The Story of Writing

Johann Sebastian Bach's "Magnificat," dissolving political bands, the Amistad, "Finlandia," by Jean Sibelius, The U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, Hermann Hesse, and Thurgood Marshall - with a reading …

The Battle of Gettysburg begins, Canada becomes a nation, the Battle of the Somme begins, too, "Inundation Day," and George Sand's birthday - with a reading from "Indiana."

The Evolution Debate of 1860 at Oxford, Abraham Lincoln signs the Yosemite Valley Grant Act, Albert Einstein, the National Organization of Women, and Joan Murrell Owens - with a reading of "One Sea-S…

The Globe Theater burns to the ground, Giacomo Leopardi, Celia Thaxter, and Antoine de Saint-Exupery - with a reading of Thaxter's "The Sandpiper."

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Treaty of Versailles - with a reading of one of my favorite poems: "The Traveller-Heart," by Vachel Lindsay.

Emma Goldman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Helen Keller, and Grace Lee Boggs - with a reading of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Eagle."

The Charter of the United Nations, Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," Harry Potter, Pearl S. Buck, and Violette Bushell Szabo - with a reading of "Sonnet," by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson.

George Armstrong Custer's reputation is a study in public relations, it's George Orwell's birthday - with a reading of “won’t you celebrate with me” by Lucille Clifton.

John Cabot lands in northern North America, Samuel de Champlain finds fresh water for Acadia, the Great Siege of Gibraltar began, and it's Ambrose Bierce's birthday - with a reading from Charlotte Pe…

Christopher Latham Sholes gets the U.S. patent for the "Type-Writer," Banff becomes Canada's first national park, the Antarctic Treaty System goes into effect, Title IX of the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights …

Marie-Joseph Angélique - because even the city she allegedly burned thinks she should be remembered, Chinese Empress Cixi, Mississippi Burning, and Jean-Paul Sartre - with a reading from his book "Be…

Samuel Morse receives a patent for the telegraph, Alexander Graham Bell's father uses his son's tech to set up the first telephone exchange, the Detroit Race Riot of 1943, "Jaws" hits the silver scre…

The Nicene Creed, the first officially recorded and organized baseball game, Juneteenth, and the Civil Rights Act of 1963 and 1964 - with a reading from President John F. Kennedy's speech describing …

The Battle of Waterloo, Charles Darwin learns that fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace has developed a theory of evolution almost identical to Darwin's, English Prime Minister Winston Churchill d…

Sir Francis Drake puts his mark on the New World, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor, Watergate, Juneteenth, Igor Stravinsky, and Ruth Graves Wakefield - with…

Abraham Lincoln delivers his "House Divided" speech and it's Bloomsday! For the romantics, the lovers of literature, and anyone who has walked down Nassau Street in Dublin or even dreamt of it, today…

King John of England assents to the Magna Carta, Benjamin Franklin proves lightning is, in fact, electricity, Arlington is designated a National Military Cemetery, and it is the birthday of Mexican p…

Flag Day in the U.S., Charles Babbage proposes his difference engine, the Bear Flag Revolt, and the birthday of Harriett Beecher Stowe - with a reading from "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

Miranda rights, Thurgood Marshall is nominated to the Supreme Court, the Pentagon Papers, and William Butler Yeats - with a reading of his poem "The Second Coming."