Gasp!

Quote on book reviewing by W.H. Auden

"One cannot review a bad book without showing off."
--- W.H. Auden

1918 - before the Spanish flu pandemic

On February 1, 1918, the Janesville Daily Gazette (Janesville, Wisconsin) reported that the Wisconsin state death rate was slightly higher in the last quarter of 1917. "Deaths from pneumonia were nearly double those of the third quarter."

Little did they know what awaited them later that year. Spanish Flu killed half a million people in the US alone in the period of 1818-1819. Millions more died around the globe.

Today in 1968

These are the top headlines for June 10, 1968.

Spock Calls Viet War 'Outrageous'
"Dr. Benjamin Spock charged today that the war in Vietnam 'has no shred of legality and will blacken the reputation of my country for decades and centuries to come." (Associated Press)

Rock Speaks on Guarded Campus
"Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York eulogized Sen. Robert F. Kennedy today under strict new security regulations prompted by the senator's assassination... A half-dozen Secret Service men flanked Rockefeller as he walked, garbed in a mortar board and gown, to the podium." (Associated Press)

U.S. Agents Guarding Ted Kennedy
"Sen. Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy D-Mass, who now takes on the burden and promise of his family's leadership, has been quietly assigned the protection of the Secret Service. It was learned that President Johnson, in an unusual move secretly extending an earlier directive, has ordered protection for the surviving Kennedy brother." (Newsday, Inc.)

Berkeley Draft HQ Bombed
"A bomb exploded inside the Selective Service Headquarters at Addison and Grove Streets early today, blasting out most windows and demolishing office furnishings." (Oakland Tribune -- Oakland, California)

Ray May Fight Extradition
"James Earl Ray made a two-minute appearance in Bow Street Court today and indicated he would fight the U.S. government's attempt to seek his extradition in connection with the charge that he killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." (Associated Press)

Today in 1968

These are the top stories for June 9, 1968.
Kennedy at Rest Amid U.S. Heroes: Senator Buried at Arlington by Douglas B. Cornell
"Robert F. Kennedy was buried on a gentle hillside Saturday night in the uncertain light of a full moon - and the flame flickering eternally over the grave of martyred President John F. Kennedy." (Associated Press)

Statements About Sirhan Arouse D.A.
"Dist. Atty. Evelle J. Younger said he will 'do anything to stop' officials, police or prosecution figures from making comments that could damage the state's case." (Associated Press)

A Widow's Watchword: 'Cry Later'
"Ethel Kennedy did not cry. She sat quiet and composed in the great neo-Gothic cathedral where six cardinals, 18 archbishops and more than 200 priests conducted a Solemn Requiem Mass for her slain husband." (United Press International)

British Law Was Waiting To Nab Dr. King Suspect
"James Earl Ray, a fugitive convict accused of slaying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in London Saturday as he was about to fly to Belgium, the FBI announced." (Associated Press)

Memphis Preparing for Trial
"Police Director Frank Holloman, elated over the London capture of James Earl Ray, said Saturday immediate steps will be taken to return him here to stand trial for murder in the sniper slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." (Associated Press)

Today in 1968

These are the top stories for June 7, 1968

Throngs Bid Final Farewell to Bobby: Somehow It Seems the Same by Jean Heller
"For the slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's only surviving brother, Edward, it was the end of a night-long vigil beside the casket in the quiet, dark cathedral." (Associated Press)

Body Lies in State In Church
"Undeterred by 90-degree heat which turned midtown Manhattan into a bake-oven, they waited in line for upwards of five hours in order to spend five seconds filing past the bier in St. Patrick's Cathedral where Sen. Robert F. Kennedy lay in state." (United Press International)

Autopsy Details Delayed
"It may be days or weeks before the full medical story of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's assassination is told, but one fact apparently has been established" Death was due to a bullet in the brain." (Associated Press)

Today in 1968

These are the top stories for June 6, 1968

Kennedy Mourned by Nation: Burial by Arlington Saturday
"Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, felled like his President brother by an assassin's bullet, died early today... Robert Kennedy, 42, never regained consciousness, never showed signs of recovery after a savage burst of revolver fire sent a bullet plunging into his brain - at the pinnacle of his own campaign for the White House" (Associated Press)

Johnson Proclaims A Day of Mourning
"President Johnson today declared Sunday a national day of mourning for Robert F. Kennedy and ordered the U.S. flag lowered to half staff in memoriam to the slain senator." (United Press International)

Negroes Feel It's a Conspiracy by Austin Scott
"For many poor people at Resurrection City the shooting of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy became a black versus white issue... 'Every time a colored or a white fellow tries to help us make a better life for ourselves, somebody will cut him down for no reason,' said Annie Mae Vargas, a Harlem housewife." (Associated Press)

The Longest Night by Bill Fiset
"'If I were Teddy Kennedy, with his millions, I'd get out of government right now. Why bother trying to do something for the country when things like this happen.' That was one comment and maybe a more perceptive one than you'd think." (Oakland Tribune -- Oakland, California)

A Time to Stop by Bob MacKenzie
"Television fed us Robert F. Kennedy's heartbeats, one by one, until they stopped... Under the endless drone of helpless words that followed, the time and place came back into focus and the questions came. Why, why? What is this plague? Where did it start? What are we becoming?" (Oakland Tribune -- Oakland, California)

Today in 1968

Kennedy's Life Hangs in Balance: Suspected Assassin Identified
"Robert F. Kennedy fought for his life today after being shot down at point blank range by a young man who mixed in with an exultant hotel party crowd celebrating the senator's victory in the California presidential primary." (Compiled from AP and UPI)

Johnson Leads U.S. in Prayers
"President Johnson led a shocked nation today in praying for the recovery of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Horrified lawmakers voiced fear 'the world's gone mad.'"

Terror, Tears and Blood by Robert Healy
"Now, I was standing on a steel serving table directly over the same place where we had shaken hands. He lay struck down by bullets. His right hand held a bleeding side. His face was white. His eyes were open. His lips moved just slightly. But he did not cry." (Associated Press)

Nation's Leaders Horrified
"Reaction from public figures came swiftly in the wake of today's shooting of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy with expression of shock, sorrow and outrage and prayers for his recovery. Some commented they feared such violence was becoming commonplace in America." (Associated Press)

Raw footage and Janine's immediate reaction to the shooting at Project 1968.

Today in 1968

These are the top stories for June 4, 1968

 

5.5 Million Voters Trek to Polls Today: RFK Faces Rift With Minorities by Dave Hope

"Major contests tightened up sharply today as some 5.5 million California voters went to the polls for a primary election - Democrats to choose a favorite for the presidential nomination. Republicans to select a nominee for the U.S. Senate... Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, still rated as leading Sen. Eugene McCarthy in the fight for the state's 172 national convention votes, faced the first rift in what has appeared to be virtually unanimous support by minority group voters. It left him complaining and on the verge of physical collapse as the campaign ended." (Oakland Tribune -- Oakland, California)

 

Warhol Shot by Actress

"In his far out world of soup can posters and interminable underground films, Andy Warhol's acquaintances included characters as bizarre as his art. Among them actress Valerie Solanis, who detests men in general and had some specific grievances against Warhold... Police held Miss Solanis, 28, star of Warhol's newest film, "I, A Man," on charges of felonious assault and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to kill. Doctors said today Warhold had a "50-50" chance of surviving." (United Press International)

 

(photo from the Oakland Tribune)

Today in 1968

McCarthy Concludes His Drive

"Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy today entered the final day of campaigning for the California Primary that almost unquestionably will decide whether he or Sen. Robert F. Kennedy will remain in the presidential race - a race McCarthy called "very close." He made a speech at the California State College in Long Beach, along with an unscheduled visit to Watts. (United Press International)

Helen Keller

Forty years ago today, Helen Keller died at the age of 87. 

According to the AP story:

 "'She died gently, with a smile on her face,' said Miss Keller's physician, Dr. Forris Chick. He said he has seen Miss Keller Saturday morning and 'she was doing just fine' despite a slight heart attack last week.'"

Tuscumbia, Alabama, Helen Keller's birthplace, is a long stones throw from where I live. Last month, Jethro and I passed Tuscumbia on our way to Memphis. We didn't see much of it, or maybe there just wasn't much to see. 

People from my generation grew up with Helen Keller jokes. Before political correctness, there was tasteless humor. I wonder about that now; why everyone made those jokes. Most of them weren't very funny. They were usually greeted with a guffaw laced with a sneer. Did those jokes make us feel comfortable with disability, or did it make us feel superior?

I thought about those jokes through college, as I saw people with ambulatory problems making their way through the subway asking for spare change. But I rarely thought of my own grandfather, who lost one leg and then another from diabetes.

I don't know much about Helen Keller. I dodge theatrical works about her, figuring that I'll pick up important facts from osmosis. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn.