Former Pakistan Prime Minister Bhutto was assassinated this morning.
Rachael is kind of freaking out because Benazir Bhutto was the featured speaker at Mary Baldwin College last October. Mookie was there, and shook hands with Bhutto after her address.
A quote from that day:
To me, there is nothing more un-Islamic than discrimination, there is nothing more un-Islamic than discrimination and violence against women, and there is certainly nothing more un-Islamic than terrorism.
Tragically prophetic.
I talked a while back about podiobooks.com, and how I've been listening to a few different audiobooks while at work. So far, so great.
One I especially wanted to mention is Great Moments in History. By packaging memorable events in a modern "breaking news" format, you hear analysis of the action from various viewpoints, on-the-scene interviews, and an unfolding of the story that is rich in details that dry history books discard as superfluous.
For instance, during the description of the British surrender at Yorktown, we learn that French Admiral de Grasse, who was blockading the British from the sea and preventing reinforcements from landing, suffered from asthma to such an extent that he sent a deputy to the formal surrender ceremony. Similar details are given in every episode, from the trial and death of Socrates to Thermopylae to Hastings to Salem for the witch trials, and more. Altogether an extraordinary experience.
Highly, highly recommended.
Over at The Dangerous and Daring Blog for Boys and Girls, Victor has posted a nifty piece entitled: How People Lived: The Dial Telephone.
I love this part:
At midnight on Saturday, May 28, 1927, the city of Fresno was converting to dial telephones, so the phone company released this public service announcement to the local theaters, to teach people how to use that brand-new piece of equipment...the dial telephone.
He includes the link to an online archive video showing the PSA, which you can see by clicking the links above (and yes, I'm asking you to follow a link to a link just to drive more traffic to The Dangerous Blog. Neener neener). Well worth it.
I didn't know this. In 1954, President Eisenhower initiated Operation Wetback:
The operation began in California and Arizona and coordinated 1,075 Border Patrol agents along with state and local police agencies to mount an aggressive crackdown, going as far as police sweeps of Mexican-American neighborhoods and random stops and ID checks of "Mexican-looking" people in a region with many Native Americans and native Hispanics.[1] Some 750 agents targeted agricultural areas with a goal of 1000 apprehensions a day. By the end of July, over 50,000 aliens were caught in the two states. Around 488,000 people fled the country for fear of being apprehended. By September, 80,000 had been taken into custody in Texas, and the INS estimates that 500,000-700,000 illegals had left Texas voluntarily. To discourage re-entry, buses and trains took many illegals deep within Mexico before being set free.
The Llama Butchers note that today is the anniversary of the battle between the Monitor and the Virginia (aka Merrimac). That rang a bell, faintly, and I recalled a post I made way back on the history of ironclads in the US Navy. There were more of them than you realize.
In 1942, shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters hockey club was born.
Brainstorm of Lieutenant Commander C. R. MacLean, a former player from Michigan and personnel officer at Curtis Bay Yards in Maryland, the Cutters played through the 1942-43 and 1943-44 seasons in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League, considered to be one of the most competitive leagues of its time.
They also played a number of exhibition games and once, at Carlin's Iceland in Baltimore, their home ice, the Cutters went head-on against the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
The Cutters took two league championships in their brief history, and the team was broken up when the Coast Guard came under pressure because the guys were playing hockey when so many others were in combat.
Go read, and learn about a little-known bit of frozen history.
On the way to our monthly rocket launches, we would pass an old stone building just off the interstate (I-66, west of Manassas). Set back into some woods, the building was multi-storied but just a shell, lacking even a roof. We always wondered about it, but never took the time to take the next exit and backtrack to try to learn more.
Recently, we noticed some work being done on the old building, and there is now a sign posted that included a website address.
The building is known as Chapman's Mill. There's some fascinating history about the people and building itself, and here's a teaser:
Some other interesting facts about Nathaniel Chapman: He was the executor of both Augustine and Lawrence Washington's estates. His wife's mother was the half sister of Mary Ball Washington--Augustine Washington's second wife. His daughter Lucy, married Samuel Washington the brother of George Washington.
Head on over and get edjumacated.
Iva Toguri, age 90, passed away yesterday. You've heard of "Tokyo Rose", now read the tragic story of the woman falsely convicted of being an American traitor.
Thank you Q&O for the pointer.
Here's an animated US history lesson that I linked to back in September of 2003. It's still cool.
Nancy Kenney was 2 years old when she last saw her father. He never returned from his final mission aboard the submarine USS Lagarto during WWII. The boat was lost with all hands in the Gulf of Thailand in May, 1945. The wreckage was rediscovered only last year.
Navy divers on Friday completed a six-day survey of the wreckage site. They took photos and video of the 311-foot, 9-inch submarine for further analysis by naval archeologists.The divers found twin 5-inch gun mounts on the forward and rear parts of the ship - a feature believed to be unique to the Lagarto.
They also saw the word "Manitowoc" displayed on the submarine's propeller, providing a connection to the Manitowoc, Wis., shipyard that built the Lagarto in the 1940s.
Eighty-six sailors died when the Lagarto sank in May 1945. The Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka reported dropping depth charges and sinking a U.S. sub in the area, though it was never known what ship it destroyed.
Ms. Kenney is relieved and at peace, because after 60 years she now knows where her father rests.
The Navy considers the sea to be a proper final resting place for "our people who are killed in action," according to a Navy spokesman. The wreck will not be disturbed.
That's one heck of a Father's Day present.
Uncle Sam does, and he's had it for half a century now.
Happy 50th Birthday to the B52 Stratofortress. One seriously bad mofo.
Thanks to Transterrestrial Musings for the pointer.
From the December 4, 2005 New York Times (sorry, no link):
The last of the Ziegfeld Girls is still dancing.Doris Eaton Travis, Broadway's longest-running performer, is planning to waltz again at the New Amsterdam Theater for two nights in March. When the curtain
rises again at her old stomping grounds, Mrs. Travis will be 102.The last of the Ziegfeld Follies girls, Doris Eaton Travis, 101, will dance again next year on Broadway. "The New Amsterdam is where I started," Mrs. Travis said recently from her ranch in Norman, Okla. "And that's where it looks like I'm going to finish."
Mrs. Travis, the honorary president of the National Ziegfeld Club in New York, which raises money for indigent women in show business, was 14 when she became a member of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1918, joining a legion of long-legged lovelies in a variety show created by the impresario Florenz Ziegfeld. Along with two sisters and two brothers who also appeared in the Follies - which featured singers and comics as dancers and ran from 1907 until 1931, the year before Mr. Ziegfeld's death - Mrs. Travis worked the stage alongside stars like Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice and Will Rogers.
For the past eight years, she has returned to New York to help raise money for
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, dusting off old dance numbers like the swing trot and the black bottom before several thousand theatergoers who probably missed her opening act 87 years ago."Every year, she brings down the house," said Nils Hanson, administrator of the Ziegfeld Club. "She's the darling of Broadway, a New York treasure."
When Mrs. Travis first performed for Broadway Cares in 1998, she was joined by four other original Ziegfeld Girls, all of whom have since died.
Last month, when the former Ziegfeld dancer Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson died in Manhattan at 100, Mrs. Travis became the sole survivor of a bygone era of song and dance, when the Follies shared Broadway marquees with the likes of Fred and Adele Astaire and Bob Hope.
"It's a strange feeling to know that all of that is gone," she said. "It can get kind of lonely."
Mrs. Travis says that she is overcome by a sense of nostalgia whenever she steps onto her old stage. "I think back to all the beautiful people I danced with, all the beautiful numbers, hearing that wonderful applause," she said. "It was a beautiful era, and there hasn't been anything like it since."Mrs. Travis remembers Mr. Ziegfeld as a man determined to "create an environment of beauty and grace," when putting together his Follies shows. "He would always scrutinize our costumes," she said. "He always wanted to make sure that there was nothing vulgar about the way we dressed, and that we were all a picture of elegance out there on stage."
Mrs. Travis and her siblings grew up in Washington and began their careers as child actors with Poli's Theater there. By 1913, before Mrs. Travis turned 10, she was performing at Poli's in front of huge Friday night audiences, which sometimes included President Woodrow Wilson. "The president loved coming to our theater," Mrs. Travis recalled. "During curtain calls, we would wave to him, and he would wave back at us."
After leaving New York in 1938, Mrs. Travis opened the first Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Detroit, building a successful chain of 18 of those studios throughout Michigan, which she operated for 30 years. In 1970, she moved to Norman to live on an 880-acre ranch with her husband, Paul Travis, who died two years ago. She continues to keep her spirits and her rhythm alive by teaching country-western dancing at a small club near her home.
"Listen now, some days I get up and I don't feel like doing the Charleston," she said. "But I still feel pretty good, and I still love to dance."
In 1992, at the age of 88, Mrs. Travis became the oldest student to graduate from the University of Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in history. Two years ago, she was the lead author of "Days We Danced: The Story of My Theatrical Family From Florenz Ziegfeld to Arthur Murray" (Marquand Books).
"It seems strange to me," she said, "that of everyone from that world, this old Follies Girl is the last one standing."
And the last one dancing.
There's a current photo of this amazing lady in the extended entry.
Doris Eaton, last surviving Ziegfeld Girl, 2005.
This is awe-inspiring.
More than 60 years after the formation of a pioneering group of black pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, three of its aging members visited their former unit in Balad, a city just north of Baghdad."This is the new Air Force, this is the Air Force that represents America, all of it. It is not an organization of African American pilots trying to break the segregation system - they have done it," Lt. Col. Lee Archer, 85, said Friday in a telephone interview from Balad, where the 332 Expeditionary Air Wing is based.
Col. Archer is America's first black Ace from World War II.
Archer, of New York City, said the new unit "reflects the entire image of America. In that dining room was everything that makes America what it is: black, white, Asian, Pacific islanders, people from different parts of Europe. This is what America is."He was one of three original Tuskegee Airmen in Balad. Archer was accompanied by retired Tech. Sgt. George Watson Sr., 85, from New Jersey and Master Sgt. James A. Shepherd, 81, from Maine. The visit was arranged by Air Force officials to link the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen with a new generation.
Of the many things that the United States military does well, possibly the most underappreciated by the civilian world is how it quietly emphasizes the historical significance of the various units to it's warriors. You can bet that this reminder of the 332nd's beginnings has boosted morale even higher and subtly pointed out that the men and women in that unit have a mighty big legacy to live up to. By all accounts, they are.
Read more about the Tuskegee Airmen here.
So you know I love this site full of the history of cookies!
Thanks to James at Starfighter's Model Blog for the pointer.
Apparently Americans have a habit of vandalizing statues of those we consider tyrants. All the way back to July 9, 1776.
Later that night, American troops destroyed a bronze-lead statue of Great Britain's King George III that stood at the foot of Broadway on the Bowling Green [New York - RJ]. The statue was later molded into bullets for the American Army.
That's from an exhibit of the Declaration of Independence at the Library of Congress.
He revolutionized electronic music. Rob over at Left & Right has more.
Jack Parsons was one of the founding members of the famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Prior to WWII, he was part of a group researching rocket propulsion.
Parsons, moreover, came up with the first "castable" rocket fuel (so called because it could be cast in a mold), replacing conventional black powder with an asphalt mix. This innovation made rocket fuel safer and easier to handle, and set the stage for the use of solid fuels by the space shuttle and other spacecraft in later decades.
He was also rather better known as a figure in the world of the occult.
Try a google on "Jack Parsons" for a whole slew of odd sites. For instance, there's Jack Parsons & the Curious Origins of the American Space Program or this Rotten Library entry on the man.
There are at least two biographies available from Amazon: Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons, and a newer one Strange Angel : The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons.
Happy (327th) Birthday to composer Antonio Vivaldi.
Wallops Island is Virginia's designated Spaceport. It was named for John Wallop, a 17th-century surveyor who began patenting land on Virginia's eastern shore in the 1660's. In 1672 he received a Crown Patent of the 13-square-kilometer island from King Charles II, and in his will John Wallop referred to "my island formerly called Keeckotank." It was also known as Accocomoson or Occocomoson Island, but has borne the name "Wallops Island" for more than 260 years.
Source: "Origins of NASA Names" by Wells, Whiteley, and Karegeannes, NASA SP-4402, 1976
The Little Joe II series of rockets did for Apollo what the Little Joe I did for Mercury*.
From Rockets of the World:
In order to make the flight to the moon, the Apollo spacecraft was launched atop a six million pound tank of explosive liquids called the Saturn V.
Once again, a Launch Escape System (LES) was fitted to the nose of the capsule to move the astronauts out of harms way during the boost phase, and the Little Joe II program was designed to test the LES.
At it's most basic level, the Little Joe II consisted of a series of structural rings covered by commercially available sheets of corrugated aluminum. Four fixed fins provided guidance, with additional control surfaces added on later flights.
The first Little Joe II flight took place in August, 1963 at White Sands missile range in New Mexico.
On the final test flight, as the rocket ascended it was intentionally sent into a wicked tumble before the LES was activated. It performed flawlessly, proving the system would work under worst-case conditions.
In all, just five Little Joe II flights were made. Studies were made to extend the program to test the Apollo Lunar Module, but the idea never went beyond wind-tunnel testing (the Little Joe II/LM stack proved dynamically unstable). There was even a proposal for an orbital version.
There are some really nice photos here at the Field Guide to American Spacecraft.
If you'd like to build a flyable model rocket version of the Little Joe II, JimZ has the original Estes plans available for free online.
*I've discovered some errors in the original post. Corrections have been made and noted.
That's Dr. Robert Goddard, and the image came from NASA's GRIN (Great Images In Nasa) site, an amazing resource for historical photos about aerospace and space.
Each image is available for downloading in several sizes and resolutions, and also have additional information about the photos.
From the site description of this photo:
Dr. Robert H. Goddard at a blackboard at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1924. Goddard began teaching physics in 1914 at Clark and in 1923 was named the Director of the Physical Laboratory. In 1920 the Smithsonian Institution published his seminal paper A Method for Reaching Extreme Altitudes where he asserted that rockets could be used to send payloads to the Moon. Declaring the absurdity of rockets ever reaching the Moon, the press mocked Goddard and his paper, calling him "Moon Man." To avoid further scrutiny Goddard eventually moved to New Mexico where he could conduct his research in private. Dr. Goddard, died in 1945, but was probably as responsible for the dawning of the Space Age as the Wrights were for the beginning of the Air Age. Yet his work attracted little serious attention during his lifetime. However, when the United States began to prepare for the conquest of space in the 1950's, American rocket scientists began to recognize the debt owed to the New England professor. They discovered that it was virtually impossible to construct a rocket or launch a satellite without acknowledging the work of Dr. Goddard.
Check it out, tons of history and pictures.
Another archeological find.
"This is the location of one of the biggest battles in Greek history ... where a huge army from the east was assembled against Rome," the official, Vassilis Aravantinos, said.The site near Orchomenos, about 75 miles northwest of Athens, was recorded by the Greek historian Plutarch. But the actual location of the long-sought monument — originally believed to stand 23 feet — was a mystery until last month, when the farmer plowing his fields stumbled upon a buried column that led researchers to uncover the monument's stone base.
When my neighbor digs, he hits the gas line and the neighborhood is evacuated.
In far northern California is the little rural town of Weaverville. In Weaverville is a beautiful little part of the California State Parks system called The Joss House (refresh that link for more pictures too).
The temple is the oldest continuously used Chinese temple in California. On display are art objects, pictures, mining tools, and weapons used in the 1854 Tong War. This Taoist temple is still a place of worship and a fascinating look into the role played by Chinese immigrants in early California history. The temple was built in 1874 as a replacement for another that had burned.
My family visited the Joss House occasionally because the head ranger there was an old friend of my dad.
The temple and museum contain some striking pieces of Chinese history. Check out this page for some beautiful pictures of the temple and it's contents, especially the traditional Lion headdress (scroll to the the bottom).
Related sites and more information can be found here and here.
There's more in the extended entry about the 1854 Tong War and life for early Chinese immigrants.
The 1854 Tong War occured in Tuolumne County, California over a mining claim between the Yum Wo and Sam Yup Companies. The pitched battle, complete with gongs and drums, wrought-iron pikes and shields involved more than 500 Chinese and 2,000 spectators, and resulted in relatively few casualties.
And finally, for an idea of what Chinese immigrants had to deal with in early California, here's an excerpt from a timeline I googled up when looking for information about the Joss House.
1850
California imposes Foreign Miner's Tax, mainly against the Chinese. There are 25,000 Chinese in California. 1854
California state law prohibits people of color from testifying against a white person in court.
People v. Hall rules that Chinese can not give testimony in court. 1857
San Francisco opens a school for Chinese children (changed to an evening school two years later). 1858
California passes a law to bar entry of Chinese and "Mongolians." 1859
Chinese are barred from attending public schools in San Francisco. 1860
California enacts a law to tax Chinese engaged in fishing. 1862
Central Pacific railroad imports Chinese laborers.
California imposes a "police tax" of $2.50 a month on every Chinese. 1864
Over 10,000 Chinese work for the Central Pacific. 1868
The Burlingame Treaty between the United States and China is ratified for free immigration of citizens of both countries. 1869
Transcontinental railroad is completed leaving many Chinese laborers out of job. 1871
Chinese are massacred in October in Los Angeles.
The Queue Ordinance of San Francisco requires all prisoners in San Francisco jails to have their hair cut to no more than one inch long (the 'queue' refers to Chinese pigtails).
San Francisco passes an anti-Chinese Cubic Air Ordinance requiring at least 500 cubic feet air space per inhabitant. 1872
California Civil Procedure Code drops law barring Chinese court testimony. 1873
San Francisco passes Laundry Ordinance penalizing Chinese laundrymen for not using horses or horse-drawn delivery vehicles. 1875
Page Law bars entry of Chinese, Japanese, and "Mongolian" prostitutes, felons, and contract laborers. 1877
Anti-Chinese riots breaks out in Chico, California to protest the use of cheap Chinese labor. 1878
California Constitutional Convention completes a new constitution that calls for restriction of citizenship to natives or foreigners of Mongolian blood and prohibiting corporations from employing Chinese laborers. 1879
Congress passes Fifteen Passenger Bill on February 22 which limits ships crossing the Pacific to no more than 15 Chinese passengers. President Rutherford D. Hayes vetoes the bill, because it contradicts the terms of the Burlingame Treaty.
California adopts a new constitution on May 7 forbidding employment of Chinese labor.
Some interesting choices, and as with any list, mucho room for argument.
I put their top 50 in the extended entry (still looking for a link to the whole thing).
1. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
2. Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
3. Imagine - John Lennon
4. What's Going On? - Marvin Gaye
5. Respect - Aretha Franklin
6. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
7. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
8. Hey Jude - The Beatles
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
10. What'd I say? - Ray Charles
11. My Generation - The Who
12. A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
13. Yesterday - The Beatles
14. Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan
15. London Calling - The Clash
16. I want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
17. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
18. Maybellene - Chuck Berry
19. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
20. Let It Be - The Beatles
21. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
22. By My Baby - The Ronettes
23. In My Life - The Beatles
24. People Get Ready - The Impressions
25. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
26. A Day In The Life - The Beatles
27. Layla - Derek and the Dominoes
28. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding
29. Help - The Beatles
30. I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
31. Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
32. Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones
33. River Deep, Mountain High - Ike and Tina Turner
34. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - Righteous Brothers
35. Light My Fire - The Doors
36. One - U2
37. No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley and The Wailers
38. Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
39. That'll Be the Day - Buddy Holly and the Crickets
40. Dancing in the Street - Martha and the Vandellas
41. The Weight - The Band
42. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
43. Tutti Frutti - Little Richard
44. Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles
45. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
46. Heroes - David Bowie
47. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
48. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
49. Hotel California - The Eagles
50. The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
TV Dinners celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Thanks to Rand Simberg at Transterrestrial Musings for the pointer.
In September I posted here about a search for the mysterious Spider Pool. Seen in numerous vintage nude photo sets, some members of the newsgroup alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.vintage have been piecing together clues and photographs like a long-forgotten puzzle. Photo archives have been searched and sets identified, sometimes with little more than the pattern on a ladies skirt in two different photos. The fact that the pool may be dated from the 1930's or even earlier only added to the challenge.
Slowly, the pieces started to fit, and then last weekend, the Spider Pool was found.
(more in the extended entry)
From the couple who discovered the original site:
Ultimately, the "Cupola" building photo was the one that we used to find the Spider Pool property. The "Graces" photos gave us a defined area in and around Pacific View drive. We started down near the Barham & Hollywood freeway intersection looking up into the hills. We identified what we believed to be the "Cupola" building which is quite visible today. First and foremost, the "Cupola" is no cupola. It is merely a large chimney on a two-story Spanish style house. Today that chimney lacks the metal cover which gave the appearance of windows to many who examined the old photos. Little did we know that our first few photos from that position near Barham actually showed a small portion of a Spider pool wall that we later identified from another location with a high powered telescope.Moving up the hill and south along the eastern side of the Hollywood freeway we found what we believed to be an advantageous spot at a ridge above the Hollywood Reservoir. This location was slightly below the roof of the "Cupola" building on the opposite side of the Hollywood freeway. There we setup my optical surveying instrument (I am an architect) and aimed it at the "Cupola" building. Now taking into account the information in the "Cupola" building photo. One, that the Spider pool is higher in elevation than the "Cupola" building. Two, the "Cupola" house is oriented in such a way that the main axis of the building points to a position past (north) of the Spider pool. Using the "Cupola" building main axis orientation as a maximum position north and knowing the Spider pool's elevation was higher. We had a tightly defined area to search as the only a small portion of the next ridge beyond was both north and above the "Cupola: building when viewed through the survey instrument. There a small section of white wall with rounded crenellations was barely visible through the survey instrument in the light rain.
We ran home and got the high powered telescope (not easy to move) and returned to the same location as I had the survey instrument setup. By this time the rain had stopped and the sun had come out late in the day back lighting the area in question. Everything was washed out. We couldn't make out any detail. We then moved the telescope north along the ridge until we found a location where a large tree blocked the sun from our lens. Still difficult to make out any detail but my wife began to focus on a slightly darker section of the wall. She screamed, "I see it, the spider, it's still there." Not only was the spider visible, the tile surround was still intact.
Now, go check out the photo here (safe for work), and compare it with the discovery photo here (this too is safe for work).
This is just too cool.
More from the couple who made the discovery:
The remnants of the Spider Pool are essentially just the back wall with some planters and mosaic tiles and, of course the mosaic of the spider in its web. I never noticed before that there is actually a raised wasp caught in that web!Unfortunately, the pool itself must have collapsed with the hillside years ago. A few blue tiles can be found on the grounds and part of the pool deck (with the broken tile) closest to the wall still remains. Fortunately, the back wall survives because it is essentially holding up the hillside.
Look for the pictures to be posted at the blog Search for the Spider Pool (not safe for work). There you'll find most all of the original photo sets and the reconstructions. Also, it's fascinating reading as you go through the entries and see the mystery unraveled.
There's plenty more to uncover though. Who built it? Why a spider?
Congrats folks, you've all done yourselves proud!
Twenty five years ago today, radical Islam declared war on America by attacking the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Sixty six Americans were taken hostage and held for more than a year.
We didn't start this war, and it took a while for most of us to actually believe it was happening, despite the evidence right in front of our eyes. Beruit, USS Cole, Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the bomb in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center, Khobar towers bombing and many many more. 9/11 was the date of their most successful attack, not their first.
I found them while searching for old baseball cards, but there's so much more. Hours of fascination for those with a love of history.
The US Library of Congress Online Collections Finder.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress, 2,100 early baseball cards dating from 1887 to 1914.
And here's a nifty site that includes some 30,000 vintage baseball card photos (click the "OBC Specials" button), and an article about Topps, the all-time king of baseball cards, and some of their more obscure card sets and collections (click their "Library" button, then select the "Topps Insert, Test And Supplemental Baseball Issues 1949-1980"). It sounds dry, but there's a ton of interesting history to be found inside.
Years ago (1938 to be precise) four brothers, Abram, Ira, Joseph and Philip Shorin, erstwhile cigar manufacturers, established a chewing gum company in Brooklyn (where else?). Wanting to select a name that would let the public know how good their gum was and they settled on Topps (the extra "p" was for effect) and unwittingly created what was to become the largest bubble gum card entity in the Western Hemisphere. At some point, most probably toward the end of World War II, or just after, they began marketing their famous Bazooka bubble gum and yet another American institution was born. Looking for ways to increase product exposure, Abram hit upon the idea of packaging their bubble gum with trading cards. This was in 1948 and things have never been the same...
Just for fun, I googled the phrase "Baseball Oddities" and here's a sampling of what popped up.
"Despite my enduring respect, there are many attributes of the game that make me scratch my head." -- Aaron Arkin.
Four things that don't really make sense: Pitchers that can't hit, arguing balls and strikes, coaches in uniforms and pitchers wearing a windbreaker when they run the bases.
Here's a quiz about odd baseball stats and trivia. It's tough, I only scored 6 correct out of 15!
In May, 2001, Baseball Digest printed an article about the Nine Strangest Major League Games. Good stuff.
This next one had me laughing. A Day at the Ballpark - with Middle-Schoolers. In it, the author talks about a surreal day watching the Oakland A's taking on the Boston Red Sox.
Middle schooler: How much for the sodas?Vendor: Three dollars.
Middle schooler (with a very sarcastic look on his face): No, for reals, how much?
Vendor : (remains silent, but obviously thinking of a very bad word)
Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy changed his last name and became forever known as Connie Mack. After eleven seasons as a catcher in the major leagues, he managed for a couple of years and then bought the Philadelphia Athletics in 1901. When New York Giants manager John McGraw called the Athletics "a white elephant nobody wanted," Mack adopted a white elephant as the team's logo, which the Athletics have used off and on ever since.
Connie Mack loved baseball, but he never let himself forget that it was a business.
... he once confided that it was more profitable to have a team get off to a hot start, then ultimately finish fourth. "A team like that will draw well enough during the first part of the season to show a profit for the year, and you don't have to give the players raises when they don't win," he said. The most famous example of Mack's tight-fistedness came on July 10, 1932, when the Athletics played a one-game series with the Cleveland Indians. To save train fare, Mack only brought two pitchers. The starting pitcher was knocked out of the game in the first inning, leaving only knuckleballing relief pitcher Eddie Rommel. Rommel pitched 17 innings and gave up 33 hits, but won the game, 18-17.
In the 1890's, the Baltimore Orioles were first a National League team before moving to the American League. Their 3rd baseman during those years was John McGraw. He displayed a talent for innovation within the game and his desire to win was fierce. Among his credits, he helped develop the hit-and-run and suicide squeeze play. McGraw was an excellent player, hitting over .320 nine seasons in a row and leading the majors in runs scored twice.
After retiring from the field, he took charge as manager of the New York Giants. In 31 years as manager, his teams won 10 pennants, finished second 11 times and took home three World Series trophies.
His 2,840 wins rank only behind Connie Mack in baseball history. On July 6, 1933, John McGraw came out of retirement to manage the NL in the first All-Star Game. He died less than a year later.
One interesting article I found while researching this talks about John McGraw and the Negro Leagues.
McGraw was a man ahead of his time. He tried to sneak a man past baseball's Color Barrier nearly fifty years before Branch Rickey. In 1901 as a manager of the old Baltimore Orioles McGraw brought second baseman Charlie Grant to training camp. Claiming that Grant was actually "Chief Tokohama," a Native American, McGraw hoped to use Grant's talents in the coming year's pennant chase. The problem with this was that Grant was by no means a Native American. He had played the previous year for the Columbia Giants, a Negro Leagues outfit. Charles Comiskey caught wind of this and the hammer came down. That season Charlie Grant again played for the Columbia Giants.
In 1934, the St. Louis Cardinals fielded possibly their best-ever team. Loud, bold and brash, they became known as "The Gashouse Gang", and can be summed up thus:
"It ain't braggin' if you can do it." --Dizzy Dean
The Gashouse Gang won the World Series in seven games over the Detroit Tigers, with each Dean brother picking up two wins.
In 1947, six years after retiring from baseball, Dizzy Dean was the sportscaster for the St. Louis Browns. The Browns were terrible year after year, and probably best known for bringing in a pinch-hitting midget. In exasperation, Dizzy one day stated on the air that he could do better than the team on the field. Management took him up on the boast and allowed him to start the last game of the season. Dizzy Dean took the mound, allowed no runs in four innings, and rapped a double in his only at bat.
Forever identified in baseball lore for "Merkle's Boner", 19 year old Fred Merkle was first baseman for the New York Giants when the blunder happened.
The play itself was clouded by contradictory affidavits by players, conflicting opinions by various baseball officials, and protests lodged by both teams over the umpires' handling of the incident.The confusion started when Merkle, the runner on first, failed to touch second after an apparent game-winning base hit. Instead, he turned back toward the dugout, as was customary at the time, when he saw the run cross the plate. As the happy Polo Grounds crowd filed across the field towards the centerfield gate, second baseman Johnny Evers got the ball and stepped on second, claiming a forceout which negated the winning run. With the fans already crowding the field, the game could not be played to a decision, and had to be replayed.
Fred Merkle played in three World Series with the NY Giants, another with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and a fifth with the Chicago Cubs, and all ended up losing. In 1926 he was a coach for the New York Yankees when they made it to the World Series, and they lost too.
Fred Merkle never won the World Series, but he made it there six times. Not many players can say that.
If you're feeling a sense of deja vu about this post, it's because I covered the exact same subject last year during the World Series. Doh!
Who? Just four of the guys who played on the last Boston Red Sox team to win a World Series, in 1918.
From the book Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox, by Allan J. Wood:
In 1918, the United States was struggling through the first World War. An epidemic of influenza took the lives of more than 650,000 Americans. Fuel shortages and food rationing were daily facts of life. Against this chaotic backdrop, the Red Sox began their quest for an unprecedented fifth World Series title. And a young Boston player named Babe Ruth began his historic transformation from ace pitcher to the greatest slugger the game has ever known.
This page links to the box scores for the series (in six games over the Cubs), and here's a chronological list of baseball happenings that year.
Grab a dog and a brew, and enjoy some baseball history.
Last night on the History Channel I watched a show that touched on the famous battle between the ironclads Monitor and the Merrimac.
For some reason (ok, it's my limited imagination, satisfied?), I never thought of the Monitor as anything but a one-off, a unique design that fit the circumstances of the moment. I knew that because of the low freeboard - only 12" above the surface of the water - the original Monitor sank during an attempt to navigate the open ocean. What I didn't know was that because of the success of the original Monitor, six further classes of that type of warship were built by the US.
The nine ships of the Canonicus class displaced 2,100 tons and were supposed to have a top speed of 8 knots, though they never quite reached it. Armament consisted of two 15-inch Dahlgren guns mounted in a revolving armored turret, and ship's crew was 100 officers and men. Like all monitors, they were designed for river and close coastal work.
From this nice site about Civil War Monitors:
Five of these nine ships saw action during the Civil War. The Canonicus operated in the James River, then in blockade service, and in attacks on Fort Fisher: the Saugus saw extensive service in the James River and in the assault on Wilmington; the Tecumseh operated in the James River, then in the Gulf of Mexico. It was mined in Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864 and sunk almost immediately; the Manhattan operated also in the Gulf of Mexico, including attacks on Mobile Bay; the Mahopac participated in the attacks on Charleston and Wilmington, and also operated in the James and Appomattox Rivers. The Wyandotte, the Ajax, the Catawaba and the Oneota were never commissioned.
Peru later bought two of the US ironclads, which participated (rather ineffectually) in their war against Chile.
There are some fine photographs here of various classes of monitors, showing the variations and evolution that they underwent during their run. If for no other reason, they are remarkable for transforming modern naval warfare from the classic "steer the entire boat to aim a broadside" into the flexible tactics allowed by turretted arms used ever since.
The last of the type, the USS Cheyenne, was decommissioned in 1937.
Or maybe it was just truth in advertising. Either way, enjoy these authentic vintage produce labels (in the extended entry - pinup quality stuff, no nudity).
Mount St. Helens may erupt again.
Last time she did, here's what happened - before and after.
The rest of the photo gallery is here. Thanks to My Pet Jawa for the pointer.
While this is not even close to the scope of the CBS story, this one's been going on quite a bit longer. A group of collectors over on the alt.binaries.pictures.eroctica.vintage newsgroup have been having a grand ol' time for several years, trading old postcards and scanning girlie magazines from way back when. I visit occasionally, and contribute once in a blue moon, and you've seen some of their work here on Rocket Jones in various pinups and book covers. There's some real historical knowledge there, as well as a few inevitable trolls and nitwits.
So anyways, a while back someone got curious about a specific series of photographs taken at a location that's come to be known as the "spider pool". There's a picture (safe for work) in the extended entry, along with the rest of the story.
What you see here is the best known picture that gives the spider pool it's name. The one here is reduced in size by 2/3 for the bandwidth impaired, if you're so inclined I'll tell you where to get the original in a moment.
There are a lot of pictures, and a lot of versions of the same pictures on the net, that were taken around the Spider Pool. At least one of the models has been identified, and various clues such as hair style and such give a time frame of late 40's to mid 50's.
The group got to wondering, just where exactly was the Spider Pool located?
Some educated guesses were made (like I said, there's serious knowledge among these folks), and as the group batted around ideas and dissected clues in the photographs like the topography in the background, a general consensus was reached about the vicinity of the Spider Pool. Someone got hold of a topographic map, and eventually a road that seemed to fit the evidence was tracked down. Unfortunately, that lead didn't pan out - it's not disproved, just 'not likely' at this time. So the search continues. It's very possible that the Spider Pool doesn't even exist any more.
This kind of historical sleuthing fascinates me. I'm not involved at all other than as a spectator (and this post now), but I'm enjoying the discussion and discovery process as it goes on. Various leads are being followed besides the terrain and neighborhood clues, including a search for the models themselves or possibly someone who remembers the actual place. The title of the picture above suggests that it may have originally come from a magazine called Exotique.
And now, thanks to a nice lady named debi, there's a blog dedicated to the mystery of the Spider Pool and the search for it. Check it out, but be aware that a lot of the photos there contain nudity.
Any Southern Californians out there wanna take a swing at identifying the locale?
How about a complete Jimi Hendrix concert filmed in 1968 in Stockholm, Sweden?
That meets my definition of buried treasure.
Here's a nifty post about General Tso's chicken, the ubiquitous dish (my personal favorite) that's available at every Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. Meet the General's relatives - yes, he was real - and you'll be surprised at what they say about the recipe that bears his name.
Thanks to Simon and his Asia by Blog link-o-rama.
Over at Q & O (happy birthday guys!), McQ posts a moving and devastatingly effective rebuttal to a comment that I thought cut right to the heart of the matter concerning the Swift Boat Veterans ads.
Until I read the comments, where one Viet Nam veteran summed it all up in as perfect a way as I could ever imagine:
"If Kerry loses, that will be the parade that we never had."
Two recent discoveries that pegged my cool-o-meter:
Archaeologists exploring the bottom of the sea off the island of Capri have found the wrecks of three ancient ships that once plied the Mediterranean between Rome and northern African colonies.They've identified two cargo ships from the first century, another from the fourth, as well as other wrecks ranging in age from medieval times to World War II.
Also announced was this:
A Viking body, believed to be that of a woman who was buried 1,100 years ago, has been discovered at an undisclosed site north of Dublin, Ireland's National Museum said.
August 31st is celebrated by most Baltic states as the official end of World War II, because on that date Russia withdrew her troops.
That's August 31, 1994.
"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." -- Thomas Jefferson
Growing up in northern California you learn different things than you do in other parts of the country. Of course, you learn about the Revolutionary War and The Civil War, and all those tiny states up in the corner where America first began, but you're more exposed to western history and geography. Things like the missions along the El Camino Real, Father Junipero Serra, redwoods and the '49 Gold Rush. Also, you hear about the Donner Party.
The Donner Party were settlers coming to California to homestead. After making a series of bad decisions, they wound up stranded up in the Sierra Nevada mountains for the winter. The winter was harsh and food was scarce, and before the spring thaw arrived half of the original eighty had died, and some had reverted to cannibalism to survive.
My uncle had a wonderful collection of books in his home, and one was about the Donner Party. In this book, diary entries and personal recollections from survivor interviews were gathered to tell their tragic story. These people literally went through frozen hell trying to keep their children and each other alive. Over the years I've read everything I could find on the subject, for it holds a morbid fascination for me.
Archeologists have discovered what they believe to be one of the camps used by the Donner party.
Here's an excellent site that shows the original route and timetable, using quotes from the original sources to create a daily log.
This is a nice resource, with tons of links to related materials.
George "Machine Gun" Kelly (he's the guy wearing the bracelets).
(in the extended entry)
(courtesy of Sporting News)
This season, Barry Bonds has more intentional walks (67) than any hitter in the AL has total walks.
Back in 1934, NY Giants southpaw Carl Hubbell struck out five straight batters in the All-Star game. Those five were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin. All five were easily elected to the Hall of Fame upon retirement.
The starting NL outfield (Bonds, Griffey [doh!] and Sosa), has combined for 1,735 career home runs. The entire AL starting lineup has a total of 1,799 career homers.
Don Rudolph pitched for the Chicago White Sox. On the back of his 1959 baseball card (in the extended entry), besides his stats they note that Don's wife is a professional dancer. Her name was Pat Wiggin, and professional dancer was a delicate way of saying 'stripper'.
I'm trying to track down a picture of her, but there's a bit of a flame war going on in the vintage erotica newsgroup, hence requests for help are getting lost in the mayhem. I remain hopeful.
I noticed a license plate frame announcing the fact that the driver was a Civil War Reenactor.
I can't believe that it's strictly an American phenomenom, but I've never heard of it happening anywhere else. Are there groups in other parts of the world that reenact historical battles? Waterloo? Agincourt?
I'm curious, gonna go Google...
...found a couple. Here's a site that talks about an annual reenactment of a battle between Christian and Muslim forces in 1091, but it looks to be a small-scale representation held in the city square.
Here's a site that talks about an annual event that includes a reenactment of the WWII D-Day landings, from Lake Erie onto the shore at Conneaut, Ohio. This sounds cool.
I like this next one! The Californian Made Up Battle Reenactment Society recreates historically accurate battles which never actually happened. Among their recent reenactments were: Egyptians vs. Aztecs- The Battle of the Credit for Inventing the Pyramid, England vs. USA - The 1899 Battle of the 'Z' Pronuciation, and France vs. Itself - The 1986 Battle of No Point.
I found a site from the Ukraine that seems to be about a group of military history enthusiasts, but it's heavily under construction and I couldn't find a way to their reenactment pages. It appears that they do a reenactment of the 1812 battle of Borodino between Russian forces and Napoleon's invading army.
And of course, as often happens when Googling, I stumbled across some unexpected treasure: the site for the magnificent State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Very impressive online collection, well worth some time spent browsing.
Search results showed that the vast majority of the reencactments are American Civil War era, although I did find a few from the American Revolutionary War and some from other countries.
Yep, he was a cowboy, both in the movies and in real life.
My military service was essentially under two presidents: President Carter and President Reagan. There was a brief period at the beginning under President Ford, and an even shorter time under the senior President Bush.
When President Reagan took the helm, there was a noticable difference in the armed forces. Our Commander in Chief truly believed in us, and we had to live up to his expectations. To him, the military wasn't the backup plan or last option to be played, it was another tool for implementing policy, and few Presidents ever wielded a tool with greater precision or confidence.
Besides the material measures of the strengthening of the US Military, I think his greatest achievment was the rejuvination of the spirit of the armed forces. That may also be, ultimately, the longest lasting effect, because despite the advanced technology and methods employed, the future of the United States rests, as it always has, directly on the shoulders of the men and women who make up the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. A realistic look at history will show that America has never been more secure than it is right now. We can still be hurt, but we are farther from the possibility of our complete downfall than at any previous time in our 200+ years.
Well done, President Reagan.
Iraq isn't Vietnam all over again, but there's more in common with WWII than you might realize. Check out this interesting piece from Alan E. Brain (posted at The Command Post too).
About 35 miles south of Arlington National Cemetery is another National Cemetery, at Quantico, Virginia. Quantico is the headquarters of the US Marine Corps, and is located on the other side of the interstate from the cemetery itself. There actually is a town called Quantico that is completely within the base perimeter, you have to go through the front gate of the base in order to get there. It's a nice enough little town, mostly small apartment buildings and businesses like laundromats for military personnel and featuring an honest-to-Landry Dallas Cowboys bar, smack dab in the middle of Redskins country.
At the main gate of Quantico base is a slightly smaller replica of the monument depicting the second raising of the US flag at Iwo Jima, just like the one in Washington, DC.
But if you go west on the interstate exit, heading away from the base, you'll come to a turnoff for the National Cemetery. Neither as celebrated nor as large as Arlington, Quantico is nevertheless a beautiful and peaceful place. Naturally, being in the heart of Marine country, many of the monuments and markers are dedicated to the Corps. Unlike Arlington, most of the grave markers are horizontal, facing up to the sky, leaving long stretches of perfectly-maintained grass divided by gently curving roads. There are also many wooded areas, and some decent walking trails through the woods, complete with benches and 'reflection stops' that have been built and maintained by Eagle Scout candidates over the years.
It's far from a sterile place because that area of Virginia still maintains huge tracts of undeveloped land. Sit quietly for a while and you'll see multitudes of birds and squirrels, rabbits, deer and the occasional red fox. In fact, one of the problems the staff has is hunters coming onto the grounds at night and poaching deer.
Four times a year, Quantico National Cemetery dresses up. The Avenue of Flags is an impressive thing to see. Hundreds of donated veteran's flags are raised along the roads on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Flag Day.
I went to Quantico National Cemetary early yesterday morning and spent a quiet hour walking around, taking pictures and talking to a few other folks who were there. I added my own silent thanks to those who've served this country that I love.
(pictures are in the extended entry, click the links to open in their own window for the bandwidth-impaired)
This is the front entrance to Quantico National Cemetary. It's open every day of the year during daylight hours.
Flags lining the roads. Those are 20 foot flagpoles.
Quantico flags 1
Quantico flags 2
Quantico flags 3
A young man originally conceived of and built this "Memorial Trail" as his Eagle Scout project. Over the years many markers and memorials have been added.
The beginning of the Memorial Trail
The very first marker on the trail
This one is particularly poignant today.
This overlook is dedicated to the First Marine Raider Battalion and their heroic battle at Guadalcanal. From this point on the trail, you can look out over a field of graves with markers like Arlington, another memorial to the US Marine 6th Division, and the Virginia Veterans Memorial.
We had the honor of attending the dedication of the Virginia Veterans Memorial some years ago, and the simplicity of the design is still striking. The only words are on this first panel, and inside the circle is a simple obelisk with an American flag draped over it, all done in stone. The stars and stripes are alternating areas of polished and plain stone. The monument is a study in grays, and the effect is powerful.
To close, some fitting words from a plaque on the 6th Marine Division memorial:
Happy Memorial Day.
The National Hockey League had survived many years with teams being created and fading away, but the "original six" always survived. They were:
Boston Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
In 1967, the NHL gambled on a major expansion and doubled their size to 12 teams. In the extended entry is a list of those teams, along with pictures of their original sweaters.
Los Angeles Kings
Originally owned by Jack Kent Cooke (known as the 'Squire', he also owned the Washington Redskins football team). The Kings changed their primary colors to purple, black and silver in 1988.
Minnesota North Stars
Moved to Dallas and dropped the 'North' from their name in 1992.
Oakland Seals
My first love and the 'hometown boys' before the Sharks came along. The Seals suffered from poor attendance and in 1976 moved to Cleveland and became the Barons. Two years later the franchise was absorbed into the North Stars. The hideous green and gold color scheme (look familiar?) can be blamed on owner Charley Finley, who bought several professional sports teams (Oakland A's among others) and outfitted them all in kelly green and gold.
Philadelphia Flyers
The most successful expansion franchise, the Flyers have won the Stanley Cup twice in seven appearances.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Their initial home was the Civic Arena, locally nicknamed the "Big Igloo", so the Penguins name seemed like a natural. Their first General Manager hated the name and so copied the blue and white uniform colors of the famed St. Michael's Majors junior team in Toronto. The Penguins changed team colors to gold and black in the 80's. The Penguins franchise has declared bankruptcy twice, matching the number of Stanley Cups they've won. At one time Eddie DeBartolo (former owner of the San Fransisco 49ers) was a major partner.
St. Louis Blues
They've reached the playoffs 25 years in a row, yet during that stretch have never reached the Stanley Cup finals. The Blues have never won a game in the finals, making three appearances (1968-1970), but being swept each year (Montreal twice and Boston once).
More cool archeological news from Mayan ruins. And it's from a different dig than mentioned here.
The National World War II Memorial will assume its central place among Washington's defining landmarks today, opening to the public after nearly two decades of debate and anticipation.The chain-link fences surrounding the $172 million project are to come down early this morning, and visitors will be allowed to enter the 7.4-acre site at 9:30 a.m. -- a month before the memorial is to be officially dedicated Memorial Day weekend.
You can read the rest here, and there are several hi-res renderings of the monument here. The memorial home page can be found here.
In 1926, a syndicate of buyers purchased the Victoria Tigers, moved them to Detroit, and renamed them the Cougars. In 1930 the name changed again to the Falcons, and in 1932 they became the Red Wings.
Madison Square Garden was built primarily for boxing by Tex Rickard, but he got a lot of financing from the Barnum and Bailey Circus. In exchange, he made a deal that allowed the circus to come in every year at a certain time, in perpetuity. That time coincided with the NHL playoffs, and later, when the New York Rangers club formed, they played some playoff series with no home games because of scheduling conflicts.
In 1928, the New York Rangers met the Montreal Maroons in the Stanley Cup finals. During the second period of game 2, a shot hit the Rangers goalie in the eye and he was taken to the hospital (they didn't wear masks in those days). There was no backup goalie available, so the Rangers coach/general manager donned the pads and took the net. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with it since he sometimes played goal during team practice, and the Rangers won the game in overtime. For the rest of the series the Rangers used a goalie who'd spent most of the season in the minors, and they went on to win the hard-fought best-of-five series. Long time hockey fans may recognize the coach's name: Les Patrick.
Patrick was hired to coach the fledgling Rangers, but he inherited a team built by Conn Smythe, who was fired before they played a single game. Bitter over his treatment, Conn Smythe vowed to build a team that would beat the Rangers. In 1927 he purchased the Toronto St. Pats, changed their name to the Maple Leafs and their colors from green and white to blue and white. In 1932 the Leafs won the Stanley Cup.
When Chicago was awarded a franchise, the Black Hawks signed most of the players from the powerhouse Portland franchise of the newly-defunct Western Canadian Hockey League. In 1934 the Black Hawks won their first Stanley Cup behind the stellar play of goalie Chuck Gardiner. Gardiner had been ill all season and died eight weeks after winning the Cup.
More later as the playoffs progress.
The Vezina trophy is awarded each year to the top goaltender of the season. It's named for George Vezina, the first great goalie to play the game. He started his career in 1910, playing for a mediocre Montreal team. Despite that, he led the league in goals-against average his first two seasons, took Montreal to the Stanley Cup finals in his fourth season, and won it all for the first time in his fifth season.
In the early days, goalies were not allowed to fall to the ice to make a stop, making it much harder to prevent scoring. George Vezina developed a stand-up style that influenced other goalies in the league for decades.
In November, 1924, Vezina was obviously not in good health. Despite a high fever he was in net for the Canadiens' season opener versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. He collapsed during the first period, and was diagnosed with advanced tuberculosis. He passed away four months later.
George Vezina was one of the original dozen players elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame when it opened in 1945.
In 1892, the British Governor General of Canada Sir Frederick Stanley donated the Stanley Cup as "an outward and visible sign" of an annual championship among hockey teams in Canada.
The Cup is unique among championship trophies in that each member of the winning team is allowed to take the Cup home for a day to share with friends and family.
That tradition started in the 1980's, a few years after Montreal Canadiens player Guy Lefleur "stole" the Cup from the team's victory party. He drove the Cup to his boyhood home in Quebec, and placed it in the front yard where his father had built a makeshift rink where he first learned the game.
The very first winners of the Cup were the Amatuer Athletic Association of Montreal, in 1893, and for reasons unclear today refused to accept the trophy. They topped the league again in 1894 and that time accepted the Cup.
I'll post more little tidbits as the playoffs continue.
Here's the story of how the San Jose Sharks hockey franchise got its name, from the official Sharks website.
(in the extended entry, for those bored by sports stuff.)
Popular Sweepstakes Paved Way for Selection of "SHARKS"
They came from as far north as Manitoba, Canada, as far east as Bar Harbor, Maine, and as far south as Coral Gables, Florida.One even came from Italy. They came in the form of seas creatures, fictional characters and computer components. More than 2,300 of them were submitted by over 5,700 entrants in hopes of winning the grand prize trip for two to the 1991 National Hockey League All-Star Weekend in Chicago. What were these strange items? -- entries in the national sweepstakes to help name the Bay Area NHL expansion franchise.
In a random sweepstakes drawing, San Jose-attorney Allen Speare was selected as grand prize winner. Other entries were submitted from participants representing California and nearly every other U.S. state and Canadian province. The top 15 names submitted, in alphabetical order, were Blades, Breakers, Breeze, Condors, Fog, Gold, Golden Gaters, Golden Skaters, Grizzlies, Icebreakers, Knights, Redwoods, Sea Lions, Sharks and Waves.
Club management selected the team name "Sharks" aided by suggestions acquired during the sweepstakes.
"The involvement of hockey fans throughout the Bay Area, the state of California and all over North America was outstanding," said Matt Levine, then the team's executive vice president of marketing and broadcast. "We were considering several alternatives for a name prior to the sweepstakes, but the creativity shown by many of the entrants was of great benefit to us, " Levine said.
The "Name the New NHL Team" sweepstakes was designed to thank hockey fans for their initial support of a new team for Northern California and to give them an opportunity to offer ideas for the new team's name. Along with Speare's grand prize, an additional 300 sweepstakes prizes were awarded to entrants, ranging from Stanley Cup videos and NHL publications to official NHL pucks and commemorative sweepstakes hockey stick pens.
Why Sharks?
In selecting a team name, club management was looking for something that would appeal to children and adults. It needed to be a name that would inspire graphic logo applications for uniforms, merchandise, promotional items, hockey educational materials, etc. "Sharks" fit all the above and also make sense from other viewpoints:The neighboring Pacific Ocean is home to seven different varieties of sharks including the Great White, Leopard, Mako, Seven-gill, Blue, Soupfin and Spiny Dog. A specific area of the Pacific in the Bay Area is called the "red triangle," because of its shark population.
Several area institutions provide great amounts of time and money to shark research, preservation and education, including the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco and the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC-Berkeley.
And, as stated by Levine, "Sharks are relentless, determined, swift, agile, bright and fearless. We plan to build an organization that has all those qualities."The 'Look' of the Sharks
The Sharks colors, trademarks and uniforms were selected through a combined effort of team and league officials. The Sharks primary colors are Pacific teal, gray, black and white. They have used those colors to come up with a variety of trademarks, attractive team uniforms and a vast array of merchandise applications.Primary design work on the Sharks now-familiar trademarks was done by two local, but nationally accomplished designers -- the crest and fin were executed by Terry Smith of Sunnyvale, while the typeface applications were developed by Mike Blatt of Lafayette.
Here's a neat page about the oldest-surviving McDonalds (the third one built), with pictures. Growing up, we had one very much like this in our town. Not real close, it was a treat for us every time we went.
Thanks to Transterrestrial Musings for the pointer.
Burger King sucks.
Many amazing images arranged in various categories. Among them are pictures of the village of Esnes, before and after the war. Also, a dog wearing a gas mask, and a Belgian machine gun company and their dog-carts on the march.
(shamelessly stolen from ESPN)
Super Bowl facts from 1 to 38
1. This marks the first time ever that both Super Bowl teams take their name after a state or area, not a city.
2. Only two teams have ever won a Super Bowl while committing more turnovers than their opponent (Colts in Super Bowl V, Steelers in Super Bowl XIV).
3. The Panthers defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia for the NFC championship. It's worth noting that the last three Super Bowl champions all won their conference championship games on the road.
4. The Panthers will be the fourth different opponent the Patriots have played in a Super Bowl (Bears, Packers, Rams, Panthers).
5. Carolina will try to become the fifth first-time winner in the last five Super Bowls (Rams, Ravens, Patriots, Buccaneers).
6. A Panthers win would make the Patriots the sixth different franchise to lose three Super Bowls.
7. Who knows, He Hate me could become, "He's the MVP!" There have been seven kickoff returns for touchdowns in Super Bowl history. On the contrary, the Super Bowl is still waiting for its first punt return for touchdown.
8. Eight of the last nine Super Bowls that happened two weeks after the Conference Championship Games have been decided by 10 points or more (only exception was Super Bowl XXXII when Denver beat Green Bay 31-24).
9. If the Panthers win Super Bowl XXXVIII, nine different clubs will have walked away with at least one championship in last the 11 seasons.
10. A Patriots win would make them the 10th franchise to win two Super Bowls, and ...
11. ... would make the Panthers the 11th different team to lose in the last 11 Super Bowls.
12. Tom Brady's jersey number -- the most popular number worn by a quarterback in Super Bowl history.
13. Peyton Manning didn't reach the big game, but this is the 13th straight year a Tennessee Volunteer has reached the Super Bowl (Shane Burton and Deon Grant of the Panthers).
14. The Patriots enter the game on a 14-game winning streak, a single-season mark only topped by the undefeated 1972 Dolphins who scored 14 points in their Super Bowl VII win.
15. The Panthers are the first team to reach the Super Bowl just two seasons removed from going 1-15.
16. If Brady wins the MVP, he will be one behind another quarterback that he has been receiving favorable comparisons to: Joe Montana (who wore No. 16).
17. Jake Delhomme becomes the third quarterback in Super Bowl history to wear No. 17 (Billy Kilmer, Doug Williams).
18. Delhomme will try to make the Panthers the 18th different franchise to win a Super Bowl.
19. Brady and Delhomme better start practicing saying, "I'm going to Disney World." A quarterback has been the Super Bowl MVP 19 times.
20. The Patriots and the Panthers have won a combined 20 straight games entering the Super Bowl (including playoffs). That is the most ever in the Super Bowl era.
21. Both teams feature top defenses. The lowest scoring Super Bowl was Super Bowl VII when Miami and Washington combined to score 21 points.
22. Twenty-two of the previous 37 Super Bowls have been played on grass fields. This may become the first to be played on a grass field indoors (though the NFL wants to keep the roof open).
23. Half of 46: Jake Delhomme becomes the 46th different quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Forty-six is also the amount of points New England gave up in its first Super Bowl vs. the Bears (with a 46 defense).
24. The lucky number for both the Panthers and Patriots. Both Ty Law and Ricky Manning Jr. wear No. 24 and had three interceptions in the conference championships
25. The team that scores first is 25-12 in Super Bowl competition. However, the team that has scored first has lost the last two Super Bowls.
26. Active players on the Patriots and Panthers have combined to win 26 Super Bowl rings (23 Patriots, 3 Panthers).
27. Expect a blowout in this year's Super Bowl. Twenty-seven of the previous 37 Super Bowls played have been decided by more than seven points.
28. No team has scored exactly 28 points in a Super Bowl, but teams getting over that plateau are 20-1 in Super Bowl play (only loss: Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII).
29. The team leading at the half has won 29 of the 37 Super Bowls played.
30. This is the first Super Bowl in Houston in 30 years. The last time was Super Bowl VIII when the Dolphins defeated the Vikings 24-7.
31. The Patriots are looking to become the first team to win the Super Bowl after being shutout in Week 1 (They lost 31-0 at Buffalo).
32. Super XXXII ended the NFC's 13-game win streak in Super Bowls. Including Denver's upset of Green Bay, the AFC has won four of the last six Lombardi Trophies.
33. The team that gains the most total yards has won 33 of the previous 37 Super Bowls.
34. Last year's Super Bowl MVP wore No. 34 (Dexter Jackson of the Buccaneers). Could the Patriots Chris Akins be this year's Dexter Jackson?
35. The last Super Bowl quarterback to wear No. 17 was Doug Williams. He led the Redskins to 35 first-half points in Super Bowl XXII.
36. Of the 43 Patriots that played in their Super Bowl XXXVI triumph, 26 are still with the team.
37. Of the first 37 Super Bowls, only one has been won on the final play of the game. Will Adam Vinatieri make Super Bowl XXXVIII another one to remember?
38. Stephen Davis must carry the load for the Panthers to win. Speaking of carries, the most ever in a Super Bowl is 38 by another one-time Redskin: John Riggins in Super Bowl XVII.
National Museum of the American Indian, opening September 2004.
There are benefits to living close to Washington DC.
The official full title is the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, which is where you can find this nifty interactive page about the Anatomy of a Page from the Gutenberg Bible.
Thanks to Trish of Design Kitten for pointing it out. She also has some links to one of her favorite artists, Tamara de Lempicka. Art-deco style, very nice.
So let's just run around and say hello to some new (to me) blogs, maybe you'll find something interesting and to your taste as well. And just how can I do this while being 'insanely busy'? Simple, mon ami! It's called 'downloading 1.8 million audit trail records', and the job will run for another short while, giving me this chance to scoot hither and yon.
Cruising around, I stumbled across Thud Factor, who has a picture of a rocket-propelled turtle. That's an auto-link right there.
I'm sorry I lost the link to who sent me to this one. They deserve trackback for pointing the way to The Brick Testament. You say it sounds like the Bible done in Lego? Yepper!
Just because I love the name of her blog, drop by and say hello to Mona at But That Sounded SO Good In My Head.
Another one, for the title. Graigs Transparent Soap (which used to be Spider Behind My Toilet).
Trailer Park Girl, and Hotel Illness.
Here's an odd little blog. Lunch. "i write about my lunch. you write about your lunch. we read about other people's lunch."
And here's The Sandwich Project, just...
Job is done. Must go.
Evening Update: Long day, surf a little before bed. Found this next one, and it's sooooo what I want to do with my life since it looks like the lottery thing ain't gonna pan out.
Evil Plan Generator. All I need now are some henchmen and a beautiful but evil assistant/bodyguard. Accepting resumes, duties negotiable.
I'm annoyed because somewhere I read a very funny bit I wanted to share. I even saw a link to it from one of my regular stops later on. Damned if I can find it now. Any help? It really is worth a look.
Found it! Infinite Monkeys, and I found it again thanks to Sophont. Enjoy.
Oh, and Jim, it's very funny. Hop to it now, dinner won't fix itself!
Someone left a comment last night in a post from way back, asking what a 'hoya' was. The return address looks suspiciously like spam, so instead of linking to it or emailing directly as asked, I'll answer the question here, because it is kind of interesting.
Many years ago, when all Georgetown students were required to study Greek and Latin, the University's teams were nicknamed "The Stonewalls." It is suggested that a student, using Greek and Latin terms, started the cheer "Hoya Saxa!", which translates into "What Rocks!" The name proved popular and the term "Hoyas" was eventually adopted for all Georgetown teams.
That's from the official website of the GU athletic department.
Hmmm... I don't think they're named for a family of tropical vines and shrubs found in SE Asia and Australia.
I don't like him as a person, and I hated him as a player, although I could admit that he was great.
Like it or not, Baseball's Rule 21 says that betting on baseball calls for a 1 year suspension, and that betting on your own team calls for a lifetime ban.
Pete Rose has just (finally) admitted that he bet on his own team.
This asshole is baseball's equivalent of North Korea. He denied for 14 years that he bet on games, even though a special investigator found solid evidence. Now he admits that he did bet, but only after he became a manager. Yeah, right. I believe you, you lying sack of shit. You're admitting it now because you're running out of time to get into the Hall of Fame. In a few more years, you'll be handed over to the veterans committee, and you know full well they'll never vote you in.
The afterlife better have a special place reserved for Pete Rose, one where guys like Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn could stop by and use his head for batting practice. I bet it'd be popular. If the lines get too long, I'd suggest saving a spot for Bud Selig too.
Just knowing I could do that if I went to heaven would make me be a better person here on earth.
I did a post about various maps some time ago, and today ran across the Interactive Ancient Mediterranean Project while looking for a modern map of the mediterranean region.
The project is based at the Ancient World Mapping Center at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
"The IAM is an on-line atlas of the ancient Mediterranean world designed to serve the needs and interests of students and teachers in high school, community college and university courses in classics, ancient history, geography, archaeology and related fields."
And don't forget history nuts like myself! This page is full of links and contains a search engine. It looks to be a growing resource too, with new content being added regularly, including downloadable maps and articles about new discoveries in the region.
This is also affiliated with the Perseus Digital Library project, whose stated mission is to bring reference material related to the humanities to as wide an audience as possible.
I'm going to have some fun digging through this one.
Sometimes I'm just awed by what you can find on the internet. This is a perfect example:
On June 15, 1878, a clear and sunny day in Palo Alto, California, amid a gathering of art and sports journalists, Eadweard Muybridge photographed the first successful serial images of fast motion.
The subject of these photographs was the trotting horse, Abe Edgington, harnessed to a sulky. The horse was owned by railroad builder and former governor, Leland Stanford. Proven was Stanford's theory that during a horse's running stride, there is a moment of suspension where no hooves are touching the ground.
What had begun as a topic of unresolvable debate among artists and horse enthusiasts now launched a new era in photography.
Take some time to look through the index and galleries too, and enjoy the history replaying before your eyes.
Link thanks to Fleshbot (not work safe).
Sorry guys, I'm talking about the atoll where the US tested atomic and hydrogen bombs. The official webpage for the Bikini Atoll is here, and you can read about the history of the original population, events before and after the series of tests, and the current studies on the area.
Particularly humbling is the photo of the site of the largest weapon test conducted by the US, and the circular area of the island that was vaporized by the blast.
Among the earlier tests were a subset collectively known as Operation Crossroads. From the US Navy Historical Archives:
“Operation Crossroads was an atmospheric nuclear weapon test series conducted in the summer of 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The series consisted of two detonations, a low altitude test and a shallow water test. The devices, each with a yield of 21 kilotons, were named shots ABLE and BAKER. A planned third test, a deep underwater detonation, was canceled after the second test.
The series was intended to study the effects of nuclear weapons on warships, equipment, and material. These tests would provide important information on the survivability of warships in the event of nuclear war.”
”In contrast to all later atmospheric nuclear tests, a large media contingent was present for the two Crossroads detonations. They were allowed to cover the test atomic bomb explosions "with sufficient thoroughness to satisfy the public as to the fairness and general results of the experiment."” In all, 131 newspaper, magazine, and radio correspondents from the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and Britain covered the detonations, turning these experiments into major media events. In addition, three artists also recorded the project.”
The artist's works can be seen here in all their majestic horror.
The warships involved in the tests became known as the Ghost Fleet. You can find some underwater photography here, available as fine art prints, and a book with more history and photographs of the sunken remains can be found at Amazon.
In the extended entry is a picture of the 'other' bikini, just to lighten it up a little bit.
Oh puh-leeze. Like you didn't see that coming.
Another lost city found in the jungles of Peru. Lost twice actually, because explorer Hiram Bingham, the discoverer of Machu Picchu, described the site in 1912 but was vague about the exact location and it wasn't found again until this year.
Because of the heavy jungle canopy, an airborne infrared camera was used to locate the ruins of Llactapata. Then the expedition used machetes to hack through the jungle to reach it, 9,000 feet up the side of a mountain.
You can see pictures of this stunning region here (there are some great related links at the bottom of the page too), and learn more about the Incas here.
Previous entries about these cards are here and here.
Duke Snider's card is a 1956 Topps. The Spahn all-star card is 1958 Topps.
For the story behind these cards, see here.
As promised, there are a couple more pictures of my uncle's baseball card collection in the extended entry. Braves and Cubs fans will be particularly pleased I think.
The light for this shot was a little 40 watt desk lamp, that's why it looks so yellow. Aaron's card is a 1958 Topps, Mathews is a 1957 Topps.
1956 Topps. I only saw Banks playing first base, and it seemed that he was there for years. Anyone know how long he played at shortstop before moving over?
Who's on first?
by Abbott and Costello
A complete word-by-word transcription is in the extended entry. If you have Real Audio, you can listen to the entire sound clip (scroll down and look on the left).
Abbott: Alright, now whaddya want?
Costello: Now look, I'm the head of the sports department. I gotta know the baseball players' names. Do you know the guys' names?
Abbott: Oh sure.
Costello: So you go ahead and tell me some of their names.
Abbott: Well, I'll introduce you to the boys. You know sometimes nowadays they give ballplayers peculiar names.
Costello: You mean funny names.
Abbott: Nicknames, pet names, like Dizzy Dean -
Costello: His brother Daffy -
Abbott: Daffy Dean -
Costello: And their cousin!
Abbott: Who's that?
Costello: Goofy!
Abbott: Goofy, huh? Now let's see. We have on the bags - we have Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third.
Costello: That's what I wanna find out.
Abbott: I say Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third -
Costello: You know the fellows' names?
Abbott: Certainly!
Costello: Well then who's on first?
Abbott: Yes!
Costello: I mean the fellow's name!
Abbott: Who!
Costello: The guy on first!
Abbott: Who!
Costello: The first baseman!
Abbott: Who!
Costello: The guy playing first!
Abbott: Who is on first!
Costello: Now whaddya askin' me for?
Abbott: I'm telling you Who is on first.
Costello: Well, I'm asking YOU who's on first!
Abbott: That's the man's name.
Costello: That's who's name?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Well go ahead and tell me.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Who!
Costello: The first baseman.
Abbott: Who is on first!
Costello: Have you got a contract with the first baseman?
Abbott: Absolutely.
Costello: Who signs the contract?
Abbott: Well, naturally!
Costello: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?
Abbott: Every dollar. Why not? The man's entitled to it.
Costello: Who is?
Abbott: Yes. Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it.
Costello: Who's wife?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: All I'm tryin' to find out is what's the guy's name on first base.
Abbott: Oh, no - wait a minute, don't switch 'em around. What is on second base.
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second.
Abbott: Who is on first.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott: He's on third - now we're not talkin' 'bout him.
Costello: Now, how did I get on third base?
Abbott: You mentioned his name!
Costello: If I mentioned the third baseman's name, who did I say is playing third?
Abbott: No - Who's playing first.
Costello: Never mind first - I wanna know what's the guy's name on third.
Abbott: No - What's on second.
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott: He's on third.
Costello: Aaah! Would you please stay on third base and don't go off it?
Abbott: What was it you wanted?
Costello: Now who's playin' third base?
Abbott: Now why do you insist on putting Who on third base?
Costello: Why? Who am I putting over there?
Abbott: Yes. But we don't want him there.
Costello: What's the guy's name on third base?
Abbott: What belongs on second.
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott & Costello: THIRD BASE!
Costello: You got an outfield?
Abbott: Oh yes!
Costello: The left fielder's name?
Abbott: Why.
Costello: I don't know, I just thought I'd ask you.
Abbott: Well, I just thought I'd tell you.
Costello: Alright, then tell me who's playin' left field.
Abbott: Who is playing fir-
Costello: STAY OUTTA THE INFIELD! I wanna know what's the left fielder's name.
Abbott: What's on second.
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott & Costello: THIRD BASE!
Costello: The left fielder's name?
Abbott: Why.
Costello: Because!
Abbott: Oh, he's center field.
Costello: Look, you gotta pitcher on this team?
Abbott: Now wouldn't this be a fine team without a pitcher.
Costello: The pitcher's name.
Abbott: Tomorrow.
Costello: You don't wanna tell me today?
Abbott: I'm tellin' you now.
Costello: Then go ahead.
Abbott: Tomorrow.
Costello: What time?
Abbott: What time what?
Costello: What time tomorrow are you going to tell me who's pitching?
Abbott: Now listen. Who is not pitching. Who is on fir-
Costello: I'll break your arm if you say Who's on first. I wanna know what's the pitcher's name.
Abbott: What's on second.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott & Costello: THIRD BASE!
Costello: You got a catcher?
Abbott: Oh, absolutely.
Costello: The catcher's name.
Abbott: Today.
Costello: Today. And Tomorrow's pitching.
Abbott: Now you've got it.
Costello: All we've got is a couple of days on the team.
Abbott: Well, I can't help that.
Costello: Well, I'm a catcher too.
Abbott: I know that.
Costello: Now suppose that I'm catching, Tomorrow's pitching on my team and their heavy hitter gets up.
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Tomorrow throws the ball. The batter bunts the ball. When he bunts the ball, me being a good catcher, I wanna throw the guy out at first base. So I pick up the ball and throw it to who?
Abbott: Now that's the first thing you've said right.
Costello: I don't even know what I'm talkin' about!
Abbott: Well, that's all you have to do.
Costello: Is to throw the ball to first base.
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Now who's got it?
Abbott: Naturally!
Costello: If I throw the ball to first base, somebody's gotta catch it. Now who caught it?
Abbott: Naturally!
Costello: Who caught it?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Who?
Abbott: Naturally!
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally.
Abbott: NO, NO, NO! You throw the ball to first base and Who gets it?
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's right. There we go.
Costello: So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally.
Abbott: You don't!
Costello: I throw it to who?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!
Abbott: You're not saying it that way.
Costello: I said I throw the ball to Naturally.
Abbott: You don't - you throw the ball to Who?
Costello: Naturally!
Abbott: Well, say that!
Costello: THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING! I throw the ball to who?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Ask me.
Abbott: You throw the ball to Who?
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: SAME AS YOU!! I throw the ball to first base and who gets it?
Abbott: Naturally!
Costello: Who has it?
Abbott: Naturally!
Costello: HE BETTER HAVE IT! I throw the ball to first base. Whoever it is grabs the ball, so the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What, What throws it to I Don't Know, I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow - triple play.
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Another guy gets up - it's a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know. He's on third and I don't give a darn!
Abbott: What was that?
Costello: I said I don't give a darn!
Abbott: Oh, that's our shortstop.
A lot of these courtesy of the Baseball Almanac.
Miscellany:
The Chicago Cubs got their name after the rival Federal League raided the roster and signed away most of their veteran players. Newsmen coined the nickname ‘Cubs’ to describe the youngsters left on the team.
The Dodgers were originally known as the ‘Trolley Dodgers’, and have also been known as the Robins, Bridegrooms and Superbas.
The Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins both started life as the Washington Senators.
Then-owner Charlie Finley offered pitcher Vida Blue a bonus to change his first name to “True”. Vida refused.
In 1938, Cinncinati pitcher Johnny Vander Meer pitched consecutive no-hitters, beating Boston 3-0 and Brooklyn 6-0. In all, the lefty had a string of nine straight wins.
Joe McGinnity pitched complete game victories in both halves of a double header three times, all within the same month of the same season (August, 1903). He was already nicknamed ‘Iron Man’ because he worked in a foundry in the off-season. This just confirmed the moniker.
The first feature length baseball movie was released in 1915 and its title was Right Off The Bat.
In 1944, “Red” Barret of the Boston Braves threw only fifty-eight pitches during a nine inning complete game. Barrett's Braves shutout the Reds 2 - 0 and the game set major league records for least number of pitches known to have been thrown by a single pitcher in a complete game and shortest game played at night (one hour and fifteen minutes).
St. Louis owner Bill Veeck had everyone in stitches after substituting a midget to pinch-hit during the first inning in game two of a doubleheader. Eddie Gaedel, a three-foot, seven inch dwarf, emerged from a cake wearing the number 1/8 during pre-game festivities, then took the plate for center fielder Frank Saucer and walked on four balls. His strike zone had been measured at 1½ inches tall.
Abraham Lincoln played an early version of baseball, a sort of cross between Rounders and Cricket. This account appeared during his presidency:
"At about six o'clock, the President, who was prevented from appearing earlier on account of the semi-weekly Cabinet meeting, came on the ground and remained until the close of the game (Washington Nationals 28 vs Brooklyn Excelsiors 33), an apparently interested spectator of the exciting contest." - in the Washington National Republican (09-18-1866)
"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." – Leo Durocher, Chicago Cubs manager
"On my tombstone just write, 'The sorest loser that ever lived.’” – Earl Weaver, Baltimore Orioles manager
"All last year we tried to teach him (Fernando Valenzuela) English, and the only word he learned was million." – Tommy Lasorda, Los Angeles Dodgers manager
"I've played a couple of hundred games of tic-tac-toe with my little daughter and she hasn't beaten me yet. I've always had to win. I've got to win." – Bob Gibson, St Louis Cardinals pitcher
"Don Drysdale would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches. If he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with one pitch." - Mike Shannon, St Louis Cardinals utility player
"Every time I look at my pocketbook, I see Jackie Robinson." – Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants outfielder
"When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth." – Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder
"I ain't ever had a job, I just always played baseball." – Satchel Paige, pitcher
"Holy cow!" – Harry Caray, Chicago Cubs broadcaster
"The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh, I was proud." -- Bob Uecker, former major league catcher
"I don't see why you reporters keep confusing Brooks (Robinson) and me. Can't you see that we wear different numbers?" - Frank Robinson
"It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!" – Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs
"There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time, I owe him my best." – Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees outfielder
"Man, if I made one million dollars I would come in at six in the morning, sweep the stands, wash the uniforms, clean out the office, manage the team and play the games." – Duke Snyder, Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder
Here's the story of the greatest pitcher that nobody had ever heard of.
In an April, 1985 issue, Sports Illustrated published a story about a new rookie pitcher who planned to play for the Mets. His name was Sidd Finch and he could reportedly throw a baseball faster than anyone ever measured. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never even played the game before, having been raised in a Tibetan monastery. Mets fans everywhere celebrated at their teams's amazing luck at having found such a gifted player, and Sports Illustrated was flooded with requests for more information. Can you say 'April Fools'?
The Chicago Cubs put together a legendary double-play combination in the early 1900's. "Tinker to Evers to Chance" were immortalized in a poem by Franklin P. Adams. They were elected to the Hall of Fame together in 1946.
They weren't the only team to have a legendary defense in that era though. The Philidelphia Athletics boasted their "$100,000 Infield" (photo here - the guy second from the left was a teammate but not a member of the infield). They earned that nickname when Owner/manager Connie Mack claimed that even that amount of money could not get him to break up his stellar infield.
Comprised of first baseman John "Stuffy" McInnis, second baseman Eddie Collins, shortstop John "Jack" Barry, and third baseman Frank "Home Run" Baker, the four did eventually move on to other teams but continued to have a major impact on baseball. Combined, the four members of the $100,000 Infield appeared in 12 of the 16 World Series played from 1910 to 1925 - on the winning side eight times.
Ballplayers, like every other American citizen, understand the importance of giving one's self for their country. Hall of Famer Morgan Bulkeley served in the Civil War. Twenty-five Hall of Fame members served in World War I. Thirty-five Hall of Fame members and more than 500 major league players served in World War II. 95 percent of the players who were major leaguers in 1941 eventually served in World War II in some capacity. Five Hall of Famers served America during the Korean War. A few examples:
Ted Williams flew for the US Marines during World War II and the Korean War, losing nearly six years of his career to military service. He was almost killed when he crash-landed his plane in Korea in 1953.
Warren Spahn missed the entire 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons to war service and appeared in only four games in 1942. He won his 100th career game after his 30th birthday, but still won an amazing 363 games in his career. No left-hander has ever won as many.
Detroit slugger Hank Greenberg was in the Army prior to Pearl Harbor and was discharged on December 5, 1941. After Pearl Harbor he voluntarily enlisted again as an officer candidate in the Air Corps.
Pitcher Christy Mathewson was gassed while in the US Army in World War I and died several years later still suffering from the effects.
Cleveland Indians hurler Bob Feller (from Iowa!) enlisted in 1942 and earned eight battle stars in combat during World War II. He missed four seasons while in the service.
Here's a memorial and list of those ballplayers who gave their lives in service to their country.
The two greatest hitters you never heard of.
Josh Gibson was a catcher in the old negro leagues and one of the greatest sluggers the game has ever seen.* He was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
Sadaharu Oh is the greatest slugger in Japanese baseball history**. He finished his career with more homers than Hank Aaron, and led the Japanese league in home runs for 13 straight seasons, averaging 45 homers a year. Upon his retirement, he became the manager for his team, the Yomiuri Giants.
* Take most stats from the negro leagues with a grain of salt because accurate records were not always kept and the newspapers of the day often did not cover the games with any consistency. Historians usually try to determine the actual numbers by cross-checking multiple sources, some of dubious reliability. The numbers might not be correct, but there's no doubt that Josh Gibson was a monster at the plate.
** There is some dispute over whether Josh Gibson hit more homers in his career (see note above).
Before 'the hated one' in Chicago, even before Buckner, there was a goof so outrageous that the others pale in comparison.
Merkle's Boner
It happened in September of 1908, in NY City. The Cubs were facing the Giants with the pennant on the line. Each and every game was a must-win situation. The score was tied 1-1, in the bottom of the 9th, the Giants had runners on the corners with two outs.
Fred Merkle, a 19 year-old rookie, was the runner on first. The next batter lined a single. The runner at third came home. It appeared to be a Giants victory, they had taken the lead for the pennant, the cheering fans swarmed the field. Merkle looked toward home plate and saw his teammate cross the plate. Merkle, startled as the crowd swarmed out of the bleachers onto the field, stopped. Thinking the game was over, Merkle sprinted off the field. But, he had forgotten an important rule of baseball, he did not go touch second. The Cubs retrieved the ball, went and touched second.
The game was declared at tie because order could not be restored because the fans could not be removed from the field. The two teams went on to finish the season in a dead tie for the pennant. They had to play a one-game playoff. The Cubs won and went to the World Series. One loss, the loss, that day knocked the Giants out.
Merkle was never forgiven by the NY fans for that blunder. He went on to have a solid career of 14 years and a lifetime average of 273. However, everywhere he went he always was reminded by fans of his terrible mistake on that day of his rookie season. A mistake that will always be called Merkle's Boner.
Didjaknow: The ball that Bill Buckner muffed was hit by Mets batter Mookie Wilson. Our Mookie was indirectly named for him.
In honor of the World Series, I'm going to do a post a day about Baseball History. First up is the story of one of the greatest pitching displays in Series history.
1905 - New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Athletics.
Game 1: Giants: 3, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Game 2: A's: 3, Giants: 0, 'Chief' Bender (W)
Game 3: Giants: 9, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Game 4: Giants: 1, A's: 0, 'Iron Joe' McGinnity (W)
Game 5: Giants: 2, A's: 0, Christie Mathewson (W)
Each game was a shutout, with Christie Mathewson winning three times. In the last game he outdueled 'Chief' Bender (nicknamed because he was a member of the Chippewa tribe) who had pitched the shutout victory in Game 2 for the A's.
Christie Mathewson was one of the original five players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner.
Didjaknow: Chief Bender is also in the Hall of Fame, and is credited with inventing the slider.
An Allied victory in World War II was by no means a sure thing. Adolph Hitler made several strategic mistakes that helped turn the tide and probably shortened the European war.
An interesting book on the subject is Hitler's Mistakes, by Ronald Lewin. In this book, the author points out twelve major blunders made by Hiter in the prelude to the war and during the actual conflict.
If you enjoy speculative fiction, you might like Hitler Victorious. This alternative-history collection of short stories contains eleven tales based on the premise that Germany won WWII. This is by no means great literature, but it is a thought-provoking read. My favorite story is Thor meets Captain America with it's chilling rationale behind the mysticism practiced by the Third Reich.
One thing Hitler possessed was vision. Sometimes his dreams were near insanity, but in many ways this faculty allowed his scientists the freedom to design wildly imaginative solutions to a given problem. Add the classic Tuetonic attention to detail, and there were warmaking weapons on the drawing boards that were twenty years ahead of their time. Take some time to visit Luft '46 and look around. As you explore the site and admire the elegant designs and breathtaking creativity, remind yourself that it's not fiction. Each and every idea outlined was a real and documented project of Hitler's Luftwaffe. Truly frightening.
I was just watching a show about British warships. It wasn't about any specific thing, mostly general information and contrast between the old 'sail' navy and todays modern version. Among the interesting stuff I learned:
Admiral Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar was the HMS Victory. Her main foresail from that battle was discovered in a forgotten sail locker 150 years later. It had 90 cannonball holes in it.
One of the most effective battle maneuvers was called crossing the ‘T’, where your ship would pass directly in front or behind the enemy. This allowed you to rake him, firing your guns down the length of his deck without him being able to respond. The HMS Victory raked a French ship at Trafalgar, and with one shot of a carronade (a type of anti-personnel cannon), put 25 enemy cannon out of commision and killed or wounded 300 sailors.
When a new captain took command of a ship, one of his first tasks was to have the ship’s carpenter build him a box that was hung as the captain’s hammock. It would be decorated with drapes and tapestries made by his wife or mistress. If the captain died, they’d nail on a lid and bury him at sea in it.
The British threw their dead overboard during battle to keep the decks clear. The French took theirs below and buried them amid the ballast after the battle, because a Catholic French widow could not remarry without proof of her husbands’ death. Imagine the smell.
The best of the furniture aboard would be bagged in canvas and put aboard the ships boats before battle. The boats would then be towed along behind the ship. The Portuguese, French and British navies had a gentleman’s agreement not to target each others furniture.
Jennifer posted a list of naval punishments, most being lashings with the whip. In the British navy, the person wielding the cat-o-nine-tails was required to clean the whip between each stroke because blood and flayed flesh would cause the tails to clump together, reducing the effectiveness of the lash.
I'm not sure, but I think Jennifer's list of punishments said that forgetting where your fort was rated 18 lashes.
Read about the history of Jamestown.
