This Friday before a long holiday weekend, take some time to reflect on history, particularly the contributions Martin Luther King, Jr. made to our country’s ongoing fight for racial equality. Let’s start with a look back at…

This Week in History

January 13, 1999: Michael Jordan announced his retirement from basketball, only to return to the NBA two years later.
For a unique take on the role of basketball players like Michael Jordan in American society, read Todd Boyd’s Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, the Hip Hop Invasion, and the Transformation of American Culture. In its pages, the author demonstrates that the NBA has been at the forefront of recognizing and incorporating cultural shifts—from the initial image of 1970s basketball players as overpaid black drug addicts, to Michael Jordan’s spectacular rise as a universally admired icon, to the 1990s, when the hip hop aesthetic appeared on the basketball court.

January 14, 1742: Edmond Halley, the English astronomer (of Halley’s Comet fame) died at age 85.
Convinced there’s more in outer space than just comets and lifeless planets, or just want a big fan of science fiction? Check out our stellar collection of science fiction titles here.

January 15, 2004: The NASA Spirit rover touched down on the surface of Mars.
When did humankind first express an interest to launch vessels into space? Which early innovators paved the way for today’s space efforts? Find the answers to these questions and more in To a Distant Day: The Rocket Pioneers by Chris Gainor.

January 16, 1908: Musical-comedy star Ethel Merman was born (100 years ago!).
Our friends at the University of California Press recently published an intriguing account of Merman’s life entitled Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman. Check out an article by the book’s author, Caryl Flinn, on the UC Press blog here.

January 17, 1886: American airplane inventor Glenn Martin was born.
If you’ve always dreamt of being a pilot, experience the adventures of flying from the comfort of your armchair by reading W. Scott Olsen’s Hard Air: Adventures from the Edge of Flying (forthcoming from the University of Nebraska Press in April).

January 18, 1919: World War I peace talks began in Versailles, France.
If you’re a World War I buff, you’ll want to check out UNP’s selection of WWI titles here.

Have a great weekend, bloggers!