Category Archives: Media

July 21

Herbert M. McLuhan, Creator of The Global Village

posted by

On the 21st of July 1911, Herbert Marshall McLuhan was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is considered one of the foremost theorists on the subject of mass media, including television and computer technology.  He coined the expressions ‘the medium in the message’ and ‘the global village’, and predicted the World Wide Web almost thirty […]

»»
June 09

Donald Duck and Wartime Propaganda

posted by

On the 9th of June 1934, Donald Duck debuted in Disney’s The Wise Little Hen, which was part of the Silly Symphonies series of theatrical cartoon shorts. The anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet, dressed in a blue sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie, is […]

»»
May 09

Political Criticism in Harold Gray’s ‘Little Orphan Annie’

posted by

On the 9th of May 1968, American cartoonist Harold Gray died in La Jolla, California. His death marked the end of a very prolific career, but the fame of his newspaper comic strip, Little Orphan Annie, outlived him for a very long time. The story of an innocent vagabond girl wandering through a world of […]

»»
December 17

Vogue: The Elitist Dream for The Masses

posted by

On the 17th of December 1892, the first issue of Vogue was published in America. The popular fashion magazine, which has reached by now an average monthly print circulation of 11.3 million, was founded by Arthur Turnure as a weekly society publication. Vogue magazine became instantly the biggest competitor to another famous fashion magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, […]

»»
November 22

The Forgotten Caricatures of Miguel Covarrubias

posted by

On the 22nd of November 1904, artist, art historian and anthropologist J. M. Covarrubias Duclaud (d. 1957) was born in Mexico City. Being offered a special government grant from his country at the age of 19, Covarrubias  was able to move to New York in 1924 where his talent was quickly discovered by his compatriot […]

»»
October 30

Orson Welles: Media and Mass Hysteria

posted by

On the 30th of October 1938, the U.S. radio network CBS broadcast an audio drama from the Mercury Theatre on the Air series adapted from English sci-fi writer H. G. Wells’ 1898 novel The War of the Worlds. This special Halloween edition was directed and narrated by a 23-year old Orson Welles, future Hollywood filmmaker. […]

»»