When my wife, Fyllis, and I arrived in Lee County, Florida, weeks after it was devastated by Hurricane Ian, we expected the worst, and our first impression supported that fear. Beachfront lots previously occupied by houses were empty, victims of wind and water. Some homes that escaped being obliterated had gaping holes in their roofs…

PG-13 | 1h 47min | Drama, Biography, History | 25 October 2019 (USA) In most cases, when a feature film release is delayed for more than two years, it’s for one of three reasons. It’s either a stinker that no one wants and the studio wishes to get it off the books, it was made by a studio that ran out of…

Her name alone is nearly poetic, but it is history and grandeur that give Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave her befitting nomenclature. She is the great-granddaughter of Henry Villard, a Bavarian native who came to America with only 20 borrowed dollars in his pocket—only to make groundbreaking financial ventures and become president of the Northern Pacific…

When the 1893 Columbian Exposition opened on the shores of Lake Michigan, visitors to the fair were treated to a glimpse of the future. Chicago, the great classical “White City” by day, at night became a magically illuminated world of colored lights. President Grover Cleveland opened the exhibition by pushing a button that set the…

On Sept. 16, 1890, the inventor Louis LePrince boarded a train for Paris. He had spent the weekend in Dijon with his brother Albert, arguing over the terms of their mother’s will. Louis claimed Albert owed him at least £1,000. Albert refused to pay. Louis was happy to leave this squabble behind. He planned to…

To discover the opinion of Thomas A. Edison concerning what makes and constitutes success in life is an easy matter—if one can first discover Mr. Edison. I camped three weeks in the vicinity of Orange, N.J., awaiting the opportunity to come upon the great inventor and voice my questions. It seemed a rather hopeless and…

For nearly 30 years, a woman has worked in a laundromat here in town, helping customers with the machines and washing and folding loads of drop-off laundry. Julia moves and talks slowly, her eyes have that weary, half-lost look often found in people her age, and her face is worn with care and wrinkles. When…