Category United States

“Nutcracker,” that ubiquitous Christmastide ballet even now readying to launch its annual conquest of American ballet audiences, was originally a magnificent Russian flop. It became an American—and global—success because of one man: George Balanchine. But Vaganova was Russian, while Balanchine…

A child prodigy, William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878) developed a passion for the written word at an early age. As he grew up, Bryant became a successful poet who promoted nature conservation, including advocating for the creation of Central Park in…