Jan 6th, 2009 · Friend and patron to several generations of composers and artists, Freeman was the catalyst behind the opera Nixon in China by John Adams, as well as pieces by John Cage, Harry Partch, Thomas Ades, Philip Glass and dozens of others.
Jun 23rd, 2008 · As the presidential hopefuls debate the pros and cons of offshore drilling, natives of Santa Barbara, California remember the huge spill of 1969. Many say that disaster was the catalyst for the U.S. environmental movement.
May 17th, 2008 · When a group of Catholics — including two brothers who were priests — broke into a Selective Service office in Catonsville, Md., in 1968 and burned draft records, their actions would serve as a catalyst for widespread protests against the Vietnam War.
May 12th, 2008 · The TV networks unveil their fall programming in "upfronts" to advertisers, hoping to woo them to buy big chunks of airtime. But this year is going to be different, the networks promise. The writers strike is both symptom and catalyst. The uncertainties about new media that led to the strike are also leading to changes in the ad business.
Apr 23rd, 2007 · A Kremlin official says former Russian President Boris Yeltsin has died. Yeltsin engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy. He was 76.
Jul 11th, 2006 · Syd Barrett, once the primary songwriter for Pink Floyd -- and the man said to have invented the band's name -- has died. Despite his brief career -- he was with Pink Floyd for less than three years and released two solo albums -- Syd Barrett was a primary catalyst for British psychedelic rock.
Feb 6th, 2006 · The world mourns Betty Friedan, who died Saturday at 85, as the author of The Feminine Mystique and a catalyst for the modern women's movement. Kitty Eisele first knew her as "Aunt Betty." She offers a remembrance of a family friend.
Jan 7th, 2006 · A fire has destroyed the landmark Pilgrim Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side. Built in 1890, the church became a catalyst for the popularity of gospel music in the 1930s under choir director Thomas Dorsey.