By Thomas F. Schwartz During the season of goblins, ghosts, witches, vampires, and zombies, “invisible guests” would find themselves among friends. But invisibility can be the spiteful kind as in H. G. Welles, Invisible Man or something that is not present but felt. It is the latter that Herbert Hoover evoked in a series of … Continue reading The Invisible Guest
by Spencer Howard Just over 80 years ago, Walt Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature length cel animated film, which quickly became both a critical and commercial success. While still popular today, Snow White may seem somewhat quaint compared with more recent animated films, but at the time it was … Continue reading Movie Review – Snow White
The early 1930s were not good years for Arkansas. Parts of the state were still struggling to recover from the massive Mississippi River Flood of 1927. Arkansas was also at the center of a severe drought in 1930 which withered crops in the field, leading to a devastatingly bad harvest. Crop failures led to widespread … Continue reading Thanksgiving Proclamation-Arkansas, 1931
While every region has its natural collegiate rivals in football—think Auburn-Alabama, Michigan-Ohio State, Texas-Oklahoma—only one rivalry comes complete with capital letters. The Stanford-Cal Big Game [always capitalized by the cognoscenti] dates back to 1892, when Walter Camp coached the Stanford team to a 14-10 victory over their rivals across the bay. As a student, … Continue reading Stanford-Cal Big Game
At the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in the year 1918, church bells rang out across Europe. They rang to celebrate the armistice which ended more than four years of grueling total warfare on the continent. The erstwhile combatants hoped that they could negotiate an enduring peace. This would … Continue reading The End of the Great War
by Matthew Schaefer During his fifty years of public service, Herbert Hoover wrote at least one million letters. Carbon copies of these letters constitute the bulk of the Herbert Hoover papers. Most of the letters from his later years are terse, honed by long practice to speak only to the point. Hoover’s prose in these … Continue reading From the Herbert Hoover Snark-ives
Like millions of Americans, I am captivated by the autumnal pull of college football. The crisp cool air, the turning leaves, the thump of pad upon pad, the siren call of homecoming at the alma mater all weave their magic. I spend many Saturday hours inside watching the local heroes on the Big-10 network. … Continue reading Are You Ready for some Football?—College Coaches’ Mythic Edition
Dirty tricks in political campaigns are not recent phenomena. Every American electoral cycle spawns a new reason for candidates to be justifiably paranoid. Someone is out to get them, or at least to get their political office. Those closest to the candidate, especially members of their immediate family, sometimes get caught up in the … Continue reading Political Campaigns and Dirty Tricks
by Spencer Howard At his news conference on March 22, 1929, President Hoover announced that he had ordered the Presidential yacht, USS Mayflower, decommissioned. He explained, "The Secretary of the Navy reports that it costs over $300,000 a year to maintain the yacht and that it requires a complement of 9 officers and 148 enlisted … Continue reading When is a yacht not a yacht?
Groucho and Other Solicitations Made to an Ex-President. By Thomas F. Schwartz It was not uncommon in the Nineteenth Century for sitting and former presidents to publically endorse commercial products and services, usually without compensation. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln wrote a glowing endorsement for his foot doctor: “Dr. Zacharie, has, with great dexterity, taken some … Continue reading Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb?
