LOOSE CHANGE: JANUARY 18, 2026

There was once an American who voted for both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In this year of the nation's 250th anniversary, you should know his name.

On Friday, Nov. 2, 1792, John Phillips, a 32-year-old farmer from Sturbridge, Massachusetts, cast a ballot to help reelect Washington. That contest was essentially the nation's first popular election for U.S. president. Seventy-two years later, at the age of 104, Phillips left the same family farm in western Massachusetts where he had been born and joined with more than 2 million other men from 25 participating states to help reelect Lincoln as commander in chief of the war-torn nation. "Deacon John" as his neighbors called him, voted in every presidential election during those intervening decades of growing American democracy, except for the pivotal 1860 contest, which he missed because of illness during his centennial year.

To read the complete article, see:
The man who voted for Washington and Lincoln (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/12/john-phillips-washington-lincoln-voter/)

 

Stepping inside the home of Tan Yan Khim and his wife Molly Yap feels like walking straight into a retro time capsule, one so densely packed that your eyes barely know where to land first.

Nearly every wall of their terrace home in MacPherson is adorned with nostalgic signboards, clocks, old light fittings and vintage advertisements. Old-school furniture fills the space, from kopitiam tables and chairs to well-worn cabinets.

Look closer and you'll spot even more: telephones, film cameras, lamps, radios, cookware and household items from decades past. The collection is so extensive that, in fact, the only modern things you're likely to find in their living area are their air-conditioning units, television and a standing fan.

The 80-year-old Tan first developed an interest in retro items in his late 30s, when he would wander around the old Sungei Road flea market after work, while waiting for his wife, now 74.

With a background in electronics, Tan had the basic skills to identify what could be repaired. Over the years, he has restored vinyl players, jukeboxes and lamps, among other items. The process often required time and patience, but when it worked, the reward was personal.

To read the complete article, see:
This retired couple's home is a retro haven after 40 years of collecting, restoring and selling vintage items (https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/living/retro-home-vintage-collection-restoration-574826)

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