Going back to ‘normal’ after a crisis

Plus: Loneliness and Queen Elizabeth |

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. SUBSCRIBE to TIME Magazine April 30, 2020 By Lily Rothman As leaders in the United States and around the world look ahead to our post-COVID-19 future, looking back is as valuable as ever. This week, historian James C. Cobb offered TIME History his insight into what the recovery from the Great Depression can teach us about this moment. And, as he points out, that history might make people think twice about the idea that things can just go back to "normal" if the virus is under control. In fact, the economic devastation of the 1930s changed American habits and attitudes—and those changes stuck around for decades after the original problem was resolved. Click here to read more about how a crisis can have long-lasting effects. Here's more of the history that made news this week: HISTORY ON TIME.COM The History of Loneliness Can Help Us Through This Pandemic It's important to remember that loneliness is not a universal human condition, but a historically specific one, argues historian Fay Bound Alberti The Story Behind Queen Elizabeth's First Address to the U.K. Like many British children, the then-Princess had her childhood cut short by the war Inside the Chernobyl Bone-Marrow Transplant Mission The mission showed the value of international medical cooperation in times of crisis, even when politics might make success seem impossible The Great Depression's Lesson for America's Housing Crisis The relief provided by New Deal housing projects is as relevant today as it was in the 1930s, argues historian Jill Watts. How a Woman-Run Hospital Confronted the 1918 Flu Pandemic "Men died like flies, in the street one moment, then three days later, dead," said nursing orderly Nina Last. "It was more like a plague than influenza." FROM THE TIME VAULT Today in 1973: ‘Watergate Breaks Wide Open’ “The denials, the evasions, the secretiveness and, yes, the lies—all had failed. The Watergate case was breaking wide open. A ten-month campaign by some of the highest past and present officials of the Nixon Administration to cover up their involvement was crumbling. Stripped of its protective shrouds, the scandal was rapidly emerging as probably the most pervasive instance of top-level misconduct in the nation's history.” (April 30, 1973) Read the full story Today in 1951: Douglas MacArthur “A hush fell over the assembled Congress of the United States and the crowded galleries. In the silence, the Doorkeeper's voice came clear: ‘Mr. Speaker, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.’ In a great wave, the applause and cheers burst upon the erect figure who strode down the aisle. Democrats, Republicans, and the crowds in the galleries rose as one, clapped and shouted on & on. Across 8,700 miles, through cheering crowds, clouds of black headlines and storms of angry argument, Douglas MacArthur had come to this podium to make his stand before the nation and to state his case to the world." (April 30, 1951) Read the full story Today in 1928: Al Smith’s Campaign “Last week was Smith Week among the Democrats. East coast, West coast, all around the land, the Smith candidacy seemed to have reached a new high-tide line. In Washington, a Southern Senator who would not permit his name to be quoted because he and his State have been thoroughly anti-Smith, said: ‘Smith already is nominated.’ Other Washington politicos were discussing, not the probability of the nomination but its manner. Perhaps, they said, it could be managed by acclamation, which would be a very good thing for the chances of the Democracy in November, the precise reverse of much-haggled, half-hearted 1924.” (April 30, 1928) Read the full story HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WEB At Home At CityLab, Ariel Aberg-Riger presents a whimsical illustrated guide to researching the history of your neighborhood. Family Tree Another personal-history project comes courtesy of Jessica Leigh Hester at Atlas Obscura, who makes the case that now is a great moment to learn about your own family’s past—and provides instructions about how to get started. Keeping Track The New-York Historical Society has already begun gathering artifacts that will, in years to come, tell the story of the coronavirus pandemic. Nadja Sayej at The Guardian has the story. When Was It? Sturt Manning, a professor of classical archaeology, writes at The Conversation about how new research tools are helping experts reassess the chronology of indigenous North American history. Lessons Learned Medical historian Frank Snowden spoke this week to NPR’s Steve Inskeep about what pandemics reveal about society. To Unsubscribe Unsubscribe here if you do not want to receive this newsletter. Update Email Click here to update your email address. Privacy Policy Please read our Privacy Policy. TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. For Further Communication Please email history@time.com TIME USA, LLC 3 Bryant Park New York, NY 10036 Connect with TIME Find TIME on Facebook Follow TIME on Twitter Subscribe to more TIME Newsletters Get TIME on your Mobile Device Get TIME on your iPad Subscribe to RSS Feed