Thanks for the Memories! Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Turns 35

As the nation prepares to celebrate another birthday, so too does the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, which turns 35, July 1. You don’t have to know anything about aeronautics, space history, or planetary studies before visiting this national treasure—home to the 1903 Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Apollo 11 command module among other marvels of aviation—as you will likely learn a little of all three with an afternoon fly-by of the facilities (its flagship building located on the National Mall, and the other, an expansion at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia).

Can’t make it to DC? Make a virtual visit to the museum via the website “Celebrating 35 Years of Memories at the National Air and Space Museum,” specially created to mark the anniversary.

Did you know that the museum started amassing its unrivaled aeronautical collection 100 years before it was established in 1876, when a group of kites obtained from the Chinese Imperial Commission became its first acquisition? More fun facts on the website—and catch a sneak peek at some of the museum’s most popular collections.

Personally, I’m a sucker for a saucy aviatrix and a B-52 with killer nose art…how about you?

Spotlight on the CBS Evening News and “Assignment America”

I simply cannot resist a “slice of life” story. These deceptively simple snapshots of everyday life are usually about complications and conditions that we all can relate to, and thus have a homespun quality that recalls a bygone era. 

Recently my friend, well aware of my weakness for the anecdotal, turned me on to journalist Steve Hartman’s “Assignment America” on the CBS Evening News.

For two minutes every Monday night, Hartman tells a uniquely American story in way that is both charming and compelling (credit ace reporting, witty writing, and the human factor).  Most amazing is how in the telling Hartman manages to tug at the heartstrings without over-sentimentalizing or manipulating the subject matter or the viewer.  Two of Hartman’s more memorable snippets—“Man and Goose Form Unlikely Friendship” and “Father Read to Daughter Every Night Until College" --are super examples of fine sketch journalism (and I dare you to not get sucked in).

Both accounts touchingly illustrate the beauty in unlikely connections—and isn’t that what history is? The great connector of all things, people, and experience? If reality TV were anything like it is on Monday eve, I’d reconsider my decision to ditch cable.

Got a story that you think deserves 15 minutes of air-time (or at least two)? Email your ideas to Steve Hartman online via the CBS Evening News.

Obit? You bet! The Fascinating World of Obituaries

 One of my obsessions and true pleasures in life is reading obituaries.  It’s an odd fascination, but not if I really think about it. I love history—both the bang-the-drums watershed moment and that which is less known but far more personal. My preferred outlets for these mini-histories are the obit sections in the Sunday editions of the San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times. Steaming cup of coffee in hand, I comb through these one minute summations of lives energetically (or unceremoniously) lived in utter fascination. Obits are, essentially, human interest stories at their most mesmerizing and least time consuming—a must for those whose schedules require a thumbnail sketch opposed to 500-page novel. Too often we do not see history beyond the timeline. But a well-written obit—one with cadence and poetry that is equal parts hilarious, sentimental, mysterious, wacky, and sometimes, near criminal—considers history from a more personal POV.  And did I mention the near-nothing time commitment?

Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about everyone you’ve never met—but probably should have—in three of my favorite books on the fascinating and oddball world of obituaries and those who write them.

The Economist Book of Obituaries  

 

 

Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Led Extroadinary Lives

The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries ()

Chess, Mates! Bobby Fischer Posthumously Resurfaces…

Good yarn alert! Word on the street is that HBO has spun another winner, folks. This time around it is the compelling new documentary Bobby Fischer Against the World, which premiers tonight at 9 p.m. EST and kicks off the network’s documentary Summer Series. Early reviews mark this one as a winner—a captivating look at a compelling and controversial character. In this case, one the most bewildering figures of the 20th century, Bobby Fischer; a brilliant chess prodigy who became a grandmaster in his teens (the youngest in history), took on Boris Spassky in 1972, and retreated into seclusion except for the rare occasions he would pop up and puzzle the world with bizarre antics and erratic behavior.

 

Director Liz Garbus has earned raves for her skilled direction—and I have no doubt she deserves every kudo. But let’s be honest, I could be behind the lens of this one and have a decent shot of making it serviceably watchable. Fischer is that interesting—and troubling.  Mad genius? Boy wonder? Tragic figure? Check it out and let me know what you think...