Ross in his prime. You wouldn't think a guy with hair like that would be such a cultural icon. In the 1920s, only one American city was the center of art and commerce: New York. And in that city, only one magazine kept track of it all: "The New Yorker." And in that magazine, only one person mattered: founder and editor Harold Ross. Ross was born November 6, 1892, in Aspen, Colorado, and soon developed printer's ink in his blood. By 13, he had dropped out of school to work at the Denver Post, and by 25 he had worked for six other newspapers, from San Francisco to Atlanta. During World War I, Ross' talents got him a job in Paris, editing the Army newspaper, "Stars and Stripes." His fellow staff members included drama critic Alexander Woollcott and New York columnist Franklin P. Adams -- both of whom would go on to play roles in Ross' plans. After the war, he settled in Manhattan, where he worked on those plans -- to create a weekly magazine that would analyze, comment on, and play a role in the cultural life of the city. It would not, Ross insisted, be a magazine for "the old lady in Dubuque." It would be sophisticated and urbane -- but not snobby. It had standards, but if a reader was witty or informed enough, he or she would be a member of the club. In the depths of the winter of 1925, the first issue of "The New Yorker" rolled off the presses. Despite some glitches, such as a joke ("Pop: A man who thinks he can make it in par. Johnny: What's an optimist, Pop?") that ran with the set-up and punchline reversed -- a error reprinted in every anniversary issue for years -- the magazine was an instant hit. In the decades since, it has come to be considered the gold standard of American magazines. That respect is due almost entirely to Ross. He personally edited virtually every word that appeared in every issue until his death in 1951, and, despite his own poor spelling, his meticulousness for precise grammar, clarity, and good writing attracted such notables as Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, Ernest Hemingway, John Hersey, Ann Beattie, John Cheever, Roald Dahl, Alice Munro, John O'Hara, Philip Roth, J.D. Salinger, Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Irwin Shaw, Woody Allen, James Thurber, E.B. White (whose own prose style was crucial in setting the magazine’s voice and tone), and even Marlon Brando. But the literary aspect of "The New Yorker" was only part of the package. Each issue was filled with cartoons by artists like Charles Addams, Peter Arno, George Booth, Roz Chast, George Price, Saul Steinberg, William Steig, and Thurber again. So good were (and are) the cartoons, that many readers never get past them and are still satisfied they got their money’s worth. Despite Woollcott describing him as looking like "a dishonest Abe Lincoln," Ross' contributions to the culture of Manhattan and America are impossible to calculate. His sensibilities shaped the ways plays were written, movies received, and books were published, and it's almost impossible to imagine American -- and world -- culture without him. Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: Harold Ross - overview of Ross' life and career. The New Yorker - bringing the world to New York -- and vice versa -- since 1925. The New Yorker Cartoon Bank - pretty near every cartoon ever seen in the magazine, yours for the asking. Harold Wallace Ross - biography of The New Yorker's founder. Harold Ross: The History - the BBC takes a look at Ross and his magazine.

Directory categories: Harold Ross, The New Yorker, E.B. White, Magazines, Manhattan

Archived under: 1920s, Authors, Biographies, Birthdays, Cartoons, Journalism, Literature, Magazines, Media, New York, Society and Culture, The New Yorker

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Rachel Carson in 1940 A couple of months ago, First Lady Michelle Obama planted a vegetable garden at the White House with the help of some students. Hers is the first such garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's during World War II. Her efforts reflect the nation's growing interest in organic foods, but some agronomic professionals seem to fear that Mrs. Obama does not recognize the benefits of pesticides and fertilizers for our modern food supply. In fact, the Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) addressed a letter to her detailing the important role conventional agriculture plays in "feeding the ever-increasing population, contributing to the U.S. economy, and providing a safe and economical food supply." They also hasten to mention that "children are unaware that the jeans they put on in the morning … are available because of America’s farmers and ranchers." MACA's letter most likely will not change Mrs. Obama’s gardening methods, but they get points for trying. Whatever the reason for the rise in popularity of organically-grown foods, suspicion of chemical pesticides and new technologies in agriculture is nothing new. More than fifty years ago, in fact, a seed was planted in the mind of marine biologist Rachel Carson when a friend wrote her a letter out of concern that a number of birds near her home were dying, apparently as a result of aerial spraying of the pesticide DDT. Although Carson was already concerned about this issue, her friend's letter highlighted the need for action. The seed from that letter would grow into "Silent Spring," her famous book that was first sampled in serial form in "The New Yorker" in June of 1962 and harvested -- er -- published in the fall of that year. Carson's exploration of the potentially harmful effects of DDT on animals, the environment, and humans was of immeasurable benefit to the modern environmental movement. While her book was immensely popular from the start, it was not met with universal acclaim. One former former chemical industry spokesman claimed that if Carson's teachings were followed, "insects and diseases and vermin would once again inherit the earth." DDT has been banned in American agriculture for some time now, but as technology presses on, new chemicals are being created, and with them come new problems. A pesticide that was sprayed in communities on the central coast of California was blamed for bird deaths and human health problems. Use of that particular chemical appears to have been shelved -- at least for the moment. Wherever you stand on the issue of spraying crops, you may be one of the many people who are currently putting together a backyard vegetable garden. Here at Yahoo!, we recently saw a surge in web searches by folks seeking information on how to start their own home gardens. Inspired by Michelle Obama? Avoiding the bug sprays but not wanting to shell out for pricey organics? Heck -- not wanting to shell out for pricey conventionals? Whatever your reason, we have many resources for you in our Directory, whether you want to compost and raise chickens, or just want to grow some tomatoes in a pot. Bon Appétit! Suggested Sites... HGTV - Vegetables - videos and articles with ideas for your veggie garden. Companion Planting - guide helps solve garden problems without chemicals. Path to Freedom - a journal for urban homesteaders. Rachel Carson Homestead - learn about Carson's legacy - you can even buy a pound of Rachel Carson coffee! "A Tale of Six Cities" by John F. Lauerman - read about the history of laws that protect public health.

Directory categories: Rachel Carson, Environmentalism, Vegetable Gardening, Organic Gardening, Crop Protection

Archived under: 1960s, American History, Authors, Biographies, Books, DIY, Environment, First Ladies, Food and Drink, Gardening, Green Living, Home and Garden, Insects, Pollution, Scientists, Society and Culture, The New Yorker, Vegetables

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"Dear Dead Days" by Addams He looked like the most ordinary of men: 6'1", silver-haired, and normally well-dressed (that is, when he wasn’t attending parties in flaming red pajamas, a Knights Templar outfit, or attired as Abe Lincoln). But inside his head were some of the most gruesomely funny cartoons, images, and ideas ever drawn for The New Yorker or any other magazine. He was Charles Addams (or "Chas Addams," as his work was signed. "Just a matter of design," he explained. "It looks better than writing out 'Charles'"). Addams was born on January 7, 1912 in a middle-class town in the heart of New Jersey, of all places (one expects that he was birthed in a brooding Gothic mansion). His childhood was relatively normal, though his somewhat forbidding home (it's been compared to the Bates home in "Psycho") was eventually decorated with crossbows, suits of armor, and a coffee table made from a little girl’s tombstone. The first of his 1,300 New Yorker cartoons was published in 1932, and from then until his death in 1988, it was the rare issue of the magazine that didn’t offer either a cover or other illustration by him. His drawings usually featured a cast of regulars -- a ghoulish man with a mustache, a gaunt woman in black, an older man and woman, two grotesque children, and a butler assembled from spare parts. They became known as "The Addams Family." In 1964, the Family achieved immortality with a weekly television series that ran two years before inspiring two movies, animated series, a revival of the sitcom, and a Broadway musical. (Coincidentally, January 9 marks the birthday of Vic Mizzy, the man who composed the television theme song that's familiar even to those who never saw it.) Addams was sitting in his car, parked in front of his New York apartment building when he suffered a fatal heart attack. His wife, no stranger to his macabre sense of humor, took it all in stride: "He's always been a car buff, so it was a nice way to go." We should all be so lucky. Suggested Sites... Charles Addams.com - his official site, with images, biography, and information. The Father of the Addams Family - 2006 NPR profile of Addams, with an excerpt from Linda Davis's biography. Unofficial Addams Family site - loaded with information on Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Pugsley, Wednesday, Grandmama, and Lurch. Wikipedia: The Addams Family - biographies of the whole clan. Hulu: The Addams Family - watch episodes of the classic sitcom.

Directory categories: Charles Addams, The Addams Family, The Addams Family Television Series, Cartoonists, The New Yorker

Archived under: Animation, Artists, Biographies, Birthdays, Black and White, Broadway, Cartoonists, Cartoons, Coincidence, Entertainment, Humor, Monsters and Creatures, Movies, TV, The New Yorker, Weird Stuff

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