midwoodian

Photo: Stone Plate Engravings, Declaration of Independence,Plates and Facsimiles of the Declaration of Independence, 1823, 1895 and 1951Records of the Bureau of Rolls and Library,Engravings, Printing Plates and MedalsRG59 General Records of the Department of State, public domain (downscaled by Vincent LaMarca America turns 250 today. The Lee Resolution 250 years and two days ago establishes…

Photo: President Ronald Reagan on Governors Island delivering a speech; First Lady Nancy Reagan is to the left (July 4, 1986), public domain Liberty Weekend, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, took place forty years ago today. The opening ceremonies were on Thursday, July 3, with a speech by President Ronald Reagan and a swearing-in ceremony of immigrants by Chief…

Photo: WNBT advertisement (1945), public domain Commercial television began on Tuesday, July 1, 1941, when WNBT (now WNBC), broadcasting on Channel 1 began airing paid commercials. WNBT had been running experimental service as W2XBS. WNBT, owned by NBC, began broadcasting at 1:30 pm. It ran the first paid commercial for Bulova at 2:29 pm noting the time, before airing a baseball game between…

Photo: Flag of Canada by George FB Stanley, public domain The Commonwealth of Canada turns 159 today. On July 1, 1867, Canada secured peaceful – unlike the United States – independence from the United Kingdom as the Dominion of Canada which contained four provinces. The UK still had the power to pass laws relating to Canada. This power was restricted in the Statue of Westminster 1931, although…

Photo: Mel Brooks at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2010 by Angela George, CC BY-SA 3.0 Comedian, actor, director and screenwriter Mel Brooks, born Melvin James Kaminsky in Brownsville Brooklyn on this day in 1926, becomes a 100-year-old man today. Brooks wrote or co-wrote The Producers, Blazing Saddles (with Gene Wilder), Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Spaceballs, and my favorite, History of…

Photo: David Clayton-Thomas performing at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, FL by Carl Lender CC BY-SA 3.0 David Clayton-Thomas, the British-born, Canadian-raised singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, has died. He was 84. Blood, Sweat & Tears produced a trio of Billboard No. 2s: “You Make Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel” and “And When I Die.”

Photo: Stella Lefty @ Moroccan Lounge 05/06/2025 by Justin Higuchi under CC by 4.0 It’s only a matter of time before Stella Lefty makes her Opry debut. When will that be?

Photo: Stella Lefty @ Moroccan Lounge 05/06/2025 by Justin Higuchi under CC by 4.0 Stella Lefty, daughter of the billionaire founder of Groupon, Eric Lefkofsky, grew up in Illinois and later moved with her family to California. After graduating from Tulane University she began her music career with “Kiss Me,” but it was only after signing with Atlantic Outpost that she had her worldwide smash,…

Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons After being told that they couldn’t walk the stage at the 2026 Brooklyn College Commencement at Barclays Center, graduating students did walk at commencement on Thursday, May 28 after the college reversed their decision following student protest. The ceremony was limited to nine speakers and lasted about 35 minutes. The next hour and a…

Photo above: Tuesday’s front page of The Guardian Keir Starmer, the Labour prime minister since July 5, 2024, resigned today, to be effective when his successor as Labour leader is chosen. Former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is expected to replace him both as Labour leader and prime minister and a volatile, polarized environment compounded by Brexit and extremes in both the Labour and Reform…

Photo: South Bushwick Reformed Church Forgotten New York has a 2014 profile on South Bushwick Reformed Church, which was heavily damaged on Juneteenth and needs to be replaced.

Photo: South Bushwick Reformed Church On this Father’s Day please help South Bushwick Reformed Church, which was burned down in a destructive fire on the afternoon of Juneteenth. (ABC7NY – NYPost) Pastor James Steward II, whom I met many years ago while I was attending New Utrecht Reformed Church, has set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for rebuilding the church. Donations can also be made via…