It may come as a surprise that remote learning via video / television goes back at least seven decades. Continue reading
Henry Fonda in The Male Animal (1942)
When one reads or hears about the fear of debate and the airing of opposing viewpoints at colleges, it is indicative of a disheartening and sickening trend towards academic totalitarianism.
The issue is not a new one.
The following dialogue is from the 1942 film The Male Animal and describes exactly the quandary we are facing today. Continue reading
A brief description of Feltman’s from The New York Hotel Record July 9, 1912:
The Magnitude of Feltman’s Garden Coney Island New York
One of the largest and most unique restaurants and cafés in this country is Feltman’s at Coney Island New York was established in 1873 (ed. – actually 1871) with six employees and it now has a pay roll of more thirteen hundred names. Continue reading
In late Summer 1945, with total victory secured, manufacturers could soon begin producing consumer products rather than armaments. With the transition would come amazing technological advances. Continue reading
Joe DiMaggio’s swing takes up half the space in this Camel cigarette ad which ran in Time Magazine April 6, 1942. It’s as good a way to promote smoking than just showing DiMaggio smoking.
Capturing reader’s attention is always the hard part of magazine advertising. So the series of photos of DiMaggio’s swing probably gets you to examine the page. Generally people buy news magazines to read them, not look at the ads.
Companies have always believed that to attract customers, you should have a celebrity push your product. Continue reading
Total solar eclipse June 30, 1954 photo: M Waldmeier
Never look directly at an eclipse.
It was one of the things that was drilled into me in grade school. You’ll permanently damage your eyes. You can go blind. As a class we’ll make shoe box eclipse viewers.
Apparently those eclipses happening during my juvenile years were not the same type that will occur in 2024 – a total solar eclipse. Continue reading
Arne Nicolaysen holding life preserver on British ship Surveyor
Reading the story entitled “Man Overboard” about Arne Nicolaysen in Robert Littell’s 1961 book It Takes All Kinds (Reynal & Compnay) you come to the realization that some human beings are incredibly resilient.
Nicolaysen was able to survive an agonizing 29 hours in the ocean without any flotation device, food or water, while sharks kept approaching him. The fact that it was hours before anyone on his ship discovered that Nicolaysen was missing, made his rescue seem even more unlikely. Between 15 – 20 ships passed by without hearing his calls for help or spotting him bobbing up and down in the endless expanse of the ocean.
Nicolaysen’s story is frightening, dramatic and ultimately inspiring. Continue reading
Windsor Hotel Fire, March 17, 1899. Showing collapse of roof water tower during blaze. photographer: unknown
As thousands of New Yorkers were celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Friday, March 17, 1899, the Windsor Hotel on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets caught fire. The inferno Continue reading
This 1920 photo shows the future president holding a rifle. For gun enthusiasts the rifle is most likely a Remington M91 Mosin Nagant. The uncropped but blurrier photo below Continue reading
From the September 1906 issue of Success Magazine comes this article on staying young.
Is it as simple as city versus country living? Going to the theater erases age? Maybe if you see a boring modern Broadway show that puts you in a cryogenic-like state Continue reading