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Whatever Happened To? Mary Lou Retton

What to do when you retire at age 18? #gymnastics #Olympics

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a high school sophomore from West Virginia became the first American woman to win the all-around gold in gymnastics. With Mary Lou Retton’s historic performance combined with her congenial smile and perky personality, she would soon be dubbed ‘America’s sweetheart.’ And would be front and center on the boxes of Wheaties, a first for a woman.  (Tony…

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River of Impressionism

A cruise down the Seine. #France #Impressionists #travel

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Backyard Bird Cam -- Winter Edition

Maybe we should have migrated?#birds

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Night Moves

An interactive light show in a sculpture garden #art #lights #GroundsforSculpture

Night Forms, an interactive light show produced by Kip Collective of Philadelphia, on display at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, N.J. Has Anyone Seen Larry? (The Three Fates), Seward Johnson

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Whatever Happened To? Eliot Spitzer

On Jan. 1, 2007, Eliot Spitzer was sworn in as governor of New York State. He had previously been state attorney general and had earned the nickname “sheriff of Wall Street’ for his crackdown on white collar crime. A little more than 14 months later the New York Times (March 10, 2008)  broke this story: “Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet…

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Some American History (without the wars, presidents and politics)

America's cultural history at the Smithsonian museum in Washington

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The Best Books I Read in 2023

From Nazi occupied France to Puerto Rican occupied Brooklyn. #books #bookreviews

The Postcard, Anne Berest It’s 2003 when an anonymous postcard arrives in the mailbox of a French family. On it are simply four first names. They are the names of a mother, father and two of their children. All died at Auschwitz in 1942. The postcard is the launching point for two stories. The first is the story of the Rabinovitch family. Refugees from Russia, they make stops in Latvia, Poland…

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Whatever Happened To? Ronnie Spector

A story of triumph over evil. #music #TheRonettes #RonnieSpector

You might not recognize the name Veronica Yvette Bennett. But maybe you recognize this? Veronica Yvette Bennett was the beautiful and talented founder and lead vocalist of the Ronettes, one of the most popular of the “girl groups” that dominated pop music for a brief period in the early to mid-sixties before the British Invasion took hold. They had a number of hits in 1963 and 1964 in addition…

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Whatever Happened To? Lorena Bobbitt

A story of domestic violence and spousal abuse. #domesticviolence #LorenaBobbitt

Lorena Gallo, a 19-year old immigrant from Venezuela, met John Bobbitt, a bar bouncer and former U.S. Marine, in a bar in 1988. Within a year they were married. Were it not for the events of the night of June 23, 1993, few would have heard of this couple. (1994 AP file photo) According to Lorena, she was mentally and physically abused during their marriage. On the fateful night, Lorena was…

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The Artists of Newark

Newark Arts Festival exhibition at the Newark Museum of Art #art #museums #Newark

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Whatever Happened To? Jennifer Capriati

A tennis star's battles both on and off the court. #tennis #sport #JenniferCapriati

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Kings and Queens, Statesmen and Poets

Portraits of England's royals, statesmen, and pioneering women. #art #museums #NationalPortraitGallery #London

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Whatever Happened To? Dave Clark

A good drummer, a better businessman. #music #DaveClarkFive #BritishInvasion

When the Beatles led music’s so-called British Invasion in the 1960’s, it was not the Rolling Stones who were their chief rival for the attention of teenage girls. Nor was it the Kinks or the Hollies, the Who or the Yardbirds, nor any of the other bands whose music has lived on for decades. It was the Dave Clark Five. When the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was displaced as number one on…

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McCartney Behind the Camera

Paul McCartney's photos from the Beatles 1964 tours, on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London. #music #Beatles #McCartney #museums

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Whatever Happened To? Bill 'Spaceman' Lee

Still pitching after all these years. #baseball #MLB #BillLee

The Spaceman was a major league baseball pitcher. He was what baseball folks like to call ‘a flake.’ He was also a really good pitcher. Lee won 94 games over 10: seasons with the Boston Red Sox between 1969 and 1978. In one of those years, 1973, he was an all star. He pitched another four seasons with the Montreal Expos and ended his career with a 119-92 won-loss record and a very respectable…

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The Chinese-American Experience, Then and Now

A museum of Chinese-American history and culture. #Chinese-Americans #museums #WashingtonDC

Washington is a city full of museums. Most visitors head first to the large Smithsonian Museums in and around the mall. But the city also has many smaller, unique and interesting museums. One of those is the Chinese-American Museum. It is on 16th Street NW, not far from Dupont Circle. This lightly attended, free museum is only five years old. Development began in 2018. It was closed for awhile…

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Whatever Happened To? Mr. T

An actor, a wrestler, a cancer survivor. #Mr.T #Rocky

Laurence Tureaud was born in Chicago in 1952. He was the youngest boy in a family of 12 children. As he grew up his imposing physique and stern facial expression made him a perfect fit for his first couple of jobs, club bouncer and personal bodyguard. You may know of Laurence Threaud as Mr. T. In 1982, Mr. T had a life changing event. Sylvestor Stallone cast him as Clubber Lang in the movie…