History's Shadow

Julie Newmar born - August 16, 1933

2006-08-16T18:08:00.000-04:00

While everyone else is concentrating on Elvis, let's look at one of my favorite actresses. Julie Newmar was born in Los Angeles, California on August 16, 1933 to a dancer mother and teacher father. Newmar graduated high school at the age of 15! She followed her mother's "steps" and became a dancer for some films in the early 1950's. Her breakthrough role (in my mind, anyway) came in 1954, when she played Dorcas Galen in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. She has the best set of lines in the whole thing:

Dorcas: Which of the boys slept in this bed, do you think?
Liza: Dorcas Galen!
Dorcas: What's the matter? Haven't you ever thought of it? That you're sleeping in one of *their* beds?

She continued acting in roles that took advantage of her incredible good looks and sense of humor like a turn as Stupefyin' Jones in both the play and film of L'il Abner and Rhoda the Robot in My Living Doll. These roles took her to the one that has defined her career, Catwoman. She played the sultry villainess in the television show, The Adventures of Batman, for the first two seasons. Eartha Kitt took over for the last season. Newmar had a guest role in the original Star Trek (yay!) as Eleen, the pregnant widow of a planetary ruler whose life and child are saved by McCoy, Kirk and her own uppity-woman-ness! She ends up as the regent of her newborn son and names the kid Leonard James Akaar.

She has acted in tv shows, movies and stage continuously, reprising her role in L'il Abner in 1998 as the woman who stopped men dead in their tracks by her mere presence. Yes, she was 65 years old and still amazing. Her cameo in Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar is one of my favorite moment of hers.

Newmar hasn't put all of her eggs in one basket, though. Spending the 1980's raising her son (who has Down's Syndrome and is Deaf) she started a very successful real estate business. Before that, in the 1970's she patented a line of pantyhose called Nudemar.

Julie Newmar major website
Julie Newmar Wikipedia site
Classic Movies Julie Newmar site

Wrong Way Corrigan - July 17, 1938

2006-07-17T19:34:00.000-04:00

I'll explain why Mr. Corrigan is my pick for the day at the end.

Douglas Corrigan, born in Texas, January 22, 1907, he changed his name from Clyde Groce to Douglas as an adult. He fell in love with flying October, 1925 when he saw passengers being flown in a Curtiss JN-4. He soon started taking lessons himself and made his first solo flight on March 25, 1926.

Corrigan took a job with Mohoney and Ryan of Ryan Aeronautical Company. This led to his working on the design and construction of Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. Determined to fly transatlantic himself, Corrigan started working a string of jobs to afford his dreams. In 1933 he bought a 1929 Curtiss-Robin monoplane. It was apparently not in the best of conditions and he made quite a few special modifications to it to ready it for his flight.

His applications to fly transatlantic were all rejected because of the condition of his plane. None of the officials thought he could make it. In fact, his plane was grounded in 1935 for six months because both federal and state officials felt it wasn't safe to be flown at all.

On July 8, 1938, Corrigan flew the Sunshine from California to New York with a conditional transcontinental license to test more modifications to the plane. He was supposed to return to California on July 17. Instead Corrigan headed east over the Atlantic. He claims that he didn't realize he was over water until 26 hours into his flight, however some repairs he made with the experimental fuel tank array don't mesh with what he would have done if he'd been expecting to fly over land.

He landed at Baldonnel Field, Dublin, July 18, 1938 after a journey of 28 hours (and change). Officials pressed him but he stuck with it, insisting low visibility and a faulty compass were the reason for his "mistaken" flight. Corrigan's answer in the end was "That's my story" (which became the title of his autobigraphy) and the officials gave up on trying to shake him. He had his license suspended temporarily and was welcomed home with a ticker-tape parade. The New York Times headline read "Hail Wrong Way Corrigan" printed backwards.

Corrigan lived a quiet life after his flight, never admitting he did it on purpose, dying in California December 9, 1995.

Now, as for the reason I chose him. When I played baketball in seventh or eighth grade, I actually got the ball. I was so thrilled I immediately turned and shot...and missed. Thank the Gods! It was the wrong basket! One of my neighbors, a great old gentleman, never let me forget it. To Austin, from that day on, I was Wrong Way Corrigan. He died a few years ago and a nicer man there never was. When I saw Wrong Way's name come up on my list of possibles I just had to do it, in honor of Austin.

Wrong Way Corrigan - This Day in History
Wrong Way Corrigan - Wikipedia
Wrong Way Corrigan - US Centennial of Flight Commission

Manhattanhenge - July 12

2006-07-12T20:20:00.000-04:00

This is less a history post as one of an interesting meteorological phenomenon. The basis of Stonehenge is that during the Summer Solstice the Sun's light is channelled directly between the two largest stones. The same happens in Manhattan due to its grid layout each May 28 and July 12.

Check out the Natural History Magazine's explanation.

The picture is from this May 27th.

Manhattanhenge - Bridge and Tunnel Club
Manhattanhenge - Natural History Magazine

Thomas Bowdler - July 11, 1754

2006-07-11T17:29:00.000-04:00

Thomas Bowdler was an English doctor who gave his name to a form of censorship. He was born near Bath and earned his degree in Medicine by 1776, however, he didn't practice, instead working towards prison reforms. His retirement in 1818 led to the activities that made him famous, or infamous, as the case may be.

He retired to the Isle of Wight with his sister, Henrietta, who had edited some of Shakespeare's plays in a volume called Family Shakespeare in 1807. She took out any passages or words that would be considered innappropriate for children or women to say or hear. Bowdler and his sister continued the work in ten volumes - in which they "endeavoured to remove every thing that could give just offence to the religious and virtuous mind" and "in which nothing is added to the original text, but those words and expressions are omitted which cannot with propriety be read aloud in a family." (Wikipedia)

According to Bowdler and his sister, Ohpelia from Hamlet drowned accidentaly, suicide being inappropriate subject matter. His efforts didn't end with making Shakespeare boring, he also seems to have put out a version of the Old Testament and Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Tsk. Tsk. Those Old Testament people - how dare they offend the delicate sensibilities of Regency England?

Bowdler's sanctimonious editing gave rise to the term "bowdlerize" (-ise in England), which now means "1. To expurgate (a book, for example) prudishly. 2. To modify, as by shortening or simplifying or by skewing the content in a certain manner. " - According to the American Heritage Dictionary found at Bartleby.com.

Thomas Bowdler - Wikipedia
Thomas Bowdler - Bartleby.com
Thomas Bowdler - Goatview.com

Man of 1000 Voices Dies - July 10, 1989

2006-07-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

The actor behind the voices of some of the most beloved cartoon characters, Mel Blanc, died July 10, 1989 in Los Angeles, California. He was born in 1908 in San Francisco, but grew up in Portland, Oregon. He found out early on that he had a love of accents and the talent to imitate them. At first he joined Jack Benny on his radio program, providing voices and sound effects, making a name for himself in the radio "biz".

In the 1936 he was hired by Warner Bros as a minor voice actor. When the actor voicing Porky Pig died, they needed a new actor and tapped Blanc for it. It became his role. During his time at Warner Bros he created his most famous character, Bugs Bunny, along with others like Foghorn Leghorn (Ah say, Ah say, Ah say!), Speedy Gonzalez, Tweety and Sylvester (Blanc's natural voice was this one minus the sputtering), Pepe Le Pew (I love this guy.) and Wylie Coyote and the Road Runner. He was allergic to carrots, so he would always put the lines with Bugs eating a carrot last. He would chomp his carrot, say his line then quickly spit the carrot into a garbage can next to him. During WWII he voiced Pvt. Snafu in soldiers' training films written by Theodor S. Geisel.

While still acting for Warner Bros Blanc joined Hanna-Barbera to voice Barney Rubble and Mr. Spacely (always one of my favorites!). He was prohibited from acting Bugs, though, by Hanna-Barbera, then in a battle for Saturday morning ratings with Warner Bros.

In early 1961 Blanc was in a car accident in Los Angeles and comatose. After two weeks of trying to wake him up by calling his name, a clever doctor called him Bugs Bunny. Blanc responded with "What's up, Doc?" The doctor talked him out of the coma by talking to a couple of other characters. The accident and the suit Blanc brought agains the city of Los Angeles led to repairs and improvements on a particularly dangerous street.

His last original character was Heathcliff. He died of cardiovascular disease in 1989. His will specified that the epitaph carved on his headstone be "That's all, folks." How fitting.

IMDB lists his work at an astonishing 954 programs as actor and at least fifteen others that he was involved in in some way. Amazing.

POV Online: Mel Blanc Tribute - an absolutely beautiful read
Mel Blanc - Toonopedia
Mel Blanc - Wikipedia
Mel Blanc - KnowAllAbout.com

PS - I just read that June Allyson passed away today. I think the phrase "classy lady" sums her up nicely. She will be missed.

Argh!

2006-06-30T20:30:00.000-04:00

I hate to do this, but obviously I'm falling down on the job here. I will be able to get back to updating the blog around the second week of July. Too much is happening here in real life. I'm not happy about it, but I have to do this. So, come back here July 10th and we shall resume our regularly scheduled history posts.

Anyone have any Prozac? A couple of extra hours in a day?

Time Flies - Sorry and fair warning for next week

2006-06-11T13:07:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry about the lagtime. I've been working very odd hours and have been so busy with real life (and blessed sleep) that I've barely been able to get online even to check my email. I had 147 messages waiting for me one day. Next week looks as hectic. I'll be out of town with no access to a computer (as far as I know) from Thursday to Sunday. So, if I can get any extra days written in the next few days (along with getting ready for my trip and various other normal chores) I will post them as I can.

Cheers.

PS: the address to order the pattern for the lovely doll (titled Time Flies by Barbara Willis) in the picture is here.

YMCA Founded - June 6, 1844

2006-06-06T19:56:00.000-04:00

The Young Men's Christian Association was founded in London, England by George Williams and a group of Evangelical Christians. They were concerned by the fact that the young men coming into the city thanks to the Indutrial Revolution didn't have any healthy outlets and activities. They were going to brothels and pubs to let off steam and falling into sinful ways.

The first YMCA opened in the United States in Boston, December 1851, after having expanded to Australia, Canada and other countries. In 1855 the YMCA adopted the philosophy: "build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all". They realized that they would be serving females as well, but they kept the name the same.

During the 20th Century focus seems to have drifted (in the United States, at least) more to healthy mind and body, rather than more of the spirit. At this point, they seem to concentrate more on athletics, but still keep programs such as day care and youth education going very strong. At the same time, the YMCA has strongly espoused international political goals such as gender equality, sustainable development and fighting racism and HIV/AIDS.

And, of course, the YMCA is the home of everyone's favorite Disco song.

YMCA - Wikipedia
World Alliance of YMCAs
United States YMCAs
YMCA (the song) - Wikipedia

Various Births - June 4

2006-06-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

As today is my birthday, I'm going to do this one a bit differently. Here is my fun (to me) list of notable people born on the same day as myself.

Socrates, Greek philosopher, born June 4, 470 BCE
King George III of England, born June 4, 1738
Constant Prevost, French geologist, born June 4, 1787
Bill Parks, American baseball player, born June 4, 1849
Miina Sillanpaa, Finnish Minister, born June 4, 1866
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, German-American sex therapist, born June 4, 1928
Michelle Phillips, American singer, born June 4, 1944
Keith David, American actor, born June 4, 1956
Cecilia Bartoli, Italian opera singer, Born June 4, 1966
Emmanuel Eboue, Ivory Coast-born soccer player, born June 4, 1983

I know it's not a big post, but I preferred to look at many positive things today instead of featuring Tiananmen Square or any other single depressing/negative event.

Of course, as I type this, I'm watching people get eaten by a shark...

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

First Recorded Batch of Scotch Whisky - June 1, 1494

2006-06-03T13:44:00.000-04:00

I had a different one for this date, but when I went online researching another date, I found and couldn't resist this.

The Rolls of the Royal Exchequer recorded in 1494: “To Friar John Cor,by order of the King, to make aquavitae, VIII bols of malt”. Aquavitae means "water of life". It was translated into the Scottish Gaelic phrase "uisge beatha", which was anglicized into "whisky". Interestingly, I just learned that although most of the many types of whiskey are spelled with an "e", if you refer to Sctoch (as I am in this piece) you spell it without.

Whiskey got its' start in the West when the Arabs learned the distilling process from Asians in the 10th century. It moved up to Scotland via Christian missionaries. Friar John Cor, of the Lindores Abbey, was commisioned by King James IV to make the equivalent of 400 bottles of whisky while he was visiting his hunting lodge in Falkland. Lindores Abbey had apparently been making whisky for quite some time by then. They had rights to gather peat to smoke the liqour and had vast fields of barley to make malt. Unfortunately, Lindore Abbey was destroyed later byJohn Knox and his followers.

At first whisky was consumed very young. By accident someone discovered that the whisky in an old, forgotten cask tasted much better and less raw than the newer alcohol. Legally, in England, it cannot even be called whisky until has aged at least three years. Of course, whisky has been honored for its "medicinal properties". During Prohibition, it was legally obtainable through a doctor with a prescription. It has become a traditional drink of Scotland (thus the name Scotch) and was probably welcomed partly because it was a nice way to warm up in highland winters without central heating.

Scotch Whisky - Wikipedia
Lindores Abbey
History of Whisky Timeline - Scotchwhisky.net
Distilling Milestones - Dewar's Scotch Whisky site
Whiskey (word origin) - Random House
Whisky - The Whisky Guide
List of all Distillers in Scotland - with some pretty cool information tossed in
How Whisky is made

The Goddess of Democracy - May 30, 1989

2006-06-03T11:42:00.000-04:00

On May 30, 1989, Chinese protestors occupying Tiananmen Square during a peaceful protest and hunger strike in Beijing, China erected a 30-foot statue they called The Goddess of Democracy. She was carved over four days from papier-mache and styrofoam over a metal armature by students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

The beautiful statue was, according to a sculptor named Tsao Tsing-yuan, not based solely on our own lovely Lady, but has the sculpture movement of Socialist-Realism as a huge influence. Looking at the Goddess I also noticed a resemblance to the old representations of Columbia (which was doubtless unintentional).

The Goddess was erected facing the portrait of Cairman Mao. (I thnk she'd have won the stare-off if it wasn't for the tanks.) She stood for five days before tanks destroyed her on June 4th, when they began overrunning the Square to disperse the protestors.

There are now at least five replicas of The Goddess of Democracy erected all over the world in honor of the people killed in Tianenman Square, including one in San Francisco and in Victoria Park, Hong Kong.

The Goddess of Democracy - Wikipedia
The Goddess of Democrary - China Support Network
The source of my pic of her
The Goddess of Democracy blog entry featuring Columbia

Death of Niccolo Paganini - May 27, 1840

2006-05-28T16:31:00.000-04:00

I must be on a death kick or something, but here's another.

Niccolo Paganini was born October 27, 1782 in Genoa, Italy. He was playing ther mandolin by age five, violin by age seven, composing by age eight and giving public concerts at age twelve. He seems to have suffered from early fame and was drinking by the age of sixteen. A mystery woman saved him by taking him to her estate where he studied violin and guitar until he re-emerged when he was 23.

Paganini became one of the first musicians to tour as a single perfomer. He was so accomplished on the violin that people would say he'd made a deal with the Devil for his virtuoso ability. Actually, he had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which lended him extraordinary flexibility of the wrist, as well as his natural genius for music. He was apparently so talented he could make people cry and faint at his concerts. He was the original Elvis.

Paganini played his own compostions on his tours. These compositions were written to be challenging to him and are considered some of the most difficult pieces for a violinist to play. What was new when he was coming up with them is now standard for violinists today.

Paganini died in Nice on May 27, 1840 due to cancer of the larynx. He had already lost his ability to speak, but continued playing the violin the night before he died.

"Pavarotti is a tenor, Paganini was a composer." - The Hunt for Red October

Niccolo Paganini - Wikipedia
Paganini.com
EDNF.org - May is National Ehlers-Danlos Awareness Month. Personally, I'd never heard of it before this.

Death of the Venerable Bede - May 25, 735

2006-05-28T15:25:00.000-04:00

Bede (the Father of English History) was a Benedictine monk born around 672 at Wearmouth, England. He was brought to the abbey of Saints Peter and Paul at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England when he was only seven. He became a priest by the time he was thiry years old and was well-suited and happy with his life as a scholar and historian. The abbey at Jarrow had one of the largest English libraries of the time with between 300 and 500 volumes. (To contrast the times, my own library, including brain candy, easily passes 1500 books. Yes, I have a lot of books in boxes.)

Bede wrote about history, science, music, grammar and theology. He was not averse to including legends and tales in his histories and even penned a few poems. He quoted classical writers like Pliny and Virgil easily. His two greatest works were a history of England from the time of Caesar to its completion in 731 titled: Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum and a re-editing of the Vulgate Bible, for which he used many different texts instead of just one. This edition became the standard used up to the Reformation.

Bede is credited with the invention of footnoting (so now students know who to blame!) and dividing time into the BC/AD system we now use. He had a good knowledge of science and even compared the earth to a "playground ball". He also understood tides, longtitude and latitude and one of his scientific treatises became very important in the Church's determining the date of Easter each year.

Bede died in his cell in 735, first finishing up a chapter of a translation and asking a young priest to get his few treasures and bring them and another priest so Bede could give them to some friends.

He was both canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899. His feast day is May 25th.

Note - the first reference I found to his death was on May 26. I am now finding references that he died on May 27th (Julian calender), which is now May 25th (Gregorian calender). Since I really don't want to wait a year to feature him, you're getting two May 25th people instead of one. Also, since the book I saw the 26th in seems to be the only one mentioning that date, I'm going to say it was wrong.

The Venerable Bede - Wikipedia
Patron Saints Index - Bede
The Catholic Encyclopedia - The Venerable Bede
Bede's World (I have this insane picture in my head of a monk riding in a dogcart banging his head to Bohemian Rhapsody)
Catholic.org - The Venerable Bede

Gustav Holst Dies - May 25, 1934

2006-05-28T12:05:00.000-04:00

Gustav Theodor Holst (composer of one of my favorite classical pieces) died in London, England May 25, 1934. He was born in Cheltenham, England September 21, 1874 of Swedish and Irish parents. His father was an accomplished pianist who taught and was organist for All Saints' Church in Pittsville, England. He was bound and determined that his son become a pianist as well, but Holst developed neuritis in his hands, making playing the piano difficult. He did it anyway and became organist at Wick Rissington (Cotswalds) in 1893.

Composing interested him and although his problems playing piano prevented him from getting scholarships at music colleges, his father was impressed enough by his first composition to borrow the money to send him to the Royal College of Music. At school his neuritis and eyesight bcame worse, thanks to a case of malnutrition due to his frugality and vegetarian lifestyle. He finally gave up the piano and started playing the trombone instead.

He married a soprano named Isobel Harrison in 1901 and was appointed Director of Music at St. Paul's Girls School in Hammersmith, London in 1905. Before and during this time he had been composing. He was becoming heavily influenced by Hindu philosophy and the poetry of Walt Whitman. His composition, Sita, (finished in 1906) is based on the Hindu epic Ramayana.

The Planets has become Holst's most famous composition (the favorite I mentioned earlier - I own two different recordings of it!). It was published in 1916 to wide acclaim. It was the most successful of any of his compositions. One other, The Hymn of Jesus (1917), was nearly as popular, but after his opera, The Perfect Fool, was published 1923, his critical successes began to wane.

His death followed a stomach operation on May 23rd. The operation was to fix ulcers he had developed and was a success, but his heart couldn't take the strain. He died two days later. His ashes were interred at the Cathedral at Chichester.

The Gustav Holst Website - there was so much more in the bio I couldn't mention
Holst Birthplace Museum
Gustav Holst - Wikipedia
Holst: The Planets - Wikipedia

Marx Brothers Release Cocoanuts - May 24, 1929

2006-05-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

The first Marx Brothers movie, The Cocoanuts, was released May 2, 1929. It was a movie version of their stage play of the same name and included some of the same cast members, including Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo Marx and Groucho's frequent straight-woman, Margaret Dumont. The movie was set in Florida during the hotel boom with Groucho and Zeppo (the family straight man - and quite handsome) being the managers of the hotel and the other brothers doing, um, other things.

According to Joe Adamson, the brothers were so appalled by the final version of the movie, they tried to buy the negatives from Paramount so they could burn them. It's a good thing they didn't because the movie earned nearly two million dollars in profit!

An interesting tidbit: since they couldn't digitally remove unwanted sounds at that time, the sound techs soaked every bit of paper that was used as a prop so they wouldn't make crinkly sounds.

The Cocoanuts - Wikipedia
Marx-o-rama
The Cocoanuts - Internet Movie Database

S.S. Savannah Leaves Port - May 22, 1819

2006-05-22T16:14:00.000-04:00

While we're doing firsts...

The S.S. Savannah, based out of Savannah, Georgia (how surprising), was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was captained by Moses Rogers, of New London, Connecticut. He was a major proponent for the use of nautical steam power.

The Savannah was built in New York at the Crockett and Fickett shipyard. She was equipped with an auxiliary steam engine, since she had already been under construction when Captain Rogers purchased her for the Savannah Steam Company. She was the size of a modern tugboat at about 100 by 25 feet and 320 tons. She was a three-masted ship with a steam engine that operated a paddle wheel.

As an unknown engineering feat, the Savannah picked up the nickname "Steam Coffin". Captain Rogers had to recruit his crew from New York, rather than Savannah. After a hard battle to convince crew and passengers to trust the smoke-belching ship with sails, Rogers and the Savannah Steam Company were finally ready for their historic voyage.

The Savannah set out on May 22, 1819 on her transatlantic voyage. She reached Liverpool in a little over 29 days, on June 20, with the steam engine having been in use for eighty hours of her overall voyage.

She visited Stockholm, Sweden and St. Petersburg, Russia before returning to Savannah, then voyaging on to Washington, D.C.

The anniversary of the Savannah's voyage is celebrated as National Maritime Day.

Speedwell.org - History of the SS Savannah - amusing anecdote and worth reading
Speedwell.org - Captain Moses Rogers
Wikipedia - SS Savannah
SS Savannah - picture
SS Savannah - Oceanliners.us

Amelia Earhart Completes Transatlantic Flight - May 21, 1932

2006-05-21T17:40:00.000-04:00

Forget Charlie, I like Amelia better.

Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo transatlanic today, 64 years ago. She left Saint John, New Brunswick on the morning of May 20, 1932, stopping briefly in Newfoundland and intended to exactly duplicate Lindbergh's flight to Paris five years earlier.

Her flight was sponsored by a wealthy woman named Amy Guest. Guest wanted to be the first woman to fly transatlantic, but settled for being the money behind it. She chose Earhart because she had "the right image". Earhart flew with a three-person team in 1928, becoming the first woman to fly transatlantic (and piloted part of the way).

Her solo flight lasted 15 hours, 18 minutes and she traveled over 2000 miles. It was plagued by troubles, though. The weather went nuts, gasline leaked into the cockpit and her altimeter broke so she didn't even know what altitude she was flying at. She dropped suddenly 3000 feet once and went into a spin that she obviously pulled out of. Due to the weather and the other problems she had to scrub her landing in Paris and landed instead in a field near Londonderry, Ireland on May 21, 1932.

She received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society and the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from France.

Amelia Earhart - Wikipedia
Amelia Earhart - The History Channel
Amelia Earhart - First Flight Shrine
Amelia Earhart - Centennial of Flight
Amelia Earhart - Amelia Earhart Museum
Amelia Earhart - article on her disappearance

Mount St. Helens Erupts - May 18, 1980

2006-05-18T14:57:00.000-04:00

I realize everyone will be featuring this, but I love volcanoes, so here goes anyway...

At 8:32 AM on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens (Loo-Wit), in southern Washington decided she was going to blow her top. After all, the venerable lady was sick of being fought over by Mounts Hood (Wy'east) and Adams (Pahto) [First Nations' legend]. The volcano had been dormant since 1857. She started showing signs of activity in March 1980 with earthquakes, steam vents and a small eruption on March 27th. A bulge began forming under the crust of the north slope as magma and gas pooled underneath it.

Vulcanologist David Johnston, manning a watchpost ten miles away, was able to trigger a warning just before the pyroclastic cloud took over his position. A 5.1 earthquake had triggered a landslide that swept away the north face of the mountain. One of the largest landslides ever recorded, it deposited more than half a cubic mile of debris a distance of 13 miles down the Toutle River.

The landslide uncovered the steam and magma vents under the mountain's surface, causing an eruption that overtook the landslide itself. The first of many pyroclastic flows (composed of super-heated gas, rock and ash) moved laterally as it followed the landslide. The blast was calculated at about 24 megatons. Within fifteen minutes a tower of ash and smoke had reached about 80,000 feet high.

The eruption lasted nine hours. By the time it was over 57 people had died, including David Johnston, whose body was never found. Countless animals were killed and 230 square miles of land were damaged and enough trees were blown down to build 300,000 two-bedroom houses. The plume of smoke and ash blew as far as 22,000 square miles away - in Colorado and Oklahoma. Ash circled the globe in two weeks. She was reduced in height from 9677 feet to 8364 feet almost instantly.

Sites about the eruption:
USGS: Mount St. Helens - 1980
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
1980 Eruption - Wikipedia
1980 Eruption - The History Channel

First Nations' Legends regarding Mount St. Helens and the Cascades:
The Bridge of the Gods
The Gardner School description of area names
USGS Mount St. Helens site

Charlie Chaplin's Stolen Body Recovered - May 17, 1978

2006-05-17T16:15:00.000-04:00

Charlie Chaplin died at the age of 88 on Christmas morning, 1977. He was buried in Vevey, Switzerland. On March 2, 1978 his coffin was dug up and stolen. The unopened coffin was recovered eleven weeks later, on May 17, 1978.

Ransom demands had started pouring in immediately, but the police only found one claim credible, because it was backed up by photographs of the oak casket. Oona Chaplin, daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill, refused to pay them because “Charlie would have thought it ridiculous.” The police convinced the family to at least play along so they could catch them.

After monitoring about 200 public telephones in the town of Lausanne, Switzerland (where the Chaplins had settled after being denied entrance into the US in 1952 as potential Communist threats – Yeesh!) the police captured two men: Roman Wardas, a Polish mechanic and Gantscho Ganev, a Bulgarian mechanic. The men admitted to robbing Chaplin’s grave to improve their financial situations. The two men were convicted of extortion and disturbing the peace of the dead. Wardas was sentenced to four and a half years hard labor, while Ganev (the muscle) was given an eighteen month suspended sentence.

Oona Chaplin reburied her husband under six feet of concrete. The farmer who owned the plot of land the robbers had buried Chaplin in until their plans were foiled erected a cross where he had been temporarilly interred. When Oona died fourteen years later, she requested her body also be covered by cement to ensure no repeats of the event.

Charlie Chaplin’s Body Stolen – Urban Legends
Charlie Chaplin – Wikipedia
This Day in History – BBC
Today in Odd History

Velcro - May 13, 1958

2006-05-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

Velcro's trademark was registered in the USA on May 13, 1958. The fastener was invented in 1948 by a Swiss enginer named Georges de Mestral and patented in 1951. He came up with the idea after observing the Burdock seeds that would hook on his dog's hide as they took their walks. The seeds have evolved a hook and loop system that cling to the hides of passing animals to ensure pollination and germination.

De Mestral's invention has loops on one side that mesh with smaller, finer loops on the other side. He named it Velcro from the Fench words "velours" and "crochet", meaning "velvet" and "hook". Velcro being the trademarked name of the company that makes the stuff, it should actually be referred to by one of its' generic names: "hook and loop", "touch" and "burr" fasteners. One of the websites mentioned that when a trademarked name becomes common parlance the company could be at risk of losing the trademark.

As with everything else in this world, rumors and stories have sprung up about it. The best is that Velcro was actually invented by NASA. This is probably due to that fact that they popularized its use in the space program and the aeronautics industry. (Of course, we all know it was actually invented by Vulcans.) A couple of films and other media have run with the idea that it was an alien invention, actually. And what would the world be like without velcro for sneakers?

Velcro - Wikipedia
Velcro's Company website
The site I got the amazing picture from - it was only an honorable mention! The rest of the site is awesome.

Kasparov v. Deep Blue - May 11, 1997

2006-05-11T08:05:00.000-04:00

IBM developed a chess-playing computer named Deep Blue that was capable of thinking 6 moves ahead. The average person can only think 5 moves ahead. They got Garry Kasparov, then-reigning chess champion from Russia, to test it out for them.

The first match occurred in February 1996. Garry Kasparov beat Deep Blue 4-2. IBM then upgraded the computer and matches began again in May 1997, with the last being played on May 11th. Deep Blue won. Kasparov conceded the game after only 19 moves. The total score for the match was 3.5 to 2.5 in Deep Blue's favor. This was the first time a chess computer actually beat a reigning champion.

Deep Blue was retired immediately, even though Kasparov wanted one more rematch. The computer's chess functions were created by analyzing thousands of championship games. Four grandmasters helped to tweak and add to Deep Blue's capabilities. Rules of the match allowed IBM to tweak Deep Blue between games.

The current champions are Xu Yuhua, women's champion from China and Veselin Topalov, men's champion from Bulgaria.

Oh, any mistakes in reporting this incident in history, you can blame firmly on the fact that I can't play chess to save my soul. I wish I could, but I can't.

Deep Blue - Wikipedia
Deep Blue beats Kasparov - History Channel
Deep Blue - IBM's webpage
Quarantine, by AC Clarke - great short story

All Hail Spock! - the true chessmaster --->

Inspiration Request

2006-05-10T16:22:00.000-04:00

Anyone reading this blog most likely already has an interest in history. Therefore, you probably have one event, place or person in your "favorite moments in time" mental file - maybe more than one if you're as demented as I am.

To paraphrase:
"Give me your tired, your strange,
your muddled moments yearning to be recalled,
The wretched refuse of your twisted minds.
Send these, the timeles, tempus-tost to me,
I lift my fingers to the black keyboard."

Okay, Emma Lazarus I ain't, but it's not bad for about five minutes of work.

Tomorrow, we play chess...

Colonel Blood arrested - May 9, 1671

2006-05-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

Colonel Thomas Blood supported Cromwell's cause during the English Civil War and lost his estate in Ireland with the Restoration. To recoup his losses, Blood decided to steal the English Crown Jewels (after attempting to kidnap the Duke of Ormonde twice!).

Using the disguise of a parson he made friends with the Keeper of the Jewels, Talbot Edwards. After a few weeks of friendship, on May 9, 1671, Blood brought his "nephew" to introduce to Edwards' unmarried daughter along with a few friends. The friends wanted to see the jewels and as Edwards was showing them, they knocked him out and tried to steal the jewels. One man stuffed the Royal Orb down his pants. One of the others tried to saw the Royal Sceptre in half and Blood flattened St. Edward's Crown with a mallet to hide under his clerical robes.

Edwards' son, Wythe, had been a soldier stationed in Flanders and happened to choose that particular day after years of absence to visit his father. He roused his father and they sounded the alarm. After a short chase, the thieves were caught. Blood refused to speak to any but the King and somehow managed to convince the King Charles II to spare his life.

Strangely enough, he did such a good job of impressing the King that he was granted a pardon for the theft and anything he did prior, as well as having his estates in Ireland granted to him again plus an annual pension of 500 pounds! (Yeah, he was an Irishman, alright!) Of course, some speculate that his pardon may have indicated that he had actually aided Charles II in some way during the Civil War.

This Day in History - Thomas Blood
Wikipedia - Thomas Blood
Time and History, 7am - British Crown Jewels Stolen
Clare People - Colonel Thomas Blood
Historic-UK.com - Thomas Blood
The Affair of Thomas Blood - an annoying waltz plays in the background as you read, with no pop-up to turn it off - but the info is worth it.

No Pants Day - Moveable Holiday

2006-05-05T17:29:00.000-04:00

Well, this one definitely deserves a mention. Apparently a joke/tradition that began in Austin, Texas by the Knighthood of BUH to ease tensions around Finals Week is held on the first Friday of May every year - No Pants Day. This year it falls on May 5th. Quoting a high school student named Minda, from somewhere in Nebraska, it is "Just a fun day of leg liberation, and getting heckled by dumbasses who are too insecure to join in by taking off their pants." It's being touted from Austin to New Brunswick, Canada and from Pittsburgh to the UK - although in the UK it could be problematic since "pants" mean "underwear" there. Commando!
Anyway, the rules are simple: no pants, skirts, kilts (yes, they specify kilts), shorts or dresses. "Usually this means wearing thick, appropriately modest boxer shorts, but bloomers, slips, briefs, and boxer-briefs all work as well." I'm so glad they actually mention modesty or this celebration could get ugly quick! (I also wish I could have gotten away with this one at work today. It's hot there early in the morning!)

No Pants Day Official Website
No Pants Day Myspace - has songs about the holiday, even.
No Pants Day - Wikipedia
The Daily Texan - article from May 10, 2004 about the 2004 No Pants Day

Burial of John McCormick - May 4, 1945

2006-05-04T13:47:00.000-04:00

John McCormick was a waist gunner on the B-24 Liberator (bomber) Jolly Duck, when it was shot down over Zoeterwoede, Holland on February 22, 1945. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania (my hometown) August 1, 1921 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Trained as a gunner he eventually taught others at gunnery school in Harlingen, Texas. McCormick requested an overseas assignment and was sent to England in 1944. He joined the 392nd Bomb Group in Norfolk, England.

The last mission of the 241 (the Jolly Duck) was originally to bomb the marshalling yards at Nordhausen, Germany. Heavy smoke prevented them from this, so the crew decided to go after the rail yard in Northeim. This target was scratched due to a bombing error by another plane and the squadron elected to drop their ammunition on a factory nearby instead. As the 241 returned to base, one engine quit, then another. They crashed next to a farm in Zoeterwoede, Holland under heavy small-arms fire by the German occupation force. The crew all got out with only minor injuries.

Four of the crewmen were captured almost immediately. They were taken to a POW camp to wait out the war. Two made it home via the Dutch Resistance and Canadian Army, while two stayed hidden in Holland, near Rotterdam, until the war was over. McCormick ended up fighting with the Dutch Resistance. He was given the choice by the leader of the resistance, Dr. Joseph Kentgens. He could surrender and spend the rest of the war relatively safe in a POW camp or he could join the resistance. McCormick chose to fight.

He helped the Dutch make fake passports and IDs and stole ration cards to get food to people who needed it in the underground and in hiding: talents he obviously never learned here in Scranton, since noone would ever think of doing that here. He also led raids and helped with physical conditioning.

John is kneeling in the center of this photograph, with Dr. Kentgens, Ali van Rij and Jacob van Rij standing directly behind him.
On April 29, 1945, just six days before the Northern German Army surrendered, McCormick along with Dr. Kentgens, some other members of the resistance and their families, the crew of a British Stirling and a Dutch Nazi-sympathizer being held prisoner were hiding in a remote lodge near Zevenhuisen. Noone is sure how, but a group of about 20 German soldiers came upon the lodge and opened fire on it. Kentgens was wounded and presumed dead. McCormick and another resistance member, Jacob van Rij, were killed trying to help everyone escape in a prearranged plan. McCormick was shot first and when van Rij's wife, Ali, was wounded van Rij went berserk and attacked the Germans by himself. His distraction allowed the British fliers and other resistance members to escape.

McCormick was found on May 2nd behind the barn and van Rij was found in a pool of water where he'd drowned after being shot unconscious. They were buried in Zevenhuisen on May 4th, the same day the German High Command in the Netherlands surrendered. (Today, May 4th is honored in the Netherlands as a day of Remembrance of the Dead, with two minutes of silence at 8pm.) Fearing reprisals, the Dutch owner of the lodge the resistance had been using, told the Germans who inquired that McCormick was a stranger from the Hague, thus McCormick's first burial was without military honors.

On October 31, 1945 he was reburied with full military honors in Zoetermeer, along with van Rij and two other resistance heroes: Cornelis van Eerden and Jan Hoorn. There is a memorial erected to them above their gravesite and it is honored every May 4th. John McCormick may not have been born Dutch, but he is as much a hero and spoken of with as much pride as any of the natural-born Dutch Resistance heroes. There is even a Dutch scout troop named after him.

392nd Stories: John McCormick
Lucky Duck's last mission
Salisbury Post - article about Zoetermeer celebration on May 4, 2005 by the daughters of one of the crew that made it home
Scranton Times - article about John McCormick

The Great Exhibition - May 1, 1851

2006-05-01T17:16:00.000-04:00

The Crystal Palace was the site of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, opening May 1, 1851 and running until October of that year. It was the brainchild of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. Fairs had been held since 1756 all over the world to display the technological and artistic wonders of various coutries. The theme of the 1851 Exhibition was, obviously, industry and machinery, however one of my favorite tidbits is the inclusion of the Victorian idea of what Iguanodon looked like (not even close).

The building was a steel and glass strucure designed by Joseph Paxton with the help of Charles Fox and was designed and completed in only nine months. People would often pack a lunch and spend the entire day there, going through the exhibits. There were exhibits from all corners of the world including silk and surgical instruments and a penknife with eighty blades from Britain; part of a bridge, weapons and soap shaped like people from America; stuffed animals from Germany, the stuffed kittens reputedly being Queen Victoria's favorites.

In an amusing note to us in this day and age, one of the men in charge, Capt. Boscawen Ibbetson had to write a report on the usage of the new invention: the public toilet. He diligently recorded how many peple used them the entire time of the Exhibition. The highest usage was on Wednesday, October 8th, a week before the Exhibit closed. There were 11,171 visitors to the 'loo that day.

The Great Exhibition saw over 6 million visitors from all over the world. The profits from the fair were put into the purchase of land for the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Charlotte Bronte was one of the repeat visitors. She wrote in a letter:

"It may be called a bazaar or a fair, but it is such a bazaar or fair as Eastern genii might have created. It seems as if only magic could have gathered this mass of wealth from all the ends of the earth - as if none but supernatural hands could have arranged it thus, with such a blaze and contrast of colours and marvellous power of effect." - From Eyewitness To History: John Carey, p.324

Victoria & Albert Museum - Great Exhibition
University of Kansas - The Great Exhibition
Wikipedia - Great Exhibition
Wikipedia - Crystal Palace
The History Channel - Great Exhibition
Eyewitness To History; John Carey; 1987; Avon Books; NY, NY (a collection of first-hand accounts of events throughout history - one of my favorite books)

Dachau Liberated - April 29, 1945

2006-04-29T23:51:00.000-04:00

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post, but this one can't wait. In fact, I'm not going to write this one up. I simply can't. I'll link to The History Channel's story on it.

When I was small, I lived in Germany. We visited Dachau. You could still feel the sorrow, pain and death that emanated from everything there, even though the buildings had been whitewashed and the grounds were landscaped and kept well. The barracks were still there, the crematoriums and guards' towers. There was still barbed wire in the no-man's land surrounding the camp.

On the gate was a small sign that proclaimed the biggest lie ever told in history: Arbeit macht Frei - Work makes free.

Near the officers' quarters, now a museum, is a sculpture in iron, by Nandor Glid. It depicts the emaciated people trapped in Dachau's barbed wire, a tribute to those who died there.

If you ever get a chance to go, I recommend it. As one part of the memorial says: "Never Again." History can teach us much about ourselves and our capacity for good and evil. We cannot ignore one part of ourselves. We must learn about what makes us do things that would seem reprehensible to us; what could possibly motivate us to believe in the inferiority of different groups of people and cast them into what could only be described as Hell on Earth. If we ignore our forefathers'/mothers' mistakes and prejudices, then we will have a harder time not repeating them and will surely pass them on to the next generation.

Dachau's Official Site
Dachau History Site - post liberation
The Memorial Site at Dachau

The Witch Doctor - April 28, 1958

2006-04-28T17:26:00.000-04:00

On April 28th in 1958 "The Witch Doctor" hits number one on the Billboard charts. Other than it being one of my favorite songs, I bring it up because it's the major introduction of the Chipmunk sound. Ross Bagdasarian used a faster speed for his voice than the music to record the witch doctor's profound advice: Oo Ee Oo Ah Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang.

Bagdasarian (AKA David Seville) used this method later on when he recorded the Chipmunks' albums and shows. It was also used more recently on Akon's cover of Bobby Vinton's Mr. Lonely.

Yes, I know it's a silly piece of history, but I do love the Chipmunks and this song helped pave their way. By the way, the Chipettes got their picture in because I love Jeanette so much. She and Simon are so much cooler than Alvin. ;p

The Witch Doctor Lyrics
The Chipmunks History - can also listen to a clip of the song there
David Seville and The Chipmunks
Witch Doctor - Wikidpedia
This Day in History - The Witch Doctor
The Witch Doctor - MP3 download site

Murder of Mary Phagan - April 26, 1913

2006-04-26T16:11:00.000-04:00

13 year-old Mary Phagan was murdered at the National Pencil Company factory she worked on April 26, 1913. She was found early the next morning by the night watchman, a black man named Newt Lee. Mary Phagan had been raped, beaten and eventually strangled. Two notes were found next to her, supposedly written by her as she lay dying, implicating Lee. He was questioned and held with no charges for months.

Two days after Phagan's murder the manager (and part-owner) of the factory, Leo Frank, was charged with murder and jailed. Leo Frank was a Jewish man from Brooklyn, New York, who had moved to Atlanta around 1907 and married in 1910 to Lucille Selig (behind him in the picture). He was charged as much for his heritage as for the fact that he was nervous in his interview with the sheriff. He later testified to that in court:

"Gentlemen, I was nervous. I was completely unstrung. Imagine yourself called from sound slumber in the early hours of the morning ... To see that little girl on the dawn of womanhood so cruelly murdered --- it was a scene that would have melted stone. " - from Wikipedia

The person most consider the true killer was Jim Conley, a black janitor at the factory. He repeatedly admitted to writing the notes; however, he covered it up by saying they were dictated by Frank. His statements changed often and contradicted.

The fit really hit the shan when Frank was convicted due to yellow journalism, circumstantial evidence and a healthy dose of good, old-fashioned bigotry. He appealed his conviction. His appeals to Judge Roan (presiding judge over his trial) and the Georgia Supreme Court were denied. Next they tried the Georgia Supreme Court again, rejected again, and it went to the US Supreme Court. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes denied his appeal based on a writ of error but did state he felt there was a lack of due process. After one more run at the US Supreme Court, Frank's conviction was upheld (Holmes and Justice Charles Evan Hughes dissenting).

Departing Georgia governor, John Slaton, was Frank's last hope. Frank appealed to the governor for clemency. Slaton reviewed the case carefully and even though he was pressured not to, commuted Frank's death sentence to that of life in prison. He effectively ruined his future political career with that single act of conscience. He simply felt Leo Frank was not guilty and should live until it could be proven.

Frank was moved to a more humane and secure work farm after the commutation. He survived an attempt on his life and was working toward his next appeal when the worst happened. Former governor Joseph Brown and a few others organized the Knights of Mary Phagan. They were virulently anti-Semitic, anti-black and anti-Catholic (sounding familiar?). They planned to kidnap Frank and lynch him. On August 16, 1915, they did just that. They stormed the Milledgeville Prison gates, overpowerd the guards and took Frank to Marietta, Georgia. He was permitted to write a note to his wife and asked that they return his wedding ring to her. Then he was hanged and his body later abused.

None of the lynch mob leaders were ever tried, or even indicted. One of them was actually the prosecuting attorney for the county. In fact, the ringleaders of the Knights of Mary Phagan soon joined the resurrection of the Ku Klux Klan. This trial was the impetus to its recreation, as spurred on by sensationalist journalist Tom Watson (future US Senator). Where the KKK was once only anti-black, now they hated Jews, as well as Catholics and immigrants.

Leo Frank was eventually granted a posthumous pardon - on March 11, 1986 - long overdue.

Crime Library - Leo Frank
Leo Frank - Wikipedia
History Channel

The Library of Congress - April 24, 1800

2006-04-24T18:15:00.000-04:00

Yay! I get a really good one today. As indicated by my nerdy ambition to be a librarian (Yes, I even like cats!) anything to do with books thrills me to no end. So, with that in mind...

On April 24, 1800 President John Adams (oh, I do love that man!) signed a bill appropriating a whopping $5000 to purchase reference books that Congress might need. According to EH.net, that would be almost $75,000 in today's currency. Anyway, books first arrived from London in 1801 and were stored in the Capitol Building. One year later there were 964 volumes and nine maps.

The library was burned by the British in August 1814 when they set fire to the Capitol Building and sacked the small library. President Thomas Jefferson immediately offered his own personal library. It was purchased by Congress for $23,950 for 6,487 volumes (nearly $292,500 today). At the same time Congress hired a trained, professional librarian, George Watterston, to be the caretaker of the fledgling (accidental) national library. Jefferson's 50 years of collecting books had netted the Library volumes on philosophy, science, literature and books in foreign languages. He was concerned at first that his offer would be rejected because the broad scope of subjects would be considered inappropriate for a Congressional library. Thankfully, his doubts were proven wrong.

"The Jeffersonian concept of universality, the belief that all subjects are important to the library of the American legislature, is the philosophy and rationale behind the comprehensive collecting policies of today's Library of Congress." - from the history of the Library of Congress page

In 1851 a second fire gutted about two-thirds of the library, which was at 55,000 volumes. Congress quickly appropriated money to rebuild the collection, especially the Jefferson collection.

Librarian Ainsworth Rand Spofford (I double-checked the spelling. What a mouthful!) was responsible for the Copyright Law of 1870, requiring all applicants to send two copies to the Library of Congress. This quickly led to a shortage of space in the Capitol Building and the need for the construction of a new building. Begun in 1886, it opened for business on November 1, 1897.

Today the Library of Congress holds more than 130 million items, including books, manuscripts, films, sound recordings, maps and legal documents - including resources accessible online. The various collections are now housed in three buildings. It is one of the largest libraries in the world and a true national treasure.

The Library of Congress
The History Channel
EH.net

Ohio Passes Anti-Seduction Law - April 22, 1886

2006-04-22T11:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I was working on my garden yesterday and crashed afterwards. Today's tidbit is interesting. I was going to do Earth Day, but when I opened my mail and saw this in the email from The History Channel, I knew it was to cool too pass up.

On April 22, 1886, Ohio passed a law that made seduction illegal. Any man over the age of 21, whose profession was teaching or instructing was prohibited from have consensual sex with any unmarried woman they were teaching. If broken, this law could net them 10 years in prison. These laws were passed by thirty-five states between 1848 and 1900, with New York being first.

The suits were most often carried out by fathers suing in the name of their daughters. They were usually used as a means of redressing lost wages and damages suffered to the family (father's) finances due to a daughter's pregnancy or injury resulting from the encounter. Many times the suit was simply settled by marriage between the individuals. The female did have to prove that she had been a virgin beforehand and was coerced in some manner. This law did offer an alternative to a rape charge, since rape was harder to prove. It did nothing for married women.

Most scholars agree that the laws were used to protect, not the women, but those who had a vested interest in their chastity, like fathers and employers, but the original law, passed in New York, was actually a feminist stride forward. The New York Female Moral Reform Society railed against the "double standard" that praised men for promiscuity and punished the women for joining in on the fun. They were actually campaigning against prostitution and felt that such a law would give women a means of fighting against the "fact" that once a woman was no longer virginal and had lost her "reputation", she would be forced to prostitution as her sole means of support.

The laws started to die out in the early twentieth century. A modern attitude towards rape prosecution and the selfish realization that they could be used as extortion and as a way for an "unchaste" female to cover up her indiscretions led to their repeal; although, there is at least one still on the books. A case was brought to court in North Carolina in 2003. I couldn't track down the outcome of that case.

The History Channel
Seduction, Sexual Violence and Marriage in New York City, 1886-1955; Stephen Robertson
Is the Tort of Wrongful Seduction Still Viable?; Joanna Grossman
Criminalizing Seduction: Prostitution, Moral Reform and the New York Anti-Seduction Law of 1848; Kara Major (paper summary)

The Murders in the Rue Morgue - April 20, 1841

2006-04-20T16:16:00.000-04:00

Sam Spade, Sherlock Homes, Miss Marple and even Monk owe their beginnings to Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin, better known as the detective in The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Edgar Allan Poe published what is considered the first true detective story on April 20, 1841.

Two women are brutally killed in a locked room with a chimney too small for a man to enter to leave by. Entrance or exit by the windows would be obvious, but they are still locked, too. So, how did they die and how did the murderer escape? It’s the perfect (and first) locked-room murder.

Monsieur Dupin uses deductive reasoning and the perfect little trap in the end to expose the killer. It is all narrated by a personal friend and the poor policemen come off looking a bit foolish in the end. Sound familiar? However, our friend Mr. Holmes wouldn't be published until 1887.

Poe also wrote two other stries about Monsieur Dupin: The Mystery of Marie Roget (1842) and The Purloined Letter (1844).

Project Gutenberg: The Works of Edgar Allen Poe, Vol. 1
Classic Crime Fiction: Origins of Detective Fiction
Wikipedia: Edgar Allan Poe

Battles of Lexington and Concord - April 19, 1745

2006-04-19T20:06:00.000-04:00

So, I'll go with a famous event today. In hopes of arresting some Rebels and destroying caches of weapons, Major John Pitcairn approached Lexington Green with six companies of British Regulars. They had captured Paul Revere earlier and knew they were expected. Revere misled them into believing there were 500 men awaiting them at Lexington, so Colonel Smith sent a message to General Gage in Boston for reinforcements. Pitcairn and his troops met up with only seventy militiamen on the village green, under command of Captain John Parker. Both commanders ordered their troops not to fire. Pitcairn ordered the militiamen to disperse: under orders from Parker, out of concern for his troops, some did. Others held their ground.

Who fired first will never be known, but someone fired and the battle begun. Pitcairn maintained to his death that a musket fired from behind a stone wall, starting the whole thing; while Parker reported that the Regulars charged the militiamen and started it. Does it really matter who started it? No. It was probably a little of both. Regardless, the Regulars, frustrated, ignored Pitcairn's orders to stop firing until he ordered a drum roll. When it was over, eight militiamen were dead (reportedly shot in the back) and seven wounded. Colonel Smith arrived with his troops shortly thereafter.

The Regulars left Lexington and made their way to Concord, where they encountered no resistance at first. They searched the houses for stores and, for the most part, were quite decent about it. Robert A. Gross feels it was because they were trying to avoid a repeat of the fight at Lexington. The militiamen, under Colonel James Barrett, had positioned themselves above the North Bridge, which they felt they needed to hold. As the day and the search wore on, they were reinforced by others from the area. When they saw smoke rising from Concord (from a fire set by Regulars that was quickly put out due to the pleading of a widow named Martha Moulton) the militia advanced on the Regulars stationed on the other side of the bridge. The Regulars fired a warning shot, but the militia kept marching. Then the Regulars fired into the militia: the militia kept coming. The Regulars broke and ran and in two or three minutes the militia had beaten them.

Pitcairn then ordered his troops to return to Boston. They hadn't arrested any of their list, but they had destroyed quite a bit of American supplies that had been hidden. As they marched the way they came, they encountered snipers and small contingents of militiamen the entire way. When they got to Lexington, the Regulars met up with the reinforcements Smith had sent for, commanded by Lord Percy. He returned sniper fire and set fire to houses as they made their way to Charlestown, then a few days later Boston (after abandoning Bunker Hill). The final numbers were 73 Regulars dead, 174 wounded, 26 missing; 49 colonists dead, 39 wounded, 4 missing.

The Minutemen and Their World: Robert A. Gross
The American Spirit, Vol. 1: Thomas A. Bailey
The Outline of History: H.G. Wells
Wikipedia: The Battles of Lexington and Concord

Ernie Pyle's Death - April 18, 1945

2006-04-18T17:05:00.000-04:00

Ernie Pyle was 44 years old when he died on April 18, 1945, on Ie Shima, an island off Okinawa. He was killed by a well-hidden Japanese sniper as he was interviewing some marines who thought they had cleared the island.

Instead of writing articles on the advance of this army and that navy, Ernie Pyle wrote articles about the soldiers. He wrote about their experiences and lives. This approach to the war made him the most popular columnist back home. It also garnered him the Pulitzer Prize. He didn't just write about the common soldier, he lived with them, ate with them and in some cases shared some of the more distasteful duties, such as moving the bodies of the slain.

A movie was made based on his columns for Scripps-Howard. It starred Burgess Meredith as Ernie Pyle (a pretty good likeness, actually). Here’s his take on the movie being made.

Here’s a link to one of his articles I get a kick out of: Digging and Grousing. One of the reasons I get a kick out of it is a story told to me about my grandfather. Being a stubborn Irish-American and something of a practical joker he had something to say about digging foxholes. When he was at Basic his sergeant made him dig a hole, then fill it. He did. He had to dig another hole then fill it. He did. After a few more repetitions, he apparently asked the sergeant if he was going to make him fill this one after he dug it. The sergeant, of course, said yes and my grandfather calmly handed him the shovel and told him to dig the hole himself. I think my grandfather had KP a lot and I have a feeling if they’d met, he and Ernie Pyle would have had a great laugh.

Indiana University School of Journalism: Ernie Pyle’s articles
Ernie Pyle - Wikipedia
Story of G.I. Joe - the movie
The Sad Story of Mrs. Pyle: Dave Lieber

Discovery of LSD’s Hallucinogenic effects: April 16, 1943

2006-04-16T10:37:00.000-04:00

Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist was working with a chemical he’d developed, “lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD-25 (Lyserg-saure-diathylamid)” when this happened:

Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away.
LSD, My Problem Child: Albert Hofmann

He thought the LSD might have been the cause, so he purposely consumed a very small quantity of it and saw proverbial pink elephants. After his second experience (supervised by his assistant, just in case something bad happened) he let his superiors know. After testing on animals (including tests on spiders – who ended up weaving drunken webs), he released a paper on its effects.

Used for psychological treatments at first, it gained notoriety as the drug of choice for the 60’s counter-culture movement. It is, of course, now illegal in the United States due to its harmful effects.

Just for kicks, LSD came from tests on Ergot, the fungi thought to be responsible (by some) for the witch hysteria in New England in the 1600’s.

Albert Hofmann: LSD, My Problem Child
History Channel - LSD
Wikipedia - LSD
Blotter Barn – the artwork of LSD
Erowid LSD Vault – Blotter Art examples
Wikipedia – Albert Hofmann
Albert Hofmann Foundation

Star Trek - April 15, 1992

2006-04-15T09:47:00.000-04:00

On April 15, 1992, the cast of the original Star trek was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Television Hall of Fame. Quoting from their website: "The NAB Television Hall of Fame recognizes individuals or programs who have made significant contributions to broadcasting and to the American public."

(This is certainly true about Star Trek.)

The show premiered in 1966, the brainchild of Gene Roddenberry. He envisioned a "wagon train to the stars", where the future was a time in which humanity (and other species) could actually live in (mostly) peace and cooperation. Social ills were dealt with on the show, sometimes subtly, sometimes not. The uproar over the first interracial kiss ever broadcast was probably slightly muted because of Star Trek's very nature as a science fiction show, where the people terrified of such progress could actually step back and say, "This is set four hundred years from now and it's fiction. It'll never really happen. Phew!" It still stirred up a hornets' nest though.

Star Trek was almost cancelled in 1968, but was saved by a letter campaign. At the end of the third season, though, it was cancelled. The show remained in the hearts and minds of its beloved fans. Whoopi Goldberg was inspired by Nichelle Nichols, the first black woman to ever have a role of intelligence and leadership on television, to become an actress. Incidentally, Whoopi was given a chance to live out her Star Trek dreams by acting on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The cell phone was partly prompted by Star Trek's handheld communicators. Many of the scientists that eventually entered NASA's ranks believed in the space-travel possibilities presented by the show and wanted to bring them to fruition. The show and its spin-offs are still inspiring young and old, scientists and artists, geniuses and people like me.

National Association of Broadcasters Television Hall of Fame
Star Trek

Abdullah Yusuf Ali - April 14, 1872

2006-04-14T17:50:00.000-04:00

On April 14, 1872 Abdullah Yusuf Ali was born in Bombay, India to wealthy merchant parents. He received a religious education and could recite the Qur’an from memory. He completed an English translation and commentary of the Qur’an in 1938.

He was well respected by both his peers and the British government of India. Yusuf Ali was even asked to be principal of Islamia College in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Yusuf Ali supported Indian participation, fighting on the side of the Allies in World War I. He was a world traveler and married an English woman. However, the marriage didn’t last, though they had four children. He died in England on December 10, 1953.

Wikipedia Bio of Abdullah Yusuf Ali
The Holy Qur’an – Online Text
Books by Abdullah Yusuf Ali on Al-Islam.org
A blurb of a very unflattering bio of Abdullah Yusuf Ali that I include in the interest of fairness.
Another page linking to the biography referenced above (this is the source of my picture.)

PS: When I chose this subject, I thought there would be a lot on Yusuf Ali floating around the internet. I was wrong. Read the links for more information, but definitely read the translation he’s famous for. Even if, as is suggested in the unflattering blurb and biography, Yusuf Ali was deluded in believing as he did about the British government and his religion, his acclaimed translation of one of the Holy Books of this world merits him honors.

J.C. Penney opens first store - April 13, 1902

2006-04-13T17:22:00.000-04:00

On April 13, 1902, James Cash Penney (1875-1971) opened his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. It was called the Golden Rule and was actually opened jointly with Guy Johnson and Thomas Callahan.

When Johnson and Callahan decided to quit their partnership, they give Penney the chance to buy them out. He does and opens up more stores. By 1916 there were more than 88 stores, including some on the eastern side of the Mississippi. They start phasing out the Golden Rule name in favor of J.C. Penney.

Penney gave up the Presidency of the company in 1917 but was the chairman of the board until 1946. He died early 1971, having gone to work three days a week as the honorary chairman of the board up until a fall that broke his hip late 1970. He took the bus to work up until 1965. Penney was nearly 90 when he was finally convinced to take the company car.

Links:
J.C. Penney’s website
Wikipedia – J.C. Penney

April 12th (annual event) - Yuri's Night

2006-04-12T14:21:00.000-04:00

Alright, first let me say that my friend, Robin, has put me in a pickle. I asked if anyone had suggestions and darned if she didn't shoot me a great one. However, I really want to do the one I'd picked for today, so Mr. Paul Horiuchi will be an August entry instead (the month of his death).

"...Now for our regularly scheduled program..."

April 12

Every April 12th since 2001, people from around the world gather to celebrate the journeys of Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) on April 12, 1961 and the Space Shuttle Columbia (1981-2003) on April 12, 1981.

“Yuri’s Night is the global celebration of human space travel…” From the Yuri’s Night website.

This year, the parties are on every continent and are celebrating the 45th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic flight as the first human in space and the 25th anniversary of STS-1, Columbia’s maiden voyage.

Yuri’s Night was dreamed up by Loretta Hidalgo, George Whitesides and Trish Garner. At the 2004 event in LA, Nichelle Nichols even showed up.

That would be tonight, folks, so go out and have fun celebrating space travel! "Beam me up, Scotty!"

Links:
Yuri’s Night: 2006
Wikipedia – Yuri’s Night

April 11, 1875 - death of Samuel Heinrich Schwabe

2006-04-11T14:46:00.000-04:00

April 11, 1875 – Samuel Heinrich Schwabe died in Dessau, Germany, the same city he was born in October 25, 1789. Schwabe was a pharmacist, following his father’s footsteps. He was interested in astronomy and botany and was able to find time to pursue these hobbies. He won his first telescope in a lottery and purchased a better one a year later, in 1826. By 1829, he had sold the pharmacy and was devoting his time to his astronomical pursuits.

He was trying to find another planet between Mercury and the Sun, but by the time he’d been observing the Sun for 17 years, he’d noticed a pattern in the number of sunspots – they had a 10 to 11 year cycle. He published these findings in the Journal Astronomische Nachrichten, but it garnered little notice until it was cited by Alexander von Humboldt in his work, Kosmos, in 1851.

He is also the first person to draw the Great Red Spot of Jupiter.

Thanks to his accomplishments he was elected to England’s Royal Astronomical Society and was given its Gold Medal (previous to his election).

Links:
High Altitude Observatory – Schwabe
Excerpts from Solar Observations During 1843, by Heinrich Schwabe
Wikipedia - Schwabe
SpaceToday.net - source of the beautiful copyrighted picture

Delphine Lalaurie's Torture Chamber - April 10, 1834

2006-04-10T15:08:00.000-04:00

On April 10, 1834, a fire brigade was called to the mansion of Dr. Louis Lalaurie and his wife, Delphine. When they finally put out the blaze they found an old slave woman chained in the kitchen. She had set the fire to get away from Delphine’s depravity. Upstairs, the firefighters found bodies and still-living slaves chained to the walls of an attic room and in cages. The whole time, Delphine had been saving her valuables.

The victims had been mutilated; one woman had her skin peeled off, while one man had been surgically altered to resemble a female. In the room were containers of body parts.

There is disagreement over the number of slaves locked in the attic and what condition they were in, but regardless, the brutal treatment of the slaves offended the sensibilities of her fellow New Orleanians so much that a mob gathered outside her house the next day, calling for her blood. Delphine and her husband (possibly) escaped by crashing out of the carriage house in their carriage and outrunning the stunned mob. Accounts differ, but she is reported to either have left for Paris, northern Louisiana or maybe not making it out after all.

Her mansion was eventually turned into apartments and ghostly events have been reported there. They may be due to the 75 people that had been buried alive there, whose bodies were discovered during renovation. Apparently, after the Lalauries fled, screams were heard, however, the townspeople thought they were ghosts and never investigated.

Links:
In Evil’s Footsteps
Crime Library – Delphine Lalaurie
The History Channel – Delphine Lalaurie
The House of Lalaurie
Everything2 - Lalaurie
Wikipedia - Delphine Lalaurie

This blog and links

2006-04-09T15:42:00.000-04:00

I intend to feature historic events and people from each day. Given that most of these people and events have had long books and extensive coverage these will be more like blurbs with links to more information.

My hope is that I might feature something that gets a person to be interested in history - maybe I'll even help a person find something unusual.

Besides, it's a great excuse to play with history sites every day!

Speaking of, here are a bunch of links you may find interesting.

BBC - On This Day
Tristan Louis - Today In History
The History Channel - This Day In History
Scope Systems - Any Day In History
This Day In Baseball History

Cheers.

Marian Anderson - April 9, 1939

2006-04-09T13:37:00.000-04:00

I had a pretty good selection today: from the Titanic to the birth of Beaudelaire, the ENIAC Project to the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox. I chose Marian Anderson's free concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was an African-American opera singer. She was the first black person to solo at the Metropolitan Opera of New York City.

The contralto was hoping to give a concert at Constitution Hall, when the DAR banned her because she was black. The First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt (one of my favorite historic figures) was so upset by this she arranged for Ms. Anderson to give a free, open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939. 75,000 people showed up to hear Ms. Anderson's awesome voice and millions listened by radio.

Four years after the incident, the DAR invited Ms. Anderson to sing for a Red Cross benefit. She finally sang at Constitution Hall in 1953.

There is so much more about her, so I'm including links, of course.
Afrocentric Voices: Marian Anderson
Wikipedia: Marian Anderson
Register of the Marian Anderson Papers
Marian Anderson at the Met