don't borrow trouble. don't imagine scenarios where people you don't like are even worse. they're already bad! you'll just bum yourself out.

Milton Wright August 5, 1857 We landed at Portland, and rode to Mr. Davidson's, the first private dwelling I had been in since we left Dayton, Ohio. Very kind. /1

If you’re going to describe something as the worst political rhetoric you’ve ever seen, it should be pretty bad! Otherwise my “really? Worse than Hitler!?” senses are triggered

Today's election outcome in Kansas reminds me of the time Kansas came within a whisker of electing an abortion doctor to the US Senate - as a Dem - in 1974!

Senators from Michigan, some one-offs: Lewis Cass appears in THE FALCON, the weird, haunting autobiography of John Tanner, the white man who grew up among the Ojibwa -

A contentious Michigan Senate election. A Leap Year baby. An astronaut? That's right kids, put on your Sunday shoes and eat your Wheaties, we're going back in time to 1984.

One thing to add to this is how much early aviation boosters saw themselves as competing with trains - and freeing commuters by letting them fly themselves to work!

Jake Berman@lostsubways.com · 3d ago

this is not true. there was no conspiracy. it didn't matter whether the streetcars were publicly owned (seattle, detroit) or private (los angeles, atlanta). a thread (because i wrote a whole-ass book on this): 1/?

It was a previous generation, of course, but man Horatio Alger's biography prompted a genuine "oh my god" while reading it.

BeijingPalmer@beijingpalmer.bsky.social · yesterday

has anybody written a good book on *why* this kind of thing was worse in France than elsewhere?

Milton Wright August 4, 1857 We had a nice sea. In the night, we passed in to Columbia River, over the Bar, and in the morning passed Astoria, which I arose to see through the port window. I did not see the ship races. They ran, however. #wrightposting

www.tagsrwc.com/interactive/... if you desire a charmingly retro Internet experience. I don't think the sending cards button still works but you can always send the URL.

A highly-popular Democratic politician dies in a Missouri plane crash while running for the US Senate, changing the course of American political history. You probably think I'm talking about the death of Mel Carnahan in 2000, which famously led to his posthumous election to the US Senate.

tonight my son will be driving us and his grandparents to dinner, using his brand-new learner's permit.

Milton Wright August 3, 1857 We reached Crescent City in the afternoon, where the docror got me a little sweet spirits of nitre. We left the city at 5:00, and had a smooth sea, on to Portland, Oregon, or to Columbia Bar. #wrightposting

Milton Wright August 2, 1857 The sea was rough, and I was very sick. At night my head, and then my feet, were highest, and I was delirious, but disturbed no one. My thoughts with painful vigor flew over the universe. #wrightposting

you know which future American President protected Melville at his civil service job because he was a big fan? that's right.

The Public Domain Review@publicdomainrev.bsky.social · 4d ago

The great US novelist, short story writer, and poet Herman Melville was born #onthisday in 1819. His last long-form work was the epic poem Clarel, published in 1876 and coming in at a colossal 18,000 lines. @JWheelwrite explores: publicdomainreview.org/essay/t... #otd

I wonder sometimes what the state of Dominica looks like in the timeline where Grant et al are able to persuade Sumner that this is a great idea, come on and get dangerous Chuck.

A list of American monarchs: George I, 1789-1799 George II, 1799-1857 Mary, 1857-1865 (abdicated after the ACW) Robert, 1865-1926 Mary II, 1926-1938 Isham, 1938-1971 Robert III, 1971-1985 Ronald, 1985-1993 (abdicated due to advanced Alzheimers) Michael, 1993-2026 Ronald II, 2026-

The Mall Krampus@themallkrampus.bsky.social · 4d ago

The Wyoming Party is his majesty’s loyal opposition, led by Liz Cheney & the former D mayor of some tourist town in the legislature. It has 37.5 percent of the seats compared to the Wyoming Republicans, who also have a weird specific thing about land use that directly contravenes the national party

him being armed was fundamentally irrelevant outside of it being the proximate cause of his murder. as ICE proved willing to murder unarmed people too, I'm not at all convinced going unarmed would have saved his life.

Milton Wright August 1, 1857 We sail[e]d on. I was somewhat deliri[o]us at night. We had concluded I had fever, and I had pulverized slippery elm bought for my use. We had a doctor but no medicine. #wrightposting

I like driving cars.

Costa Samaras@costasamaras.com · 5d ago

post your worst transportation take: I actually love the mobile lounges at Dulles.

open.spotify.com/album/70tilm...

Weapon Of Prayer - Album by The Louvin Brothers | Spotify

The Louvin Brothers · album · 1962 · 12 songs

open.spotify.com

Stop Calling Me Frank@stopcallingmefrank.bsky.social · 5d ago

You have a month to write a 33 1/3 book about the album of your choice. Which record are you going to write about? (No previously covered albums allowed; new shit must come to light: see below.) (For all books in the series: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_1/3) (H/t @monostich.bsky.social

buys a book of Cold War alternate military scenarios sees that none of them are about WWIII back in the donation bin for you!

Let's talk about another Senator from Wisconsin. When Irvine Lenroot died in 1949, the Associated Press said - "Former Senator Irvine L. Lenroot of Wisconsin, the man who might have been the 30th President of the United States, died Wednesday night." All of the above is true!

you have probably never heard of the man in the below picture (Paul Husting, 1866-1917) yet his death was one of the most significant of early 20th century American politics - and could have been even _more_ significant if things had gone a little differently.

Milton Wright July 31, 1857 We reached San Francisco at 2:00, morning. We put up at Hillman's Temperance Hotel, where I lay very sick, a long forenoon. At 12:00, we sailed on the ship "Commodore." My fever raged the long day. I almost fainted on the way, walking ship. #wrightposting

With fans of the series still waiting for the fifth and final volume, the world of Robert Caro can be seen on television again with the HBO series KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER, telling the story of the first wave of Anglo colonization/settlement of Caro's "Texas".

the best one out of all of them - my wonderful son

Jeremy Markovich@ncrabbithole.com · 6d ago

name a North Carolinian

Milton Wright July 30, 1857 I had a sick day and night of it. I still supposed it a bad cold. #wrightposting

Back at the emergency dentist with my wife. Lots of pain this week and the initial solutions haven’t solved it.

finished reading Lillian Ross's book PICTURE, about John Huston's production of THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE from 1951. She has a great eye for detail (she was an 'embedded' reporter from The New Yorker) - and became a family friend of the Hustons before her death in 2017 at the age of 99.