History

City Life

Understanding Malcolm X

May 19th will be the 86th birthday of Malcolm X. Born Malcolm Little, he eventually changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. He’s known by […]

City Life

It Happened Today: A Phillie Faceplants, the Union League Opens, and Sick People Find a Place to Heal

What do you get when you turn 260? Well, if you’re Pennsylvania Hospital, you serve cake to your employees in the caf. Two centuries and […]

City Life

Happy Birthday, John Brown!

Today, May 9th, is the 211th birthday of Harpers Ferry hero John Brown. When he was five years old, his pro-Bible, anti-slavery family moved to […]

City Life

It Happened Today: Jeffrey Lurie Bought the Eagles, Lenny Dykstra and Darren Daulton Almost Died, and Some Guy in the Northeast Won the Lottery Twice

Lenny Dykstra and Darren Daulton probably do not have fond memories of this day in 1991. After attending a party, Dykstra slammed his red Mercedes […]

City Life

How a Half-Million-Dollar Statue Can Point Us to the Future

This town has developed a bad habit of blotting our collective memory. Philadelphia’s an aging railroad and industrial city struggling to evolve into the place […]

City Life

Southerners Are Still Revising Civil War History

Last Tuesday was the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and southern apologists and revisionists continue their rewriting of American history by […]

City Life

The Battle of Historic Philadelphia

It started out as a solid plan. We would take our houseguest on a tour of historic Philadelphia on a Saturday afternoon. I love the […]

City Life

Remembering Charles Bowser

In 2000, which was five years before he retired, Charles W. Bowser, Esquire called my small solo practitioner law office and left a voice mail […]

City Life

The Gay Philly Football Star

Chely Wright has put the queer into country. Faster than you can say “Shut Up and Drive,” Wright came out yesterday to People.com, making her […]

City Life

Remembering Camp William Penn

Salon.com is getting deserved accolades for its investigation uncovering the story of graves neglected and disrespected at Arlington National Cemetery. The graves contain the remains […]