Category Archives: World News

Radio As Effective As Morphine According To Beth Israel Hospital – 1925

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Better Than Drugs – Radio Is Good For Patients

Radio As Effective As Morphine
This photo shows several young patients at Beth Israel Hospital, N.Y. listening in to concerts on the radio taking their minds off their ailments, and making them happy.

According to Beth Israel Superintendent L.J. Frank, the doctors and nurses agree that in a large number of cases, that, at times the radio is as effective as morphine, bromine and other narcotics. Many sufferers of rheumatism and other chronic afflictions require no other sedative other than radio since it was introduced at that hospital as a treatment. photo: United Press International / Acme –  August 25, 1925

Radio, morphine? An interesting comparison.

When doctors made this proclamation 99 years ago Continue reading →

New York 1921 Not Quite A Sanctuary City

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In 1921 Police Were Not Concentrating On Rounding-Up Illegal Aliens

Instead They Were Arresting The Unemployed, Especially Those From Other Cities

Page 2 article New York Herald January 16, 1921

In 1921 instead of illegals, the New York City Police Department were gathering up men from other cities who were jobless.

This article is from the January 16, 1921 New York Herald:

POLICE ROUNDING UP NON-RESIDENT IDLE

Jobless Who Do Not Live Here Arrested as Vagrants.

Squads of detectives and uniformed policemen, under orders to arrest unemployed men who could not prove themselves residents of New York City, went through the lower East Side last night and early to-day inspecting saloons and lunch rooms. At one saloon at 199 Worth street twenty-nine men, who had nothing to do but warm themselves  beside a stove, were made prisoners and locked In the Elizabeth street station on charges of vagrancy. Continue reading →

The Politically Incorrect Postage Stamp

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U.S. Postage Stamp – “Retarded Children Can Be Helped”

Don’t dare call somebody retarded unless you want scorn heaped upon you.

In the twenty-first century the word retard has been put on a list of verboten words never to be uttered, unless you wish to appall your fellow conversationalist or intend to incur the wrath of the word police. It wasn’t always this way.

The United States Postal Service issued the Retarded Children Can Be Helped stamp October 12, 1974. Over 150 million Continue reading →

When A Man Tried To Enlist In The Navy’s WAVES -1965

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A 1965 Civil Rights Test – For All The Wrong Reasons

In these peculiar times where rules (and logic) are constantly challenged when it comes to gender, sex and discrimination, we are often oblivious to historical precedents.

In 1965 the idea that a man could be a join an organization, team, or club exclusively comprised of women (and vice versa) was considered unacceptable by consensus. Today, the situation Continue reading →

Sign Shows Where Barbra Streisand’s Dog Urinated In Wiscasset Maine

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A Non-Historic Off-Road Sign In Wiscasset Maine Shows The Spot Where Barbra Streisand’s Dog Urinated

About 40 miles north of Portland is the town of Wiscasset Maine. Up until the early 1800s Wiscasset was a center for shipbuilding, fishing and lumber and was the busiest seaport north of Boston. Continue reading →

In 1920 People In New York Are Asked – Is There Life On Mars?

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The Inquiring Photographer Asks New Yorkers In 1920 – Is Mars Inhabited?

Asking people what they don’t know is a sure way to get wrong answers.

The New York Daily News once had a feature called The Inquiring Photographer. It’s a journalistic gimmick to take the pulse of citizens on what they think about issues. Continue reading →

Remembering “Satchmo” Louis Armstrong’s Funeral July 9, 1971

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Fifty Two Years Ago Today Was The Funeral Of Louis Armstrong

Is “Satchmo” Remembered Today?

Louis Armstrong funeral July 9, 1971 photo: Globe

It is impossible to say who will be remembered by the multitudes years after their passing. I would hope Louis Armstrong will be among those whose name and music goes on for eternity.

Louis Armstrong brought love and joy everywhere he went. And the world universally returned that love.

On July 6, 1971 Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong died at the age of 69 of a heart attack in his home in Corona, Queens. Continue reading →

One Year From Now New York Will Be Reveling In Eclipse-Mania

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On April 8, 2024 New York City Will Experience Its First Total Solar Eclipse Since 1954

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 →

Surviving 29 Hours In The Shark Infested Atlantic With No Life Jacket

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No One Saw How Or When Arne Nicolaysen Went Overboard

The Astonishing Story Of A Seaman Who Was Alone In The Ocean For A Day and Two Nights With No Life Jacket, Food, Water Or Anything To Hold On To

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 →

100 Years Ago Today The World Learned Of The Discovery Of King Tutankhamun’s Tomb

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November 29, 1922 The World Is Told About The Discovery Of King Tut’s Tomb

Hussein Abdel Rasoul, a water boy for an archeological expedition came across something unusual. As he was swishing around sand to make bottles stay upright, he noticed the surface he had uncovered looked like a sculpted stone. It turned out to be a step. The first step leading to a blocked entryway.

Hussein the water boy wearing a scarab necklace found at King Tut’s excavation site

Hussein’s discovery occurred early in the morning of November 4, 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, just outside of Luxor, about 450 miles upstream of Cairo, Egpyt.

The expedition’s lead was archeologist Howard Carter who in the past had other significant finds under his direction. Carter was spending another year digging and looking for treasures, but without progress. Continue reading →