Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
Yesterday was a time to reflect on a pioneering achievement. Sixty-five years ago, on June 11, 1948, the world’s first astronaut traveled to an altitude of 63 kilometers aboard an American V-2 rocket. His name was Albert. He was a rhesus monkey. Albert really was a pioneer. He was the first living organism to have flown to a significant altitude … >>
The 1950s were a great time for conspiracy theories. Communists had infiltrated the Senate, aliens were watching us from space, and a mysterious chemical was being added to our drinking water. The first two theories were false. The third has given three generations of Americans their famously healthy teeth. The chemical was fluoride, but to skeptics who felt it was … >>