Jan 1st, 2009 · Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. Luis Rumbaut recalls his experience as a 9-year-old boy when Castro's army took control of Cuba. And a former journalist talks about reporting from Havana during the revolution.
Oct 17th, 2008 · The waitress who's credited with introducing nachos to Los Angeles has died. Carmen Rocha started working at El Cholo Mexican restaurant in 1959. And she brought with her from Texas a special treat: tortilla wedges, shredded cheddar cheese and slices of jalapeno pepper. One cookbook writer told the Los Angeles Times, "If they were called 'Carmens,' not nachos, her name would be remembered forever."
Jul 5th, 2008 · The son of folk-rockers Richard and Linda Thompson says he didn't listen to any music made after 1959 until he was 16. But his new album furthers his folk and country roots with some of the contemporary sounds he's grown to like.
Jul 3rd, 2008 · Before Tony Montana, there was Meyer Lansky. True-crime writer T.J. English recounts the history of a mob-ruled Havana before the 1959 revolution.
Jun 30th, 2008 · Alaska became the 49th American state on Jan. 3, 1959. But the state has already begun celebrations to mark June 30, 1958, when the U.S. Senate passed the Alaska Statehood Act. And with fewer than 1 million people, the state is in no danger of losing its unique flair.
Jun 3rd, 2008 · Paul Sills, the father of modern improvisation — and co-founder of The Second City comedy troupe — has died at the age of 80. Second City has launched dozens of comedy careers. He helped start the group in 1959 with the help of producer and director Bernard Sahlins. Sahlins talks about Sills' passing.
Feb 25th, 2008 · Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 groundbreaking play, A Raisin in the Sun, focused on a black family's struggle to hold onto their dreams. A made-for-television version of the production airs Monday night on ABC. Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad stars in the film and explains its message.
Dec 27th, 2006 · The history of Miami's Cuban exile community has been one of successive migrations. First came the group from 1959, just after the revolution. Then came the Mariel boat lift in 1980. That was followed by the rafter crisis in the 1990s. Now, slowly and quietly, the exile community is changing again. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports.