wrote in a letter that he was often approached by vinediggers with old coins asking him to buy or to identify the ruler, is credited as the first Renaissance collector. Petrarch presented a collection of Roman coins to Emperor Charles IV in 1355.
The first book on coins was De Asse et Partibus (1514) by Guillaume Budé. During the early Renaissance ancient coins were collected by European royalty and nobility. Collectors of coins were Pope Boniface VIII, Emperor Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire, Louis XIV of France, Ferdinand I, Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg who started the Berlin coin cabinet and Henry IV of France to name a few. Numismatics is called the "Hobby of Kings", due to its most esteemed founders." (Wikipedia)
Coin collecting was one of the activities that fueled my childhood love history, and I spent a great deal of time with Yeoman's Red Book, THE reference book for US coins and their values. Unable to afford American collecting, I turned to foreign collecting, which literally opened up a whole new world. I still have a jar near my desk here into which I deposit leftover coins from foreign travels.
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Person.
On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the European Recovery Program Act, better known as the Marshall Plan, into law, transferring 13.3 billion dollars (173 billion today) to rebuild Western Europe over the course of the next four years. The goal was to help stabilize the governments and economies in order to prevent the spread of communism.
The plan was named the Marshall Plan after Secretary of State George Marshall (1880-1959), but he was always ready to give credit to his deputies, especially Under-Secretary Robert Lovett, who actually designed it. Truman insisted on calling it the Marshall Plan. According to biographers, Marshall was never a workaholic, and he never kept up on details of plans, negotiations, or foreign affairs in general. He was the epitome of the "big picture guy," leaving the work to underlings he found competent.
Born in Pennsylvania to parents with Virginia roots ( He was first cousin, three times removed, to Chief Justice John Marshall.), he decided early on a military career. Failing to attain a West Point appointment, he attended the Virginia Military Institute. He served in the Philippines and in WWI, becoming a staff officer to General Pershing, the commander of American forces in the war, remaining his aide-de-camp between the World Wars. Moving up to Brigadier General and Deputy Chief of Staff under FDR, he openly disagreed with the President on the future of the US Army in meetings in 1938. Others thought he had killed his career. Instead, FDR made him Army Chief of Staff. He was ultimately responsible for the biggest mobilization and expansion of the US Military in history and the direction of the war effort. Following WWII, he served as Secretary of State and then as Secretary of Defense during the Korean War.
Place.
On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the European Recovery Program Act, better known as the Marshall Plan, into law, transferring 13.3 billion dollars (173 billion today) to rebuild Western Europe over the course of the next four years. The goal was to help stabilize the governments and economies in order to prevent the spread of communism.
As a result of WWII, Europe was devastated, having suffered millions of casualties and millions of displaced persons. It seemed fertile grounds for communist parties to grow, with Soviet aid, threatening the weakened governments of Western Europe. Marshall Plan money helped shore up the shaky economies. The money was offered to Eastern European countries as well, and was also accepted by some neutral countries in the war, but Stalin forbade Soviet satellites from accepting. Because the Soviet Union couldn't match the funding, many Soviet satellite countries had WWII damages that were not rebuilt until the 1980s and 1990s.
On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the European Recovery Program Act, better known as the Marshall Plan, into law, transferring 13.3 billion dollars (173 billion today) to rebuild Western Europe over the course of the next four years. The goal was to help stabilize the governments and economies in order to prevent the spread of communism.
As a result of WWII, Europe was devastated, having suffered millions of casualties and millions of displaced persons. It seemed fertile grounds for communist parties to grow, with Soviet aid, threatening the weakened governments of Western Europe. Marshall Plan money helped shore up the shaky economies. The money was offered to Eastern European countries as well, and was also accepted by some neutral countries in the war, but Stalin forbade Soviet satellites from accepting. Because the Soviet Union couldn't match the funding, many Soviet satellite countries had WWII damages that were not rebuilt until the 1980s and 1990s.
Thing.
On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the European Recovery Program Act, better known as the Marshall Plan, into law, transferring 13.3 billion dollars (173 billion today) to rebuild Western Europe over the course of the next four years. The goal was to help stabilize the governments and economies in order to prevent the spread of communism.
The effects:
"The years 1948 to 1952 saw the fastest period of growth in European history. Industrial production increased by 35%. Agricultural production substantially surpassed pre-war levels. The poverty and starvation of the immediate postwar years disappeared, and Western Europe embarked upon an unprecedented two decades of growth that saw standards of living increase dramatically. Additionally, the long-term effect of economic integration raised European income levels substantially, by nearly 20 percent by the mid-1970s. There is some debate among historians over how much this should be credited to the Marshall Plan. Most reject the idea that it alone miraculously revived Europe, as evidence shows that a general recovery was already underway. Most believe that the Marshall Plan sped this recovery, but did not initiate it. Many argue that the structural adjustments that it forced were of great importance. Economic historians J. Bradford Delong and Barry Eichengreen call it "history's most successful structural adjustment program." One effect of the plan was that it subtly "Americanized" European countries, especially Austria, through new exposure to American popular culture, including the growth in influence of Hollywood movies and rock n' roll." (Wikipedia)
On April 3, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the European Recovery Program Act, better known as the Marshall Plan, into law, transferring 13.3 billion dollars (173 billion today) to rebuild Western Europe over the course of the next four years. The goal was to help stabilize the governments and economies in order to prevent the spread of communism.
The effects:
"The years 1948 to 1952 saw the fastest period of growth in European history. Industrial production increased by 35%. Agricultural production substantially surpassed pre-war levels. The poverty and starvation of the immediate postwar years disappeared, and Western Europe embarked upon an unprecedented two decades of growth that saw standards of living increase dramatically. Additionally, the long-term effect of economic integration raised European income levels substantially, by nearly 20 percent by the mid-1970s. There is some debate among historians over how much this should be credited to the Marshall Plan. Most reject the idea that it alone miraculously revived Europe, as evidence shows that a general recovery was already underway. Most believe that the Marshall Plan sped this recovery, but did not initiate it. Many argue that the structural adjustments that it forced were of great importance. Economic historians J. Bradford Delong and Barry Eichengreen call it "history's most successful structural adjustment program." One effect of the plan was that it subtly "Americanized" European countries, especially Austria, through new exposure to American popular culture, including the growth in influence of Hollywood movies and rock n' roll." (Wikipedia)
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Person.
Marguerite Annie Johnson was born on April 4. 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She became better known as writer, poet, actress, dancer, singer. civil rights activist, and memoirist Maya Angelou. Her career spanned over fifty years, including 7 autobiographies, but her first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international recognition.
Her childhood was tumultuous, raised off and on by her paternal grandmother in Arkansas and her mother when her parents' marriage dissolved, and she was raped at the age of 8 by her mother's boyfriend. As a result of that trauma, she entered a nearly five year period of muteness, during which she fell in love with the written word and became a keen observer of the world around her.
During her teen years, she and her brother moved to Oakland California to once again live with their mother. At 16, she became the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco. She married in 1951 and began a professional dance career, appearing in traveling and off-Broadway productions, while dabbling in recording music. In the late 1950s, she became a civil rights activist, and she became friends and collaborators with both MLK and Malcolm X.
Until her death in 2014, she continued to write, compose, record, act, lecture, produce, and direct movies and plays.
Marguerite Annie Johnson was born on April 4. 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She became better known as writer, poet, actress, dancer, singer. civil rights activist, and memoirist Maya Angelou. Her career spanned over fifty years, including 7 autobiographies, but her first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international recognition.
Her childhood was tumultuous, raised off and on by her paternal grandmother in Arkansas and her mother when her parents' marriage dissolved, and she was raped at the age of 8 by her mother's boyfriend. As a result of that trauma, she entered a nearly five year period of muteness, during which she fell in love with the written word and became a keen observer of the world around her.
During her teen years, she and her brother moved to Oakland California to once again live with their mother. At 16, she became the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco. She married in 1951 and began a professional dance career, appearing in traveling and off-Broadway productions, while dabbling in recording music. In the late 1950s, she became a civil rights activist, and she became friends and collaborators with both MLK and Malcolm X.
Until her death in 2014, she continued to write, compose, record, act, lecture, produce, and direct movies and plays.
Place.
Marguerite Annie Johnson was born on April 4. 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She became better known as writer, poet, actress, dancer, singer. civil rights activist, and memoirist Maya Angelou. Her career spanned over fifty years, including 7 autobiographies, but her first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international recognition.
"Beginning with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou used the same "writing ritual" for many years. She would wake early in the morning and check into a hotel room, where the staff was instructed to remove any pictures from the walls. She would write on legal pads while lying on the bed, with only a bottle of sherry, a deck of cards to play solitaire, Roget's Thesaurus, and the Bible, and would leave by the early afternoon. She would average 10–12 pages of written material a day, which she edited down to three or four pages in the evening. She went through this process to "enchant" herself, and as she said in a 1989 interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, "relive the agony, the anguish, the Sturn und Drang." She placed herself back in the time she wrote about, even traumatic experiences such as her rape in Caged Bird, in order to "tell the human truth" about her life. Angelou stated that she played cards in order to get to that place of enchantment and in order to access her memories more effectively. She said, "It may take an hour to get into it, but once I'm in it—ha! It's so delicious!" She did not find the process cathartic; rather, she found relief in "telling the truth"." (Wikipedia)
Marguerite Annie Johnson was born on April 4. 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She became better known as writer, poet, actress, dancer, singer. civil rights activist, and memoirist Maya Angelou. Her career spanned over fifty years, including 7 autobiographies, but her first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international recognition.
"Beginning with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou used the same "writing ritual" for many years. She would wake early in the morning and check into a hotel room, where the staff was instructed to remove any pictures from the walls. She would write on legal pads while lying on the bed, with only a bottle of sherry, a deck of cards to play solitaire, Roget's Thesaurus, and the Bible, and would leave by the early afternoon. She would average 10–12 pages of written material a day, which she edited down to three or four pages in the evening. She went through this process to "enchant" herself, and as she said in a 1989 interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, "relive the agony, the anguish, the Sturn und Drang." She placed herself back in the time she wrote about, even traumatic experiences such as her rape in Caged Bird, in order to "tell the human truth" about her life. Angelou stated that she played cards in order to get to that place of enchantment and in order to access her memories more effectively. She said, "It may take an hour to get into it, but once I'm in it—ha! It's so delicious!" She did not find the process cathartic; rather, she found relief in "telling the truth"." (Wikipedia)
Thing.
Marguerite Annie Johnson was born on April 4. 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She became better known as writer, poet, actress, dancer, singer. civil rights activist, and memoirist Maya Angelou. Her career spanned over fifty years, including 7 autobiographies, but her first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international recognition.
"In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton, becoming the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. Her recitation resulted in more fame and recognition for her previous works, and broadened her appeal "across racial, economic, and educational boundaries". The recording of the poem won a Grammy Award. In June 1995, she delivered what Richard Long called her "second 'public' poem", entitled "A Brave and Startling Truth", which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations." (Wikipedia)
Marguerite Annie Johnson was born on April 4. 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. She became better known as writer, poet, actress, dancer, singer. civil rights activist, and memoirist Maya Angelou. Her career spanned over fifty years, including 7 autobiographies, but her first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international recognition.
"In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton, becoming the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. Her recitation resulted in more fame and recognition for her previous works, and broadened her appeal "across racial, economic, and educational boundaries". The recording of the poem won a Grammy Award. In June 1995, she delivered what Richard Long called her "second 'public' poem", entitled "A Brave and Startling Truth", which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations." (Wikipedia)
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People.
On April 5, 1939, in Nazi Germany, membership in the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens became mandatory for "Aryan" schoolchildren. The organizations were formed to indoctrinate German children and to prepare the next generation's leaders. However, few Americans know that the German-American Bund, comprised of German-Americans who supported Nazism, operated summer camps throughout the 1930s in the Northern US.
Hundreds of German-American children and grandchildren (and other American children) of immigrants wore Hitler Youth and Maiden uniforms and swastikas, marched, drilled, read books, and sang songs in praise of Hitler in camps over which the flags of the US and of Nazi Germany both flew.
They canoed, swam, and did all the other things summer campers did, but there was also an emphasis on fitness and propaganda, preparing the minds and bodies of good Nazis. They often marched proudly through the streets of nearby towns, and nights often ended around bonfires, singing Nazi songs.
The movement started to decline in 1939 when Bund leader Fritz Kuhn was imprisoned for forgery and embezzlement, but a few camps limped on into the 1940s.
On April 5, 1939, in Nazi Germany, membership in the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens became mandatory for "Aryan" schoolchildren. The organizations were formed to indoctrinate German children and to prepare the next generation's leaders. However, few Americans know that the German-American Bund, comprised of German-Americans who supported Nazism, operated summer camps throughout the 1930s in the Northern US.
Hundreds of German-American children and grandchildren (and other American children) of immigrants wore Hitler Youth and Maiden uniforms and swastikas, marched, drilled, read books, and sang songs in praise of Hitler in camps over which the flags of the US and of Nazi Germany both flew.
They canoed, swam, and did all the other things summer campers did, but there was also an emphasis on fitness and propaganda, preparing the minds and bodies of good Nazis. They often marched proudly through the streets of nearby towns, and nights often ended around bonfires, singing Nazi songs.
The movement started to decline in 1939 when Bund leader Fritz Kuhn was imprisoned for forgery and embezzlement, but a few camps limped on into the 1940s.
Place.
On April 5, 1939, in Nazi Germany, membership in the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens became mandatory for "Aryan" schoolchildren. The organizations were formed to indoctrinate German children and to prepare the next generation's leaders. However, few Americans know that the German-American Bund, comprised of German-Americans who supported Nazism, operated summer camps throughout the 1930s in the Northern US.
Hundreds of German-American children and grandchildren (and other American children) of immigrants wore Hitler Youth and Maiden uniforms and swastikas, marched, drilled, read books, and sang songs in praise of Hitler in camps over which the flags of the US and of Nazi Germany both flew.
"The Bund established a number of training camps, including Camp Nordland in Sussex County, New Jersey, Camp Siegfried in Yaphank, New York, Camp Hindenburg in Grafton, Wisconsin, and the Deutschhorst Country Club in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, Camp Bergwald in Bloomingdale, New Jersey, and Camp Highland in Windham, New York. The Bund held rallies with Nazi insignia and procedures such as the Hitler salute and attacked the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jewish-American groups, Communism, "Moscow-directed" trade unions, and American boycotts of German goods. The organization claimed to show its loyalty to America by displaying the flag of the United States alongside the flag of Nazi Germany at Bund meetings, and declared that George Washington was "the first Fascist" who did not believe democracy would work." ( Wikipedia)
On April 5, 1939, in Nazi Germany, membership in the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens became mandatory for "Aryan" schoolchildren. The organizations were formed to indoctrinate German children and to prepare the next generation's leaders. However, few Americans know that the German-American Bund, comprised of German-Americans who supported Nazism, operated summer camps throughout the 1930s in the Northern US.
Hundreds of German-American children and grandchildren (and other American children) of immigrants wore Hitler Youth and Maiden uniforms and swastikas, marched, drilled, read books, and sang songs in praise of Hitler in camps over which the flags of the US and of Nazi Germany both flew.
"The Bund established a number of training camps, including Camp Nordland in Sussex County, New Jersey, Camp Siegfried in Yaphank, New York, Camp Hindenburg in Grafton, Wisconsin, and the Deutschhorst Country Club in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, Camp Bergwald in Bloomingdale, New Jersey, and Camp Highland in Windham, New York. The Bund held rallies with Nazi insignia and procedures such as the Hitler salute and attacked the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jewish-American groups, Communism, "Moscow-directed" trade unions, and American boycotts of German goods. The organization claimed to show its loyalty to America by displaying the flag of the United States alongside the flag of Nazi Germany at Bund meetings, and declared that George Washington was "the first Fascist" who did not believe democracy would work." ( Wikipedia)
Thing.
On April 5, 1939, in Nazi Germany, membership in the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens became mandatory for "Aryan" schoolchildren. The organizations were formed to indoctrinate German children and to prepare the next generation's leaders. However, few Americans know that the German-American Bund, comprised of German-Americans who supported Nazism, operated summer camps throughout the 1930s in the Northern US.
On February 20, 1939, the German-American Bund hosted a rally of more than 20,000 people inside New York City's Madison Square Garden to celebrate the birthday of George Washington. According to Bund propaganda, Washington would have been a Fascist. Outside, up to 100,000 counter-protestors, by some estimates, surrounded the building. Some infiltrated inside, hurling jeers and taunts at speakers. A record force of 1,700 NYC policemen struggled to maintain a line between the two groups.
On April 5, 1939, in Nazi Germany, membership in the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens became mandatory for "Aryan" schoolchildren. The organizations were formed to indoctrinate German children and to prepare the next generation's leaders. However, few Americans know that the German-American Bund, comprised of German-Americans who supported Nazism, operated summer camps throughout the 1930s in the Northern US.
On February 20, 1939, the German-American Bund hosted a rally of more than 20,000 people inside New York City's Madison Square Garden to celebrate the birthday of George Washington. According to Bund propaganda, Washington would have been a Fascist. Outside, up to 100,000 counter-protestors, by some estimates, surrounded the building. Some infiltrated inside, hurling jeers and taunts at speakers. A record force of 1,700 NYC policemen struggled to maintain a line between the two groups.
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Person.
Lincoln Steffens was born on April 6, 1866 in San Francisco. He became an investigative journalist, a muckraker, during the Progressive Era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. (For the younger people, once there were journalists who investigated stories and exposed corruption and societal ills instead of just printing what famous people tweeted or the talking points handed to them by the biased party that they happen to align with. Quaint, old-fashioned idea.)
After studying in Europe, Steffens began his writing career in New York in the 1890s. From 1902 to 1906, he was editor of McClure's Magazine, a popular current events magazine that published other noted muckrakers like Ida Tarbell and Roy Stannard Baker. He left McClure's and founded a new magazine with Ida Tarbell as a partner in 1906.
In his articles, collectively published as The Shame of the Cities, Steffens sought to expose municipal corruption in cities across America, especially those cities controlled by big political machines and bosses. His goal was to anger Americans into taking action and effecting reform.
After covering the Mexican and Russian Revolutions, he moved further left, advocating full revolution instead of reform. He became a staunch supporter and promoter of the Soviet government and of communism. Of Soviet Russia, he often said, "I have seen the future, and it works." Like many Americans though, his love of Soviet communism began to sour by the early 1930s as Stalin's ruthlessness came to light. He died of a heart condition in 1936.
Lincoln Steffens was born on April 6, 1866 in San Francisco. He became an investigative journalist, a muckraker, during the Progressive Era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. (For the younger people, once there were journalists who investigated stories and exposed corruption and societal ills instead of just printing what famous people tweeted or the talking points handed to them by the biased party that they happen to align with. Quaint, old-fashioned idea.)
After studying in Europe, Steffens began his writing career in New York in the 1890s. From 1902 to 1906, he was editor of McClure's Magazine, a popular current events magazine that published other noted muckrakers like Ida Tarbell and Roy Stannard Baker. He left McClure's and founded a new magazine with Ida Tarbell as a partner in 1906.
In his articles, collectively published as The Shame of the Cities, Steffens sought to expose municipal corruption in cities across America, especially those cities controlled by big political machines and bosses. His goal was to anger Americans into taking action and effecting reform.
After covering the Mexican and Russian Revolutions, he moved further left, advocating full revolution instead of reform. He became a staunch supporter and promoter of the Soviet government and of communism. Of Soviet Russia, he often said, "I have seen the future, and it works." Like many Americans though, his love of Soviet communism began to sour by the early 1930s as Stalin's ruthlessness came to light. He died of a heart condition in 1936.
Place.
Lincoln Steffens was born on April 6, 1866 in San Francisco. He became an investigative journalist, a muckraker, during the Progressive Era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. (For the younger people, once there were journalists who investigated stories and exposed corruption and societal ills instead of just printing what famous people tweeted or the talking points handed to them by the biased party that they happen to align with. Quaint, old-fashioned idea.)
After investigating municipal corruption and political machines that thrived on the corruption to the detriment of the average citizen, he published a series of articles in McClure's Magazine, and the articles were published as a book, The Shame of the Cities, in 1904. The cities he targeted, often at the behest of prominent locals, were St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.
Lincoln Steffens was born on April 6, 1866 in San Francisco. He became an investigative journalist, a muckraker, during the Progressive Era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. (For the younger people, once there were journalists who investigated stories and exposed corruption and societal ills instead of just printing what famous people tweeted or the talking points handed to them by the biased party that they happen to align with. Quaint, old-fashioned idea.)
After investigating municipal corruption and political machines that thrived on the corruption to the detriment of the average citizen, he published a series of articles in McClure's Magazine, and the articles were published as a book, The Shame of the Cities, in 1904. The cities he targeted, often at the behest of prominent locals, were St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.
Thing.
Lincoln Steffens was born on April 6, 1866 in San Francisco. He became an investigative journalist, a muckraker, during the Progressive Era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. (For the younger people, once there were journalists who investigated stories and exposed corruption and societal ills instead of just printing what famous people tweeted or the talking points handed to them by the biased party that they happen to align with. Quaint, old-fashioned idea.)
After investigating municipal corruption and political machines that thrived on the corruption to the detriment of the average citizen, he published a series of articles in McClure's Magazine, and the articles were published as a book, The Shame of the Cities, in 1904.
From the 1800s well into the 1900s, many American cities were run by political machines, political party organizations that maintain political power by dispensing favors and bribes and generating loyalty from politicians and voters. The "Bosses" that really ran the cities never ran for office themselves. Instead, they delivered votes to politicians to get them elected through corruption and persuasion. The politicians then were obligated to do the Boss' bidding or risk losing the next election. The Boss and his associates would receive lucrative government contracts and favorable legislation.
The Bosses often relied on the votes of immigrants. They would bestow favors and assistance on new Americans to help them find jobs and homes and adjust to their new lives. The new immigrants would vote the way the Bosses wanted out of loyalty and gratitude.
Lincoln Steffens was born on April 6, 1866 in San Francisco. He became an investigative journalist, a muckraker, during the Progressive Era of the late 1800s and early 1900s. (For the younger people, once there were journalists who investigated stories and exposed corruption and societal ills instead of just printing what famous people tweeted or the talking points handed to them by the biased party that they happen to align with. Quaint, old-fashioned idea.)
After investigating municipal corruption and political machines that thrived on the corruption to the detriment of the average citizen, he published a series of articles in McClure's Magazine, and the articles were published as a book, The Shame of the Cities, in 1904.
From the 1800s well into the 1900s, many American cities were run by political machines, political party organizations that maintain political power by dispensing favors and bribes and generating loyalty from politicians and voters. The "Bosses" that really ran the cities never ran for office themselves. Instead, they delivered votes to politicians to get them elected through corruption and persuasion. The politicians then were obligated to do the Boss' bidding or risk losing the next election. The Boss and his associates would receive lucrative government contracts and favorable legislation.
The Bosses often relied on the votes of immigrants. They would bestow favors and assistance on new Americans to help them find jobs and homes and adjust to their new lives. The new immigrants would vote the way the Bosses wanted out of loyalty and gratitude.
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Person.
On April 7, 451, Attila the Hun, labeled the "Scourge of God" or "Flagellum Dei" by the Christian Romans, seized and sacked the city of Metz in northeastern France.
Attila ( c. 406 - 453) ruled the Huns, Eurasian nomads who originated somewhere east of the Volga River, from 434 until his death. During his rule, he united a number of tribes, called "Barbarians" by the Romans, in Central and Eastern Europe, and he established a huge empire, stretching from the Ural to the Rhine Rivers and South to the Danube.
He was the most feared enemy of both the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. He threatened Constantinople several times but failed to capture the Eastern capital. In 451, he invaded Roman Gaul (France) and subsequently northern Italy but was unable to take Rome. However, his campaigns severely weakened Rome, hastening its collapse in 476.
Although he accumulated a massive amount of plunder, he was said to live simply, eating from a wooden trenches (bowl/plate) and drinking from a wooden cup while his guests and and drank from gold and silver. He dressed very simply, and his horse went unadorned.
Stories were told of Attila's cruelties throughout Europe and Asia, but stories of cruelty were, and are, made up and exaggerated about one's enemies. The subject himself may well have erpetuated such stories for psychological effect. Attila died following a great wedding feast, but there is still debate over the exact circumstances and cause.
Kelly's 2020 book looks like a good addition to my reading list.
On April 7, 451, Attila the Hun, labeled the "Scourge of God" or "Flagellum Dei" by the Christian Romans, seized and sacked the city of Metz in northeastern France.
Attila ( c. 406 - 453) ruled the Huns, Eurasian nomads who originated somewhere east of the Volga River, from 434 until his death. During his rule, he united a number of tribes, called "Barbarians" by the Romans, in Central and Eastern Europe, and he established a huge empire, stretching from the Ural to the Rhine Rivers and South to the Danube.
He was the most feared enemy of both the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. He threatened Constantinople several times but failed to capture the Eastern capital. In 451, he invaded Roman Gaul (France) and subsequently northern Italy but was unable to take Rome. However, his campaigns severely weakened Rome, hastening its collapse in 476.
Although he accumulated a massive amount of plunder, he was said to live simply, eating from a wooden trenches (bowl/plate) and drinking from a wooden cup while his guests and and drank from gold and silver. He dressed very simply, and his horse went unadorned.
Stories were told of Attila's cruelties throughout Europe and Asia, but stories of cruelty were, and are, made up and exaggerated about one's enemies. The subject himself may well have erpetuated such stories for psychological effect. Attila died following a great wedding feast, but there is still debate over the exact circumstances and cause.
Kelly's 2020 book looks like a good addition to my reading list.
Place
On April 7, 451, Attila the Hun, labeled the "Scourge of God" or "Flagellum Dei" by the Christian Romans, seized and sacked the city of Metz in northeastern France.
Attila ( c. 406 - 453) ruled the Huns, Eurasian nomads who originated somewhere east of the Volga River, from 434 until his death. During his rule, he united a number of tribes, called "Barbarians" by the Romans, in Central and Eastern Europe, and he established a huge empire, stretching from the Ural to the Rhine Rivers and South to the Danube.
He was the most feared enemy of both the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. He threatened Constantinople several times but failed to capture the Eastern capital. In 451, he invaded Roman Gaul (France) and subsequently northern Italy but was unable to take Rome. However, his campaigns severely weakened Rome, hastening its collapse in 476.
On April 7, 451, Attila the Hun, labeled the "Scourge of God" or "Flagellum Dei" by the Christian Romans, seized and sacked the city of Metz in northeastern France.
Attila ( c. 406 - 453) ruled the Huns, Eurasian nomads who originated somewhere east of the Volga River, from 434 until his death. During his rule, he united a number of tribes, called "Barbarians" by the Romans, in Central and Eastern Europe, and he established a huge empire, stretching from the Ural to the Rhine Rivers and South to the Danube.
He was the most feared enemy of both the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. He threatened Constantinople several times but failed to capture the Eastern capital. In 451, he invaded Roman Gaul (France) and subsequently northern Italy but was unable to take Rome. However, his campaigns severely weakened Rome, hastening its collapse in 476.
Thing.
On April 7, 451, Attila the Hun, labeled the "Scourge of God" or "Flagellum Dei" by the Christian Romans, seized and sacked the city of Metz in northeastern France.
Attila ( c. 406 - 453) ruled the Huns, Eurasian nomads who originated somewhere east of the Volga River, from 434 until his death. During his rule, he united a number of tribes, called "Barbarians" by the Romans, in Central and Eastern Europe, and he established a huge empire, stretching from the Ural to the Rhine Rivers and South to the Danube.
The medal pictured here illustrates how Attila was thought of in Italy even 1,000 years after his death. It was minted in the 16th or early 17th century in late Renaissance Italy. Designed by an unknown artist, the obverse (front/heads) features the inscription "King Attila" in Latin (Other versions say "Scourge of God.") and depicts him as a faun or satyr, the lustful, mischievous, sometimes evil half-man, half-goat creatures of Greek and Roman mythology. I can't find much more information about the medal and its purpose.
On April 7, 451, Attila the Hun, labeled the "Scourge of God" or "Flagellum Dei" by the Christian Romans, seized and sacked the city of Metz in northeastern France.
Attila ( c. 406 - 453) ruled the Huns, Eurasian nomads who originated somewhere east of the Volga River, from 434 until his death. During his rule, he united a number of tribes, called "Barbarians" by the Romans, in Central and Eastern Europe, and he established a huge empire, stretching from the Ural to the Rhine Rivers and South to the Danube.
The medal pictured here illustrates how Attila was thought of in Italy even 1,000 years after his death. It was minted in the 16th or early 17th century in late Renaissance Italy. Designed by an unknown artist, the obverse (front/heads) features the inscription "King Attila" in Latin (Other versions say "Scourge of God.") and depicts him as a faun or satyr, the lustful, mischievous, sometimes evil half-man, half-goat creatures of Greek and Roman mythology. I can't find much more information about the medal and its purpose.
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