Oldest Man in the United States died in Waco, Texas on September 1, 1909 (Transcribed from Florence Times, Lauderdale County, Alabama September 10, 1909) Waco, Tex., September 1, Isaac Brock died here today aged 121. He was not only the oldest man in the United States but virtually as old as the United States itself. […]
Tag: history
Scents of the past bring back memories
SCENTS OF THE PAST by Gayle Farris Have you ever had a “flash back”, when you smell something that you had not…in a long long time? Perhaps it was the aroma of a food you ate as a child. Maybe you were walking in park and caught the fragrance of a flower or shrub that […]
Did this 1901 film inspire this famous Marilyn Monroe photograph?
Everyone has seen this iconic photograph of Marilyn Monroe below. The photograph from the movie The Seven Year Itch is probably the most recognized among thousands taken of the famous actress. I recently ran across an old 1901 film made by Thomas Edison’s film company in New York City and wondered if the inspiration to do the scene of […]
DYK: True meaning of Escaped by the skin of your teeth
Did You Know? ESCAPED BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH – The expression is a Hebrew one that first appeared in this form in the Geneva Bible (1560). In Job 19:20, it reads: My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. This was a […]
Where Have All the Chinaberry Trees Gone?
Where Have All the Chinaberry Trees Gone? By Dorothy Graham Gast Seventy years ago the umbrella shaped chinaberry tree was in almost every county yard. The tiny purplish spring blossoms with their faint sweet smell gave way to glossy green berries hidden in the darker green leaves. Those berries were ideally suited for pea shooters […]
The first reconnaissance aircraft flew into a surprise hurricane in Texas because of a bet
A surprise hurricane in July, 1943 that hit Texas was considered at the time the worst since the 1915 Galveston hurricane. The tropical storm developed over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on July 25 and strengthened while it tracked westward. The Old Southern Hotel 1943 Texas City Library.org Information and reports about the hurricane were […]
Lemons to Lemonade & Plastiki
LEMONS TO LEMONADE by Inez McCollum There is a well known cliché, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We frequently read news articles that give this message. One in particular was a paragraph I read about rubble from the World Trade Center. The USS New York, was built of steel salvaged from the ruins […]
This is what washing clothes was like before the washing machine
The Ole Black Wash Pot by Jean Butterworth The ole black wash pot now has more uses that it used to. Where is yours? Mine was given to me by a grandmother so long ago I have forgotten which one. My wash pot is used to hold a blue Hydrangea bush and is so beautiful […]
St. Louis, Missouri World’s Fair – there were many Native American exhibits as these pics show
The World’s Fair took place in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904. Below are some stereoscope pictures of many of the Native Americans at the event. David K. [i.e., R.] Francis declaring the exposition opened, World’s Fair, St. Louis, 1904 A pike parade before Fair Japan, looking east, World’s Fair, St. Louis, 1904 Iowa and Mississippi […]
Waiting for the Mailman and southern fried chicken
Waiting for the Mailman by Jean Butterworth During the early forties in the summertime I would find my Granddaddy Champion, who lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair. After a morning of plowing with a mule in the cotton or corn fields, he was tired. He would have finished […]