Phone Messages

The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 brought widespread destruction and many deaths, but some who survived found it thrilling.

Like George in the Seinfeld episode "The Burning," sometimes you feel there's nothing more to say.

In the fall of 1989, Marshall Sahlins taught a class titled Structure and History with a level of humor comparable to his brother's Second City Theater.

The sitcom Sanford and Son starred Redd Foxx as a Junk Dealer in the Watts neighborhood of L.A. A year after its premiere, Sly and The Family Stone released the album Fresh, whose songs can still inspire cheer on the subway.

Although attachment to material things causes suffering, sometimes a pair of clogs can bring happiness, at least temporarily.

Although the Film Forum lacked a listing in the New York Times for the second week of September 1989, Ingmar Bergman's Persona was likely shown there on Friday the fifteenth.

Artists have often struggled for time dedicated to their craft while being forced to earn a living. A Universal Basic Income could resolve this conflict.

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and soon afterwards ATW Magazine, founded by Düsseldorf based artist Jårg Geismar, published images to celebrate German reunification.

The sale of vinyl records surpassed CDs in 2020 for the first time since 1986 as listeners find new appreciation for the visual delight of album cover art.

The National Ski Areas Association likes to emphasize that catastrophic ski injuries happen less than 1 in a million visits to the slopes. But a study from The Colorado Sun found an average of 10 skiers or snowboarders transported to emergency rooms each day during ski season.

Food a la Floyd was a series that ran on the Lifetime Channel from May to October 1989. It starred Keith Floyd, who made his first cooking series for the BBC in 1984 and continued to make new shows until his death in 2009.

Thirty four years ago I took a painting class with Vera Klement, but only a few fragmented memories of the experience remain.

In 1991, the University of Chicago ranked number 10 in U.S. News and World Report's list of top universities. Two years later it ranked at the bottom of Inside Edge Magazine's survey of schools where students have fun.

In July of 1989, The University of Chicago hosted Spike Lee for a preview of his film Do The Right Thing. The film's acclaim renewed interest in his earlier work, including Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, which he made as a student at NYU.

Even before the pandemic forced us into isolation, some worried we faced a loneliness epidemic. Surveys have shown we have fewer close confidants, and some scholars argue that new media technology limits our ability to connect. Other research has challenged the handwringing about isolation and suggested the impact of social media is more complicated.

In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a guest appearance on the Saturday Night Live sketch Pumping Up with Hans and Franz. Charles Atlas, legendary bodybuilder from an earlier era, appealed to kids with a comic strip story of sandy revenge.

In 1989, only one in four U.S. households owned an answering machine. A decade later, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! began offer a prize of Carl Kasell's voice on contestants' answering machines.

Inspired in part by New Orleans greats like Sidney Bechet, members of The Hall Brothers performed at The Emporium of Jazz from 1966 to 1991.

Rural Illinois may lack microbrews, but The Barrel Society in Princeton specializes in craft beers and whiskey. A small midwestern town was also home to an engineer who designed the modern sealed bicycle hub.

In 1975 The Foundation for the Community of Artists published a Health Hazards Manual, an early effort to warn painters about the risks of poor ventilation. Another risk involved being stranded somewhere in Chicago after midnight without a ride home.