Wednesday

Jun. 14, 2000

Broadcast Date: WEDNESDAY: June 14, 2000

Poem: "Sonnet 18," by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

It's the birthday in Huntington, New York, 1957, of writer and historian Howard Mansfield, author of many articles on architecture and history for the New York Times, and author of the books Cosmopolis (1990), In the Memory House (1993), and Skylark: The Life, Lies, and Inventions of Harry Atwood (1999).

It's the birthday of novelist Cindy Bonner, born in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1953, author of historical novels set in McDade, Texas, including Lily, (1992), Looking after Lily (1994), The Passion of Dellie O'Barr (1996), and Right from Wrong (1999).

It's writer Jill Nelson's birthday, born in New York City, 1952, for many years a writer with the Washington Post. She's also the author of the essay collections Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience (1993), about her time at the Post, which won the American Book Award; and, Straight, No Chaser: How I Became a Grown-Up Black Woman (1997).

It's novelist John Armistead's birthday, born in Mobile Alabama, 1941, who served as a Baptist preacher for over 20 years before writing his first book, A Legacy of Vengeance (1994). He followed that with A Homecoming for Murder and Cruel as the Grave—mysteries set in the Mississippi hill country.

The German Army took Paris on this day in 1940, entering the city at 6:30 in the morning, then spreading out into the neighborhoods. By 11:00 a.m. the swastika was flying from the Eiffel Tower. Nine days later, Hitler toured the city.

It's the birthday in Markbreit, Germany, 1864, of psychiatrist and pathologist Alois Alzheimer, who in 1906 performed an autopsy on a 55-year old who had died with severe dementia, and he noticed plaque and tangled fibers in the brain. The following year he wrote about it in a medical journal and his name became associated with the dementia that usually starts after 60, but can begin as early as 40. More than 4 million older Americans have it.

It's the birthday, in Litchfield, Connecticut, 1811, of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author in 1852 of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the story of the slave, Uncle Tom, and his friendship with little Eva St. Clare, the daughter of his master. Tom saves the girl's life and she asks her father to free all the slaves. But before he can do so he's killed, and Tom is eventually whipped to death. Uncle Tom's Cabin sold 300,000 copies in its first year, fueling the conflict that lead to the civil war.

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

 

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