When war made America a colonial power, eloquent voices recalled “the spirit of 1776.”

REBELSThe AtticJuly 25, 2025Anti-Imperialist League, American Anti-Imperialist League, anti-imperialism, Spanish-American War, Mark Twain, William James, Jane Addams Comment

THE WOMAN WHO BUILT THE GRAND CANYON

Back when women did not build, Mary Jane Colter wove the ancient and the modern into canyon wonders.

The AtticJuly 7, 2025 Comments

NO QUESTION TOO STRANGE OR STUPID

What if the sun went out? What if we all aimed laser pointers at the moon? Got a question? Ask Randall Munroe, “thing explainer.”

WITSThe AtticJune 24, 2025Randall Munroe, What If?, What If 2?, xkcd, physics Comments

BATTER UP FOR BANANA BALL

How the Savannah Bananas became the hottest, and hip-hopping-est team in baseball.

WITSThe AtticJune 12, 2025Banana Ball, Savannah Bananas, American baseball Comments

MILLION, BILLION -- WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

Decades ago, John Allen Paulos described the consequences of “innumeracy.” We failed that test. Now what?

BATTLING THE B.S., Battling the B.S., TEACHERS, teachers & healers, TEACHERS & HEALERSThe AtticMay 29, 2025Innumeracy, John Allen Paulos, Math literacy, Ignorance, American ignorance Comments

THE GRAD SPEECH WITH 'CAPITAL-T TRUTH'

Twenty years on, “This is Water” still brings David Foster Wallace’s wisdom to the world.

TEACHERS, TEACHERS & HEALERS, BOOK-ISHThe AtticMay 15, 2025David Foster Wallace, DFW, Infinite Jest, This is Water, Commencement speeches Comments

DOWNSHIFTING

When a hurried America needed answers, three books helped us put on the brakes.

BOOK-ISHThe AtticMay 1, 2025Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, Blue Highways, A Walk Across America, Bestsellers, American zeitgeist, Popular philosophy Comments

THE MAN WHO BROKE JIM CROW

Jokes about lawyers and “activist” judges. Time to remember when Thurgood Marshall took the law and Constitution at their word.

HEROESThe AtticApril 18, 2025Thurgood Marshall, Brown v. Board of Education, NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Jim Crow, School segregatoin, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Supreme Court, SCOTUS Comments

WAVE THEORY

For decades, sports fans cheered, booed, and everything in-between. But how did they come up with The Wave?

WONDERSThe AtticApril 1, 2025The Wave, Baseball's Wave, Krazy George, Krazy George Henderson Comment

CARDS AS WONDERS

Some play cards, others collect them. But Ricky Jay made miracles with an ordinary deck.

WONDERSThe AtticMarch 20, 2025Ricky Jay, Ricky Jay sleight of hand, Sleight of hand, Cards as Weapons Comment

THE AMAZING SUPER CHIEF -- "SANTA FE ALL THE WAY"

Trains came and went but Santa Fe’s Super Chief was one of a kind.

WONDERSThe AtticMarch 5, 2025Super Chief, Santa Fe railroad, Santa Fe Super Chief, American railroads Comments

A (COMIC) REVOLUTION -- TELEVISED

Before SNL, “Your Show of Shows” blew American comedy wide open.

WITSBruce WatsonFebruary 19, 2025Your Show of Shows, Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, 1950s television, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner Comment

WIT, WEIMARANERS, AND WEGMAN

“It’s not all about the dog,” William Wegman says. Meet Man Ray, Fay Ray and his other famous Weimeraners.

WITS, ART-ISHThe AtticFebruary 5, 2025William Wegman, Weimeraners, Man Ray dog, Post-modern art Comments

"IMMIGRANTS -- WE GET THE JOB DONE!"

Central and Union Pacific agreed. Without immigrants — Chinese and Irish — the mighty Transcontinental RR would not have been.

BUILDERSThe AtticJanuary 26, 2025Transcontinental Railroad, Chinese-Americans, Irish-Americans, Railroads Comments

IN SEARCH OF THE POE TOASTER

He came out of the darkness, left cognac and roses on Poe’s grave. Then disappeared. Who was he?

BOOK-ISHThe AtticJanuary 10, 2025Edgar Allan Poe, Poe grave, The Poe Toaster, Baltimore's Poe Toaster Comments

THE MAN WHO KNEW IT ALL

Along with writing classic science fiction, Isaac Asimov explained. . . everything!!!!

BOOK-ISHThe AtticJanuary 2, 2025Isaac Asimov, Science fiction, Foundation Trilogy, I, I Robot Comments