Saturday night, July 4, 2026 in Washington D.C.

July 4, 2026 in Brooklyn, NY

Bill Mauldin’s political cartoon- his 1963 tribute to assassinated US President John F. Kennedy, titled Weeping Lincoln. Published on November 23, 1963, in the Chicago Sun-Times, the drawing depicts Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial slumped forward with his hands covering his face in grief.

"Join, Or Die," the first known American political cartoon, published by Benjamin Franklin in the Pennsylvania Gazette, 1754

5th Avenue, New York City, in front of the New York Public Library. It's 1926...some 72 years later I am working in NYC for a time in my life when the world was everything I hoped it would be- my office was on 5th Avenue and 52nd Street.

A large Piggly Wiggly advertisement from July 1926.

A classroom at Alhambra High School in Alhambra, California in 1926. 100 years ago and they look middle age

Grand Central Station, New York City, in 1929

That was a party...11 seasons of comedy and inspired monologues that showed those in power who have no sense of humor will soon be forgotten. All the best Stephen Colbert in your next adventures. A job well done.

Oh f*ck off. We would all be a hell of a lot better if we spoke multiple languages. Still pisses me off that my immigrant Italian family was ashamed of speaking Italian outside of the home.

The Great Depression began in 1929. President Hoover’s inaction was wrong, and the current economic desperation we face is familiar. In the 1920s, Americans embraced credit like never before, buying cars and furniture they couldn't afford. The same pattern is visible today. Change course America.

A cartoon by Drew Sheneman

From 1941...a political cartoon about Inflation. It's now 2026, at least coal costs have plummeted in the last 85 years.

Do you want to understand economics in The United States? Released in 1958, 'The Affluent Society' by 20th-century progressive economics theorist John Kenneth Galbraith will explain it. An enlightening book, find yourself a copy and see how we need a change. www.nationalbook.org/books/the-af...

"There are no bad ideas Lemon, only great ideas that go horribly wrong." Jack Donaghy, '30 Rock'

In the twelve years after The Civil War—the era of Reconstruction—there were massive shifts in the United States culture, economy, and politics. Looking at America in 2026, it's time for a sequel. Here's a guidebook to look back and see where we missed the mark. www.loc.gov/classroom-ma...