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Stories From History & Contemporary Culture

— Stories by Jack Doyle —


Annals of Music

“The Moody Blues”

Breakout Music: 1967-1972

“Tuesday Afternoon” &
“Nights in White Satin,” helped
launch Moody breakout.

Love & Music

“Diamonds & Rust”

Joan & Bob: 1960s-1980s

The Dylan-Baez years
in music, protest,
love & legacy.

Western Pennsylvania

“Petrochem Peril”

Shell Cracker & Beyond

Some history and
controversy around Shell’s
new plastics plant.

Business & The Environment

“Applause For Du Pont?”

Pollution History

Critique of a 1990s Du Pont
TV ad & environmental record,
plus recent PFAS troubles.

Book, Film, Music

“Doctor Zhivago”

1950s-2010s

Oscar-winning epic film
& love story set during
the Russian Revolution.

Publishing & Politics

“The Pasternak Saga”

…& Zhivago Chronicles

Boris Pasternak’s life
was every bit as
interesting as Zhivago’s.

Petrochem Pollution

“Nurdle Apocalypse”

Plastic on the Loose

Plastic pellet spills are
polluting oceans & rivers,
menacing wildlife & more.

Corporate History

“Doing Great Things?”

Dow Chemical Co.

1980s ad campaign sought
to heal a troubled past, yet
toxic legacies remain.

Baseball History

“Gehrig vs. Ruth, 1927”

Home Run Race

Yankee sluggers in battle
for home run title deliver
awesome hitting display.

Autos & Public Health

“Smog Conspiracy”

DOJ vs. Automakers

1969 lawsuit > Detroit
held back pollution-
controls for 16 years.

Road to the White House

“JFK’s 1960 Campaign”

Primaries & Fall Election

The historic campaign,
with city-by-city itinerary
— and lots of photos.

Civil Rights History

“Buses Are A’ Comin’”

Freedom Riders: 1961

In 1961, extraordinary
courage stepped up
to racial bigotry.

Topics Page

“Magazine History”

18 Stories

The power & influence
of magazines in
politics & culture.

Annals of Music

“Summer Wind”

1966

Profile of, and
MP3 file for, a Frank
Sinatra classic.

WW II History

“Firebombing Japan”

67 Cities: 1945

“Fog of War” film reveals
horrendous firebombing
of Japanese cities.

Urban/Enviro History

“Highway Wars”

1950s-1970s

Interstate Highway frenzy
brought citizens to the
barricades & the courts.

Music & Pop Culture

“Beatles in America”

1963-1964

New rock ‘n roll group
brings “pop explosion” in
music, business, culture.

Beatles Under Siege

“Burn The Beatles”

Bigger Than Jesus?

Lennon’s 1966 remarks
spawn U.S. protests;
threaten concert tour.

Topics Page

“Music in Film”

Songs & Soundtracks

This “topics page”
features links to 26
“film & music” stories.

Film, Music, Sculpture

Glory & The 54th”

Civil War History

Story on 1989 film &
its music also covers
black soldier monuments.

Publishing, Politics, Ecology

“Power in the Pen”

1962-1963

Rachel Carson’s book, Silent
Spring, takes on pesticides;
spurs environmental cause.

Politics & Television

“Brian’s Song”

1977-2012

Brian Lamb’s C-SPAN
opens up Congress;
provides public affairs TV.

Annals of Music

“Joni’s Music”

1962-2000s

Singer-songwriter
Joni Mitchell’s
amazing career.

Topics Page

“Environmental History”

1950s-2010s

Stories on oil spills,
pesticides, river pollution,
strip mining & more…

Post-Beatles

“McCartney: Amazed”

The Paul & Linda Story

The love story, Paul’s
famous song, Wings, and
life after the Beatles.

Rousing Film Music

“The Ecstasy of Gold”

1966-2010

Famous “gold fever” song
from “Good, Bad & Ugly”
film w/ Clint Eastwood.

Magazine Art

“John Clymer’s America”

Saturday Evening Post

His stunning landscapes
helped us “see”
America the Beautiful.

Environmental History

“The Brent Spar Fight”

Greenpeace:1995

A classic environmental
battle over offshore oil
junk in the North Sea.

James Bond Music

“You Only Live Twice”

Film & Music:1967

Sinatra theme song
& Japanese music make
Bond film a winner.

Celebrity, Culture, Politics

“Fonda Fitness Boom”

1980s & Beyond

Hollywood’s Jane Fonda
spawns fitness empire that
helps fund her activism.

Poignant Songs

“Harry Chapin”

Taxi & Beyond

Song about a long-lost
love brought him to
national prominence.

Business & Biography

“The Delorean Saga”

Car Guy: 1960s-1980s

He shook-up G.M.,
pushed “auto ethics,” and
invented a new car.

Topics Page: Women

“Noteworthy Ladies”

40 Stories

Profiles of famous women
— from Rachel Carson
to Tina Turner.

Topics Page: Civil Rights

“Civil Rights Topics”

1930s-2010s

14 stories with
Civil Rights-related
content & history.

Strip Mining History

“Giant Shovel on I-70″

Ohio Fight: 1973

Shovel’s highway crossing
spurs activist organizing
& Congressional action.

Kentucky Activist

“Mountain Warrior”

1950s-1980s

Harry Caudill, author,
lawyer and legislator,
fought for Appalachia.

Music, Politics, Big Biz

“Paradise”

John Prine-1971

A country song about
strip mining, coal power,
& demise of Paradise, KY

Music, Politics, Celebrity

“Linda & Jerry”

1971-1983

The lives of Jerry Brown
and Linda Ronstadt
during the 1970s.

Oil Disaster Film

“Deepwater Horizon”

Film & Spill: 2010-2016

Story on rig disaster film
also recounts history &
politics of real BP oil spill.

Annals of Music

“Goffin & King”

1950s-2010s

Famous young songwriters,
find love & success,
then their lives diverge.

Annals of Music

“Dylan’s Hard Rain”

1962-1963

Genesis & history of
Dylan’s song, “A Hard
Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”

1950s R&B Rocker

“Fats Domino”

1950s-2000s

“Boogie-woogie” pianist
helps invent rock `n roll;
becomes nat’l sensation.

Oil Industry History

“Texas City Disaster”

BP Refinery: 2005

Poorly-maintained oil
refinery explodes,
killing 15, injuring 180.

Sculpture & History

“Point of View”

George & Guyasuta

Engaging historic figures
spur perspective on
land use & modernity.

Publishing & Politics

“Nader’s Raiders”

1968-1974

Ralph Nader’s student
“study groups” turned
Washington inside-out.

Book, Film, Music

“Goldfinger”

1959-1965

The James Bond film
that really sent the
franchise soaring.

Topics Page

“Beatles History”

1960s-2012

14 Beatles story choices:
bios, song histories,
touring, and more.

Politics & Celebrity

“Barack & Bruce”

2008-2012

Bruce Springsteen & other
celebrities helped President Obama win re-election.

Beatles Music

“In My Life”

Lennon-1965

Lennon & the Beatles
plumb the memory banks to
craft an all-time favorite.

Sci-Fi Film Classic

“Soylent Green”

1973

Dystopian film raises
enviro, survival, and
population issues.

Celebrity & The Web

“Google & Gaga”

2011

Story includes video
with history & sketches
of Lady Gaga & Google.

Advertising & Culture

“The iPod Silhouettes”

2000-2011

Apple’s iPod ads spread
cultural imagery globally
& boosted bottom line.

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