Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949
Television
The sitcom “All in the Family” debuted 50 years ago this month, and had a lasting effect on television and American culture.
Editor’s Note: Jim Cullen holds masters and PhD degrees in American Studies from Brown and the author of over a dozen books. Read more >>
On what they still called their “home screens,” Americans got to watch the future
The creator of the immensely popular new Western discusses what makes it truly new.
THE VIDEO GAME turns twenty-five this year, and it has packed a whole lot of history into a mere quarter-century
THE IMPERIUM OF modern television advertising was born in desperate improvisation
It was 1945, and everybody needed everything. If you knew how to build a car, a house, or a washing machine, you could sell it faster than you could make it. Read more >>
What you don’t remember about the day JFK was shot
It was a series of sounds and images that had monumental impact and will always remain in the minds of those who watched: the bloodstained suit, the child saluting the coffin, the funeral procession to the muffled drums, the riderless horse. Read more >>