August 2021

Afghanistan and the Lessons of History

We have all seen the disturbing images recently of the fall of Afghanistan. After 20 years of military presence, with over $3 trillion spent and, more tragically, over 2000 American lives lost, the last American forces left the country. The Afghan military had folded almost overnight and the Taliban, which we fought against for so many years, took over once again.

“If we are to understand the world in which we live, we have no surer source, indeed no other source, than the past,” wrote Donald Kagan in American Heritage.

The U.S. departure from Afghanistan became political and divisive, of course, as with almost everything these days. In hindsight, many of us can believe the withdrawal of troops could have been handled differently to avoid the chaos that happened. But the question of whether or not we should have continued a military presence in Afghanistan or leave completely will be debated by historians and analysts for years.

Monument Men Hunt for Masterpieces

Editor's note: Charles Dellheim teaches history at Boston University. His recent work has focused on the role of Jews in modern culture. In Brandeis University Press’s Belonging and Betrayal: How Jews Made the Art World Modern, excerpted here, Dellheim offers an historical perspective on Nazi art looting by telling the story of a circle of art dealers, collectors, and critics who became pivotal figures in the art world.

Photograph shows four men carrying a crate of recovered artworks, previously looted by the Nazis during World War II, down a staircase at Neuschwanstein Castle. Image: James J. Rorimer papers, 1921-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

Witness at the World Trade Center

*The author painted this image of the attack on the World Trade Center, which he witnessed from his studio in Tribeca.*

George Washington on September 11, 1776

Editor's note: Karin Abarbanel is the author of several nonfiction books. She grew up in Washington Heights just a few blocks from the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Now living in New Jersey, she enjoys visiting her old neighborhood and explores its colorful bygone history. She is currently completing her debut novel, a children's fantasy.

An artist's depiction of the Great Fire of New York on September 19, 1776. (New York Public Library) — *An artist's depiction of the Great Fire of New York on September 19, 1776. New York Public Library*

Dr. Joyce Brothers Beats the System

Dr. Joyce Brothers (left) with host of The $64,000 Question, Hal March, in 1955. (Screenshot: YouTube) — The psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers - with Hal March, the host of The $64,000 Question in 1955 - won and sparked controversy at the national level after she nailed every question thrown at her about boxing.

On November 15, 1955, a woman in her 20s made national news by appearing on a quiz show in a New York studio to answer a question written especially for her: “What are the ring names of the four heavyweight boxing champions whose real names are Rocco Marchegiano, Arnold Raymond Cream, Joseph Paul Zukauskas, and Noah Brusso?”