We Read It

November 22, 1963 is one of those dates that, like December 7, 1941 or September 11, 2001, has left its mark on the collective memories of Americans who, for good or ill, were alive and at an age to be able to remember exactly what they were doing and where they were when they heard the news that President John F. Kennedy had died an hour after being shot in Dallas’ Dealey Plaza shortly after 12 PM Central Standard Time.

JFK’s assassination has, of course, been one of the most chronicled and hotly-debated crimes in American history; hundreds, perhaps thousands, of non-fiction and fiction books, articles, documentaries and movies have been produced since the mid-1960s, each one with its own spin on how and why the 35th President of the United States was murdered as he rode in a motorcade through downtown Dallas on the last leg of a political trip to Texas.

Along with the many non-fiction books that stick to the “Lee Harvey Oswald-did-it-alone” account, there are many more “conspiracy theory” works that point the finger at various possible suspects – the Mafia, rogue government agencies, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, former President Richard Nixon and even Fidel...

The Lady Loses

The best story about Coolidge's taciturnity, told by his wife, concerns the society woman who said, as she sat down next to him at a dinner party, "You must talk to me, Mr. Coolidge. I made a bet today that I could get more than two words out of you." "You lose," said Coolidge.

How to Charge

Once when Lincoln was in the War Department an officer who was in a big hurry slam-banged into him, then offered "ten thousand pardons" when he saw who it was. "One is enough," smiled Lincoln. "I wish the whole army would charge like that."

-- From Presidential Anecdotes, by Paul F. Boller, Jr.

One of the most curious -- and vexing -- flaws in the U.S. public education system is the way that American history, especially its political history, is taught in all the 50 states. Having attended public schools in the 1970s and 1980s, I still have vivid memories of (a) textbooks with tons of illustrations but dry, boring, and didactic text, (b) history teachers who rarely attempted to get their pupils even remotely interested about, say, the American Revolution, and (c) an overemphasis on certain events to the detriment of others. (For instance, in 12th grade our...

This station is now the ultimate power in the Universe! I suggest we use it. - Admiral Motti.

One of the most important locales in George Lucas' Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope is the Galactic Empire's gigantic battle station code-named "Death Star." Essentially an armored sphere the size of a small moon (its diameter is stated as being 160 kilometers) and powered by something called a "hypermatter reactor," the Death Star carries nearly 1,000,000 crewers, stormtroopers, TIE fighter pilots, med techs and doctors, political prisoners, bureaucrats, Fleet and Army personnel, and even civilians who have been enticed to open stores and other businesses aboard.

At the heart of the Death Star is its Prime Weapon, a planet-killing superlaser which takes time to charge up and requires top-notch gunnery experts to run.

These "facts," of course, are well-known to millions of filmgoers who have watched Star Wars: A New Hope since its premiere in 1977. Indeed, the Death Star is the focus of everyone's motivations in the film: the Rebels, particularly Princess Leia Organa, are keen on keeping the Death Star's stolen plans and seeking a design flaw they can...

One of my favorite mementos from my years at Miami-Dade Community College -- besides my college journal and old Catalyst issues -- is a stuffed Yuppie Opus doll that I bought in one of my rare whimsical moods while I was balancing a full-time courseload and working on the campus' student newspaper staff.

At the time -- a few days after my 23rd birthday -- I was perhaps the happiest I had ever been; I had transformed myself from the high school senior who graduated 275th in a class of 585 to a Dean's List student with a 3.85 grade point average. In addition, I was a good journalism student: within two weeks after having completed my first assignment for Catalyst, I'd been promoted twice, first to assistant opinions editor, then to copy editor. I was also getting a real every-two-weeks paycheck; Prof. Peter C. Townsend, the Director of Student Publications and my journalism instructor, had hired me as an office assistant through the College's Work-Study program. (Oh, and I was also in love with one of the girls on the staff!) For the first time since I had graduated from South Miami High, I felt that I was going to be a successful writer in spite of my...