Former Michigan Governor Chokes Bear To Death During Hunt

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” I Enjoyed It Immensely” Says Former Governor Osborn After Bear Choking – 1921

“They always did work faster in Michigan.” A news item reported that former governor Chase Osborn, a well-known big game hunter, killed the bear after a 20 minute fight. The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, seized power in Russia in 1917, and by 1921, the country was ravaged by famine and disease. The cartoonist suggests that it took somewhat longer for Lenin and his government to wreak disaster on Russia. drawing by Clifford Kennedy Berryman via Library of Congress

With the passage of time there are news stories that do not age well. Contemporary attitudes towards activities, attitudes and  behaviors of the past often leave many readers aghast.

This example is from 105 years ago appearing on page six of  the August 24, 1921 New York Evening World. 

Chokes Bear To Death After Battle In River

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Why I Don’t Eat At Fast Food Restaurants

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I Prefer To Eat At Home Because….

I prepare my own food.

Maybe the food was contaminated before it came to me. But I have no vermin or roaches in my house. I keep my home clean. And I prepare food safely.

Unfortunately that is not the case for many eateries. And I don’t know the true cleanliness of most establishments, regardless of the letter rating restaurants are given to display in their windows.

This observation about health code violations should not be confined to fast food restaurants. I was eating at a fine steak restaurant in lower Manhattan when a mouse ran across my foot. So the notion that vermin only stake out fast food restaurants is not true.

But how does something like this occur? This tidbit is  from the West Side Rag –

Subway, the fast food sandwich chain’s location at 2508 Broadway (between West 93rd and West 94th streets), was shut down by the health department on August 13th after 63 violations were found upon inspection. Violations include: live roaches, filth, flies and pests in food and non-food areas, and failure to follow temperature control regulations for food. The full report can be found here. This is the second time this summer the Subway location was ordered to close after inspection; the first was on July 2nd, with 60 violations.

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Classic Hollywood #196 – Future Movie Star Esther Williams

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16-Year-Old Swimming Champion Esther Williams – 1938

It will not come as a surprise to anyone who has ever seen an Esther Williams film that she was a swimming star before a film star.

The caption from our news photo reads:

Time Out To Pose
Los Angeles, Calif. – Photo shows (left to right) Iris Cummings, National 220-yard breaststroke champion: Billie Steitz, Pacific coast backstroke titlist and Esther Williams, freestyle star, as they pose during a practice session. The trio will take place in the Southern California swimming and diving meet within a few days in the Los Angeles Athletic Club pool, as well as the National Championships next month. Credit Acme Photos; March 22, 1938

Williams first major film role was in “Andy Hardy’s Double Life” (1942). Did it really take four years from the time of this photograph to discover Esther Williams? Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #198 – Brooklyn Bridge c.1890

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Brooklyn Bridge Walkway & Elevated Trains

This magic lantern slide view of the Brooklyn Bridge is from around 1890.

On the right is a train and on the left we can get a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge shuttle station. Trolleys and horse drawn vehicles are on the outer roadways as  pedestrians cross the span on the bridge’s central walkway.

At first Continue reading →

The Unbuilt Lower Manhattan Dock Complex – 1922

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Gigantic, Never Built Dock Buildings Along The Hudson

Originally this illustration appeared in the January 26, 1922 issue of The New York Times Mid-Week Pictorial magazine. We colorized this birdseye view of The Battery showing lower Manhattan crowded with ships and skyscraper buildings.

It also shows something that never came to be.

On the left is a series of uniform buildings stretching along the Hudson River waterfront. Today this area is the site of Battery Park City.

The Times description Continue reading →

New York City Taxis Of The 1920s & 1930s

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The Taxi Cabs Of New York City Of The 1920s & 1930s

At the turn-of-the century, New York City had over a million horses serving the public.  That situation was greatly affected by the arrival of automobiles. By the 1920s there were few horse drawn carriages still transporting people to their destinations. Along with the subway and buses, the taxi / auto industry had taken the horse’s place.

So what did these early taxi cabs look like? Below are some examples.

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The 1922 Auction Prices Of Paintings By Van Gogh, Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec

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Impressionist & Post Impressionist Paintings By Great Artists Are Auctioned Off In An Incredible Sale  – 1922

And You Won’t Believe The Prices Realized

Self-Portrait of the Artist Vincent Van Gogh

The legend is that during his lifetime Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was able to sell just one painting. Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #197 – 23rd Street Before The Metropolitan Life Tower

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Metropolitan Life Insurance Building & 23rd Street – 1900

This Detroit Publishing Company photograph is from 1900. We are looking east along 23rd Street.  The corner of Madison Avenue and Madison Square Park is visible on the left.

The 11-story building completed in 1893 is the home office of The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

To the left of Metropolitan Life is the Madison Square Presbyterian Church. The church was led from 1880-1918 by Dr. Charles Parkhurst, a vocal foe Continue reading →

1776 How Many Colonists Were “Patriots” In The Revolution?

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Many Colonists Did Not Want To Break With Great Britain

“Loyalists” Were Merely On The Losing Side Of History Says John Hyde Preston

We all know the saying that history is written by the victors. But, as the United States celebrates America 250 on July 4, we don’t acknowledge an overlooked fact.

There were a great number of colonists that did not want to be free of England. These were the  Loyalists; those remaining faithful subjects of King George III. And the Loyalists were the losers.

Many colonists had grievances with the King of England. But they did not necessarily wish to dissolve ties with Great Britain.  As far as government, a great number of the colonists did not wish to “alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,” as the Declaration of Independence states.

Most Americans today assume the revolution was inevitable due to British oppression. They assume most colonists were rabid patriots starving for liberty and those loyal to the King were a small minority.

That is not the truth.

John Hyde Preston’s dynamic, yet forgotten history of the Revolutionary War, Revolution 1776, Harcourt, Brace and Company (1933), delves into the topic of the numbers when it comes to “Patriots” during the rebellion. Continue reading →

Thank You For Your Service In World War II

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A Thank You Letter My Grandfather Received After Serving In The Army Air Corps During World War II

When my grandfather was returning from World War II to civilian life in November 1945 he managed to accumulate a bunch of ribbons and medals during his years in the service. He was quick to put the war behind him, discarding much, except for a few precious possessions.

My grandfather saved some photographs of his fellow soldiers and all the correspondence exchanged to and from my grandmother.

Recently I was going through his things and I was a bit surprised that he saved what appears to be a form letter of sorts.

General Fay R Upthegrove

The short letter is personally addressed Continue reading →