Tag: History

Deterrent In The Deep 1960

From TIME, Vol. 76, No. 5, August 1, 1960, p.18.

Vehicle Mounted Manipulator 1956

“Popular Mechanics (Sep 1956, p.90) drawing made by Frank Tinsley from designs by Lee A. Ohlinger of Northrop Aviation, Inc. of a robot mechanic for the proposed atomic-powered airplane, a star-crossed project that stumbled through 10 years and $500,000 without ever getting off the ground.”

Other designs were developed based on the concept, including the GE “Beetle” of 1961.

[Images & story found here.]

American Indian Chiefs Cigarette Cards – Pt. 3

[See Part 1 & Part 2 for more. Source: Allen & Ginter Cigarette Cards 1888-1889.]

Vukovar, Yugoslavia 1992

Santa Claus with the children during the Croatian War of Independence. Vukovar, 1992.

Vukovar, Yugoslavia in 1992 during the Croatian War of Independence.

The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991.
[…]
During the battle, shells and rockets were fired into the town at a rate of up to 12,000 a day. At the time, it was the fiercest and most protracted battle seen in Europe since 1945, and Vukovar was the first major European town to be entirely destroyed since the Second World War.

A 2013 discussion on Reddit includes analyses of this and other photos found in this collection, and suggests that the Santa photo may have been Yugoslav staged propaganda.

[Image found here indicates a date of 1991.]

Radar Station DYE-2 Greenland

Abandoned DYE-2 radar station, Greenland

The dart is still in the dartboard and the beer is still on the counter in the bar. So untouched is DYE-2. Slowly, the weather and wind have encroached and in a few years it will probably be difficult to get in and see this unique, American cold war relic on the ice sheet in 
Greenland.

[Caption and photos from here  Other photos from here and here.]

7 December 1941

[Previously posted observances of the Day of Infamy here.]

My late father’s stamp, used on almost all of his U.S. Mail correspondence.

Veterans Day 2023

[Previous Armistice Day / Remembrance Day / Veterans Day posts here.]

Tarrare

Tarrare, a historical figure from late 18th century France, gained notoriety for his unending appetite and peculiar eating habits. He grappled with a rare medical disorder called polyphagia, which compelled him to incessantly hunger for and consume copious amounts of food, including non-edible items. Tarrare garnered public attention by devouring objects like corks, stones, and even live animals, once astonishing onlookers by devouring an entire basket of apples in rapid succession. Despite his astounding consumption abilities, his health rapidly declined, plagued by numerous complications stemming from his condition. The life of Tarrare remains an intriguing medical enigma, leaving numerous questions unanswered regarding the underlying nature and causes of his singular condition.

From ATI:

And the strangest part of all this was that he always looked as though he were starving. The young man barely weighed 100 pounds and he seemed constantly tired and distracted. He was showing every possible sign of undernourishment – except, of course, that he was eating enough to feed a small barracks.

[Top image and first caption found here. Other images found around the internest and may or may not be Tarrare.]

America Indian Chiefs Cigarette Cards – Pt. 2

[See Part 1 for more. Source: Allen & Ginter Cigarette Cards 1888-1889]

American Indian Chiefs Cigarette Cards – Pt. 1

[Source: Allen & Ginter Cigarette Cards 1888-1889]