15 March 2008

First Post Up on the new Blog!

Dear Readers,

This will be my last post on blogger. I've got the first post up on my own domain this morning.....it's on the USS Ranger. Great pictures and some good links.

Here's the URL: http://history.writingwithtony.com

Here's the URL for feedburner if you want to subscribe via email:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/AdventuresInHistory


I've still got to tweak the site, but some new stuff I'm thinking about includes a possible newsletter if anyone is interested.

Thanks for staying with me during the move!

See you over at the other place!

Have a great weekend!

14 March 2008

New Blog Up, will try to post up at least by Monday<-Please Read

Dear Readers and Subscribers,

As outlined in my previous posts, I have moved the blog to my own domain. The new address for the blog is:

http://history.writingwithtony.com/


It's newly born, so it may take some time for the DNS to note the site. I should have some posts up sometime this weekend.

Please stay with me as I try to make this a better place to visit!

Thanks!

Tony

Dear Readers, please read........I'm moving!

To all my subscribers and daily visitors and readers!


At this point, I will be moving the blog over to my own domain within the next week. After the move, I will post out here with the updated web address.

Thank-you for your patience as I try to make a better blog.

Please email me if you have any questions.


Thanks for your support!



Tony

13 March 2008

Al Capone, Taxes, and the Lost Marshal

Much has been written about Alphonse "Al" Capone, the massive underworld and Mafia figure from the 1920's and 1930's.

(1)

Finally arrested in 1931, the Internal Revenue Service pegged him on tax charges, not for his other generally recognized criminal activities.

(2)


However, have you heard of his older brother?


James "Two-Gun" Capone or also known as "Richard Hart"


Evidently departing the family in the early part of the 1900's, James adventured around the world in circuses, Europe, and Central America. He finally settled down in a little town in Nebraska called Homer and immediately began acquiring his reputation, not mentioning to the other people in town his storied family history back east.

He tried a variety of jobs and occupations, including Indian agent as well as a Prohibition agent and evidently was very successful.

Called "Two-Gun" in the October 1, 1951 issue of Newsweek, James Capone, aka: Richard Hart, was also described as "....a tough officer who would not take a bribe...." (3)




(4)

However, it seems in the later part of the 1930's, life turned for James and he appealed to his family back east for financial assistance. Ralph "Bottles" Capone transferred one of his properties over to him, providing income. As a result of this, the 1951 investigation of Ralph also brought to light James and his past.

Now, here is where history departs, and I leave it for you to decide what is the truth and what isn't. In the articles and magazines I have seen, James (Richard) is described as an upstanding, very effective lawman. However, other sources tell a different tale:

"Some of it was true...including fantasy service in World War I..." (5)


In any event, no matter what the outcome, it's a great story! I've provided some links and some interesting reading below that will help inform and perhaps entertain. I hope you enjoy it!

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!


Sources:
(1)DN-0081114, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. (LOC)
(1)
(2)NARA-Search for Capone

(3)Newsweek, October 1, 1051, pg. 23
(4)LOC-Prints & Photographs Reading Room
(5)Google Book Search, Title: Mr. Capone, by Robert Schoenberg, pg. 350.

12 March 2008

Popcorn? Check....Drink? Check.....Let's watch some movies!

Who doesn't like a movie?

Who doesn't like old movies?

Well, if you DO like old movies, then today I have a great link for you to check out! It includes shows like this:




Who needs CSI when you have Sgt. Friday?






Can't forget the cartoon short! Superman anyone????

Now for the main feature:




Want to watch movies like these for free? Forget iTunes for now. Just click over to the Internet Archive and explore for a while. With newsreels, cartoons, full-length movies and more, you can have a DIY movie night with your friends for no cost!

On a serious note, however, for historians and researchers, this site is invaluable for the documentation that it does hold. Trends, fads, costume, culture, these can all be viewed and incorporated into your research.

Plus, you'll have some fun as well.

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!


Links:

Internet Archive
Wikipedia entry-Internet Archive

Sources:

All pictures today courtesy the Internet Archive!

11 March 2008

Lucky Lindy, The Kidnapping and The Secret Spy Mission!

Known primarily for his flying hero status in the 1920's and 1930's, Charles Lindbergh was an A-list celebrity of the times. While most people today remember his exploits with the Spirit of St. Louis, many do not know of the kidnapping of his child or his coup of intelligence information that he picked up on his whirlwind tours of the German aircraft industry in the pre-World War II years.


The Hero!


(1)

More than anything else, the Spirit of St. Louis has come to symbolize the roaring of the American nation on the world stage of the 1920's. The first to fly non-stop from New York to Paris, Lindberg sealed his destiny in aviation forever as well as winning $25,000! Coming from this flight were major advances in aeronautics, including:

"...Lindbergh is recognized in aviation for demonstrating and charting polar air-routes, high altitude flying techniques, and increasing aircraft flying range by decreasing fuel consumption. These innovations are the basis of modern intercontinental air travel...." (2)


Disaster Strikes!



(3)

After his famous flight, Lindbergh married and had children, still continuing his flying career. However, in 1932 disaster struck, as one of his children, Charles Augustus Lindbergh was kidnapped. The nation was stunned with the event soon turning into a media circus with theories, supposed details and shady characters. As an interesting note, one of the principles in the story was none other than Wild Bill Donovan, future head of the OSS in World War II. Al Capone offered help as well. In the end, results were futile as the body of his son was found and indentified, however, the criminal, Bruno Hauptmann was convicted of the crime.


Lucky Lindy, Secret Agent?



(4)


(5)

While it was a known fact that Germany was building up the armed forces in the 1930's, the extent to which that was happening was not concrete. American officials as well as the British, however, scored a coup when Lindbergh was invited to Germany by top Nazi officials, including Goering. While there, he learned much about the top line aircraft in the German inventory, with the information soon flowing back to the appropriate intelligence services. . In the pages above, located in NARA, we see Truman Smith's information on the tours taken by Lindbergh.


I've only just described the tip of the iceberg with the data and images available for these topics. Take a few minutes and hit the links below for more in depth information.

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!



Links:

FBI Files-Lindbergh Kidnapping Case

FBI Files II-Lindbergh Kidnapping Case
Wikipedia-Lindbergh Kidnapping
CIA-Information on Military Attaches-Truman Smith
Wikipedia: Main entry for Lindbergh
LOC-Search for Lindbergh


Sources:
(1)LOC-Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
(2)Wikipedia-TransAtlantic Flight
(3)FBI-Ransom Note
(4)NARA
(5)NARA

10 March 2008

The Jungle, "Packingtown" and the great TR!

With all the uproar about product safety these days, it's interesting to note that in the early part of the 1900's, similar conditions existed here in the United States. In his book, The Jungle, Upton Sinclair was a primary force in pointing this out and arguing for changes in the industry--helping to spawn many of the food safety programs now used today. The National Archives, in their section, America's Historical Documents, posted out a copy of the letter from Sinclair to the then President, Theodore Roosevelt. Here's the letter outlining some of the conditions:



(1)

and

(2)

While it's important to know that The Jungle is a work of fiction, Upton Sinclair did quite a bit of research for the book. Here's a quote from the novel that caused quite an uproar:

"...For they had set him to cleaning out the traps; and the family
sat round and listened in wonder while he told them what that meant. It
seemed that he was working in the room where the men prepared the beef for canning, and the beef had lain in vats full of chemicals, and men with great forks speared it out and dumped it into trucks, to be taken
to the cooking room. When they had speared out all they could reach, they emptied the vat on the floor, and then with shovels scraped up the balance and dumped it into the truck. This floor was filthy, yet
they set Antanas with his mop slopping the "pickle" into a hole that connected with a sink, where it was caught and used over again forever; and if that were not enough, there was a trap in the pipe, where all the
scraps of meat and odds and ends of refuse were caught, and every few days it was the old man's task to clean these out, and shovel their contents into one of the trucks with the rest of the meat!..." (3)



(4)

The public was outraged! There were massive calls for changes in the industry. Says Wikipedia:

"..The morbidity of the working conditions as well as the exploitation of children and women alike that Sinclair exposed, showed the corruption taking place inside the meat packing factories. Foreign sales of American meat fell by one-half. In order to calm public outrage and demonstrate the cleanliness of their meat, the major meat packers lobbied the Federal government to pass legislation paying for additional inspection and certification of meat packaged in the United States. [2] Their efforts, coupled with the public outcry, led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which established the Food and Drug Administration...."
(5)

Check the links below for more details and images. Just make sure you are not getting ready to eat lunch!


Have a great day, see you tomorrow!!!


(5)Wikipedia-The Jungle

08 March 2008

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

Morning all! Snowday here in Ohio. Sorta like this:



(1)

It's funny, but all the weather people and news all stress about the weather. It makes me think about years, ago, before radar and minute-by-minute updates about the "dangerous" weather. How did people ever survive? So, in the spirit of the blinding snow we are having here, I thought I would go over to the LOC and see what I could find:



(2)


(3)


(4)

While I was poking around their web site, I found a great story about the Blizzard of 1888. Here's a quote:

"..."The bell rang, calling us in to study and recite. The heavy snow kept falling all that day. By the middle of the afternoon, at the last recess, the snow was about two feet deep, and on the top it was almost as light as feathers. At a quarter to three, the school bell rang for the last time that day. We rushed for the brooms to sweep the wet snow from our boots. Just when we got settled down to our books as swiftly as lightning, the storm struck the north side of the house. The whole building shivered and quaked. With deafening whack the shutters were slammed shut by the terrific wind. In an instant the room became black as night, then for a moment there came a ray of light, I stood and said, "May my brothers and I go home?" The teacher said. "Those boys who live south may put on their coats and go, but the rest of you must stay here in this house."..."

(5)

I've put the links in below. If you have a moment, check 'em out. Have a great weekend and see you Monday!



Links:


Sources:


07 March 2008

From "Fatty" to York to Wrigley: The Chicago Daily News in the Depression Era

The Depression has always fascinated me from a historical point, because it seems to be a changing point in American history, almost a break with the past eras such as the Gilded Age or the Civil War. I was thinking about this when I stumbled across the Chicago Daily News section of the American Memory Project



(1)

There are some great resources here, including famous personalities. For example, here we have:









and many others!


I found out more about the paper as well, including the fact that it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize an astounding 13 times! An afternoon paper (I miss those), the Chicago Daily News was geared for the masses. This in contrast with the morning paper, the Chicago Tribune, which aimed for a higher class of readership and was the morning paper. Take a few minutes and explore some of the photographs. They are really neat and paint a picture, so to speak, of an America that no longer exists, for good or bad....you choose.

PS: Great photographs of Wrigley Field, just in case you are interested!!!

Have a great day, good weekend...and I've got to go shovel some snow now!


See you tomorrow!



Links:
Chicago Daily News (Wikipedia)
Chicago Daily News (LOC-American Memory Project)

Sources:
(1) DN-0009593, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. (LOC)
(2)DN-0090082, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. (LOC)
(3)DN-0072778, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. (LOC)

06 March 2008

1939 World's Fair: A look back at "The World of Tomorrow"

The year was 1939. Batman first appeared in the comics. The Grapes of Wrath was published. World War II began in the fall. It was also the year of:


(1)

The World's Fair!

(2)

or

"The World of Tomorrow"

(3)

Held in in New York's Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and themed "The World of Tomorrow," the event was open from April 1939 until the fall of 1940 and saw over 40 million visitors. Divided into various themes, technology, much like today, was emphasized as well as how life would change in the future. There was the electric farm and the biggie:


(4)

General Motors also included the Futurama exhibit, located in the Highways and Horizons Pavilion. Also included in this was the Westinghouse Time Capsule. More than just exhibits, there were things to do such as rides. One of the more famous ones was the Life Saver's Parachute Jump:



(5)

The links below are some of the best I have found for this resource. Take a few minutes and look them over. If you visit the archive.org site, please note the warning below for one of the films.

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!!!


Links:

World of Tomorrow

1939 World's Fair (Wikipedia)

Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America

Futurama (Wikipedia)

Futurama (Archive.org) movie

Archive.org (home movies* of World's Fair)
*Note, some parts of this movie I previewed had some NSFW or family scenes. Please watch your kids. It was all in context though of the fair...seemed to be anyway. As this is a family friendly blog, I wasn't sure about posting this, but the rest of the film has some good crowd scenes, etc. thanks...Tony

Sources:
(1) American Memory Project
(2)American Memory Project-LOC Photographs Division
(3)Archive.org
(4)Archive.org
(5)American Memory Project-LOC Photographs Division


05 March 2008

Let 'em Roar: Flying Tigers, Disney, Air America and the CIA.

(1)

The 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) is better known by their more popular title, The Flying Tigers. Organized in the early years of World War II, this group of volunteers fought with the Chinese against the Japanese invasion with a considerable amount of success. Although their fighter, the Curtiss P-40, was outclassed in dogfighting with the very agile Mitsubishi Zero, a change in tactics and approach to air combat somewhat evened the odds.

(2)

What you might not know about this unit, however, is the hidden history of the squadron insignia...the fact that it was designed by the Disney studios. Says Toons at War:

"...One interesting item of note is the fact a squadron of P-40 Flying Tigers fighters, (piloted by a group of American volunteer pilots who fought alongside Chinese Nationalist forces), is shown coming to the aid of Chesty and his friends. In real life, the insignia for the Flying Tigers was created by Disney artist Hank Porter..."

Source: (Toons At War)



(3)

FDR also played a primary role in the formation of the unit, personally stepping in and "borrowing" some P-40's that were bound for England, changing their destination to China under the lend-lease act. This unit also contained some famous volunteers. Included in this is Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of the famed VMF-214 fighter squadron, the "Black Sheep". In the later part of the war, the unit was gradually rolled into the regular United States forces and became part of the 14th Air Force.

Postwar, two interesting developments happened. The leader of the Flying Tigers, Chennault stayed in China and formed the Civil Air Transport, supporting the Chinese Nationalists in their struggle. Also known as the CAT, they became involved with the Central Intelligence Agency through the fifties and sixties, eventually becoming the unit known as Air America.

Another flying outfit organized from some of the pilots was the Flying Tigers Line, organized in 1946. Famous for flying the first commerical cargo route postwar, this airline flew into the 1980's before being taken over by Federal Express.

What a post...some great history today! Please take a few moments to check the links out as there is some really great information.

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!


Links:

Flying Tigers (Wikipedia)

04 March 2008

Easy On The Throttle Jake....A Look Back at the Mobil Gas (Mobil Economy) Run

Mileage per gallon is all the rage now. Economy is back! Reading about this tonight, I thought it would be a great idea to dig up some information on the Mobil (MobilGas) Economy Run. Held from the 1930's to the late 1960's, this annual event helped to determine gas mileage on current automobiles available to the consumer.


(1)

Sponsored by Mobil, the United States Auto Club was the operator for the events. The vehicles were purchased from auto dealers and then the hoods, etc. were shut and special gas tanks to measure fuel used were installed.



(2)

There were different classes in the competition and this event proved to be very popular....probably the most among the automobile manufacturers. Mileage actually wasn't too bad, considering the weight of the cars and the strictly mechanical setup of the drivetrains. Said Time:

"6-Cylindef: Chevrolet Biscayne, 22.3788 m.p.g.;
Chevrolet Biscayne, 21.9439 m.p.g.;
Ford Custom 300, 20.3288 m.p.g....:

(3)



(4)

Try the links below, especially the Times article for more information. The screenshots above were also from a great film off of archive.org that was part of the Prelinger Collection. I've put the link in below.

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!


Links:


Mickey Thompson Economy Run Information

Time Magazine Archive-1959 contest

Prelinger Archive Film-On The Run

Wikipedia entry-Mobile Economy Run

New York Times Story: Coast to Coast....


Sources:

(1)(2)(4) Screen-grab from On The Run

(3) Time Magazine Archive: Rambler.....

03 March 2008

Shhh....don't say a word...remember, "loose lips sink ships..." There might be a spy!

I've always been intrigued by spy stuff. James Bond, OSS, real secret agent stuff. In doing some research this weekend about that, I stumbled across the FBI's FOIA site and found out about the Duquesne spy ring case during World War II.




(1)

Huh?

Spies....in the good old USA. That's right, in fact, there were several well documented incidents of Axis spies in the United States during the Second World War.

Not the James Bond types, you know the suave, sophisticated type we've all come to know. Nope, these spies looked and acted just like you and me! The Duquesne Spy Ring consisted of over 30 active Axis spies working within the borders of the United States. Successfully investigated by the FBI, the members of the ring were captured with the help of a double agent, William Sebold (More on him in another post!).

Yet there were other events as well.


(2)

While German U-Boats were ravaging shipping in the early parts of the war, there were also plans by Hitler and his spy agencies to infiltrate the United States by other methods, such as landing by U-boat. Traveling over to the Naval Historical center, we see evidence of these in an event called by the center:

The Amagansett Incident:

"...Shortly after midnight on June 13th, four trained German saboteurs landed on the beach near the Coast Guard Station at Amagansett, Long Island. They had made the voyage across the Atlantic in a German submarine and had rowed ashore in a collapsible rubber boat containing clothing, explosives, and several thousand dollars in cash. On June 17th, four other saboteurs were similarly landed from a submarine at Ponte Vedra Beach, south of Jacksonville, Florida...." (3)


While the ring was eventually caught, perhaps there were others that were not. Some information, we may never know! Don't you enjoy a mystery? For a more complete picture, try the links below for in-depth details. Great stuff!

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!


Links:

01 March 2008

Cartoons with Bugs and the Merrie Melodies Gang!

If you're like me, you've grown up with Merrie Melodies and probably Bugs Bunny. These are the classic American cartoons. Nothing to buy, no toy product placement here, just simple side-splitting entertainment at its best.

Knowing this, I visited the archive.org site tonight and found the following you might be interested in:




(1)



(2)

Born in 1939, this classic short was directed by the famous Tex Avery. Great cartoon, but unfortunately, many of the gags might not be recognized by folks today.


Our next cartoon is Bugs Bunny. The unique aspect about this cartoon is that it was produced during the war years. Here's the first shot:



(3)


Now, notice the board:



(4)


I've posted the links below to the pages on archive.org where you can either view the cartoons online or download to your machine for later viewing. I've also included some Wikipedia resources just to give you the backstory.

Have fun and have a safe weekend!

See you Monday!


Links:

Wikipedia, Merrie Melodies

Wikipedia, Bugs Bunny

Archive.org Classic Cartoons

Tex Avery, commercial site


Sources:

(1)(2)(3)(4) Archive.org, Film Chest collection
(http://www.archive.org/details/classic_cartoons)

29 February 2008

Robinson, Reese and "Dem Bums" of Brooklyn

The All-American game


Baseball!(1)


Ebbets Field, Brooklyn NY(2)


"Dem Bums"--Brooklyn Dodgers


I'm not the most ardent fan of baseball, especially today's modern version. What with all the controversy lately, I've been starting to become more interested in baseball history. There's quite a bit of lore, stories, games, the pitch, and the catch. There's a lot for me to learn.

I've been visiting the Brooklyn Public Library lately and in their archives section, they've got information on the old Brooklyn Dodgers, before they moved out west. I then learned about an incident (in the NYTimes) involving two great players on the team:



Jackie Robinson(3)


Pee Wee Reese(4)

The year was 1947 and the infamous "color line" had just been broken in major league baseball. The story goes Robinson was having a bad day at the field and the crowd was on their feet, railing against him. Said the Times:

"...With Robinson receiving death threats and heckling and taunts from the crowd in a ballpark on the road, Pee Wee Reese walked over to him on the infield at a point either before or during a game and offered a quiet but significant gesture of friendship and comradeship...." (Source: NYTimes)

From this point, the integration of baseball in the late 1940's started a seismic shift in American society that would come to a head in the fifties and sixties in places such as Little Rock and Birmingham. No longer would African-Americans be considered second class citizens.

There's a ton of information here, too much for one post almost, but I wanted to list it. Try the links below...there's some great stuff!

Have a great day, see you tomorrow.


Links:

American Memory Project-Baseball

Brooklyn Public Library

NYTimes article on Robinson and Reese

Wikipedia: Baseball's color line

Wikipedia: Jackie Robinson

Wikipedia: Pee Wee Reese





28 February 2008

Doughboy News!



Being a soldier far away from home is no picnic. You are surrounded by strangers, eating bad food, and doing things you don't ordinarily do--and that's just the beginning! Military life is quite a change from civilian life no matter in which country you live.

As a result, any news from home is a great thing. This can be letters, notes, books, or any sort of printed materials. So what is all this about? Well, today's post is about this:



(Source: LOC)

The Stars and Stripes Newspaper!

Published for the doughboys during World War I, the paper became a little bit of home for our boys overseas. Jam packed with:

Sports!




Advertisements




...and news:



(Source: LOC)


Nothing better to cure homesickness than the daily news!


What's even more remarkable is the great job the Library of Congress has done in digitizing and making available to resesearchers the issues of this paper. Try the link below. The papers are crisp, clear and the images can be zoomed in and out and work quite well. If you just want more information on the Stars and Stripes, check the links as well.

Have a great day, see you tomorrow!


Links:

American Memory Project: Stars and Stripes

Wikipedia entry (new and old versions of paper)


Main Page: American Memory Project

Stars and Stripes Museum (commercial site)

Modern Stars and Stripes

Management Note; New WorldCat Functionality

Hi all!

I wanted to take and do a double post today. The first is this, a note from me about some new functionality. The second post will be the regular feature...that is history.

Being a librarian, to me there is nothing greater than finding information, particularly the information I'm looking for. Be it a book, trivia, history or just whatever, knowing I have access to it is great.

So, to help me AND you, I've put a search box up on the blog from WorldCat:



Nope, I'm not getting any money for this...I just put it on the blog so if you run across a book or topic and you want to see if your library has it, just type it in the search box and see what happens. If you are overseas and not in the USA, it should still work. Would you let me know if it doesn't? I would appreciate it.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled history post!

27 February 2008

"Don't shoot G-Men, Don't shoot," A Portrait of John Dillinger

Characterized by unemployment...


(Source: LOC)


Prohibition...


(Source: LOC)

and conflict, the middle years of the 1930's were not easy ones for Americans.


It was also a time for gangsters, the Mafia, the mob. Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and others, their day-to-day activities glorified in the press and popular culture on a daily basis.


One of the most popular was John Herbert Dillinger.


"...OK, boys; let's go make a withdrawal...."
-John Dillinger

(Source: Brainyquote)

In and out of trouble since boyhood, Dillinger soon became THE bank robber and all around bad guy of the 1930's:



His exploits became fodder and provided an means of sensationalism and escape for the American public, but there is no denying the fact that he was a hardened criminal.

(Source: FBI)

In the end, however, in the summer of 1934, the G-Men or FBI got their man. Outside the movie theater , The Biograph in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, he was gunned down in a hail of lead by FBI agents.

Over time, many legends have sprung up concerning Dillinger, chief of which was that it was not him, but someone else who's fate ended that day. Authorities claim it was Dillinger, but in some places the mystery lives on.

Sorry for the late posting, but I got bogged down in research on this topic, plus it was fun reading about it. Lots of good links today, so make sure to visit some of them.

Have a great day and see you tomorrow!