About: Jeff Nilsson

Jeff Nilsson is the director of Post archives and a website editor. He is a specialist in American History, with graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, University of New Mexico, and Eastern Michigan University. He writes our website's weekly Retrospective feature, and is directing the program of digitally converting the magazine's 190 years of issues.

Posts by Jeff Nilsson:

The Unanswerable Question

There is no better example of Americans’ chronic suspicion of their government than the fate of the Warren Commission Report, released 45 years ago this... More

Do Americans Get Second Chances?

We can’t let September pass by without noting the birthday (September 24th) of one of its greatest contributors. F. Scott Fitzgerald published 69 of his... More

How Heroes are Made

“The embodiment of granted prayer” was how George W. Trendle envisioned the Lone Ranger, created to build an audience for his low-budget, independent radio station... More

Living Inside Your Means

Mortgage rates have dropped again, and analysts are hoping to see a rise in home buying. However, the drop from 5.08 percent to 5.07 percent... More

Googling the Revolution

One reason we rely so heavily on computers for information is the search-engine company: Google, Inc., which turns 11 years old on September 15th.... More

Pullman Car

September 1 marks the anniversary of the day George Pullman’s sleeper car made its first run on the rail line between Chicago and Bloomington, Illinois.... More

The High Cost of Learning

Public education in most states is being trimmed to fit reduced budgets. Meanwhile, college tuition is rising again—the average cost for a year of college... More

Edward Moore Kennedy: 1932-2009

He was belittled for his family connections, his good looks, his privileged upbringing, and, of course, for several occasions of bad judgment as an adult.... More

12 Innovations That Changed Our World

The Post salutes the past, present, and future innovations that shape the way we live, work, and play.... More

Political Debate

Of course, it would be interesting to know Benjamin Franklin’s opinion about a new, government-run health care program. But we believe he would want to... More

The “Juggernaut” Writer

Anyone wanting to know American literature or wanting to be an American writer must read Ray Bradbury. He speaks to a part of the American... More

Surviving the Dog Days

What would Ben Franklin say about our annual pilgrimage through the dog days of August? While some prefer to head indoors or to the pool,... More

Eunice Kennedy Shriver 1921-2009

She merited a eulogy all her own. Her lifetime of advocacy for those with special needs—the mentally retarded—earned her a reputation far beyond the coincidental... More

Where Is the Government’s Health Care Plan?

Why hasn't the government resolved the issue in over a half century of deliberation? What would Dr. Franklin have to say about this?... More

What’s To Be Done with Fools?

Web sites show a video of an event in which Buzz Aldrin, the second astronaut to step onto the moon, was confronted by a man... More

Have You Seen Me?

His rise in New York politics surprised many, but his departure was even more stunning. August 6, 1930, he left friends on the sidewalk outside... More