Category: History

  • One Anecdote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr is Nothing to Sneeze At

    One Anecdote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr is Nothing to Sneeze At

    I’ve finished reading both biographies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (the one by Jonathan Eig and the autobiography edited by Clayborne Carson). Both books were fascinating. Many of the accounts of King’s life were familiar to me mainly because I had seen them written about in other books and articles. Some of them are…

  • Upcoming Svengoolie Movie: “Dracula” (1931)

    Upcoming Svengoolie Movie: “Dracula” (1931)

    So, the upcoming Svengoolie movie is “Dracula” released in 1931 starring Bela Lugosi. They tried to get George Burns to star in it, but he refused to take the cigar out of his mouth long enough to put the fangs in. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen this classic vampire flick in which the story…

  • Super Bowl LX 2026 Super Commercials

    Super Bowl LX 2026 Super Commercials

    I watched the Super Bowl last night and I saw a couple of commercials (there’s always a lot of special commercials, only a few of which send healthy messages). I thought they were very positive and affirmed the importance of acceptance of others who are different from you. I’m reading The Autobiography of Martin Luther…

  • Thoughts on the Book: “King: A Life” by Jonathan Eig

    Thoughts on the Book: “King: A Life” by Jonathan Eig

    I just finished Jonathan Eig’s biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and I have just a few thoughts to share on my immediate impression of the book. Before I read the book, I got the impression that there might be a detailed description of Dr. King’s mental health. Although I didn’t see any specific…

  • Still Reading Dr. MLK Jr Biographies

    Still Reading Dr. MLK Jr Biographies

    I’m just checking in to let you know I’m still reading Jonathan Eig’s biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I’m in the last section. I plan to read The Autobiography of MLK Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson next. I’m not ready to share much right now in the way of my impressions other than…

  • Observations on Jonathan Eig’s Martin Luther King Distinguished Lecture

    Observations on Jonathan Eig’s Martin Luther King Distinguished Lecture

    I discovered that the University of Iowa made a video presentation of Jonathan Eig’s speech for the Martin Luther King Distinguished Lecture on January 21, 2026. Mr. Eig wrote the MLK biography, “King: A Life” which was published in 2023. We just got a copy of it along with “The Autobiography Of MLK. We’re reading…

  • We Just Got MLK Jr Biographies Delivered Today

    We Just Got MLK Jr Biographies Delivered Today

    We just got both of the Martin Luther King Jr. biographies delivered today! They both have great photographs and we’ll get started reading them. We’ll keep you posted on what our impressions are. We also saw a YouTube video of a 1963 TV program of civil rights leaders including MLK Jr posted a few years…

  • Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

    Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

    Today being Martin Luther King Day, I’m reminiscing a little about my short time as a student at Huston-Tillotson College (one of this country’s HBCUs, Huston-Tillotson University since 2005) in Austin, Texas. It’s always a good idea to thank your teachers. I never took a degree there, choosing to transfer credit to Iowa State University…

  • What Questions Should We Ask on MLK Day?

    What Questions Should We Ask on MLK Day?

    I ran across this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in my notes: “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. This week we’ll be getting the two biographies of…

  • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day Events 2026

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day Events 2026

    Here’s a list of events I know of so far regarding the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day: The city of Iowa City has day of service and other events you can find at this link. The city of Coralville has events starting on January 16th and more, which you can learn about…