Charles Apple

One hundred and twenty years ago, banker and financier J.P. Morgan created U.S. Steel by engineering a merger of three of the nation’s largest steel companies. The result had a market capitalization of $1.4 billion, making it the world’s first billion-dollar corporation.

Two hundred and nine years ago, brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm – both highly educated experts in German literature – published a collection of old German folk tales they called “Kinder-und Hausmärchen”: “Children’s and Household Tales.” We know these today as “Grimms’ Fairy Tales.”

In a game designed to showcase the very best of the NFL’s best, how can anyone single out just one player to be deemed the “most valuable”? Some years, a player will exceed all expectations and stand out above the rest. Some years, it’s a single moment that fans will remember for years to come. And in others still: It can be a difficult choice. Here’s a look at Super Bowl MVPs over the years.

Whether you tune in because you love pro football, because you’re a fan of one of the two teams or if you just like seeing the debut of the world’s greatest TV commercials, you’ll most likely watch the 55th annual Super Bowl Sunday. Here’s a look at the rich history of the National Football League’s big finale:

He made baseball history without the help of steroids or the kind of fame national TV or 24-hour sports channels could bring. He did it despite the racism he encountered in baseball and society. But 47 years ago this spring, Hank Aaron – who died Friday at age 86 – broke Babe Ruth’s not-so-un- breakable-after-all career home run record.

The incident Wednesday in which a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump overran the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., is not the first time the building has found itself under attack. Over the past 185 years, the building and its occupants have been bombed three times, seen one presidential assassination attempt, an attack with anthrax-laden mail and a gun attack by four armed men from the gallery of the House of Representatives. And one incident in which a congressman nearly beat a Senator to death.

New Year’s Eve is nearly upon us already (and, seriously, good riddance to 2020). Here’s a look at some of the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traditions in the U.S. and around the world:

Christmas 2020 has certainly been an odd year for many of us: There are fewer public gatherings and shopping habits have changed. But still, people are shopping and, presumably, sharing of gifts and good cheer is still at the center of our holiday plans.

Five years ago Sunday, Steve Harvey embarrassed himself – and the Miss Universe Pageant – by announcing the wrong winner on live television from Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on Dec. 20, 2015. But it was hardly the first time someone had goofed up spectacularly in front of the entire nation.

The iconic comic book hero Captain America first hit newsstands 80 years ago this month, in a book with the cover date of March 1941. Cap has starred in movies and serials, served as leader of the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers – and was frozen in a giant block of ice for a couple of decades. Here’s a look at the (fictional) life and times of Captain America, Steve Rogers.

In early 2019, the White House directed NASA to put astronauts on the moon by 2024. That would require an enormous increase in the agency’s budget – and at a time when folks on Capitol Hill haven’t been favorable to more big-ticket items or more requests from the Donald Trump administration. Despite the apparent lack of funding, NASA on Wednesday named 18 astronauts – including Spokane’s Anne McClain – to its team of astronauts to fly its projected Artemis missions and has been moving forward on getting a real lunar landing vehicle built.

Forget trimming our trees or singing Christmas carols. Let’s admit what we really look forward to this time of year is watching the annual broadcasting of our favorite holiday TV specials.

Forty years ago today – Dec. 8, 1980, John Lennon – former leader of The Beatles – was gunned down by a fan with mental issues in front of his apartment building near New York’s Central Park. Here’s a look at highlights of the post-Beatles career of Lennon:

Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 79 years ago today. Several of the ships damaged or sunk that morning returned to service, thanks to heroic efforts by officers, sailors and repair contractors.

A new fast-food joint opened Tuesday in Spokane: Southern-born, Southern-styled and Southern-run chicken sandwich restaurant Chick-fil-A opened its doors. What’s all the fuss about? Luckily, the writer and designer of your favorite Further Review pages – um, that’s me – is from the South.

Cookies are thought to have been invented in Persia – what is now called Iran was one of the first countries to refine sugar – in the 7th century. Cooks began making small cakes, pastries and wafers. These spread to Europe with the Muslim invasion of Spain and then the Crusades.

It’s that time of year again, when parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older brothers and sisters stand in long lines all in hopes of scoring a super-cool Christmas gift for those special little ones. In hopes of making your season just a little bit merry, here’s a quick guide to some of this year’s hottest toys:

As any schoolchild can tell you, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated after the Pilgrims’ first harvest in the New World in 1621. They served turkey and other favorites and invited their local Native American friends to join in their bounty. Or did they?

Elvis Presley – the original “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – graduated from the regional Memphis-based Sun Records to a major recording contract with RCA Records in late 1955. He’d go on to sell 50.5 million 45 rpm records – and that’s not counting his many albums or tickets to the movies in which he starred. Here’s a look at Elvis’ success as a singles artist.

Mickey Mouse – who made his first appearance in Hollywood’s first comedy short film with sound – is one of the most iconic figures in entertainment history. Here’s a look at how Mickey was conceived and how he’s continued to evolve over 92 years.

In the early 1980s, John Hughes began a new career as a comedy screenwriter. In addition to practically reinventing the genre of the teen comedy in the mid-1980s, Hughes would pen such classics as the “Vacation” series of movies, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” and a film that turns 30 today – “Home Alone” – that is still the highest-grossing comedy in movie history.

Eighty years ago this week, Walt Disney Productions released its third animated feature film, The symphonic music-themed “Fantasia.” Today it is regarded as a classic, selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Here’s a look at “Fantasia” and the rich history of Disney’s animated movies.

Fighting in the Great War in Europe ended at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Soon after, thousands of U.S. servicemen who had served in Europe began flooding back across the Atlantic. A day observing their service has grown into what we call Veterans Day – which we’ll celebrate Wednesday. Here’s a look at facts and figures about veterans in the Pacific Northwest:

It didn’t take long after the World Wide Web entered our lives for Wall Street to discover the quick, profitable returns possible by investing in online ventures. “Dot-coms” were hot, hot, hot at the time. And web creators were only too happy to sell stock in their work.