On June 30, 1930 newspaper throughout the world blazed with similar headlines, HUNTER BROS PASS 453 HOURS IN THE AIR! Prior to this day the Hunter brothers were simply two farmers who “turned from the plough to the plane.” 1 On June 30, 1930, they set a new world endurance record in the air. There […]
Tag: American history
I had no problem serving my country even if it meant going to war – Viet Nam story
Alabama contributing writer Greg Shelby shares his personal Viet Nam story. VIET NAM STORY by Greg Shelby As a senior at Auburn University I knew upon graduation I would be drafted immediately. I had no problem serving my country even if it meant going to war. However I wanted to fly. Flying is all I […]
This bombing 100 years ago today is probably the first film of domestic terrorism in the United States!
Dramatic video of an bombing in San Francisco in 1916 – minutes after it occurred. The Preparedness Day Bombing took place in San Francisco, California on July 22, 1916, when the city held a parade in honor of Preparedness Day, in anticipation of the United States’ imminent entry into World War I. During the parade […]
Did you know that one vote from a postmaster in Oregon actually changed the course of a presidential election and history?
This is unbelievable but true! One vote changed the course of this presidential election and American history. The Disputed Election of 1876 The presidential election held on November 7, 1876, between Democrat Samuel J. Tilden and Union war hero, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes probably ranks as one of the closest. President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877 Library […]
Vacation plans in 1943 included the possibility of not being able to return home
Are you planning a vacation? This is what you would have to deal with when traveling by car in 1943 in America. EASING OF GAS BRINGS TROUBLES Easterners Want To Make Short Trips (Article from The Tuscaloosa News July 7, 1943) WASHINGTON, July 7, 1943 – (AP) – The Office of Price Administration (OPA) headed […]
The dangers of tight trousers – Can you believe this actually happened? It was reported in Birmingham newspaper
Sometimes I discover the funniest things in old newspapers and this article is one. Be sure to share this funny story with your friends. They could probably use a laugh. The Danger of Tight Trousers (Transcribed from the Birmingham Iron Age April 24, 1884) From the Philadelphia Record “Here, conductor, this young man’s fainted.” These […]
Life was hard for sharecroppers [pictures] in Southeast Missouri in the years after the Great Depression
Southast Missouri is known as the “boot heel”, ‘Mississippi lowlands”, or “swamp east”. Located in the northernmost portion of the Mississippi delta, it is composed largely of rich alluvial soils and includes some of the richest farm lands in the state. Stories abound about this section of the state such as: The boot heel was […]
The way we listen to music, radio and news has changed drastically – Do you remember these days? [videos]
(When I listened to my transistor radio way back when I thought I was being modern and never could have imagined the world of music we live in today. This story by contributing author, Dorothy Gast from Alabama, takes us back even further… and I discovered an amazing interview when the first time Arthur Godfrey […]
The hermit of Portland, Maine in 1936 – What was his real name?
You never know what interesting photographs you might run across while doing research. Below are some pictures taken by Paul Carter, a Resettlement Administration employee in 1936 while his was visiting Freeport, Maine. The man in the photographs must have been quite a character and very inventive. I’d love to know more about him. The hermit […]
You don’t know anything about how many people are living in trailers, till you ‘hit’ Florida”
Many people traveled to California from all over the country in the 1930’s seeking work due to the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. They traveled in many vehicles, by trains, trucks, cars and many were homemade trailers. Some even walked. Dorothea Lange, photograher captured many of these various modes of transportation. The song, A Traveler’s […]