In 1976, CBS gave actor Telly Savalas a variety show. Only in the 1970s could a Savalas dramatic reading of the Bread song “If,” complete with an image of a model’s head staring at him, make it to prime time […]
1970s
Eric Miller on Christopher Lasch and the Carter “malaise” speech
Yesterday, upon hearing of the death of Jimmy Carter, I posted his July 15, 1979 “Crisis of Confidence” speech (also known as the “malaise” speech). In his award winning book Hope in a Scattering Time: A Life of Christopher Lasch, […]
Jimmy Carter: “…owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning”
In his famous July 15, 1979 “Crisis of Confidence” speech (often referred to as the “malaise speech”), Jimmy Carter said: In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many […]
Evangelical blast from the past
Source: Lancaster (PA) New Era, November 19, 1976. And for those who clicked on this post, here is a bonus from Campolo’s 1976 Congressional campaign. A “‘good man that nobody owns”: Source: The Pottstown (PA) Mercury, November 1, 1976.
When Jimmy Breslin took on the French government in defense of Howard Beach, Queens
The good folks at the Library of America (LOA) recently sent along their collection of New York columnist Jimmy Breslin’s essential writings. (Some of you may recall I wrote about this back in April.) I’m about halfway through the collection. […]
The wild story of 10-cent beer night at Cleveland Stadium
Some fine sports writing here from Fredric J. Frommer at The Washington Post. He tells the story of the riot that occurred in Cleveland Stadium during a Cleveland Indians (now Guardians)-Texas Rangers game on June 4, 1974. This melee should […]
Happy Earth Day!
Today is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was commemorated on April 22, 1970. I am reminded of these words from Neil Pogue’s book The Nature of the Religious Right: The Struggle Between Conservative Evangelicals and the Environmental Movement: Initially, […]
The Author’s Corner with Caleb Wellum
Caleb Wellum is Assistant Professor of U.S. History at the University of Toronto, Mississauga. This interview is based on his new book, Energizing Neoliberalism: The 1970s Energy Crisis and the Making of Modern America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023). JF: […]
The “Children of God” started as a California Jesus People community and became an authoritarian cult. And it’s all captured in photos.
Some of you may remember our interview with historian Larry Eskridge in Episode 113 of The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast. Larry is our foremost authority on the Jesus People and he is the author of God’s Forever Family: […]
Song of the day
I recently saw a social media post asking readers to identity the first pop song they remember hearing as a kid. I am pretty sure my song was this 1973 classic from Neil Sedaka. How about you?
The Author’s Corner with John Wigger
John Wigger is Professor of History at the University of Missouri. This interview is based on his new book, The Hijacking of American Flight 119: How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI’s Battle to Stop It (Oxford […]
Historian Michael Kazin remembers his life as a Weatherman
Michael Kazin is one of the best political historians working today. Check out our interview with him in Episode 41 of The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast. We discussed his work on populism. Back in 2021, Current published his […]
Michael Oren: Don’t compare the current Israel-Hamas war to the Yom Kippur War of 1973
Since war broke out in Israel and the Gaza strip over the weekend, writers and journalists are comparing it to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. (For those unfamiliar with the Yom Kippur War of 1973, get up to speed here.) […]
Martin Scorsese’s “Italianamerican”
In 1974, the famed filmmaker interviewed his parents and turned it into a documentary film. I thought I was sitting in the room with my own Italian grandparents. Oh the stories! I could listen to Catherine Scorsese talk all day. […]
In 1970 historian Martha Hodes was held hostage by Palestinian militants. She is now revisiting those memories.
American historians know New York University historian Martha Hodes for A Sea Captain’s Wife and Mourning Lincoln. But her latest book is different. In My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering, Hodes writes about the time her plane […]
Will the Nuggets be the last old ABA team to make it to an NBA final?
It sure looks like it. In 1976, four teams from the American Basketball Association joined the National Basketball Association. Learn more about the ABA and the merger here or you can listen to our forthcoming podcast interview with Theresa Runstedtler, […]
Why were so many cows mutilated in the 1970s?
Head over to Livia Gershon’s piece at JSTOR Daily to learn more about the 1970s “cow mutilation mystery” and the work of historian Michael J. Goleman. Here is a taste: In the 1970s, ranchers all over the country began reporting […]
Jimmy Carter: Evangelical politician
Here is Lori Amber Roessner at The Conversation: Carter continued to share his understanding of the gospel with journalists and their audiences in a plain-spoken manner, even though it was not always advantageous to his political fortunes. For instance, after […]
Jim Cullen on Bruce Springsteen’s first album
Columbia Records released Greetings from Asbury Park on January 5, 1973. Jim Cullen, the dean of Springsteen scholars, reflects at The Washington Post: Fifty years ago this week, a scruffy young artist from New Jersey released his first album. In […]
The Nixon Library has released another recording in which Billy Graham and Richard Nixon discuss Jews and the “Synagogue of Satan”
Back in September we called your attention to a 1972 conversation between Billy Graham and Richard Nixon that was, according to researcher Mike Hertenstein, “quietly posted on the Nixon Library website.” The conversation reveals Graham talking about Jews as part […]