On this day in 1904, Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss, the author and illustrator of such beloved children’s books as “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” is born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Geisel, who used his middle name (which was also his mother’s maiden name) as his pen name, wrote 48 books–including some for adults–that have sold well over 200 million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Dr. Seuss books are known for their whimsical rhymes and quirky characters, which have names like the Lorax and the Sneetches and live in places like Hooterville. Geisel, who was born on March 2,…

    The Civil War, Part 1: The Places http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/ Feb 8, 2012 | 261  Last year marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, a milestone commemorated by The Atlantic in a special issue (now available online). Although photography was still in its infancy, war correspondents produced thousands of images, bringing the harsh realities of the frontlines to those on the home front in a new and visceral way. As brother fought brother and the nation’s future grew uncertain, the public appetite for information was fed by these images from the trenches, rivers, farms, and cities that became fields of battle. Today’s collection is part…

Davy Jones, Monkees vocalist: Dec. 30, 1945 to Feb. 29, 2012 http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Davy+Jones,+Monkees+vocalist+Dec+30,+1945+to+Feb+29,+2012/G3443 February 29, 2012   Davy Jones, Monkees Singer, Dies at 66 By MARGALIT FOX Davy Jones, a singer and, by long-held public consensus, the handsomest and most popular of the Monkees, the collectively young, longhaired, wildly famous and preternaturally buoyant pop group of the 1960s and afterward, died on Wednesday in Indiantown, Fla. He was 66. The apparent cause was a heart attack, his publicist, Helen Kensick, said. Created in 1966, the Monkees comprised Mr. Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork. The group sold millions of records. Its recording of “Daydream Believer,” by John Stewart, became…

Found: Ancient Warrior’s Helmet, Owner Unknown A 2,600-year-old bronze helmet is found in the waters of Haifa Bay, in Israel. Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:03 AM ET Content provided by Owen Jarus, LiveScience Contributor THE GIST A Greek bronze helmet was found in the waters of Haifa Bay in Israel. The helmet is about 2,600 years old and likely belonged to a wealthy Greek mercenary. Covered with gold leaf (now somewhat corroded), this 2,600-year-old bronze helmet was discovered in the waters of Haifa Bay, in Israel.  Israel Antiquities Authority A Greek bronze helmet, covered with gold leaf and decorated with snakes, lions and a peacock’s tail (or palmette), has been…

In the Details By JENNIFER B. McDONALD   THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT By John D’Agata and Jim Fingal 123 pp. W. W. Norton & Company. Paper, $17.95. This book review would be so much easier to write were we to play by John D’Agata’s rules. So let’s try it. (1) This is not a book review; it’s an essay. (2) I’m not a critic; I’m an artist. (3) Nothing I say can be used against me by the subjects of this essay, nor may anyone hold me to account re facts, truth or any contract I have supposedly entered into with you, the reader. There are to be no…

The famous Revolutionary War poem that’s really about slavery By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s most popular work has been passed down through the generations as the quintessential Revolutionary War poem. But in fact it was the rift over slavery that Longfellow had in mind as he wrote the classic story of Paul Revere. Longfellow was a committed abolitionist who had been quietly donating money toward buying the freedom of slaves. The day John Brown was hanged in 1859, the poet observed in his diary, “This will be a great day in our history, the date of a new Revolution quite as much needed as the old one.” With…

1901 Transcontinental Railroad Map $9.00 High Quality Scan from Original Email Address Required

  High Resolution 1901 US Map $9.00 High Quality Scan from Original   Email Address Required

Feb 25, 1986: Today in History  In the face of mass demonstrations against his rule, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and his entourage are airlifted from the presidential palace in Manila by U.S. helicopters. Elected in 1966, Marcos declared martial law in 1972 in response to leftist violence. In the next year, he assumed dictatorial powers. Backed by the United States, his regime was marked by misuse of foreign support, repression, and political murders. In 1986, Marcos defrauded the electorate in a presidential election, declaring himself the victor over Corazon Aquino, the wife of an assassinated rival. Aquino also declared herself the rightful winner, and the public rallied behind her. Deserted…

 INVESTING FEBRUARY 19, 2012 Retro Investing—Look Back to Get Ahead By TOM LAURICELLA Break out the poodle skirts and crank up the Perry Como. It’s often said that investors these days are navigating uncharted territory. The world’s major economies are swamped by massive amounts of debt, the Federal Reserve has essentially locked interest rates at zero and the outlook for corporate profits is increasingly cloudy. Many investors are paralyzed by this environment, which is unlike anything they have seen in their adult lives. As a result, they’re hunkering down in cash and super-safe government bonds. However, as is often the case, investors can look to the past and find potential…