Actor Bruce Cabot with 17-year-old Gloria Vanderbilt at the Music Box Theater in Hollywood for the premiere of “They Can’t Get You Down” October 27, 1941 photo: Acme
Being a rich child with a large trust fund did not define Gloria Vanderbilt. Neither did a sensational tug of war child custody battle between her mother Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt and her aunt Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. When Gloria Vanderbilt died of stomach cancer in New York on June 17, 2019 at the age of 95, she had achieved prominence in many facets of life. Continue reading →
The General Slocum Steamship Disaster Wiped Out Entire Families – June 15, 1904
115 years ago today, a penny brought you news of a massive calamity. It was a disaster unlike any other that had ever occurred in New York City.
Earlier that day, June 15, 1904, the General Slocum excursion boat caught fire. Women and children who comprised the majority of the passengers, were burned alive or drowned.
As news filtered in to the newspapers, the death toll continued to mount. The number of victims would rise from hundreds to over 1,000. Continue reading →
St. Louis Blues Win The 2019 Stanley Cup On Boston’s Home Ice
June 12, 2019, Boston – The St. Louis Blues celebrate winning their first Stanley Cup at TD Garden in Boston photo: L. Stefano
At TD Garden, The St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup with a decisive 4-1 victory. It took seven games but they did it. The Blues ended a 52 year streak of never having won a championship. Above is a photo of the Blues celebrating and raising the Stanley Cup. Yes, we had one of our contributors at the game. Continue reading →
Frank Costello On His Way To Testify Before Senate, To Be Broadcast On National Television
If there was one thing mob boss Frank Costello (1891-1973) didn’t like it was publicity. So appearing before nationally televised Senate hearings on organized crime was especially disturbing to Costello. On the other hand, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver who organized the hearings reveled in the publicity,
The caption for this photo reads:
Doesn’t Care For TV
New York: Frank Costello reputed overlord of the U.S. underworld, arrives at Federal Court, March 13, to testify before the Senate Crime Investigation Committee. After Costello was sworn in, his attorney, George Wolf, objected to the televising of Costello’s appearance. 3/13/1951 credit photo: Acme
An estimated 30 million viewers watching Costello’s testimony live and were riveted to their TV sets. This was the man who controlled organized crime? Continue reading →
Who Is That Masked Man? A Future President? Ask Chevy Chase.
No, It’s not Donald Trump. Trump did play baseball in college. But behind home plate is a career politician who later became President.
Maybe a closer look will help.
When catching a ball it usually helps to have your eyes open. We’ll pardon you if you didn’t recognize Chevy Chase’s favorite comedic target when starring on Saturday Night Live, President Gerald Ford.
The 1949 photograph comes from the UPI archive. We see Michigan Congressman Gerald Ford crouching behind home plate. In the batters box Representative Glenn R. Davis of Wisconsin demonstrates how to execute a bunt improperly by gripping and exposing his right fingers around the bat directly into the path of the ball so he can break his fingers.
Contrary to popular belief, Gerald Ford was very athletic and was not clumsy or simpleminded. In 1934 Ford was named the Most Valuable Player of the University of Michigan’s football team.
Why and when did people begin thinking Ford was awkward?
Probably when President Ford fell down a few steps disembarking Airforce One in Vienna on June 1, 1975. He also stumbled a few more times on the trip. Unfortunately for Ford, network TV was there to capture the airplane moment and show it nationally.
Then, Chevy Chase capitalized on the event and began portraying Gerald Ford in comedic sketches on SNL, as absent-minded, uncoordinated, constantly falling down and being prone to accidents. Though Chase neither looked or sounded like Ford, people began to believe that Chase’s characterization was how Ford was in real life!
For a year, week after week, Chase satirized President Ford on late night TV.
Finally, Ford and Chase met each other at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner on March 25, 1976.
At the dinner in front of 1000 people at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Chase performed his Gerald Ford routine as President Ford sat at the dais and laughed at his impersonator.
You can infer what you want about what is written here. I’m not naming names.
Certain groups and causes now overwhelm the media, and in turn our citizens with their lies. Their lies get repeated over and over. Their special cause, whatever it may be, works hard to get the truth obfuscated.
Lies get accepted into truth.
The man who most eloquently summed up why this happens, was Swiss writer Henri Frédéric Amiel (1821 – 1881). From 1847 until his death, Amiel recorded his insights about humanity in his diary, Journal intime. It is a brilliant self-introspective work.
This quote best reflects what we are experiencing today.
“Man defends himself as much as he can against truth, as a child does against a medicine, as the man of the Platonic cave does against the light. He does not willingly follow his path, for he has to be dragged along backward. ‘The natural liking for the false has several causes: the inheritance of prejudices, which produces an unconscious habit, a slavery; the predominance of the imagination over the reason, which affects the understanding; the predominance of the
passions over the conscience, which depraves the heart; the predominance of the will over the intelligence, which vitiates the character. A lively, disinterested, persistent liking for truth is extraordinarily rare. Action and faith enslave thought, both of them in order not to be troubled or inconvenienced by reflection, criticism and doubt.”
The 1963 Congressional Record Lists 45 Goals For Communism To Achieve In America.
Decide For Yourself How Many Have Become Reality.
The Calm Good Old Days of May Day – May 1, 1937 – A man holding an American flag attends a peaceful May Day assembly at Union Square in New York City. credit photo: Acme
Today is May Day.
How May 1 mutated from a day of championing workers rights into a day of promoting socialism, communism, and all perceived injustices does not concern the average person on the street. Yet, it is a fact that there is more division, discord and disgruntlement in America as ever before.
How did we arrive at this point in history?
If you were to say there is a concerted effort to undermine democracy in the United States, you may be called a conspiracy theory nut or a supporter of President Donald Trump or his predecessor, President Barrack Obama. It’s kind of funny how both Democrats and Republicans see the other party as eradicators of freedom. Continue reading →
Can You Guess What These Turn-Of-The-Century Inventions Are For?
Below are five inventions that were filed with the U.S. Patent Office between 1899 – 1904.
As we noted in our other story regarding bra patents, Americans are innovative and resourceful. When opportunity knocks they will be there to answer. All of these people thought their inventions would take off. None of them did.
Originally the patent office required you to build a model of your invention. Eventually they dropped that requirement. When you see the words no model, it means a prototype was not presented. After you discover what the invention is you will understand why some of these never had a model built.
So what are they?
Invention #1 Patented by Frank May 1904
#1 patented by Frank May 1904 US793004
Invention #2 patented by Monroe Griffith 1900
#2 patented by Monroe Griffith 1900
Invention #3 patented by Samuel McHatton 1899
#3 patented by Samuel McHatton 1899
Invention #4 patented by Henry Ullrich 1900
#4 patented by Henry Ullrich 1900
Invention #5 patented by Joseph Karwowski 1903
#5 patented by Joseph Karwowski 1903
Here are the answers with the patent inventor’s edited description:
This innocuous looking machine was electrified and quite honestly sounds extremely dangerous if used as intended.
#1 patent Frank May 1904 US793004
#1 EYE-MASSAGE MACHINE
Be it known that I, Frank Howard May a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in eye massage machines, of which the following a specification.
My invention is in the nature. of an eye massage machine in which mechanical vibrations are imparted to the eye through an electrically-operated vibrator and which is so constructed also as to permit the direct application of either primary or Faradaic currents to the eye.Continue reading →
Innovative(?) Women’s Brassieres From The 1890s – 1910s
Bra device designed by Mary Jacob from the U.S. Patent Office 1914
What’s the old saying? “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” The American Patent Office is filled with ideas, some practical, some brilliant, some completely off the wall.
These inventors from the early 1900s focused on one item of apparel – the brassiere. From squeezing to pushing, each of these inventors believed they had discovered the secret to enhancing a woman’s figure. Continue reading →
Using Semi-Clad Women To Sell Products At The Turn-Of-The-Century
Ads That Wouldn’t Cut It Today
Clysmic table water- will….bring you to climax?
Pretty women sell products or so it seems. Since the dawn of advertising alluring images of women have been used to attract potential customers. Many times the image has absolutely nothing to do with the product being offered. That hasn’t changed in the 21st century, just look at any perfume ad.
Though they were not considered unusual at the time they originally appeared, here are some semi-nude advertisements featuring women that would probably cause outrage among the sensitive and hyper-politically correct today.
What this advertisement really says about Sunny Brook and Willow Creek Distillery is open to debate. But I guess we all know that any group of women after drinking rye whiskies will strip and go skinny dipping in a lake.
Brotherhood Overalls of course? Did Levi Strauss take this company as a serious competitor? This look apparently never caught on in the 1910s. Continue reading →
The man who most eloquently summed up why this happens, was Swiss writer Henri Frédéric Amiel (1821 – 1881). From 1847 until his death, Amiel recorded his insights about humanity in his diary, Journal intime. It is a brilliant self-introspective work.
