Best Super Bowl Commercial: American Revolution Turbotax, of course

 Tonight’s American Revolution surprise: a witty Turbotax commercial , complete with background music from a fellow whose name I once heard historian John Morton Blum pronounce in a lecture as “Bobby Die-lin” (I don’t think Blum was a big fan). Sure, what the colonists were protesting was lower taxes, more stringently enforced, but hey, it was a […]

Buzzed on Research

Research can be boring, draining, sometimes physically or emotionally exhausting.  For previous projects, I’ve logged weeks worth of time doing data entry, and have had students  who have dealt with such topics as rape and infanticide, and the appearance of cannibalism (soon to be published with NYU Press!).  Every once in a while, though, research can become a […]

Museum of the American Revolution building: back on track, though not by popular demand

When we last visited the saga of the Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia’s Art Commission had nixed its proposed design.  Architect Robert A. Stern went back to the drawing board (do architects even use drawing boards anymore? Maybe back to Autodesk?).   He’s chopped off the ersatz cupola, made the entrance a little less […]