They Killed Malcolm X
Malcolm X was murdered 55 years ago, on February 21, 1965. He had just begun speaking on stage in the Audubon Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in New York when …..
The Who2 Blog
A.E. Hotchner Outlived ‘Em All
Author and famous-friend-of-the-famous A.E. Hotchner has died at his home in Connecticut. Born in St. Louis during World War I, he was 102 years old. He was still writing until …..
Black History Month: How African-American GIs of WWII Fought for Democracy Abroad and Then at Home
When war broke out, black Americans fought in segregated units to serve their country. The breath of freedom they experienced in Europe flamed the fight for equality when they returned home.
Robert Conrad Has Died at the Agreed-Upon Age of 84
Actor Robert Conrad has died of heart failure. He was a fist-fighting TV star in his day, in the 1960s hit The Wild Wild West (which spent decades in reruns) and …..
Kobe Bryant is Dead in a Helicopter Crash at Age 41
Former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles, according to TMZ, ESPN and other sources. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant (known as GiGi), …..
Behold the Big Big Birthdays of 2020
Here they come: the big, big birthdays of 2020. Who turns 50 this year? Who turns 100? What about 1400? (And would you be surprised to learn that Spongebob Squarepants is …..
Baby Yoda Biography: New!
Our new Baby Yoda biography is now live. It’s a stretch to call it a biography, of course, since the world knows so few facts about the li’l guy who …..
What Will Prince Andrew Do With Himself?
So Prince Andrew is leaving public life “for the foreseeable future,” thanks to his ghastly judgment in befriending pedophile millionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his ghastly judgment in talking about it with …..
Meet Erasmus: The Dutch theologian who paved the way for the Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther gets the credit, but Erasmus set the stage, including his emphasis on using the new technology of the printing press.
Joni Mitchell is a Terrific Artist, Too
How much talent can one woman have? Joni Mitchell made her name with catchy singles like “Big Yellow Taxi” (1970) and confessional albums like Blue (1971). But while she was …..
Meet Susan Clark, the First Black Child to Go to a Desegregated School
The first African-American child who won court approval to attend a whites-only school was Susan Clark in Muscatine, Iowa in 1868.
College Football Time is F. Scott Fitzgerald Time
Blustery September Saturdays mean it’s time to dig out F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s masterpiece The Bowl again for an annual reading. This is not The Cut-Glass Bowl, Fitzgerald’s more famous (and gloomier) …..
Apollo 11 Biographies, 50 Years After These Amazing Guys Walked on the Moon
Here they are: the three brave humans who flew to the moon 50 years ago. Two of them walked on its surface. The three are: Commander Neil Armstrong, command module pilot Michael Collins, …..
Jeffrey Epstein Biography — New!
Our biography of once (and future?) convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is now live. Jeffrey Epstein is the mysteriously wealthy money manager who was convicted 13 years ago of the …..
Mister Rogers Gets a Visit from the Wicked Witch of the West
Apropos of nothing: here’s a wonderful episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in which the visitor is actress Margaret Hamilton, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West in the …..
Doris Day and Carol Channing, Linked Forever in Death
Actress, singer and eternal nice girl Doris Day has died of pneumonia at age 97. (She fudged her age for years, but biographer David Kaufman finally pegged her birth year as …..
Pete Buttigieg Biography – New!
Our new biography of Pete Buttigieg is now live. Pete Buttigieg, as has been widely reported, has unusual credentials for a modern presidential candidate. He is: Under 40 years of …..
One Year Later, Sluggo is *Still* Lit
It was the waning days of 2017, and Andrews McMeel was looking to make a change. The venerable comic “Nancy” had been around for eight decades, and the syndicate was …..
Women’s History Month Profile: Jessie Simmons Fought for Years Simply to Get a Teaching Job in Michigan
Guest post by Valerie Hill-Jackson, Texas A&M University/The Conversation Jessie Dean Gipson Simmons was full of optimism when she and her family moved from an apartment in a troubled area …..
Read Michael Caine’s Good-Natured Slag of ‘Jaws 4’
The great Michael Caine drops a quip about Jaws: The Revenge (in which he played “carefree airplane pilot” Hoagie Newcombe): He’s the best. The quote was prompted by a comment from Ricky …..