The Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional teenage brothers and
amateur detectives who appear in various mystery series for children
and teens. The characters were created by Edward Stratemeyer, the
founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging firm, and the
books have been written by many different ghostwriters over the years.
The books are published under the collective pseudonym Franklin W.
Dixon. The Hardy Boys have evolved in various ways since their first
appearance in 1927. Beginning in 1959, the books were extensively
revised, largely to eliminate racist stereotypes; the books were also
written in a simpler style in an attempt to compete with television.
Some critics argue that in the process the Hardy Boys changed, becoming
more respectful of the law and simultaneously more affluent, "agents of
the adult ruling class" rather than characters who aided the poor. A
new Hardy Boys series, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, was created in the
1980s, and featured murders, violence, and international espionage. The
original Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series ended in 2005. A new series,
Undercover Brothers, was launched the same year, featuring updated
versions of the characters who narrate their adventures in the first
person. Through all these changes, the characters have remained
popular. Critics have offered many explanations for the characters'
longevity, suggesting variously that the Hardy Boys embody simple
wish-fulfillment, homoerotic desire, or American ideals of masculinity.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hardy_Boys>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1569:
The Union of Lublin was signed, merging the Kingdom of Poland and the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Lublin>
1867:
The British North America Act came into effect, uniting the Province of
Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into the Canadian Confederation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Act%2C_1867>
1916:
World War I: The first day of the Battle of Albert , the opening phase
of the Battle of the Somme, became the bloodiest day in the history of
the British Army, with 57,470 casualties of which 19,240 were killed or
died of wounds.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/first_day_on_the_Somme>
1979:
Sony introduced the Walkman portable audio player, changing music
listening habits by allowing people to carry their own choice of music
with them.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman>
1997:
The United Kingdom transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's
Republic of China, ending over 150 years of British colonial rule.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_of_sovereignty_of_Hong_Kong>
2002:
The Rome Statute entered into force, establishing the International
Criminal Court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against
humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_Statute_of_the_International_Criminal_Court>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
metrology (n):
1. The science of weights and measures or of measurement.
2. A system of weights and measures
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/metrology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We're on a mission from God.
--w:Dan Aykroyd
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/w%3ADan_Aykroyd>
Show replies by date