Hawaiian War Money
An evening pause: History is filled with little tidbits that are quickly forgotten, but fascinating in context nonetheless.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
Tag: history
Alan Bean passes away at 86
R.I.P. Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon, has passed away at 86.
After he retired as an astronaut Bean became well known as an artist depicting the exploration of space.
Kukla, Fran and Ollie – Here We Are Again
A evening pause: Hat tip Jim Mallamace, who writes, “Before there was Shari Lewis; before there were the Muppets, there was Kukla, Fran, and Ollie. An American television staple from 1947 – 1957, Kukla, Fran, and Ollie demonstrated there would be as large an adult audience for puppetry as there was a child audience. Burr Tillstrom voiced all the puppets. Fran Allison was the host. In this video, they sing their theme song ‘Here We Are Again.'”
Do a quick search on youtube and you can find clips of them singing songs from things like The Mikado and doing satire on television advertising. As primitive as it might seem when compared to modern television, this was a children’s show with a whiff of sophistication.
How To Use A Semicolon Correctly
An evening pause: Time for some lessons in sentence structure and the history of an obscure bit of punctuation.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
Elvis Presley – C.C Rider
An evening pause: Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Wernher von Braun material up for auction
Original material by Wernher von Braun that formed the basis for three classic 1950s coffee table books about the future of space is up for auction.
A collection of some of the most important seminal documents of the Space Age are open for bids as rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun’s “Man Will Conquer Space Soon” archive goes on the block. A collection of signed technical drawings, schematics, memos, orbital diagrams, and mathematical calculations related to von Braun’s efforts to sell an ambitious space program to both the American public and the US government, it’s the centerpiece of the Space and Aviation Auction at Boston-based RR Auction through April 19.
On March 22, 1952, the American weekly feature magazine Collier’s hit the newsstands. Among its usual mixture of advertisements and articles was the first of a series of features that would run for the next two years. These seemed like the wildest science fiction at the time, but would become established fact within a surprisingly few years. The series was called “Man Will Conquer Space Soon” and included painstakingly detailed color illustrations by magazine artists Chesley Bonestell, Fred Freeman, and Rolf Klep. It outlined a complete program for building an unmanned satellite, a manned space shuttle, a space station, an expedition to set up an outpost on the Moon, and topped it off with the conquest of Mars.
Later compiled into and expanded by three coffee table books – Across the Space Frontier (1952), Conquest of the Moon (1953), and The Exploration of Mars (1956) – the series was the brainchild of Wernher von Braun, one of the great rocket pioneers of the 20th century. He was the man behind Germany’s V2 rocket, and architect of the Saturn V booster that would send the first men to the Moon on the Apollo missions.
Those coffee table books are three of my most prized books in my somewhat large library. Anyone who was involved in the 1960s space race read them. When I was old enough to read I found them in my local library. They formed the basis of Disney movies, television shows, and rides at Disneyland. Other Hollywood productions were influenced by them. And most important of all, young men like Jim Lovell were influenced by them, making them want to be astronauts.
10 Songs You’ve Heard and Don’t Know the Name
An evening pause: Hat tip Jeff Poplin, who asks, “How many do you know?”
Jimi Hendrix On An Acoustic Guitar
An evening pause: There are two clips, with the second beginning at 4:37. This is I think more interesting than good. The first clip is well shot, but it clearly is an unfinished music video because Hendrix himself I think was unsatisfied with his performance. The second is better performed, as it is a improvised performance at what appears to be a party. Regardless, they are worth watching because even when he played below par you can see he is playing at a level above most.
Hat tip Michael Nelson.
Marina Sirtis tells the costume story
An evening pause: For fans of Star Trek: the Next Generation, this will be especially funny. The filming isn’t great, but it is worth it to stick with it to the end.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
R.I.P. Ed Charles
Ed “Glider” Charles, the third basemen for 1969 Miracle Mets of New York, has passed away at 84.
Few today will know his name. No matter. Charles was a poet, a kind soul, a leader of men, and a fine athlete. From the article:
The Mets released a statement on the Glider’s passing. “Ed Charles, our beloved Glider and Poet Laureate of the 1969 Mets, was one of the kindest and warmest people ever to be a Met. His essays and poems inspired his teammates to the improbable World Series championship. With Jackie Robinson as his role model, Ed perpetuated a legacy of making a positive impact on other people’s lives. Everyone at the Mets are sending condolences, thoughts and prayers to Ed’s longtime companion Lavonnie Brinkley, his two sons Edwin and Eric, sister Virginia Charles and brother Elder.”
For those who lived and watched the incredible, now almost unbelievable miracle that produced the 1969 World Champion New York Mets, Ed Charles is a person who will never be forgotten.
University of Chicago to cease support of Yerkes in October 2018
The University of Chicago announced today that it will cease all support of the Yerkes Observatory, home of the world’s largest refractive telescope, in October 2018.
The University of Chicago has announced plans to wind down its activities at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wis., over the next six months and to formally cease on-site operations by Oct. 1, 2018.
The upcoming summer season will therefore be the final season of University activities at Yerkes. The University is announcing the plans well in advance in order to engage with Yerkes staff and nearby communities, including the village of Williams Bay, in considering long-term plans for the property.
The telescope is no longer useful for scientific research, but it is historically important, and as the press release admits, “has continued to make important contributions through its education and outreach programs.” And while I can understand their decision, they sure didn’t leave the staff at Yerkes much time to find new backers. When the National Science Foundation decided it was dropping support for its telescopes at Kitt Peak, it gave them literally several years to round up new support.
Betty Hutton – Murder, He Says
An evening pause: Performed live, November 1943.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.