History

Ever hear of the steamship Sultana? Most people haven't (including me, until I stumbled across an article about it this week), even though its demise marked the worst maritime disaster in Amercan history. (And here's a whole book about it.) On the night of April 27, 1865, the steamer was on the Mississippi River near Memphis, loaded with soldiers who were veterans of some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The boiler exploded, and more that 1,800 of the passengers died.

"Great comfort in small blessings" department:

I yield to nobody in my conviction that Barack Obama's presidency has been a disaster for the Republic. Last week, in this space, I even suggested that some of his offenses rose to the level of impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Oh, I don't think so:

At multiple events in New York City on Monday, March 19, First Lady Michelle Obama -- in campaigning for her husband's re-election -- made reference to the effect that Supreme Court appointees will have on "whether we can ... love whomever we choose."

Sweden is just slightly ahead of the curve -- the whole world is succumbing to this change:

AP) STOCKHOLM - Sweden was the first European country to introduce bank notes in 1661. Now it's come farther than most on the path toward getting rid of them.

Welcome to the future, fellow baby boomers:

Here's the odd story of the day. Dark and dour Richard Nixon had a gushy, mooshy side:

Nixon shared the stage with Patricia Ryan in a community theater production and six of the dozens of letters they exchanged during their two-year courtship will be unveiled Friday at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum as part of an exhibit celebrating the 100th birthday of the woman Nixon playfully called his "Irish gypsy."

Two legal scholars debate whether we should have a new constitutional convention and start from scratch. University of Texas law professor Sanford Levinson says yes, noting that Thomas Jefferson himself warned against treating the Constitution as "too sacred to be touched." But I'm more persuaded by the arguments of New York University law professsor Richard Epstein, who says a convention would introduce a degree of uncertainty that would make matters worse rather than better:

Good for him:

President Obama sounds a tad conflicted about war and the use of force. On the one hand, he says this:

So, did you have a big party for Presidents' Day yesterday? No? Then celebrate celebrate George Washington's birthday tomorrow: