Good morning. It's Saturday, March 21. Welcome to this special edition of the Society & Culture newsletter. First time reading? Sign up here or click here to share with friends. |
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It's been a year since we first launched this newsletter. In those 12 months, we've sent 51 emails, gained over 145,000 readers, and explored a dizzying number of internet rabbit holes. I figured we should take the anniversary to look back at the topics, cultural writing, and knowledge nuggets readers loved the most.
I also wanted to say that I'm immensely grateful that the newsletter has attracted such a curious, engaged, and loyal readership. Seriously, thank you! If there's anything you'd like to see us cover in the next year—or anything we could be doing better—don't hesitate to let me know. It's as simple as hitting "reply" on this email.
Next week, we'll return with deep dives on Prince, Major League Baseball, and dystopian literature. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this look back at the year's best.
—Kevin Kearney, 1440 Society & Culture Section Editor |
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Last week, we mistakenly said there were 10 Formula 1 teams. That was wrong: This year, Cadillac joined as the 11th team. Thanks to our readers who wrote in with the correction! |
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In partnership with FinanceBuzz |
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We explored 86 topics in the past year of emails, but our curiosity doesn't end once we hit "send." We post every deep dive on our Topics website, where we continue exploring the subject in depth, with fascinating resources and insights added whenever we find them.
Here are your three favorite email topics from this past year—along with some of the freshest content on our site. |
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1. Disney
Disney is short for The Walt Disney Co., a century-old entertainment brand responsible for some of the world's most iconic and influential movies. In his career, Walt Disney won 26 Oscars—the most by any person.
Walt Disney started as an animator before forming his own small operation, creating animated newsreels for movie theaters. After moving to Hollywood to start a film company with his brother, Disney began experimenting with synchronized sound, eventually leading to “Steamboat Willie” and “Snow White.” The latter was the first major Hollywood animated feature film, the highest-grossing movie of 1938, and the recipient of an honorary Academy Award.
Disney died in 1966, but his company has forged on, though it has experienced several ups and downs since then. Today, though, the company appears to be in a good place after grossing over $6.5B at the global box office in 2025.
... Explore everything else we learned about Disney.
... and check out these fresh Disney resources from 1440 Topics:
> The biggest moments that defined Disney. (Watch)
> Disney World was originally known as "The Florida Project." (Watch)
> Now a classic, "Fantasia" was once considered a failure. (Read)
> Disney's animators went on strike in 1941 to protest unpaid overtime. (Read) |
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2. Hollywood
Hollywood was first registered with Los Angeles County in 1887, but didn’t become a part of the city proper until 1910. On the East Coast, Thomas Edison was zealously defending his first motion picture camera patent. Edison’s actions led filmmakers to consider California, where the weather was better and the lawsuits would be easier to avoid.
Los Angeles further cemented itself as the center of the film industry with its excellent management of the 1918 flu epidemic, which allowed Hollywood to recover faster than studios in other cities, like New York.
In its golden age, the industry was primarily controlled by vertically integrated studios that oversaw every aspect of film production, distribution, and exhibition, and had specific actors under contract for their projects. The Supreme Court eventually found this model to violate antitrust laws, paving the way for a revolution of independent filmmaking that led to new storytelling methods that resonate with audiences today. In 2020, that landmark ruling was overturned.
... Explore everything else we learned about Hollywood.
... and check out these fresh Hollywood resources from 1440 Topics:
> The iconic Hollywood sign originally said "Hollywoodland." (Read)
> Hollywood helped fund American military activity by boosting bond sales. (Watch)
> Nitrate film is responsible for an estimated 75% of early American films being lost to history. (Watch)
> Charlie Chaplin was exiled from Hollywood ... but later received the longest standing ovation in Academy Awards history. (Watch) |
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3. Salvador Dalí
Spanish artist Salvador Dalí's flamboyancy and peculiarity make him one of the most recognizable artists in history and a leader in the surrealist art movement. He is best known for his contributions to the post-WWI movement of surrealism, which rebelled against traditional institutions and ways of thinking. (See a collection of his art.)
Dalí’s personal obsession with Sigmund Freud, particularly his writings on dreams and the importance of the unconscious mind, profoundly impacted his work. He produced more than 1,500 paintings and a vast array of other works in literature, film, fashion, sculpture, and photography while cultivating a public image that inspired both admiration and horror.
His most famous work, "The Persistence of Memory," features melting clocks draped over a series of objects within a grand landscape that historians believe reflect moments, places, and periods in Dalí’s life. (Watch an analysis of his early work.)
... Explore everything else we learned about Salvador Dalí.
... and check out these fresh Salvador Dalí resources from 1440 Topics:
> A forgotten Dalí painting was bought for $200 and resold for over $60,000. (Read)
> Dalí partnered with Hallmark to design surreal holiday cards. (Read)
> In a 1971 appearance on "The Dick Cavett Show," the artist showed off his pet anteater. (Watch)
> Dalí once allegedly conned Yoko Ono. (Watch) |
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Beyond our weekly deep dives, we love finding great takes on the culture currently shaping our lives, and readers love reading them! Here are the five most popular pieces of cultural writing we featured this past year, ranked in descending order.
> The Story of American Television
WSJ | Alan Sepinwall. Sepinwall is considered one of TV's great critics, so I should've known this would take the crown. It's a great window into the evolution of the medium, blending history and criticism to analyze how certain shows became emblems for their respective decades. (Read)
> From Semi-Pro Snowboarder to Art World Sensation
Artnet | Katie White. I'm not surprised that this was one of the year's most-read stories. After all, the story of Tomokazu Matsuyama and the injury that changed his life is as fascinating as his art. (Read)
> The Fall of Caesar's Palace
SF Gate | Katie Dowd. This piece has everything: a fascinating history of old Vegas, an incisive review, and some well-placed historical allusions. It's a reminder that travel writing and excellent prose aren't mutually exclusive. (Read)
> Bob Weir's One Last Saturday Night
The Ringer | Steven Hyden. No shocker here. After all, Hyden is one of the best working rock writers. This obituary is more proof, perfectly articulating why the Grateful Dead icon and his band's music have meant so much to so many. (Read)
> How Bakers Survive Winter Mornings
Cake Zine | Various. We featured this collection of firsthand accounts at the end of January, though I didn't know what to expect. Good timing, fascinating insights, and, I assume, the enduring popularity of pastries made this a reader favorite. (Read) |
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Thanks for a great year.
Here's to many more! |
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