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Ginsberg in San Francisco - site of a variety of American counter-culture movements - in the 1950s. (The Times of Israel) On this day in 1957, United States Customs authorities confiscated 520 print copies of Howl, a poem by American writer Allen Ginsberg. Howl - a groundbreaking poem written in "breath-length" form, a new style…
Muhammad Ali seconds after knocking out Sonny Liston. The 1964 victory raised Ali's profile and enabled him to join the Nation of Islam. (Time) On this day in 1964, Cassius Clay - African American heavyweight boxer and activist - changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Ali had converted to Islam in 1961 and became friends…
JFK greeting young members of the Peace Corps in 1961. (Peace Corps) On this day in 1961, American president John F. Kennedy ordered the foundation of the Peace Corps, a volunteer organization dedicated to providing various sorts of aid to developing (or Third World) nations. Concerned by stereotypes that Americans were a violent and greedy…
A German U-Boat (submarine) and an American passenger ship. After February of 1917, U-Boats targeted vessels like this one, leading to America's entry into WWI. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1917, a note was handed to Walter Hines, American Ambassador to the UK. In it was the Zimmerman Telegram, a top-secret communication between German…
The Feminine Mystique, a book that was considered "unpublishable" because "no one cares about feminism". (Abebooks) On this day in 1963, The Feminine Mystique was published in the United States. Written by activist Betty Friedan, the book criticised the concept of the "happy housewife" and the idea that women find ultimate fulfillment in childbirth, cooking,…
The Apollo Theatre in NYC. (Pinterest.com) On this day in 1934, the Apollo Theatre first opened its doors to Black Americans. The theatre, which had begun life in 1914 as a Whites-only venue, quickly became a fixture in Harlem, NYC. Its first show in 1934 was Chocolate Soldiers starring Adelaide Hall; the success of the…
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