In 1924, the American economy seemed to be in great shape.  Unemployment was low, business was doing well, and there didn’t seem to be any significant threat of war overseas.  A sense of optimism pervaded the nation.   Prohibition was in full swing, but for a lot of people, there weren’t too many sorrows they needed to drown. The presidential election that year was an unusual one.  The big issue among Democrats was Prohibition: the party was divided over whether to support it or to push for its repeal.  The 1924 Democratic Convention was so divided over the Prohibition issue that it wasn’t until the 103rd ballot that the party finally settled on John W. Davis, a compromise candidate who opposed Prohibition, but who was also a conservative who opposed women’s suffrage, child labor laws, and the 15th Amendment, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting laws.  The presence of Davis on the Democratic ticket drove the progressive wing of the party to the Progressive Party, whi

It’s been over 400 years since the last new Shakespeare play was released, so it’s probably safe to say that his stuff holds up over time.  Countless productions of his plays have been put on during and after William Shakespeare’s lifetime, as well as many different adaptations.  His works have been referenced in many subsequent works, and have become part of the culture.  If you haven’t seen The Taming of the Shrew , you’ll still understand Kiss Me, Kate .  If you haven’t seen Romeo and Juliet , you’ll still understand West Side Story .  And if you haven’t seen Hamlet , you’ll still understand The Lion King (and Strange Brew , for that matter).  Shakespeare has permeated our culture, and some critics have even gone so far as to state that Shakespeare is beyond criticism. Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca in Star Wars , 1977; John Gielgud in the title role in Hamlet , circa 1960.  No, this is not a coincidence. There was one man, however, who decided that Shakespeare was most