Washington, DC History & Culture

Eleanor Roosevelt - Birthday Celebration and Film History Livestream - Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Let's celebrate First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's 138th birthday - born October 11, 1884.
This is a special program where we'll explore Eleanor's fascinating life and inspiring career, and we'll do it through the context of the Eleanor Roosevelt PBS documentary "American Experience".

Before the screening there will be a brief 15-20 minute overview of the film including historical context, plot summary, things to look for, accuracy, etc.
During and after the screening there will be an opportunity to discuss the film with your fellow participants via Zoom.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Eleanor Roosevelt struggled to overcome an unhappy childhood, betrayal in her marriage, a controlling mother-in-law, and gripping depressions — all the while staying true to her passion for social justice. This biography includes rare home movies, contemporary footage, and reflections from Eleanor’s closest surviving relatives, as well as biographers Blanche Wiesen Cook, Allida Black, and Geoffrey C. Ward, bringing to vibrant life one of the century’s most influential women.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 - November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She served as the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, making her the longest-serving first lady of the United States. Roosevelt served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.
Roosevelt was a member of the prominent American Roosevelt and Livingston families and a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. She married her fifth cousin once removed, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in 1905. She persuaded Franklin to stay in politics after he was stricken with a paralytic illness in 1921, which cost him the normal use of his legs, and began giving speeches and appearing at campaign events in his place. Following Franklin's election as Governor of New York in 1928, and throughout the remainder of Franklin's public career in government, Roosevelt regularly made public appearances on his behalf; and as First Lady, while her husband served as president, she significantly reshaped and redefined the role.
Though widely respected in her later years, Roosevelt was a controversial first lady at the time for her outspokenness. She was the first presidential spouse to hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column, write a monthly magazine column, host a weekly radio show, and speak at a national party convention. On a few occasions, she publicly disagreed with her husband's policies. She advocated for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of African Americans and Asian Americans, and the rights of World War II refugees. Following her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt remained active in politics for the remaining 17 years of her life. She pressed the United States to join and support the United Nations and became its first delegate. She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By the time of her death, Roosevelt was regarded as "one of the most esteemed women in the world"; The New York Times called her "the object of almost universal respect" in her obituary.

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Meeting ID: 892 1154 5078
Passcode: 154121
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Connecting a few minutes early is recommended.
If you experience any technical issues please restart your Zoom session and/or your device.
When all else fails please follow the directions.

***

Your host for this program is Robert Kelleman, the founder/director of the non-profit community organizations Washington, DC History & Culture and Texas History & Culture.

Washington, DC History & Culture
A non-profit community organization.
Experience the history and culture of Washington, DC - and the world!

YouTube Previously Recorded Programs:
http://www.Youtube.com/c/WashingtonDCHistoryCulture

Donations Support Our Non-Profit Community Programs - Thank You!
PayPal: DCHistoryAndCulture@gmail.com
Venmo: @DCHistoryAndCulture
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/d29491c0

We look forward to seeing you. Thanks!

Robert Kelleman
rkelleman@yahoo.com
202-821-6325 (text only)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkelleman/

David Bowie - Music History Livestream - Hosted by Robert Kelleman

It’s Saturday night, let's remember David Bowie on the tenth anniversary of his passing, January 10, 2016 (has in really been that long?).

Music History Livestreams present noteworthy songs from featured artists along with the historical and cultural context of their music.
During and after our program you'll have the opportunity to discuss the music with your fellow participants via Zoom.

David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as among the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie received particular acclaim for his work in the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft have had a great impact on popular music.
Bowie studied art, music and design before embarking on a music career in 1963. He released a string of unsuccessful singles with local bands and a self-titled solo album (1967) before achieving his first top-five entry on the UK singles chart with "Space Oddity" (1969). After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with the alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The single "Starman" and its album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans (1975). In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the Berlin Trilogy. "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top-five and received critical praise.
After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He achieved his greatest commercial success in the 1980s with Let's Dance (1983). Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his films included Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Labyrinth (1986), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Basquiat (1996), and The Prestige (2006). He retired from touring in 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. He returned from a decade-long recording hiatus in 2013 with The Next Day. His death in 2016 came two days after the release of his final studio album, Blackstar.
During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards and four Brit Awards. Often dubbed the "chameleon of rock" due to his continual musical reinventions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest singers, songwriters and artists of all time.

***

Zoom Connection Link
Click (or Copy and Paste) and Follow the Instructions:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81764605670?pwd=NmxDYThSSDh6QzdkUXJjZTBzelBaQT09
Meeting ID: 817 6460 5670
Passcode: 482534
Dial by your location
• +1 253 205 0468 US

Connecting a few minutes early is recommended.
If you experience any technical issues please restart your Zoom session and/or your device.
When all else fails please follow the directions.

***

Your host for this program is Robert Kelleman, the founder/director of the non-profit community organizations Washington, DC History & Culture and Texas History & Culture.

Washington, DC History & Culture
A non-profit community organization.
Experience the history and culture of Washington, DC - and the world!

YouTube Previously Recorded Programs:
http://www.Youtube.com/c/WashingtonDCHistoryCulture

Donations Support Our Non-Profit Community Programs - Thank You!
PayPal: DCHistoryAndCulture@gmail.com
Venmo: @DCHistoryAndCulture
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/d29491c0

We look forward to seeing you. Thanks!

Robert Kelleman
rkelleman@yahoo.com
202-821-6325 (text only)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkelleman/

Elvis Presley's 91st Birthday Celebration - Music History Livestream - Hosted by Robert Kelleman

It's Saturday night, let's get together and remember the "King of Rock & Roll," Elvis Presley, on what would have been his 91st birthday.

Music History Livestreams present noteworthy songs from featured artists along with the historical and cultural context of their music.
During and after our program you'll have the opportunity to discuss the music with your fellow participants via Zoom.

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known simply as Elvis, was an American singer, musician and actor. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King". His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to great success—and initial controversy.
Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts, however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42.

***

Zoom Connection Link
Click (or Copy and Paste) and Follow the Instructions:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81764605670?pwd=NmxDYThSSDh6QzdkUXJjZTBzelBaQT09
Meeting ID: 817 6460 5670
Passcode: 482534
Dial by your location
• +1 253 205 0468 US

Connecting a few minutes early is recommended.
If you experience any technical issues please restart your Zoom session and/or your device.
When all else fails please follow the directions.

***

Your host for this program is Robert Kelleman, the founder/director of the non-profit community organizations Washington, DC History & Culture and Texas History & Culture.

Washington, DC History & Culture
A non-profit community organization.
Experience the history and culture of Washington, DC - and the world!

YouTube Previously Recorded Programs:
http://www.Youtube.com/c/WashingtonDCHistoryCulture

Donations Support Our Non-Profit Community Programs - Thank You!
PayPal: DCHistoryAndCulture@gmail.com
Venmo: @DCHistoryAndCulture
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/d29491c0

We look forward to seeing you. Thanks!

Robert Kelleman
rkelleman@yahoo.com
202-821-6325 (text only)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkelleman/