In 1893 a sensational trial in the District of Columbia pitted a young woman against a powerful US Congressman. The salacious allegations captivated the nation, and went to the very heart of the power structure of the Gilded age. The Breckinridge-Pollard affair is nearly forgotten today, but at the time it was, as a contemporary account of the trial explained, “The Most Noted Breach of Promise suit in the history of court records.”
Sixty six years ago a new television show premiered. Bonanza, the saga of the Cartwrights of the Ponderosa ranch was made for the express purpose of selling color televisions, and it brought color to many lives.