When W.E.B. DuBois debated Lothrop Stoddard, white supremacy was laughed off the stage.

TEACHERS, HEROESThe AtticJuly 14, 2022W.E.B. DuBois, Lothrop Stoddard, Race in America, Racial debate, eugenics, The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremacy Comments

WHO WOULD GO NAZI?

Booted out of the Reich, Dorothy Thompson warned Americans of Nazis in their midst. Was anyone listening?

HEROESThe AtticJuly 7, 2022Dorothy Thompson, Hitler, Nazism, American Journalism, "It Can't Happen Here", Sinclair Lewis Comments

THE ECONOMIST AND THE COMMONS

The commons was doomed, economists said. Elinor Ostrom disagreed and won a Nobel.

TEACHERS & HEALERS, teachers & healers, DREAMERSThe AtticJuly 6, 2022Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Prize, Nobel Prize economicsComment

STEVERINO -- TELEVISION'S WISEST WIT

TV was “the boob tube” but Steve Allen brought intelligence, style, and a wacky wit that inspired generations.

WITSThe AtticJune 23, 2022Steve Allen, "The Tonight Show", humor, American humor, Jack Kerouac, Kerouac and Steve Allen Comments

ROCKET SCIENCE FOR BEGINNERS

Back when space travel was science-fiction, Robert Goddard saw no limit to the sky.

DREAMERSThe AtticJune 16, 2022Robert Goddard, Space travel, Apollo 11, Apollo program, NASA, Rocketry, Clark University, Buzz Aldrin Comment

GRAND DAME OF THE GLADES

Neighbors considered it a swamp but Marjory Stoneman Douglas saved the Everglades and inspired a generation.

HEROESBruce WatsonJune 9, 2022Marjory Stoneman Douglas, The Everglades, Conservation, Environmental movement, Parkland shootings Comments

WHO IS AMERICA'S GREATEST THINKER?

Think the Midwest is just corn country? The annual Great American Think-off will make you think again.

TEACHERS, teachers, teachers & healers, TEACHERS & HEALERSBruce WatsonJune 2, 2022Great American Think-off, Philosophy, American philosophy, Thinking Comment

AMERICA'S PEACE PLATFORM -- THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL

In a city of monuments, one stands out. This week the Lincoln Memorial turns 100.

American Places, THE PEACEMAKERSThe AtticMay 26, 2022Lincoln Memmorial, Abraham Lincoln, Peace activists, Protest, Anti-war protests, MLK, March on WashingtonComment

THE WOMAN IN THE MINEFIELDS

A UN treaty failed to ban landmines. Then a “quiet woman” from Vermont went to work.

THE PEACEMAKERSThe AtticMay 20, 2022PEACE, Landmines, Land mines, International Committee to Ban Landmines, Nobel Peace Prize, Jody WIlliams Comments

THE GENIUS, HIS WIFE, AND THE BOMB

Nobel laureate Linus Pauling made weapons of war but Ava Helen taught him to wage peace.

THE PEACEMAKERSThe AtticMay 13, 2022Linus Pauling, Ava Helen Pauling, Nobel Peace Prize, Peace, Disarmament, Nuclear test ban Comments

THE MAINE GIRL AND THE SOVIET PREMIERE

The Cold War was at its coldest when Samantha Smith wrote to the Soviet premiere. When he wrote back, the thaw began.

THE PEACEMAKERSThe AtticMay 5, 2022Samantha Smith, Cold War, US-USSR, Peace, Peace activists Comments

MEET THE PEACEMAKERS

Shunned, mocked, arrested, America’s Peacemakers march on. This month we’ll meet a few of the blessed.

THE PEACEMAKERSThe AtticApril 29, 2022Peace, Peace activism, Anti-war, Anti-war protests, AFSC, American Friends Service Committee, CODE PINK, pacifism Comments

THE MENSCH WHO SAVED A LANGUAGE

Like the old folks who spoke it, Yiddish was dying out. Then Aaron Lanky rented a truck and. . . Mazel tov!

HEROES, BOOK-ISHThe AtticApril 21, 2022National Yiddish Book Center, Aaron Lansky, Yiddish language, Yiddish culture Comments

RFK -- "MAKE GENTLE THE LIFE OF THIS WORLD"

"Do they know about Martin Luther King?" Robert Kennedy asked as he stepped before the crowd.

History, HEROESThe AtticApril 9, 2022RFK, MLK, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King assassination, 1968 Comments

"THE FAMILY OF MAN" -- STILL SHOWING US US

With the Cold War looming, The Family of Man toured the world, creating a family portrait that fought the gloom.

DREAMERS, ART-ISHThe AtticApril 1, 2022Family of Man, Photography, Hope, 1950s Comments

FRANCES PERKINS -- THE WOMAN WHO BROUGHT YOU THE WEEKEND

FDR was lukewarm on Labor until Frances Perkins masterminded Social Security, minimum wage, workmen’s comp. . . You’re welcome!

Women, HEROESThe AtticMarch 25, 2022Frances Perkins, FDR, New Deal, Labor History Comments