Note: During the summer, I won’t be adding my own posts (I have to build up an inventory for the fall), but will be linking frequently to others’ articles about history. (And there are more links in the righthand column.)
Norman Rockwell, disdained by art critics, loved by many Americans, was the person who made FDR’s speech about “freedom from fear itself” famous. Before that, Roosevelt’s 1941 inaugural speech was a dud. Brian T. Allen writes the first of two articles on “Normal Rockwell, Realist” in National Review.
Great Britain’s Queen Victoria was born May 24, 1819, became queen at age 18, and ruled for over 60 years. For the 200th anniversary of her birth, BBC’s History Extra tells many stories about the woman for whom an era was named. One feature is about whether she was pretty or not.
Lighten up, and read about “16 Facts that Will Warp Your Perception of Time” in the Reader’s Digest. For example, the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, has living grandchildren.
Jeffrey A. Tucker compares today’s effort to bring back protectionism to the counter-revolutionary processes at work just before World War I, when the state began to grow after a century of increasing freedom. On AIER.
Naomi Schaefer Riley of the Wall Street Journal interviews Wilfred McClay, author of a new history book, Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story (article is subscriber-only).
Ross Douthat compares The Avengers to Gothic cathedrals. In National Review.
Rebecca Onion attacks David McCullough’s new book. Pioneers, as the kind of book you find at Costco and Target but not in academe. On Slate.