Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for July 18–24
American History
'
'
By Gerri Willis
Elizabeth Van Lew, a Southern belle, was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Wealthy, well-connected, and charming, she utterly opposed slavery. When Virginia seceded, she support
ed the Union. Hiding any outward signs of Union sympathy, she provided the North secret support. She helped Union POWs escape North and eventually became a spy. T
his book tells her
powerful story, and the story of the escape and espionage ring she ran from Richmond. It shows what one determined person can accomplish.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Detroit files for bankruptcy
Today is Friday, July 18, the 199th day of 2025. There are 166 days left in the year. Today in History: On July 18, 2013, Detroit became the biggest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy, its finances ravaged and its neighborhoods hollowed out by a long, slow decline in population and auto manufacturing. Also on this date: In 1536, the English Parliament passed an act declaring the authority of the pope void in England. In 1863, during the Civil War, Union troops spearheaded by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, made up of Black soldiers, charged Confederate-held Fort Wagner on Morris Island, S.C. The Confederates were able to repel the Northerners, who suffered heavy losses; the 54th's commander, Col. Robert Gould Shaw, was among those who were killed. In 1918, South African anti-apartheid leader and president Nelson Mandela was born in the village of Mvezo. In 1925, Adolf Hitler published the first volume of his autobiographical manifesto, 'Mein Kampf (My Struggle).' In 1944, Hideki Tojo was removed as Japanese premier and war minister because of setbacks suffered by his country in World War II. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed a Presidential Succession Act which placed the speaker of the House and the Senate president pro tempore next in the line of succession after the vice president. In 1964, nearly a week of rioting erupted in New York's Harlem neighborhood following the fatal police shooting of a Black teenager, James Powell, two days earlier. In 1976, at the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Nadia Comaneci of Romania became the first gymnast to receive a perfect score of 10 from Olympic judges for her performance on the uneven bars. In 1994, a bomb hidden in a van destroyed a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85. In 2005, an unrepentant Eric Rudolph was sentenced in Birmingham, Alabama, to life in prison for an abortion clinic bombing that killed an off-duty police officer and maimed a nurse. Today's Birthdays: Olympic gold medal figure skater Tenley Albright is 90. Movie director Paul Verhoeven is 87. Singer Dion DiMucci is 86. Actor James Brolin is 85. Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Torre is 85. Singer Martha Reeves is 84. Business mogul Richard Branson is 75. Actor Margo Martindale is 74. Musician Ricky Skaggs is 71. World Golf Hall of Famer Nick Faldo is 68. Actor Elizabeth McGovern is 64. Actor Vin Diesel is 58. Author Elizabeth Gilbert is 56. Retired NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway is 54. Singer-songwriter M.I.A. is 50. Actor Elsa Pataky ('The Fast and the Furious' films) is 49. Movie director Jared Hess is 46. Actor Kristen Bell is 45. Actor Priyanka Chopra is 43. Actor Chace Crawford is 40. Boxer Canelo Alvarez is 35. Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles is 28.
Atlantic
8 hours ago
- Atlantic
Is Colbert's Ouster Really Just a ‘Financial Decision'?
Building an empire takes decades. Destroying it can only take a few years, and sometimes the vandals are in the palace, not outside the gates. For much of the 20th century, American broadcast television revolved around three networks: NBC, ABC, and CBS. William S. Paley, CBS's longtime CEO, made sure that his company—the Columbia Broadcasting Service—was a leader among them. The network was home to Edward R. Murrow, who brought World War II in Europe home to Americans on CBS Radio; after the war, Murrow's reporting played a pivotal role in bringing down Senator Joseph McCarthy. Walter Cronkite dominated American evenings from his perch at the Evening News. And from the days of Mike Wallace to the more recent era of Lesley Stahl and Scott Pelley, 60 Minutes set the standard for longform television reporting. Yet CBS's current ownership seems determined to demolish this legacy. This evening, the network announced plans to end The Late Show With Stephen Colbert when the host's contract ends next May. Late-night personalities come and go, but usually that happens when their ratings sag. Colbert, however, has consistently led competitors in his timeslot. CBS said this was 'purely a financial decision,' made as traditional linear television fades. Perhaps this is true, but the network that once made Cronkite the most trusted man in America no longer gets the benefit of the doubt. CBS's owners have made a series of decisions capitulating to President Donald Trump, and the surprise choice to allow Colbert—a consistent, prominent Trump critic—to walk seems like part of that pattern. One reasonable starting date for the trouble would be 2016. That was both the year that Trump was first elected president and the year that Sumner Redstone, the cussed but aging owner of CBS's parent company Paramount, surrendered control to his daughter, Shari Redstone. In 2023, Shari Redstone began seeking a buyer for the company, eventually striking a deal, in 2024, with Skydance. The merger requires federal approval. During the 2024 presidential campaign, 60 Minutes interviewed Kamala Harris, Trump's Democratic opponent. Trump sued CBS, alleging that the network improperly edited her interview. As supposed evidence, he cited different excerpts of the interview that had aired on different CBS shows. (If CBS was seeking to hide anything, then airing the clips on their network wasn't a very effective way to do it.) He demanded $20 billion, a sum that was preposterous especially because—as most First Amendment lawyers agreed—the suit had no merit. But Trump had major leverage: He won the November presidential election, giving him a role in approving the proposed Skydance-Paramount merger. During his first term, he'd already demonstrated his willingness to use his approval power to punish political opponents in the media, unsuccessfully seeking to block the merger of AT&T and Time Warner. Since the election, CBS has seemed eager to please Trump however it can, though the company continues to insist the merger has no bearing on its decisions. The network handed over transcripts of the 60 Minutes interview to Brendan Carr, the close Trump ally appointed to lead the Federal Communications Commission. In April, 60 Minutes chief Bill Owens, a widely respected journalist, stepped down. 'It's clear the company is done with me,' he told staff during a meeting. In a memo, he elaborated: 'Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for '60 Minutes,' right for the audience.' Some of the shows' reporters, who are not prone to histrionic statements or partisanship, raised alarms in interviews and speeches. Earlier this month, CBS agreed to a $16 million settlement to end Trump's lawsuit. The agreement doesn't pay Trump directly, but the network agreed to pay legal fees for him and a co-plaintiff, and to contribute to Trump's future presidential library. Trump has stated that the deal also includes unspecified 'advertising,' reportedly for public-service announcements that boost Trump-approved causes. Paramount denies this. Now comes Colbert's departure. If the reasons are truly financial, one wonders how his salary compares to the money spent to settle a dubious lawsuit. The president now seems favorably disposed toward the merger. Last month, he spoke highly of Skydance head David Ellison, who is the son of Oracle founder and Trump pal Larry Ellison. Still, the deal has not yet been approved by the FCC. Paramount and Skydance's executives have demonstrated that they aren't interested in defending CBS's journalism or its editorial independence, to the detriment not only of the network's historical reputation but also the many excellent journalists still working there. Journalism, along with Colbert's program, make up only a small portion of Paramount's portfolio, and so business executives might view sacrificing them to preserve a deal as a prudent, if cold-blooded, maneuver. But the recent experience of another Columbia— Columbia University —offers a warning. When assailed by the Trump administration, the university's administration struck a conciliatory stance, trying to make a deal with the president. The capitulation only encouraged Trump, who then sought a judicial decree for oversight of the school. (The two parties are still in talks.) What happened at Columbia is the same thing Trump has done to many other adversaries: If you give him an inch, he'll take a yard, and immediately scheme to grab a mile, too. Institutions that are willing to sacrifice their values for the government's favor are likely to end up with neither.
Hypebeast
10 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Hiroshi Fujiwara Reveals a fragment design x Union LA x Air Jordan 1 High OG "Sport Royal"
Name:fragment design x Union LA x Air Jordan 1 High OG 'Sport Royal'Colorway:Black/Navy/Sport Royal/SailSKU:IO7847-001MSRP:$205 USDRelease Date:Spring 2026Where to Buy:Nike Jordan Brandis celebrating 40 years of theAir Jordan 1in 2025. While countless anticipated colorways and collaborations have dropped and continue to hit the market, the Jumpman team is saving one of the shoe's biggest projects for next year. In late 2024, we reported on a new trio forming betweenfragment design,Union LA, andJordan Brandto outfit theAir Jordan 1 High OG. Since then, aremixof fragment design's first AJ1 with Union's stitched collar touch and a similar design inblack and whitehave both surfaced. Adding to the fray, we now have a first look at a 'Sport Royal' version from the trio, spotted on the feet of none other than fragment design founderHiroshi Fujiwarahimself. As with the other pairs, Union's Frankenstein'd uppers are back, this time combining an OG 'Royal' base with a white and navy collar. The pair also features fragment design's thunderbolt logo stamped at the lateral heel, as well as special midsole text that identifies the sneaker and its collaborators. At the time of writing, neither fragment design, Union LA, nor Jordan Brand have shared any release details regarding their various colorways of the Air Jordan 1 High OG. Stay tuned for updates, including a complete look at this 'Sport Royal' iteration, as we currently expect it to arrive next spring via Nike SNKRS and select retailers at a starting price of $205 USD.
