Secret WWII Hero
February 27, 2015 – The story of a secret hero of World War II has now been told in a biography written by his son. Captain Robert Trimble, a B-24 bomber pilot during the last years of the war, was sent to Poland and the Ukraine as the Nazis retreated and the Soviets advanced. Joseph Stalin, […]
Russians to Raise Sunken U.S. Polar Ship
February 26, 2015 – In the race to be first to reach the North Pole, the USS Jeannette left San Francisco in 1879, but was crushed by Arctic ice two years later. None of the schooner’s 33-man crew died when it sank, but only 13 survived the epic 500-mile trek to the capital of the Siberian territory. Andrey Khoroshev, an adventurer, […]
The Amusement Park That Inspired Disney
February 26, 2015 – Kiddieland, a Los Angeles amusement park officially known as Beverly Park, entertained children and adults from 1945 to 1974. It is said to have inspired a frequent celebrity visitor: Walt Disney. Disney was so impressed with the operation that he hired park owner Dave Bradley as a consultant in the development of Disneyland, which […]
Space Photos Up For Auction
February 25, 2015 – More than 600 photographs of American space exploration will be auctioned tomorrow in London. The collection includes the first space walk, the first “selfie” from space, and the first moon landing. It also includes a 1946 photo, believed to be the first ever from space. It was taken by a camera U.S. scientists strapped to a captured Nazi V-2 rocket […]
New York City in 1946
February 24, 2015 – A collection of photographs of New York City taken by Todd Webb in 1946 has been republished by 21st Editions. Additional Photos (click thumbnails to enlarge) [divider]
First American in Orbit
February 20, 2015 – Today marks the 53rd anniversary of John Glenn’s three-orbit flight around the earth in 1962. The Friendship 7 spacecraft was America’s first manned orbital mission. Link: DailyNews Additional Photos (click thumbnails to enlarge) [divider]
Iwo Jima
February 19, 2015 – Seventy years ago today the Battle of Iwo Jima began in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It took more than a month in 1945 to take the island, 750 from the Japanese homeland. Nearly 7,000 Americans gave their lives and 19,000 were wounded. The photograph of Marines raising the flag atop […]
Native American Life in Edward Curtis Photographs
February 18, 2015 – Edward Curtis dedicated his life to the documenting of Native American culture west of the Mississippi River, compiling an amazing library of 40,000 images, 10,000 audio recordings of language and music, and 4,000 pages of written text. A traveling exhibit of his photographs is currently on display at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington. Link: BellinghamHerald Additional […]
Prototype of Monopoly Game Was Anti-Capitalism
February 17, 2015 – A new book on the “hidden history” of Monopoly credits a left-wing secretary with inventing the world’s most popular board game. Author Mary Pilon says Elizabeth Magie created her Landlord’s Game in 1903 as a protest against powerful property owners, 30 years before Parker Brothers issued a version of the game that was pro-capitalism. Magie […]
Laser Mapping of Mount Vernon
February 16, 2015 – Architects and preservationists are using laser technology to map every inch of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The laser scans record 3D images down to the smallest detail, even nails, and will help determine what is original and what has been replaced over the years. The scans will be combined with written records of work done […]