A Sight You’ll Never See – The Singer Building At Night – 1913
Here is the Singer Building Tower in 1913 with its office lights ablaze in a photograph taken by Underwood and Underwood. The adjacent smaller towers to the right belong to the City-Investing Building.
For less than a year between 1908 -1909, the Singer Building, designed by Ernest Flagg, was the tallest in the world. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Building completed in 1909 took the tallest title away.
This magnificent New York City skyscraper vanished less than 60 years after its completion. Continue reading →
Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra “Switch” Instruments
No news caption is attached to explain this 1943 publicity photograph of bandleader Benny Goodman “singing” and crooner Frank Sinatra “playing” the clarinet. Continue reading →
Washington Capitals Tom Wilson’s Vicious Hit On Bruins Brandon Carlo Draws A Light Punishment
A Simple Solution On How The NHL Should Determine Future Suspensions
Capitals Tom Wilson (43) about to slam Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo’s (25) head into the plexiglass. March 5, 2021
It’s not like a ton of people watch hockey or care about it. But for those who do love the game they like it to be played clean. Yes there are occasional fights, but generally the game requires a substantial skill set and most of the time dirty play is absent from hockey.
Hockey is inherently a fast and sometimes violent game. On Friday, March 5, the Washington Capitals Tom Wilson hit Boston Bruins Brandon Carlo with a vicious slam to the head.
Upon review, this play was reckless. It appears not to be a heat of the moment hard check on Wilson’s part, but an intentional attempt to disable. From this play there could be long term implications for Carlo’s health and playing career. Wilson and his teammates believe that this was a “clean hit.”
The Hit
Decide for yourself if this was clean or dirty:
Without leaving his feet Wilson angles his entire body up towards Carlo then piledrives Carlo’s head into the glass. Carlo grabs his head and then collapses. As one commenter on youtube wrote “It was an unnecessary, malicious, intentional, cowardly hit on an unaware player who was playing the puck.”Continue reading →
The “Oomph Girl” Ann Sheridan Does Her Spring Training
I made a positive print of this undated photographic negative, identified as Ann Sheridan. If correct, it is a very early publicity photo of the actress nicknamed the “Oomph Girl.” Besides that, there is no information about when or where the photo was taken or who the man in uniform with Sheridan is.
Obviously the photo was taken at a beach. At first glance the man squatting with the big smile resembles Continue reading →
The Catcher Was A Dog – Spring Training Phoenix, Arizona 1956
Is Being A Catcher A Dog’s Life?
Sparky the dog in Wes Westrum’s catching gear March 12, 1956 photo; United Press
Baseball catchers wear the so-called tools of ignorance. They get hit by wild pitches, foul balls and errant bats, constantly taking a beating behind the plate. So who wants to be a catcher? Continue reading →
Indians About To Tackle The Cameraman? No, Just A Foot Race At Spring Training 1954
Here we see the Cleveland Indians at spring training in 1954. The news slug reads:
Tucson, Arizona: Speed is what manager Al Lopez wants and these three outfielders got it. They are left to right – Larry Doby, Gale Wade and Dave Philley. photo : UPI Telephoto 3/5/54
They’ve been called the Cleveland Indians since 1915 but the team will abandon their moniker after the 2021 season.
Are Native Americans truly offended by the name Indians? With partisan and politically motivated surveys and popular polls there is contradictory evidence that self-identifying Native Americans are bothered by the name “Indians.” Continue reading →
The United States Used To Celebrate George Washington’s Birthday
Now It Is Ignored
How We Stopped Honoring One Of The Greatest Americans
The Life of George Washington Harper’s Weekly February 27, 1864
Growing up in the seventies, we didn’t get a “winter break” at school in mid-February for a full week. School in February was closed on two days: February 12 for celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday and February 22 for George Washington’s Birthday. That is if one of the days didn’t fall on a weekend!
Grammar school teachers made a big deal out of our two great presidents. We learned all about Washington and Lincoln leading up to the holidays. Washington secured our liberty and Lincoln preserved it. The two were somewhat distant historical figures, yet their importance was still to be held in some amount of reverence.
From the time he came to prominence during the Revolution, George Washington, The Father of our Country was practically worshiped by its citizens. This was true for nearly two hundred years, Washington was thought of and remembered as a great American. He was honored with place namings and later his own holiday.
That is until the late twentieth century when George Washington’s Birthday became the victim of bureaucrats.
How Washington’s Birthday Became A Holiday
George Washington’s Final Birthday 1799 Harper’s Weekly Feb. 25, 1899
George Washington’s Birthday was the first federal holiday to single out an individual’s birth date. Continue reading →
It is 1889 and we are looking west across Central Park on 72nd Street towards the Dakota flats apartment building. Unlike today, there are no bicycle lanes, rollerbladers or joggers on the roadway. And the park seems to be bereft of crowds. But the photograph, taken by the Albertype Co., does record a view in which all the elements seen are still present over 130 years later.
In 2021 there are still mounted police patrolling Central Park. Behind this mounted policeman a horse drawn carriage ambles crosstown.
The policeman observes the small group on the sidewalk who have stopped to gaze at the cameraman taking the picture. Continue reading →
The 110th Street Elevated Curve of the Ninth Avenue Elevated c. 1905
We see here the dramatic 110th Street “suicide” curve of the El at Eighth Avenue (Central Park West) from around 1905. From this vantage point a great view of the city could be had for the price of the El’s fare – a nickel.
Above 53rd Street the Sixth and Ninth Avenue Elevated lines combined their tracks to run along Ninth Avenue. When the tracks reached 110th Street, they turned east on to Eighth Avenue continuing into Harlem.
The “S” shape curve was set at a dizzying 60 feet above street level to reach the plateau of Harlem Heights at an acceptable grade. At certain points of the curve it was estimated to be 100 feet above street level. Continue reading →
Winter Snow Scene At Washington Square Painted By Paul Cornoyer
& A Brief History Of The Life Of The Artist
Impressionist and tonalist, Paul Cornoyer (August 15, 1864 – June 17, 1923) depicts Washington Square Park after a snowstorm circa 1908. Cornoyer’s strength lies in his ability to celebrate wet days. Many of his paintings feature rain or snow and its aftereffects. Cornoyer was a master at evoking a gloomy mood with interesting lighting effects bringing about an emotional response from the viewer. Continue reading →
Here is the Singer Building Tower in 1913 with its office lights ablaze in a photograph taken by Underwood and Underwood. The adjacent smaller towers to the right belong to the City-Investing Building.
