This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 9)
HOST: Jane Pauley
COVER STORY: All hail the Erie Canal | Watch Video
Two hundreds years ago, construction began on a 363-mile canal linking the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and New York City -- an engineering and commercial triumph as revolutionary as the Internet. But the Erie Canal was dismissed at first. New York politician DeWitt Clinton spent 10 years fighting to sell the project to a deeply skeptical public, and Presidents Jefferson and Madison refused to help fund it. Yet the canal quickly changed the geography and commerce of the young nation. Richard Schlesinger reports on the history of the Erie Canal, still celebrated in song as an example of American ingenuity.
WEB EXTRA VIDEO: "The Erie Canal Song"
"I've got an old mule and her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal..." It's a treasured melody that celebrates life on a canal boat in the 19th century. Singer Dave Ruch performs "Low Bridge - Everybody Down" (a.k.a. "The Erie Canal Song"), by songwriter Thomas S. Allen.
For more info:
- eriecanal.org
- A history of New York State Canals
- Brad Utter, New York State Museum, Albany
- Niagara County History Center, Lockport, N.Y.
- Spencerport Depot & Canal Museum, Spencerport, N.Y.
- Erie Canal (City of Rochester)
- Dave Ruch (Official site)
- Lyrics, notes, and audio and video samples of "Low Bridge" (a.k.a. "The Erie Canal Song") by Dave Ruch
See also:
- Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse, N.Y.
- Follow the Eric Canal Museum on Twitter (@ErieCanalMuseum) and Facebook
- Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (National Park Service)
- "Wedding of the Waters: The Erie Canal and the Making of a Great Nation" by Peter L. Bernstein (W.W. Norton)
ALMANAC: A better doughnut hole | Watch Video
On July 9, 1872, John F. Blondel won a patent for his spring-loaded device to punch out the center of a doughnut. Jane Pauley dunks in honor of him.
SPORTS: Fast and furious: The world of competitive cup stacking | Watch Video
P.J. Ball and Jordan Green are masters in Sport Stacking -- a contest to stack cups in formation as quickly as humanly possible without knocking them over. Luke Burbank reports from the Junior Olympics of Sports Stacking. Originally broadcast February 5, 2017.
For more info:
MUSIC: Jack Antonoff: Hit man | Watch Video
The singer-songwriter-producer, and the heart of the indie pop group Bleachers, has collaborated with some of the biggest artists of the day. Tracy Smith talks with Jack Antonoff, who has turned personal heartache into something close to joy.
For more info:
- "Gone Now" by the Bleachers (RCA); Available on CD (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) limited-edition vinyl (bleachersmusic), and via digital download (Amazon, Google Play and iTunes) and streaming (Apple Music, Spotify)
- Follow @JackAntonoff on Twitter and Instagram
- Bleachers.com
- Follow @Bleachersmusic on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
MAILBAG: Letters to "Sunday Morning" (Video)
Jane Pauley digs into the mailbag for some correspondence from our viewers.
BEAUTY: Manscaping: When body hair just has to go (Video)
Be it trimming, waxing, or body hair removal, personal grooming for men -- a.k.a. manscaping -- has become more popular than ever. Mo Rocca looks into the before-and-after effects. Originally broadcast July 28, 2013.
For more info:
- Barba Skin Clinic, Miami
- European Wax Center, New York City
HARTMAN: Court of dreams (Video)
"If you build it, they will come." In the case of one tennis-obsessed fan who built a replica of Wimbledon's center court on his Iowa farm, people have come from around the world to his All-Iowa Lawn Tennis Club, to play on his court of dreams. Steve Hartman reports.
SUNDAY PROFILE: The sparkling Christie Brinkley | Watch Video
The supermodel and actress has launched her own line of sparking wines. Mark Phillips reports. Originally broadcast November 20, 2016.
For more info:
OPINION: Who's the snowflake? A chilly riposte to political insults | Watch Video
Faith Salie on the jab du jour that has critics on the right and left seeing white.
For more info:
- "Approval Junkie: Adventures in Caring Too Much" by Faith Salie (Crown Archtype); Also available in eBook and Digital Audio Download formats
- faithsalie.com
BOOKS: Louise Penny: How writing became her solace | Watch Video
Louise Penny's immersive murder mysteries, set in her home province of Quebec, have drawn a large and loyal fan base. But writing came as a second career for the New York Times bestselling author, a former broadcaster who faced a debilitating struggle with alcoholism before taking up fiction. Martha Teichner visits Penny in the small town of Knowlton, which could be a stand-in for her fictional town of Three Pines, where too often there is murder afoot.
WEB EXTRA VIDEO: Louise Penny on creating Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
Louise Penny explains to correspondent Martha Teichner the qualities that went into her development of the character of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the central figure in her successful series of murder mysteries which began with her 2005 novel "Still Life."
WEB EXTRA: Read an excerpt from Penny's latest novel, "Glass Houses"
For more info:
- "Glass Houses" by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books), available on August 29 in Hardcover, eBook, Audio CD and Digital Audio Download formats
- louisepenny.com
- gamacheseries.com
CALENDAR: Week of July 10 | Watch Video
"Sunday Morning" takes a look at some notable events of the week ahead. Jane Pauley reports.
NATURE: Honeybees (Extended Video)
We leave you this Sunday Morning with an up-close (and sting-free) look at honeybees in Hollywood, Florida. Videographer: Charles Schultz.
WEB EXCLUSIVES:
EDUCATION: Stephen Sondheim celebrates the power of teachers | Watch Video
Broadway musical legend Stephen Sondheim treasures the role that teachers have played in his life, and today helps honor educators with the annual Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards. In this web exclusive, Mo Rocca talks with Sondheim about the teachers who have inspired him, and visits with a recent award recipient, Tracey Rains of Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in Tennessee, whose selfless mentoring of student Chelsea Hayes was nothing short of life-altering.
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS Sunday Morning" hosted by Jane Pauley is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.
Follow the program on Twitter (@CBSSunday), Facebook, Instagram (#CBSSundayMorning) and at cbssundaymorning.com. "Sunday Morning" also streams on CBSN beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET, and is available on cbs.com, CBS All Access, and On Demand. You can also listen to "Sunday Morning" audio podcasts at Play.it.