My Century RSS

It was the Century of the Roosevelts and of Truman, of King and Kennedy, the Great Gatsby, Babe Ruth and men on the Moon. It was a time of great victories in war and the despair of the Great Depression. We endured Watergate and the Cold War, and fought for civil rights. We lived among giant men and women, and their ideals. The 20th Century was the great American Century -- and it was my Century.

This is a place to reflect on that Century and to consider its lessons for the challenges we face today.

Archive

Apr
27th
Fri
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RIP Moose Skowron, mainstay of the great #Yankee teams of the 1950s and early 1960s, who died today at the age of 81.  

RIP Moose Skowron, mainstay of the great #Yankee teams of the 1950s and early 1960s, who died today at the age of 81.  

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Babe Ruth: Rare and Unpublished Photos
Apr
23rd
Mon
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Another recently acquired gem—Topps 1960 Al Kaline card.  A perennial All-Star and great Detroit Tiger. #HOF

Another recently acquired gem—Topps 1960 Al Kaline card.  A perennial All-Star and great Detroit Tiger. #HOF

Apr
20th
Fri
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Bought this card today —  Harmon Killebrew 1960.  The Killer was one of the great players and truly great men of baseball in the 1960s.  

Bought this card today —  Harmon Killebrew 1960.  The Killer was one of the great players and truly great men of baseball in the 1960s.  

Feb
19th
Sun
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It’s astounding that nearly 47 years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, and just 6 years after it was almost unanimously renewed, some states are calling for a repeal or at least a roll-back.  LBJ was a Southerner who ended up as a civil rights hero.  Someone from the conservative side of the aisle needs to have the courage to stand up today and insist on maintaining the integrity and enforceability of civil rights legislation at the polls.  In this photo, LBJ addresses other government leaders before signing the Voting Rights Act into law.   See commentary on today’s debate at http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73058.html

It’s astounding that nearly 47 years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, and just 6 years after it was almost unanimously renewed, some states are calling for a repeal or at least a roll-back.  LBJ was a Southerner who ended up as a civil rights hero.  Someone from the conservative side of the aisle needs to have the courage to stand up today and insist on maintaining the integrity and enforceability of civil rights legislation at the polls.  In this photo, LBJ addresses other government leaders before signing the Voting Rights Act into law.  

See commentary on today’s debate at http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73058.html

Jan
20th
Fri
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Happy 82nd Birthday to Buzz Aldrin, Second Man on the Moon.  

Happy 82nd Birthday to Buzz Aldrin, Second Man on the Moon.  

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On Jan. 20, 1961, JFK was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States.  Numbers 36 (LBJ) and 37 (Nixon) look on.  A fourth President (Eisenhower) is out of the frame in this picture.  Four Presidents on the podium on this most remarkable day of the 20th Century.

On Jan. 20, 1961, JFK was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States.  Numbers 36 (LBJ) and 37 (Nixon) look on.  A fourth President (Eisenhower) is out of the frame in this picture.  Four Presidents on the podium on this most remarkable day of the 20th Century.

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todaysdocument: Inauguration Day 1969 Incoming President Richard M. Nixon and outgoing President Lyndon Johnson meet in the White House on Nixon’s inauguration day, 1/20/1969

todaysdocument:

Inauguration Day 1969

Incoming President Richard M. Nixon and outgoing President Lyndon Johnson meet in the White House on Nixon’s inauguration day, 1/20/1969

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ourpresidents: President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter dancing at the Inaugural Ball.  January 20, 1977.

ourpresidents:

President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter dancing at the Inaugural Ball.  January 20, 1977.

(via todaysdocument)

Jan
15th
Sun
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On Jan. 15, 1967, Martin Luther King’s 38th birthday, the Green Bay Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs in the very first Super Bowl.  It wasn’t even called the “Super Bowl” yet, but the inaugural championship match between the top teams in the NFC and AFC was the advent of what would eventually become an annual American holiday.  The tradition of Roman numerals came later, but this game, although ultimately one-sided, was a much-celebrated match-up that included numerous future Hall of Famers, including legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi.  Led by game MVP Bart Starr and unlikely receiving hero Max McGee (pictured here on the cover of Sports Illustrated), the Packers defeated the Chiefs, 35-10, in a packed Los Angeles Coliseum.   

On Jan. 15, 1967, Martin Luther King’s 38th birthday, the Green Bay Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs in the very first Super Bowl.  It wasn’t even called the “Super Bowl” yet, but the inaugural championship match between the top teams in the NFC and AFC was the advent of what would eventually become an annual American holiday.  The tradition of Roman numerals came later, but this game, although ultimately one-sided, was a much-celebrated match-up that included numerous future Hall of Famers, including legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi.  Led by game MVP Bart Starr and unlikely receiving hero Max McGee (pictured here on the cover of Sports Illustrated), the Packers defeated the Chiefs, 35-10, in a packed Los Angeles Coliseum.