FDR often gets the credit, but women made the “3 Rs” work — This year marks the 90th anniversary of the New Deal, launched in 1933. The New Deal was a sweeping set of programs, projects, reforms and regulations spearheaded by American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, affectionately known as “FDR.” The New Deal was designed to address the “3 Rs”: Relief for the…

The “flying saucer” became a cultural craze with staying power — The end of World War II brought the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Nuclear war was a real threat as bomb shelter signs proliferated around the nation. What better way to strike paranoia into the hearts of ordinary Americans? This environment was…

Chief Standing Bear was an early civil rights champion — It is a sad truth that American history is littered with stories of injustice. It took the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s to drive the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. …

Can a 125-year-old soft drink remain relevant? — Two of the world’s most iconic brands were born in late 1800s America, both of them soft drinks. In 1886 at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. John Pemberton served up the first glass of “Coca-Cola.” In 1893, Caleb Bradham concocted “Brad’s Drink” and offered it at his pharmacy…

Sci-fi in the ’50s was both preposterous and prophetic — Science fiction is a timeless form of entertainment — just as popular now as it was decades earlier. Centered around such themes as climate change, nuclear holocaust and the mysteries of space, contemporary science fiction could legitimately be seen as a throwback to the 1950s. How did science fiction in…

Over 125 years ago, sweet little treats helped launch America’s sugar addiction — Candy is an ancient invention — honey was added to seeds, nuts and fruit by the early Egyptians and Greeks to create sweet confections. But in the United States, “penny candy” — the first candy designed just for kids — hooked American youngsters on sugar. …

The 1929 Johnson Smith catalog spoke volumes about American society — When English-born Alfred Johnson Smith relocated from Australia to the United States in 1914, he brought with him a novelty business that would become a national phenomenon. Establishing Johnson Smith & Co. in Chicago, Illinois, Smith became known for selling silly, amusing novelties via a mail order catalogue. The Johnson…

TV’s first reality sitcom wasn’t real at all — The American family in the 1950s looked very different from today. For one thing, the man in the family was the breadwinner and the woman in the family was the full-time homemaker. …

From Tin Pan Alley to the Brill Building, New York dominated the music business until the 1960s — The American music business in the 19th Century was like the Wild West. When songs were written and published as sheet music, copyright laws were ineffective. A song could be published by a small music publisher in one city and, when it became popular, a publisher in another city could…