1972 Summer Olympics
Jim McKay on Covering News of the Munich Massacre

Jim McKay on Covering News of the Munich Massacre

Sportscaster Jim McKay recalls being off-duty from covering the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, when he was quickly ushered back on air to report live on the Munich massacre. He shares stories on what reporting on the crisis was like for him and his crew. To this day, … Continue reading

Bill Clinton
How Hillary Rodham First Met Bill Clinton

How Hillary Rodham First Met Bill Clinton

American politician Hillary Rodham Clinton describes the first time she met Bill Clinton–who would become president of the United States from 1993 to 2001–while at Yale Law School together. Rodham describes seeing him in a hallway and feeling a “click.” She noticed that he too was staring at her with … Continue reading

Elvis Presley
[Text] Elvis’s Hand-Delivered Letter to Nixon

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“The drug culture, the hippie elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, etc do not consider me as their enemy or as they call it, the establishment. I call it America and I love it. Sir, I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out. … Continue reading

Luis Buñuel
His Colleague: ‘Working with Buñuel Was Living with Buñuel’

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French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière talks about his experience working with director Luis Buñuel on the 1972 surrealist film, “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie”–which was re-released in the United Kingdom in 2012. Carrière mentions how coincidentally, on the day the two of them came up with the title of the … Continue reading

George Lucas
James Earl Jones on Being the Voice of Darth Vader

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Actor James Earl Jones describes becoming the voice of Darth Vader, for which he was paid $7,000. He took over for Scottish actor David Prowse, who played the character of Darth Vader in the film–and wore the costume. The rumor was that Lucas was looking for someone like Orson Welles, but … Continue reading

Mad Men
[Blog] ‘Mad Men’: True or False? And Why It Matters

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Author: Phoebe Goldenberg With its sleek cast of characters, racy plot, illicit boozing, schmoozing and sexing, AMC’s primetime hit, “Mad Men,” is reviving America in the 1960s to 1970s as a cultural goldmine. It is a show that satisfies the modern appetite for all things provocative, seductive and unpredictable–but have … Continue reading

Woodstock Festival of 1969
Woodstock Revisited Ten Years Later

Author: Howard Smead “It had become so suddenly dark that I worried as we bobbed and weaved along the black, tree shrouded road that perhaps the Pied Piper was alive and well and piping in New York, a real animal picnic…”  There were three of us: Walt and myself, and … Continue reading

Agent Orange
The Weapon That Outlived the War

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Vietnamese doctors and civilians discuss the ongoing impact of Agent Orange on the country 35 years after the end of the Vietnam War. Although the United States used the herbicide Agent Orange to kill the crops of communist insurgents, the chemical mixture has had devastating effects on the people who … Continue reading

Philippe Petit
A Man on a Wire

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Famous French high wire artist Philippe Petit discusses his passion and inspiration for his performances. Petit, who describes himself as someone who likes to “live on the edge,” first gained recognition for walking between the Twin Towers on a high wire in 1974. Today he continues to perform stunts and … Continue reading

Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson: ‘Carter Would Cut My Head Off’

Hunter S. Thompson: “Carter Would Cut My Head Off”

In this 1977 interview with the CBC, author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson describes President Jimmy Carter as “one of the three meanest men I’ve ever met.” Contrary to the President’s public image as a well-intentioned man, Thompson states that only famed boxer Muhammad Ali and Sonny Barger, the former … Continue reading