Teacher and Author
Antisemitism in the nation’s capital, circa 1928, was “below the surface,” according to Ronald Clark, William Friedman’s biographer. Latent, yet also “ever-present.” There was an “us-them feel,” he wrote, and William Friedman was one of “them.” [Clark 86] I wanted … Continued
William and Elizebeth Friedman were husband and wife codebreakers. The Man Who Broke Purple and the Woman Who Smashed Codes: they were, and still are, cryptography’s power couple. Some may argue that William was the more “powerful” of the two. … Continued
** Article published in World War I Illustrated, Spring 2021, No. 14: 4-10.** Edward Vernon Rickenbacker ensured his place in history with actions taken during a surprisingly brief stretch, from September 25 to November 11, 1918. True, the fourteen preceding years … Continued
I took an uncharacteristically critical stance on Jason Fagone’s biography of Elizebeth Friedman. Until that post, I had avoided making critical comments of any of the works I chose to “review.” Perhaps I thought the author of a bestseller could … Continued
My cat thanked me last night. I don’t know that’s what she did, but it sure felt like it. I can’t prove it or disproved, yet it seems more likely that she did than that she didn’t. She started the … Continued
Chronology is history’s gravity. That’s what Jill Lepore said on her podcast. I took note. I sensed the truth of her words, yet I wondered, How are they true? Chronology is the force that holds narrative together? The force that draws … Continued