Rachel Carson was a writer, marine biologist, and environmentalist who, in the early 1960’s, alerted the world to the ecological dangers of pesticides and fertilizers. Her best-selling book, 1962’s Silent Spring outlined the environmental dangers of chemical pesticides in particular. It led to a Kennedy presidential advisory commission that endorsed her findings. Her book ultimatelyContinue reading “Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and the birth of the Environmental Movement”
Tag Archives: Kennedy
History vs. Nostalgia – What Baby Boomers Forget about the Sixties
Many Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 & 1964, now roughly 59 to 77) are prone to waxing nostalgic about the decade of the Sixties. They see it as a time when America and the western world was somehow greater – The Good Old Days – where life was simpler, safer, and filled old-fashioned family values. They seem to perhaps forget that the 1960’s was a turning point for the world. It was, in fact, filled with global wars, tragic assassinations, and political unrest. All of these led to positive, albeit painful, cultural changes for the better, over time.
Podcast: The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall
By 1961, the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union raged unchecked around the globe. Since World War II, it seemed the entire world had chosen sides. The fortified ‘Iron Curtain‘ had been raised – borders dividing Western & Eastern Europe along Democratic vs. Communist lines. Berlin however, though divided as well, stillContinue reading “Podcast: The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall”
The Cuban Missile Crisis – the Day Russia Blinked
For 13 nerve-wracking days in October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the earth close to a nuclear WORLD WAR III. It was a direct confrontation between 2 major superpowers, United States and USSR (Soviet Union) during the so called Cold War. It was the worst clash since the construction of the Berlin WallContinue reading “The Cuban Missile Crisis – the Day Russia Blinked”