The ever-present concern: Money. When Americans tuned in to American Forum of the Air on September 17, 1950, to hear a debate over price controls, they were listening to one of the most pressing domestic issues of the early Cold War. Only three months earlier, North Korea had invaded South
Adlai Stevenson, address to Illinois University – May 15, 1956. No one more eloquent than Adlai Stevenson and certainly no time more appropriate than now. In the Spring of 1956, America was a nation enjoying prosperity at home but wrestling with uncertainty abroad. The Cold War, barely a decade old,
It was all so routine; matter-of-fact – fait accompli. A Primary election – votes were counted. Robert Kennedy had enough votes to win the nomination at the convention in Chicago later on that summer. It was his victory and it was his night. Supporters, field workers; all the people who
Whittaker Chambers Testifying before House Un-American Activities Hearings – Among other things, gave the world “The Pumpkin Papers”. With hearings becoming an almost daily spectacle, with no doubt no stopping anytime soon, it’s good to know neither America nor Capitol Hill find the goings on unusual. Disturbing; yes, but unusual;
Needless to say, today (May 22) marks the end of an institution. CBS News – CBS Radio – CBS Newsradio, whatever you want to call, it is having its plug pulled after 99 years of keeping people engaged and informed. If any of you have been following Past Daily, these
Portrait of your average law-abiding citizens In the summer of 1948, as Americans gathered to celebrate Independence Day, the radio discussion program Northwestern Reviewing Stand turned to a question that had become increasingly urgent in the early Cold War era: “Just what is a democracy?” The discussion reflected a growing
In this 1958 lecture on obsolescence in American education, given at The University of Illinois on October 2, 1958, Margaret Mead addressed a growing concern that the rapid pace of social and technological change was rendering traditional educational models increasingly outdated. Speaking at a moment when the United States was
Berlin – cleaning up the mess took time. A discussion on Foreign Policy and decisions made at the close of World War 2, looked at and analyzed 20 years later during the program the Open Mind, broadcast in 1965. At the heart of the discussion was the lingering shadow of
The Press Conference – otherwise known as The Gaggle or The Cattle Call. Serious business taken seriously. Another in a series of historic broadcast from the BBC World Service in the 1950s. This one, entitled; The Role Of The Press, took a look at how the press and how newspapers
When Iran Nationalized The Oil. Only the beginning – and seemingly never-ending. The atmosphere in the Middle East in 1951 was marked by tension, transition, and the unmistakable sense that an old order was rapidly giving way to a new and uncertain one. The region stood at the crossroads of
