Historical Facts
Alberta Clipper 10/28/14: “Beauty and the Beast” by Neil Weiss
During the last week of October in 1946, Nebraskans were enjoying the season’s typical weather with temperatures in the mid 50s, only slightly above the average 48°. Meanwhile across the globe, Jean Cocteau’s famous La Belle et la Bête was released. The film, starring Jean Marais and Josette Day, brought to life the popular Beauty …
Alberta Clipper 10/14/2014: “A Visit to Laugharne” by Rose Rosberg
On October 14, 1913, Senghenydd, Wales witnessed a horrifying mining disaster. A terrible explosion from inside the local coal pits killed 439 miners and one rescuer, making the Senghenydd Colliery Disaster the worst coal mine explosion in the history of the United Kingdom. Coal mining was an early and long-lasting major source of income in …
Alberta Clipper 9/30/2014: ‘On the Death of James Dean’ by Ralph Pomeroy
On September 30, 1955 a young actor died in a car crash at the age of twenty-four, turning him into an icon for many generations to come. James Dean was that actor. He only starred in three films, East of Eden, Giant, and, of course, Rebel Without a Cause. He was the first actor to …
Alberta Clibber 9/16/2014: ‘Untitled’ by Marina Tsvetaeva
The Ukraine Crisis, as it has been termed, has been all over the news for a while now and, despite the controversy with Russia, it is important to remember that great works can come from anywhere. Marina Tsvetaeva was considered one of the great poets from the Silver Age in early twentieth-century Russia. Her poetry …
“Kloster Stefan (near Heidelberg)” by Stephen Crites
“Kloster Stefan” was published in the fall of 1967, an autumn that was relatively chilly. Its average temperature of 52.2°F placed it in the bottom quarter of Lincoln’s autumns, but the September-May snowfall season that year actually ranks as Lincoln’s lowest in recorded history, with only 7.2 inches of snow for the entire winter. In …
‘Suppose You Never Hit a Home Run’ by Milton Speiser
Babe Ruth, or simply “The Babe,” hit his 700th career home run 80 years ago, on July 14th, 1934. His final record of 714 career home runs, set the next May, lasted for nearly forty years, finally broken by Hank Aaron in 1974; only Aaron and Barry Bonds have bested the Babe in the time …
‘Small Boys, Three and Four’ by Erinn Batekyfer
On June 23rd, 1989, Batman (the first feature-length Batman movie since 1966) opened in theaters. Starring Michael Keaton as playboy millionaire/caped vigilante Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as his Joker nemesis, Batman went on to gross over $400 million in box-office totals worldwide and paved the way for Hollywood’s treatment of superhero movies today. In …
‘Watching Golf on Father’s Day’ by Douglas Goetsch
The winter of 1998-1999 stands as Lincoln’s thirteenth-warmest on record, with an average temperature of 30.6*. In fact, that February ranks as Lincoln’s third-warmest February, with a balmy average of 37.3*! The season still managed to net a total of over two feet of snow, although that was a sure respite from the year before, …
“Normal Light” by Alicia Ostriker
Alicia Ostriker’s poetry career spans fifty years, thirteen books of poetry (two of which were National Book Award finalists), and poems published in ten separate issues of Prairie Schooner. This year, she will be taking a different role at the Schooner: that of guest editor for the upcoming winter issue. Her poem “Normal Light” was …