Huey Long, Parade Marshall

As part of his campaign to increase educational opportunities in Louisiana, Governor Huey Long wanted to increase the size and stature of Louisiana State University. One of the first steps of his marketing strategy was to quadruple the size of the university marching band.

Source: "Louisiana State University," Huey Long: The Man, His Mission and Legacy, HueyLong.com.

Michael Moore, The Next Newt Gingrich?

In an interview with the CPUSA-affiliated People's Weekly World, Michael Moore makes a sarcastic quip as an imaginary media executive, saying he's doing "his little Newt Gingrich thing."

Source: Sheldon, Ron. "Exclusive Interview with Michael Moore of TV Nation," People's Weekly World, September 23, 1995.

Shirin Ebadi, Outside the System

Iranian feminist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi believes that it is not possible to be a human rights activist and serve in government. She says, "A human rights activist must always work among the people, and must campaign and defend people who cannot defend themselves, because it is governments and rulers that abuse human rights. How is it possible to be a government member and be effectively critical of the system you're in?" Before the revolution in 1979, Ebadi was a judge in the Tehran court system.

Sources: "Interview With Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi," Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, PeaceWomen.org.

Ebadi, Shirin. "Autobiography: The Nobel Peace Prize 2003," from Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 2003, Editor Tore Frängsmyr, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 2004.

Barbara Jordan, Texas Governor

American politician, educator, and activist Barbara Jordan, was Texas Governor for a day in June, 1972. She was President pro tempore of the Texas Legislature at the time.

Source: "Women of the CBC, Barbara C. Jordan Biography," AVoice, African American Voices in Congress.

Janis Ian Has No Use For an A&R* Man, Either

At least until 2005, Janis Ian, famous for the songs "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child," had never recorded a song she didn't either write or co-write.

Source: Owen Keehnen, "At 42: Lesbian Legend Janis Ian Comes Out," 24 March 2005.


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* Artist and Repertory, the brokers at record labels who set up performing artists with material from songwriters.

June Callwood, St. June of the Pen

Canadian author, social activist, ex-mayor of Toronto, and humanitarian June Callwood ghost-wrote books about several prominent Americans, including Charles Mayo and Barbara Walters.

Source: "June Callwood," Collections Canada.

Fiorello LaGuardia: Nu, Vus Titzuch, Paisan?

In 1922, the Democratic Tammany Hall political machine ran a Jewish candidate against Fiorello LaGuardia, and distributed flyers claiming that LaGuardia was anti-Semitic. LaGuardia, who had a Jewish mother and his Italian father's last name, responded by challenging his opponent to a debate in Yiddish. He spoke Yiddish fluently and his opponent did not.

Source: "Fiorello LaGuardia," Jewish Virtual Library.

Paul Robeson Was Better Than You...at Whatever

Besides his career in singing and acting, Paul Robeson also earned fifteen varsity athletic letters while at Rutgers University getting his law degree.

Source: "About Paul Robeson > Biography," Paul Robeson Cultural Center, Rutgers University.

Ann Richards, Backwards and in High Heels

In 1982, the Texas electorate voted in Ann Richards as State Treasurer. She became the first woman elected to a statewide office in Texas since 1932, when Miriam A. Ferguson was elected governor. Richards eventually became the Governor of Texas as well, and shot to national fame when she gave the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1988.

The title of the post refers to what is probably Richards' most famous bon mot (which appears not to be original to her), which was on the subject of women's competence in office: "If you give us the chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."

Source: "Portraits of Texas Governors: Modern Texas, Part 3, 1991-Present, Ann W. Richards," Texas State Libraries & Archives Commission.

Uri Avnery, The Man Who Crossed the Line

Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery made world history when, on July 3, 1982, he crossed the battle lines during the Battle of Beirut to meet Yasser Arafat, becoming the first Israeli to ever meet with the Palestinian leader. Even early in his career of activism, he was so notorious in right-wing circles that the former Mossad chief Issar Har'el called him "Public Enemy Number 1" of the Ben-Gurion Administration.

Source: "Biographical Note," Avnery-News.co.il.

Frida Kahlo Got The Trots

Mexican surrealist painter Frida Kahlo famously (at the time) had an affair with Leon Trotsky. At the time, Kahlo was married to artist Diego Rivera.

Source: "Frida Kahlo," Artchive.com.