as an exploratory journey through that old party question: if you could have a drink with anyone in history, who would it be? History is full of people you’d love to have a drink with. Let’s meet a few.
as an exploratory journey through that old party question: if you could have a drink with anyone in history, who would it be? History is full of people you’d love to have a drink with. Let’s meet a few.
Have a drink with: John Colt Double-entry bookkeeping and axe murder Ask him about: packing advice You’ve probably heard of Samuel Colt, especially with gun rights so prominently in the news. Not only was Colt one of America’s most well-known gun manufacturers, he used the eager 19th century press to transform gun ownership from a…
Have a drink with: Salvador Dalí Girls, girls, girls. Plus lobsters. Ask him about: But how do you make the giraffe explode? The 1939-1940 World’s Fair was a tremendous attraction, drawing more than forty million visitors to New York over its two seasons to experience the “World of Tomorrow.” Built over 1200 acres on top…
Have a drink with: Hugh Henry Brackenridge Attorney, nog enthusiast, clothing optional Ask him about: Pork as medicine It’s the holiday season, and that means it’s time for nog. Where did eggnog come from? If you look into it, you get a linguistic soup of suggestions (“nog” being an old word for strong ale, or…
Have a drink with: John Tyler His Accidency Ask him about: Sick of that song yet? In the anonymous New York Times opinion essay about staff dissent within the White House published earlier this month, the author mentioned (among many other things) deliberation over use of the 25th Amendment in response to perceived presidential instability….
Have a drink with: Tom Petty Into the great wide open… Ask him about: Not backing down. Tom Petty recently achieved the feat, as far as the press was concerned, of dying twice in a single day. On Monday, October 2, news outlets began reporting in the afternoon that Petty had died following a cardiac…
Have a drink with: William Randolph Hearst “…an especially dangerous specimen of the class.” Ask him: How’d you like Citizen Kane? Kentucky’s William Goebel, who has the unfortunate distinction of being America’s only governor to be assassinated in office, was shot by an unknown gunman in January 1900 during the recount of his own contested…
Have a drink with: Delia Bacon “…very wise in the doctrine of consequences.” Ask her about: fair and balanced journalism Once upon a time, two crazies went head-to-head in a public challenge. It was a deeply partisan fight marked by high emotions and questionable discretion, and in the end the loudmouthed, cowardly male nut job…
Have a drink with: Akhenaten Pharaoh, gender-bender, sun-worshiper, innovator Ask him about: Starting your own religion in five easy steps It’s amazing that so much interest persists in the ancient Egyptian ruler Akhenaten, a king about whom precious little is clear: no one knows when he was born or when he died, why he made…
