Wednesday

Feb. 24, 1999

Vaine Men

by Thomas Campion

Broadcast Date: WEDNESDAY: February 24, 1999

Poem: "Vaine Men," by Thomas Campion (1567-1620).

It was on this day in 1942 that the VOICE OF AMERICA, the American government's radio network, made its first broadcast—a message in German and aimed to counter Nazi propaganda amongst the German people. By the end of the war the VOICE OF AMERICA network was broadcasting over 3000 programs in 40 languages every week.

It was on this day in 1868 that the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson. He was the 17th president and the one who took over after Lincoln's assassination in 1865. The case was rejected in the Senate by one vote and Johnson stayed in office.

It's the birthday of the American painter WINSLOW HOMER, born 1836 in Boston, one of the 19th century realist painters, famous for his scenes of the sea. On his 66th birthday he wrote to a friend, "It will please you to know that after waiting a full year, looking out every day at it, I have today, on my birthday, got the light and the sea that I wanted."

It's the birthday of WILHELM GRIMM, born 1786 in Hannau, Germany, the younger of the two Brothers Grimm, whose collection of over 200 folk tales, Grimm's Fairy Tales (1812-22) is known as the first scientific collection of folk stories which they got by talking to farmers, shopkeepers and other locals.

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®

 

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