For President Lyndon Johnson, 1968 was a year of calamity, including the hijacking of the USS Pueblo in international waters off North Korea. After a fierce, one-sided attack by the North Korean Navy,
There was another war in Vietnam, one that generally didn’t make the headlines: the campaign to “win the hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese people. Fought not with artillery and helicopters but with
The day-by-day inside story of the making of Tombstone (1993) as told to the author by those who were there—actors, extras, crew members, Buckaroos, historians and everyone in between. Historical cont
The pagan mythology of the Vikings offers a rich metaphor for consciousness. This book presents the cosmography of Norse mythology as a landscape of human inner life. Each of the nine worlds of this c
The contents of the Shakespeare canon have come into question in recent years as scholars add plays or declare others only partially his work. Now, new literary and historical evidence demonstrates th
For a week in April 1916, 2,000 Irish Volunteers rose up in armed rebellion against the British Empire in a bid to establish an independent Irish state. Tracing the establishment of the various organi
There are two kinds of classic car buffs: those who have restored an old car, and those who want to. For anyone who has looked at a rusty heap in a field and seen only the gleaming new machine it once
In 1953, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi--the Shah of Iran--rose to absolute power in a CIA-assisted coup d'etat dubbed Operation Ajax. As Iranian citizens began to learn of their government's involvement
Star of stage and screen, cultural ambassador, civil rights and political activist—Josephine Baker was defined by the various public roles that made her 50–year career an exemplar of postmodern identi
[From his first appearance as Mork from Ork on the 1970s sitcom Happy Days, comediactor Robin Williams was heralded as a singular talent. In the pre-cable television era, Williams was one of the fe
Immersive theater calls upon audience members to become participants, actors and “others.” It traditionally offers binary roles—that of oppressor or that of victim—and thereby stands the risk of simpl
[The idea of heaven and hell is one of the oldest and most widespread religious beliefs of human civilization. In the history of western literature, this spiritual concept was frequently embedded in s
[Not until now has a book-length, critical analysis of Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s actions at the Battle of Gettysburg been presented, tracing his deeds, accomplishments, and shortcomings fr
Considered one of the finest performers in world cinema, Japanese actor Takashi Shimura (1905–1982) appeared in more than 300 stage, film and television roles during his five-decade career. He is best
They are invincible warriors of steel, silky-skinned enticers, stealers of jobs and lovable goofball sidekicks. Legions of robots and androids star in the dream factories of Hollywood and leer on pulp
Since the early 20th century, animated Christmas cartoons have brightened the holiday season around the world—first in theaters, then on television. From devotional portrayals of the Nativity to Santa
The parents and widow of Lou Gehrig were so concerned about the potential desecration of his grave that they considered moving his ashes to the Hall of Fame. Officials embraced the idea of creating a
From 1865, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton led campaigns for equal rights for all but were ultimately defeated by a Congress and reformers intent on applying suffrage established with cons
“Creativity is just connecting things,” observed Steve Jobs. In today’s diverse, ever-changing job market, creativity is more necessary than ever. In a profession offering a broad range of job opportu
The term “slasher film” was common parlance by the mid–1980s but the horror subgenre it describes was at least a decade old by then—formerly referred to as “stalker,” “psycho” or “slice-’em-up.” Exami
