From Rawhide to Resurrection • Best 60ish Seconds
In this week’s Best 60ish Seconds, Charlie reflects on Holy Saturday, the most somber day of the Christian year, between the agony of Good Friday and the joy of Easter morning, and looks ahead to the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord.
He then turns to history, marking the 45th anniversary of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, when Reagan — Secret Service codename “Rawhide” — was shot outside the Washington Hilton and came within inches of losing his life. Charlie once again recommends Rawhide Down, a gripping, moment‑by‑moment account of that day and Reagan’s courage under fire.
From there, he recalls the so‑called “Tecumseh Curse,” which held that presidents elected in years ending in zero were doomed to die in office, and notes how Reagan, unlike Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, FDR, and Kennedy, broke that dark pattern by surviving the attack.
Charlie also highlights two other milestones from this week in sports and tradition: the anniversary of Villanova’s first NCAA men’s basketball national championship and the 115th anniversary of the “Notre Dame Victory March,” one of the most iconic fight songs in college athletics.
Charlie then turns to the present, reflecting on President Trump’s televised address to the nation this week about the Iran war, American strength, and the path forward in a dangerous world. He connects that message to another historic moment unfolding right now: NASA’s Artemis II mission — the first crewed voyage around the Moon in more than 50 years — which has successfully launched and is now carrying three American astronauts and one Canadian on a roughly 10‑day journey that will pave the way for future lunar landings and deep‑space exploration. American leadership in space, Charlie argues, is vital not just for our security and technology, but for inspiring the next generation.
As Holy Week comes to a close, Charlie shares a simple Easter message a friend once texted him on a Sunday morning — just three words: “He is risen.” With that, he wishes everyone a blessed Resurrection Day.