February 2025

Editor's Note: Bruce Watson is a Contributing Editor at American Heritage and has authored several critically acclaimed books. He writes a history blog at The Attic.

FEB 25, 1950 — AMERICA’S LIVING ROOMS — For a silent majority of Americans, it’s another ho-hum Saturday night at the radio. Just 10 percent of homes have this new-fangled thing called television. The rest listen, as they have for decades, to Jack Benny, “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Fibber McGee and Molly. . .” But at 9:00 p.m. on NBC, a revolution in American comedy is about to be televised.

Editor’s Note: Todd Belt is a Professor and Director of the Political Management Master's Program at George Washington University. He is the co-author of four books, including The Presidency and Domestic Policy: Comparing Leadership Styles, FDR to Biden, the third edition of which was released in 2024.

For the past 25 years, I have taught courses on the U.S. presidency, emphasizing a fundamental principle: the president is not a king. While most of Americans don’t want a king, they do want a more active chief executive — and a more effective government.

Editor's Note: Calvin Warner grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is now a practicing attorney in Austin, Texas and an adjunct professor at St. Edward’s University.

I remember the windows rattling. As a child in the suburb of Edmond, about 15 miles north of downtown, our house shook with the blast. The story would draw international headlines: the most deadly terrorist attack on American soil, a title it would hold for six years. Terror had come to Oklahoma City.