How Bing Crosby And The Nazis Helped To Create Silicon Valley

How Bing Crosby And The Nazis Helped To Create Silicon Valley
BING CROSBY AND THE SOUND OF CHRISTMAS -- Aired: 12/14/71 -- Pictured: Bing Crosby (Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
BING CROSBY AND THE SOUND OF CHRISTMAS -- Aired: 12/14/71 -- Pictured: Bing Crosby (Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

The nineteen-forties Bing Crosby hit "White Christmas" is a key part of the national emotional regression that occurs every Christmas. Between Christmases, Crosby is most often remembered as a sometimes-brutal father, thanks to a memoir by his son Gary. Less remarked upon is Crosby's role as a popularizer of jazz, first with Paul Whiteman's orchestra, and later as a collaborator with, disciple to, and champion of Louis Armstrong. Hardly remarked upon at all is that Crosby, by accident, is a grandfather to the computer hard drive and an angel investor in one of the firms that created Silicon Valley.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot