Apr 29, 2007

April 30, 2007

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2008 WATCH:	Presidential Campaign 2008 Watch Are we ready for a woman president? U.S. lags rest of world in putting women in positions of real political power - San Francisco Chronicle, 4-29-07
BIGGEST STORIES:	David Halberstam: Newsweek remembers a journalist who changed history Jon Meacham in Newsweek, 4-24-07 David Halberstam: Replacement found as Brandeis commencement speaker - Chronicle of Higher Education, 4-27-07 David Halberstam: Ridiculed as egoistic by Slate - Slate (4-24-07) David Halberstam: Letter to his daughter - CommonDreams.org, 4-24-07 David Halberstam: Reporters remember him in Vietnam - AP, 4-24-07 David Halberstam: Author and Reporter, Dies at 73 - NYT/AP, 4-23-07
HNN STATS THIS WEEK:	Most Popular Article: Rick Shenkman:"Reporter's Notebook: Highlights from the 2007 OAH Convention: Day 3" - 4-01-07 Most Popular Blog Entry: Robert KC Johnson:"The Duke 88" - 4-23-06 Hottest Topic: About the History of Iraq Most Popular Feature: Ferenc M. Szasz:"Quotes About History" All-Time Favorite:"What Is the Difference Between Sunni and Shiite Muslims--and Why Does It Matter?" 9-9-02
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY:	This Week in History: 04-30-1803 - France sold Louisiana and adjoining lands to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. 04-30-1812 - Louisiana became the 18th state in the United States. 04-30-1939 - U.S. commercial television made its official debut at the New York World's Fair.The signal was transmitted from the Empire State Building. 04-30-1945 - Adolf Hitler and his newly married mistress Eva Braun committed suicide. 04-30-1975 - The Vietnam War ended with South Vietnam's surrender to North Vietnam. 04-30-2003 - Libya accepted responsibility for the 1998 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. 05-01-1707 - The Act of Union joined England and Scotland to form Great Britain. 05-01-1931 - The Empire State Building opened in New York City. At 102 stories, it would be the world's tallest building for the next 41 years. 05-01-1941 - Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, considered by many the greatest film ever made, premiered in New York. 05-01-1948 - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) was established with Kim Il Sung as president. 05-01-1960 - The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane over Soviet territory. 05-01-2003 - President Bush made a speech aboard an aircraft carrier proclaiming"major combat operations in Iraq have ended." 05-02-1945 - The Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin. 05-02-1955 - Tennessee Williams won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. 05-02-1994 - Nelson Mandela was victorious in South Africa’s first multiracial election. 05-02-1997 - The Labour Party’s Tony Blair became Prime Minister of Britain, ending 18 years of conservative rule. At 44, he was the youngest prime minister in 185 years. 05-03-1937 - Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for Gone With the Wind. 05-03-1948 - The Shelley v. Kraemer Supreme Court decision stated that it is unconstitutional for a court to enforce a restrictive covenant which prevents people of a certain race from owning or occupying property. 05-03-1979 - Margaret Thatcher became the first woman elected prime minister of England. 05-03-2001 - The United States, a member of the UN Human Rights Commission since its inception, lost its seat. It would be restored the following year. 05-04-1626 - Peter Minuit landed in Manhattan, which he later bought for $24 worth of cloth and brass buttons. 05-04-1886 - The Haymarket Square riot broke out as a result of a labor demonstration. 05-04-1932 - Public Enemy Number One, Al Capone, was jailed for tax evasion. 05-04-1961 - Civil rights activists, called"freedom riders," left Washington, DC for New Orleans. 05-04-1970 - Four Kent State University students were shot down by National Guard members during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration. 05-04-1998 - The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, was sentenced to four life terms plus 30 years for his series of bombings that killed three and injured 23. 05-05-1809 - Mary Kies of South Killingly, Conn., became the first woman to be granted a patent. The patent was for the rights to a technique for weaving straw with silk and thread. 05-05-1821 - Napoleon Bonaparte died on the island of St. Helena. 05-05-1891 - Carnegie Hall (then known as Music Hall) opened in New York City. Peter Tchaikovsky was the guest conductor. 05-05-1925 - John Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Darwinism. 05-05-1961 - Alan Shepard became the first American in space. 05-05-2004 - Pablo Picasso's"Boy with a Pipe" became the most expensive painting ever sold. 05-06-1882 - Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act over President Chester A. Arthur's veto. 05-06-1889 - The Universal Exposition opened in Paris, marking the completion and dedication of the Eiffel Tower. 05-06-1937 - The German airship Hindenburg blew up and burst into flames at Lakehurst, N.J. 05-06-1941 - Dictator Joseph Stalin became the premier of Russia. 05-06-1999 - Scotland elected its first separate parliament in three centuries.
IN THE NEWS:	Bronislaw Geremek: French historian might lose seat in European Parliament over refusal to sign statement - Nathanael D. Robinson at Cliopartia (HNN Blog), 4-26-07 Arlene Lazarowitz on Kevin MacDonald: Professor of Hate? - Inside Higher Ed, DC, 4-27-07 Paul Moon: Treaty roadshow a waste of time (New Zealand) - http://www.stuff.co.nz (4-27-07) Opening of mass grave fails to satisfy historian (Turkey) - http://www.todayszaman.com, 4-25-07 Turkish Academics Dispute 'Genocide' Label - Radio Free Europe, 4-23-07 Historians Oppose Destruction of Guantanamo Detainee Records - Lee White at the website of the National Coalition for History (NCH), 4-26-07
REVIEWED AND FIRST CHAPTERS:	John Lukacs: Who Put the 'Cold' in Cold War? GEORGE KENNAN A Study of Character - NYT, 4-29-07 John Lukacs: GEORGE KENNAN A Study of Character, First Chapter - NYT, 4-29-07 Hermione Lee: Portrait of a Lady EDITH WHARTON - NYT, 4-29-07 George F. Kennan: Subject of a short biography by John Lukacs - National Interest, 4-26-07 Hermione Lee: An American Original A comprehensive life of Edith Wharton, the sharp-eyed chronicler of high society EDITH WHARTON - WaPo, 4-29-07 Darrin M. McMahon on Jennifer Michael Hecht: Ah, the Good Life A historian's skeptical view of how we find satisfaction in life THE HAPPINESS MYTH Why What We Think Is Right Is Wrong: A History of What Really Makes Us Happy - WaPo, 4-29-07 Andrew Schocket: Corporations part of U.S. 'policy DNA,' says BGSU historian - Press Release -- Bowling Green, 4-25-07 Robert Dallek: Bush compared with Nixon & Kissinger - NYT, 4-24-07
OP-ED:	Frederick Kagan: Congress and Iraq - AEI Website and Weekly Standard, 4-27-07 Stanley Kutler: How to support the troops - New Republic, 4-25-07
INTERVIEWED:	Doris Kearns Goodwin: Pop quiz for a hurried historian http://timesunion.com (4-23-07)
FEATURE:	Jaap Jacobs: Penn Historian Discovers Evidence Documenting First European Voyage Up the Delaware - innovations report, Germany, 4-25-07 Caroline Yeldham: Leading Food Historian Encourages Revival of Extinct English Dishes - http://www.pr-inside.com, 4-22-07
QUOTED:	Fredrik Logevall quoted in"Iraq War Called Riskier Than Vietnam": He hears the argument frequently from both supporters and opponents of the Iraq war, but he doesn't buy it, because it rests on predictions rather than facts. Although both conflicts were"wars of choice" that frustrated and angered Americans, Vietnam caused far more death and destruction, he said."It's hard to see how it's worse at present," he concluded. - Free Internet Press, NY, 4-29-07 Andrew J. Bacevich on"Iraq War Called Riskier Than Vietnam":"Those who argue about Iraq being worse than Vietnam tend to make those worst-case assumptions." - Free Internet Press, NY, 4-29-07
SPOTTED & SPEAKING EVENTS CALENDAR:	David McCullough Delivers Yates Lecture at Emory - The Emory Wheel, 4-27-07 Norman Finkelstein discusses Israel's human rights record at Brandeis - The Brandeis Hoot, 4-27-07 Jackson Lears: Historian talks anti-imperialism - http://media.www.nyunews.com, 4-23-07 April 29, 2007: Jerry Apps: The Two Rivers Historical Society invites members and the public to take a look at"The Lighter Side of Life in the Country" during its annual meeting and"hoedown," starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at the Lighthouse Inn, 1515 Memorial Drive, Two Rivers - Herald Times Reporter, WI, 4-12-07 May 2, 2007: James McPherson, Pulitzer prize-winning Civil War historian to speak at Vanderbilt University at 4:30 p.m. in Ingram Hall, is titled"When Will This Cruel War Be Over? The Failure of Peace Negotiations, 1864-1865." - Vanderbilt University News, TN, 4-4-07 Harvey Mansfield: Picked to deliver the 2007 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities - Website of the National Endowment for the Humanities, 3-22-07
HONORED, AWARDED, AND APPOINTMENTS:	Award-winning historian Michael Beschloss will deliver the commencement address at Lafayette College and receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree - The Express Times, PA, 4-26-07
ON TV:	History Listings This Week: C-Span2, Book TV : Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe on Sunday, April 29 at 8:00 pm C-Span2, BookTV C-Span2, Book TV : Encore Booknotes: David Halberstam, The Fifties on Monday, April 23 at 2:00 am C-Span2, BookTV PBS: The American Experience:"The Mormons" Monday, April 30, 2007 at 9pm ET - PBS History Channel:"Countdown to Armageddon :Countdown to Armageddon." Sunday, April 29, @ 8pm ET/PT History Channel:"The Antichrist :Part 1" Sunday, April 29, @ 10pm ET/PT History Channel:"Organized Crime: A World History :Russia." Monday, April 30, @ 3pm ET/PT History Channel:"Organized Crime: A World History :China.," Monday, April 30, @ 4pm ET/PT History Channel:"Organized Crime: A World History :Colombia," Monday, April 30, @ 5pm ET/PT History Channel:"Cities Of The Underworld :01 - Hitler's Underground Lair," Monday, April 30, @ 9pm ET/PT History Channel:"Digging For The Truth :King Tut: Secrets Revealed," Monday, April 30, @ 10pm ET/PT History Channel:"Digging For The Truth :Atlantis: New Revelations," Tuesday, May 1, @ 2pm ET/PT History Channel:"Digging For The Truth :The Real Temple of Doom.," Tuesday, May 1, @ 4pm ET/PT History Channel:"History's Mysteries :Mysteries on the High Seas," Tuesday, May 1, @ 5pm ET/PT History Channel:"Man, Moment, Machine :Hunting Bonnie & Clyde.," Tuesday, May 1, @ 10pm ET/PT History Channel:"Barbarians II :Vandals," Wednesday, May 2, @ 2pm ET/PT History Channel:"Barbarians II :Saxons," Wednesday, May 3, @ 3pm ET/PT History Channel:"Modern Marvels :Pirate Tech," Wednesday, May 2, @ 6pm ET/PT History Channel:"Modern Marvels :Deep Sea Salvage," Wednesday, May 2, @ 10pm ET/PT History Channel:"Special :Eighty Acres of Hell," Thursday, May 3, @ 2pm ET/PT History Channel:"Horrors at Andersonville Prison: The Trial of Henry Wirz," Thursday, May 3, @ 5pm ET/PT History Channel:"Modern Marvels :Guns of the Civil War," Thursday, May 3, @ 6pm ET/PT History Channel:"Spider-Man Tech," Thursday, May 3, @ 8pm ET/PT History Channel:"Night of the Long Knives," Friday, May 4, @ 6pm ET/PT History Channel:"Julius Caesar's Greatest Battle," Friday, May 4, @ 8pm ET/PT History Channel:"Dogfights :10 - Hunt for The Bismarck," Friday, May 4, @ 9pm ET/PT History Channel:"Modern Marvels" Marathon, Saturday, May 5, @ 1-5pm ET/PT History Channel:"Sherman's March," Saturday, May 5, @ 5pm ET/PT History Channel:"Quest for Dragons," Saturday, May 5, @ 8pm ET/PT History Channel:"The States :03 - New York, Louisiana, Oregon, New Mexico, Vermont," Saturday, May 5, @ 10pm ET/PT
SELLING BIG (NYT):	Walter Isaacson: EINSTEIN HIS LIFE AND UNIVERSE #1 (2 weeks on list) - 5-6-07
NEW ON THE WEB:	Max Holland: Starts website - Press Release--http://www.washingtondecoded.com, 4-11-07
FUTURE RELEASES:	Peter Heather: The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, (Oxford University Press), May 2007 Nancy Isenberg: Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr, (Penguin Group (USA)), May 10, 2007 Jean Edward Smith, FDR, (Random House Publishing Group), May 15, 2007 Robert Service: Comrades!: A History of World Communism, (Harvard University Press), May 15, 2007 Kieran Doherty: Sea Venture: Shipwreck, Survival, and the Salvation of the First English Colony in the New World, (St. Martin's Press), May 15 2007 Susan Dunn: Dominion of Memories: Jefferson, Madison, and the Decline of Virginia, (Perseus Publishing), May 2007 Ronald Reagan: The Reagan Diaries, (HarperCollins Publishers), May 22, 2007 Elizabeth Drew: Richard M. Nixon: The 37th President, 1969-1974, (Times Books), May 28, 2007 Kevin P. Spicer: Antisemitism, Christian Ambivalence, and the Holocaust* (Indiana University Press), May 28, 2007* Gabor Boritt (Editor): Slavery, Resistance, Freedom, (Oxford University Press, USA), June 2007 William C. Davis: Virginia at War 1862* (Editor) (University Press of Kentucky), June 2007* Jack Valenti: This Time, This Place: My Life in War, the White House, and Hollywood, (Crown Publishing Group), June 5, 2007 Steve Vogel: The Pentagon: A History, (Random House Publishing Group), June 5, 2007 Amity Shlaes: The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, HarperCollins Publishers, June 12, 2007 Orville Vernon Burton: The Age of Lincoln, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), June 12, 2007 Brian K. Bugge: The Mystique of Conspiracy: Oswald, Castro, and the CIA, (Provocative Ideas), June 28, 2007 Kathryn C. Statler: Replacing France: The Origins of American Intervention in Vietnam, (University Press of Kentucky) July 28, 2007
DEPARTED:	Emily Sunstein: 82, a Biographer and Scholar, Dies - NYT, 4-27-07 Robert Warner: Former Archivist of the United States Passes Away - Lee White at the website of the National Coalition for History (NCH), 4-27-07 Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.: Memorial held in his honor at Cooper Union - NYT (4-24-07)

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