Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis–the central crisis of Kennedy’s presidency–and perhaps of the entire cold war. In an attempt to establish a Soviet nuclear presence just ninety miles off the coast of Florida, Khrushchev sent Russian ships carrying nuclear warheads to Cuba. Emboldened by Kennedy’s failure at the Bay ofRead more
People have begun to bat the words “egalitarian” and “elite” as if they were conversational shuttlecocks. At some time, perhaps during the 1960s, the emotional meanings of these words overshadowed their earliest meanings. “The elite” originally referred to the most carefully selected members of a group, and egalitarian doctrines maintained that all humans are equalRead more
We don’t ordinarily remember Ulysses S. Grant as someone who cowered easily. After all, under Grant’s leadership the Union Army defeated the Confederate military, effectively ending the Civil War with the surrender of Robert E. Lee’s army at Appomattox. That hard-won victory came at a price, however, when Grant faced formidable adversaries like Lieutenant GeneralRead more
In 1966 rumor suggested Walt Disney had been frozen at the time of his death-cryogenically preserved to await the day when science could revive him and cure his disease. Nothing could have been further from the truth. In fact, Disney started a fire in the entertainment world that continues to burn decades after his death.Read more
The business best seller list, complete with extensive advice to first discover your strengths, while you go from good to great, and build yourself to last, might tempt you to think leveraging strengths will be enough to ensure your success. It won’t. Certainly, to be world class at anything, you have to start with rawRead more
