History Book - A literary musical debut

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Monday, March 7th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Coming up next: the WORLD History Book. Katie Gaultney is on a two-month sabbatical, so we’ll hear from a few other correspondents in the weeks ahead. Today, Associate Correspondent Harrison Waters comes with a trifecta of premieres.

HARRISON WATTERS, CORRESPONDENT: On March 11th, 1702, English printer Elizabeth Mallet published the first issue of the Daily Courant—the first daily British Newspaper. Courant is French for “running”—as in a courier.

Mallet’s was the first daily newspaper in London and it featured a single page of international news stories, with advertisements on the reverse side. Here is Scott Allsop, host of the History Pod, explaining Mallet’s goal.

HISTORY POD CLIP: Mallet herself claimed to ‘give news daily and impartially’ while promising ‘Nor will [the Author] take it upon himself to give any Comments or Conjectures of his own, but will relate only Matter of Fact.

Freedom of the press was still a very new thing. Until 1695, print was strictly regulated by the Stationer’s Company: a guild that reviewed all books and pamphlets before licensing their printing. That meant anything printed other than the official message from the crown was all but illegal in England.

But after English nobles replaced James II with his daughter Mary and son-in-law William of Orange, the Licensing Act was allowed to expire—along with many restraints on a free press.

Mallet ran the Daily Courant for only 40 days before selling it. Within 25 years, there were dozens of daily newspapers in England for people of all classes to read.

From papers to speeches.

SPEECH: “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan (applause).”

On March 8th, 1983, Ronald Reagan addresses the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida.

REAGAN: Well, I'm pleased to be here today with you who are keeping America great by keeping her good…

The day before, Reagan met with his cabinet to discuss a nuclear freeze resolution. Some Americans wanted to ban further weapon deployments in Europe. Reagan believed it would hamstring America’s ability to defend liberty and democracy. His cabinet encouraged him to use his “bully pulpit” to build support outside Washington.

So before speaking to the NAE in Orlando, Reagan added a couple paragraphs to the end of his speech. After talking about abortion on demand and school prayer for 20 minutes, Reagan surprised his audience of church leaders by talking about the Soviet Union.

REAGAN: Let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness—pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the Earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.

Reagan labeled the USSR the “evil empire.” The speech appalled Reagan’s opponents in Washington, who thought it would slam the door on diplomacy.

The Soviets in response called the Americans evil imperialists. But Reagan’s commitment to challenging Soviet ideology and backing it up with his Strategic Defense Initiative ultimately led to the end of the Cold War.

After Reagan’s death in 2004, Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher praised her long-time friend and ally’s success.

THATCHER: Others hoped at best for an uneasy cohabitation with the Soviet Union. He won the Cold War not only without firing a shot, but also by inviting enemies out of their fortress and turning them into friends.

And finally, we end today with the American debut of one of London’s best musicals.

Thirty-five years ago this week, Les Miserables opened on Broadway. But it all started as a French concept album in 1980. Here’s Fox News broadcaster Neal Sean in a 2013 ITV documentary about the musical.

SEAN: The writers and lyricists of the wonderful concept album were allegedly inspired by another British phenomenon, that of Lionel Bart's Oliver! - the record-breaking musical. Apparently they sat down watching it in a theater and particularly taking interest in the Artful Dodger.

The expert pickpocket in Charles Dickens’ classic novel reminded the producer of another fictional character: Gavroche—the French street urchin caught up in the fervor of the barricades from Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel Les Miserables. The story of an escaped convict’s redemption and fatherly love for an orphan girl had the potential for a great musical. But even with a compelling story and songs, some, like actress Frances Ruffelle, were worried that the French title wouldn’t work for English audiences.

RUFFELLE: …I don't know if that name is going to work, and so we called it “The Glums.” And now you know Les Miserables is the name that everybody knows worldwide and even if you don't speak French you know the name.

When Les Mis opened on Broadway on March 12, 1987, the show that cost $4.5 million to produce had already made $4 million in advance sales. In 2003, demand was still so high that Broadway delayed the show’s closing for two months, and later ran a revival in 2008. Since the original concept album, Les Miserables with its catchy songs and gripping story has left audiences wanting more. Just one day more.

That’s today’s History Book, I’m Harrison Watters.

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