Escort Cards
April 27, 2015 – Suitors in late 19th century America commonly used escort cards or flirtation cards to approach attractive women. The cards – sometimes formal, sometimes comical – were used as ice-breakers. Collector Alan Mays has an assortment of the quaint and amusing messages. Additional Photos (click thumbnails to enlarge) [divider]
Secrets of the Magic Kingdom
April 27, 2015 – Some 200 lists of secrets are chronicled in the Disneyland Book of Lists, a handy book filled with unusual and obscure facts about the Magic Kingdom since the amusement park opened in 1955. The book also features collections of then-and-now photos. Author Chris Strodder estimates visitors spend 83 times as much money in […]
NYC History in 47 Seconds
April 27, 2015 – Visitors to the new World Trade Center in New York City will soon be able to see Manhattan change from an uninhabited marsh to 21st century skyscrapers, all in one elevator ride to the top. The video will play during the 47 seconds it takes to reach the 102nd floor observatory, which opens May 29. Link: NYT […]
New York City’s Lost and Preserved Architectural Treasures
April 18, 2015 – Marking the 50th anniversary of a landmark preservation law, a new photo exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York shows the structures that have been protected as well as architectural losses razed before the change. The demolition of Pennsylvania Station in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden shocked city residents into passing […]
Ghost Town Job Opening Quickly Filled
April 18, 2015 – Officials with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management were surprised by the number of applicants for a job opening to live and work in a Montana ghost town with no electricity or indoor plumbing and groceries in lieu of wages. Inquiries came in from all over the U.S. and as far away as South […]
WWII Aircraft Carrier Found Largely Intact on Ocean Floor
April 18, 2015 – A World War II aircraft carrier has been found “amazingly intact” after 64 years on the ocean floor. An undersea survey team, part of a government mission to locate historic shipwrecks, discovered the USS Independence 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco, California. After the war, the ship sustained damage during atomic bomb testing in the Pacific in […]
Haunting Ruins of Holmesburg Prison
April 18, 2015 – Holmesburg Prison, built in 1896 in Philadelphia, housed some of the nation’s most dangerous criminals and was also known for its use of prisoner volunteers for medical experiments. The facility was abandoned in 1995. Urban photographer Cindy Vasco recently captured eerie images of the ruins. Additional Photos (click thumbnails to enlarge) [divider]
Mystery of the Concrete Arrows
April 16, 2015 – Imagine coming upon a large concrete arrow lying flat on the ground out in the middle of nowhere. Many hikers have been puzzled by such a discovery. Some arrows are as long as 70 feet. Before radio and electronic navigation made them obsolete, these structures served as directional markers to pilots hauling the mail across the country […]
Ghost Ships of the Reserve Fleet
April 12, 2015 – An American naval reserve fleet established after World War II has been reduced to rusting hulks, some posing an environmental risk to the bays in which they are harbored. At its peak in the 1950s, the fleet had 2,280 ships moored in various ports. Today, only 122 remain. Link: DailyMail Additional Photos (click thumbnails to […]
Plans to Drop Atom Bomb on Hiroshima For Sale
April 12, 2015 – Never-before-seen World War II plans to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima have surfaced after 70 years. The hand-drawn plans are part of a collection compiled by Captain Robert Lewis, co-pilot on the Enola Gay, the B-29 bomber that destroyed the Japanese city on Japan on August 6, 1945. The documents include flight logs […]