Garrison Keillor's Podcast

It's the anniversary of the first exhibition of Picasso's work in Paris (1901). Picasso, then 19, had already produced hundreds of paintings, but he was unknown outside of Barcelona. Reviews were few but favorable.

On this day in 1868, the first typewriter was patented by Christopher Latham Sholes. It only had capital letters and it took up as much room as a large table.

On this day in 1944, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, or the GI Bill, became law. It provided education, unemployment pay, and low-interest loans to returning veterans.

It's the birthday of philosopher, existentialist, and literary critic Jean-Paul Sartre (1905)––also a well-known prankster who sometimes showed up naked to official functions.

Today is the birthday of poet Paul Muldoon (1951), who was convinced that he got his job at the BBC because he poured tea for everyone at the interview.

Today is Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, dating back to 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas.

It's the birthday of Paul McCartney (1942), who saw 15-year-old John Lennon perform at a church festival and soon joined his band The Quarrymen.

It was on this day in 1901 that the first standardized tests were administered by the College Board to 973 students at 67 locations, plus two in Europe.

Today is Father’s Day and it is also Bloomsday: a holiday that commemorates the day on which the events of James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” take place.

It’s the birthday of writer Ilene Beckerman (1935), whose memoir “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” was turned into a play by sisters Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron.