In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Alice Sanger as the first female White House staffer at a time of a growing movement for women’s rights. In 1942, the Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II. In 1959, the Soviet spacecraft Luna 1 ...

Dear Heloise: In response to Diane T. in Arizona, I had the opposite happen to me. I had been going to a hairdresser for many, many years. It was my hairdresser who started to not be on time. My time is important to me. I booked appointments on my day off from work. I am a morning person, but ...

Dear Annie: Now that my husband and I are in our 70s, it feels as if our social world has shrunk to the size of a postage stamp. Friends have moved away to be near their children, others are dealing with health issues, and a few have simply drifted off. We used to host dinners, take short trips ...

Dear Readers: Before we rush into a brand-new year, I want to pause and say thank you. Thank you for reading, for writing in and for trusting me with the parts of your life you don’t always share at the dinner table. Thank you for letting this corner of the page be a place where we can talk ...

In 1879, Thomas Edison first demonstrated his electric incandescent lights for the public by illuminating some 100 bulbs in and around his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. In 1904, New York’s Times Square saw its first New Year’s Eve celebration, with an estimated 200,000 people in ...

Dear Heloise: I sympathize to some extent with the writer in a recent column of yours lamented how doctor’s offices will say the appointment is at 10:00 a.m. but ask that you arrive at 9:30 a.m. for paperwork. However, I think it actually makes sense to do it this way. Ten a.m. is the time ...