By Robert A. Lanier I suppose that, in most cities of any size, there is no longer such a thing as a “neighborhood” movie theater.…
Read More Neighborhood Theaters: The Normal
Author: Robert Lanier
The End of WW II
By Robert A. Lanier I am certain that everyone who is old enough remembers what they were doing when they learned that World War II…
Read More The End of WW II
The Sears Catalog Christmas Book
By Robert A. Lanier Once upon a time, every year, two free paperback books approximately two inches thick plopped onto the doorstep of almost every…
Read More The Sears Catalog Christmas Book
Vox Clamantis in Deserto. Behind the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial
Robert S. Keebler, The Quiet Crusader Who Defended Academic Freedom & 24-Year-Old Public School Teacher John Scopes By Robert A. Lanier What sayest thou of…
Read More Vox Clamantis in Deserto. Behind the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial
‘Riot’ or ‘Massacre’ – Revisiting the reporting of the Memphis Riot and Massacre of 1866
By Robert A. Lanier Riot: Public violence, tumult, or disorder; a violent public disorder. (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977 edition); A disturbance of the peace…
Read More ‘Riot’ or ‘Massacre’ – Revisiting the reporting of the Memphis Riot and Massacre of 1866
My Street: The home where I grew up is now somewhere under Memphis State
By Robert A. Lanier The street in Memphis where I did most of my growing up in the 1940s, from age 5 to 21 or…
Read More My Street: The home where I grew up is now somewhere under Memphis State
The Fascists Are Coming!
By Robert A. Lanier Fascist! Since at least World War II, to call someone a fascist has been almost as insulting as to call someone…
Read More The Fascists Are Coming!
The Peaceful German invasion of Memphis
By Robert Lanier Monday, August 13, 1945 was another hot Memphis summer day. It was a special day for more reasons than one, however. The…
Read More The Peaceful German invasion of Memphis
When “The Birth of a Nation” Came to Memphis
The news came in December 1915, that one of cinema’s most infamous films – which exalted, glorified and stoked white supremacy – was soon coming…
Read More When “The Birth of a Nation” Came to Memphis