Monday, March 18, 2024

A Whole Bunch of History Magazines Folded Last Month

I just found out about this this past week.  I was wondering why I couldn't find them anymore at my local Meijer store or Woodman's.  The reason being they are no longer published and this is a big loss to those of us with a penchant for history.

These magazines are no longer with us:

* Military History (one of my favorites)

World War II (another favorite)

Military History Quarterly

Civil War Times  (my favorite of them.  I've subscribed every since the 1970s)

American History

Wild West

Aviation History

Vietnam

America's Civil War (another favorite)

Sad Times.  --Cooter


Thursday, March 14, 2024

Chicago Bears Coaches: Trestman, Fox, Nagy and Eberflus

MARC TRESTMAN

Years:  2013-2014

Record:  13-19

***********************

JOHN FOX

Years:  2015-2017

Record:  14-34

***********************

MATT NAGY

Years:  2018-2021

Record:  34-31

***********************

MATT EBERFLUS

Years 2023-2023

Record:  10-24

Oh Well.  --Cooter


Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Chicago Bears Coaches: Wannstedt, Jauron & Smith

DAVE WANNSTEDT

Years:  1993-1998

Record:  40-56

***************************

DICK JAURON

Years:  1999-2003

Record:  35-45

***************************

LOVIE SMITH

Years:  2004-2012

Record:  81-63

--DaBear


Saturday, March 9, 2024

Chicago Bears Coaches: Da Coach, Mike Ditka

MIKE DITKA

Head Coach 1982-1992

Record:  106-62

WHAT MANAGEMENT SAID:  "I like his ability to handle himself and handle other people.  And, I know he'll do a good job getting people to play according to his desires."  --George Halas

WHAT DA COACH SAID:  "I believe that everyone has a destiny in life, and mine is with the Chicago Bears.  I'm going to give Chicago a winning football team, an interesting football team and a football team that everybody is going to be proud of.

Man, did he ever do just that.  True words.

Da Coach.  Let's Bring Him Back.  --RoadBear


Thursday, March 7, 2024

Chicago Bears Coaches: Neill Armstrong

NEILL ARMSTRONG

Years Head Coach:  1978-1981

Record:  30-34

Hired by Jim Finks, who had this to say:  I'm not saying you have to be an assistant in the National Football League to be a successful head coach.  But who in the hell ever heard of Chuck Knox when he was an assistant at Detroit?  Who ever heard of George Allen when he was with the Bears, except the people in Chicago.

Regardless, you could see the Bears improving.

AND, you probably know who the NEXT coach was.

DaCoach--  DaCoot


Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The 'Iron Curtain' Descends in 1946-- Winston Churchill

I will be finishing my list of Chicago Bears head coaches, but yesterday marked an important date in an era I lived through and never thought would end (or has it?).  The Cold War.

MARCH 5, 1946

Winston Churchill delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" Speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.

Liz and I accidentally found Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, back on one of our trips.  I came across a very informative article on this speech and a historic London church that has been rebuilt in Fulton and will write about it after Da Bears coaches.

--Cold War Coot


Monday, March 4, 2024

Chicago Bears Coaches: From Driscoll to Dooley to Gibron and Pardee

JOHN "PADDY" DRISCOLL

1956-1957

Record 14-9-1

************************

JIM DOOLEY

1968-1971

20-36

************************

ABE GIBRON

1972-1974

11-30-1

************************

JACK PARDEE

1975-1977

20-22

DaBears.  --DaCoot


Friday, March 1, 2024

Chicago Bears Coaches-- Part 1: Halas to Jones to Anderson/Johnsos

From the January 30, 2022 Chicago Tribune  "By way of introduction..." by Kori Rumore.

The new head coach of DaBears is Matt Eberflus.  He is the 17th head coach.

Of course, the longest tenured head coach was Papa Bear, George Halas.

GEORGE HALAS 

1920-1929; 1933-1942; 1946-'55; 1958-'67.

RECORD:  318-148-31

*****************************

RALPH JONES    

1930-'32

record:  24-10-7

*****************************

HEARTLY 'HUNK'ANDERSON/LUKE JOHNSOS (co-coaches)

1942-'45

RECORD:  14-9-1

George Halas was away in WW II.

--CootBear


Monday, February 26, 2024

Notable Burials West Laurel Hill Cemetery: Oil, Paper Towels & Singers

BILLY PAUL  (1934-2016)--  Born Paul Williams.  Singer of "Me and Mrs. Jones."

TEDDY PENDERGRASS  (1950-2010)--  R&B / Soul singer

JOSEPH NEWTON PEW  (1848-1912)--  Founder of Sun Oil Co., now Sunoco.

ARTHUR HOYT SCOTT  (1875-1925)--  Inventor of the paper towel.

We Got a Good Thing Going On.  --DaCoot


Friday, February 23, 2024

Some More Notables at West Laurel Hill: RCA, Comic Strips and Throat Lozenges

ANNA JARVIS  (1864-1948)--  Originator of Mother's Day.

ELDRIDGE R. JOHNSON  ( 1867-1945)--  Founder of Victor Talking Machine Company predecessor of RCA Records.

WILLAIM J. KIRKPATRICK (1838-1921)--  Wrote "Away in a Manger."

HAROLD HERING KNER  (1882-1949)--  Writer-artist of "Katzenjammer Kids" for 35 years.  Considered one of earliest comic strips.

WILLIAM H. LUDEN  (1859-1949)--  Developer of the menthol  throat lozenge.

--Cooter


Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Notable Burials at Philadephia's West Laurel Cemetery-- Part 2: Baseball Cards and Soup

CYRUS CURTIS (1850-1933)--  Founder of Curtis Publishing Company,  publisher of Ladies Home Journal and the Saturday Evening Post.

JOHN THOMAS DORRANCE (1873-1930)--  Discovered method to make condensed soup and president of Campbell Soup Company.

FRANK H. FLEER  (1857-1921)--  Inventor of bubble gum and baseball card pioneer.  That figures.

LEWIS M. HAUPT (1844-1937)  Engineer noted for work with waterways.  His father was Herman Haupt who was so important in the Union transportation, particularly with railroads, during the Civil War.

RUDOLPH HERING (1847-1923)--  Engineer who was very involved with the reversing of the Chicago River.

BRENDA J. PAYTON HILL  (1945-1992)--  As Brenda Payton, she was lead singer of doo wop group Branda and the Tabulations.

--Cooter


Monday, February 19, 2024

Notable Burials at Philadelphia's West Laurel Hill Cemetery-- Part 1 Road Trippin'

From Wikipedia.

This is a continuation of my Road Trippin' Through History that I started in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog last week.  I wrote about a Sgt. Richard Binder, USMC, who had received a Medal of Honor for service at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in 1865.

When I Road Trip Through History, I start with a story and see where it takes me.  One of the things I like to do is find out if there are any folks of interest buried where the person is interred.  Sgt. Binder is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.  The cemetery is by Philadelphia, but actually in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania and is affiliated with the larger Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Earlier today, I, posted about four Union soldiers who received Medals of Honor during the Civil War in my Running the Blockade blog.

There are a number of early baseball players buried there, but I am not familiar with any of their names.

ALEXANDER MILNE CALDER  ((1845-1923) Sculptor.  Designed the George Meade statue in Philadelphia along with the Benjamin Franklin statue atop the Philadelphia City Hall.

WILLIAM E. CARTER  (1875-1940)  Millionaire and survivor of the Titanic.

More to Come.  --Cooter


Friday, February 16, 2024

Shotgun Raid at Annie's Woods in DeKalb in March 1922

From the March 8, 2022, MidWeek "Looking Back. 100 Years Ago.

Annie's Woods is a park named after Annie Glidden in DeKalb, Illinois, by NIU.

"As a result of a shotgun raid conducted here yesterday by Sheriff W.H. Decker, Deputy William Berry, Chief of Police  Frank Riddell and Officer  Rowe, 24 gallons of  moonshine was seized  as it was being transferred from one automobile to another in Annie's Woods.

"Christ P. and Henry L. were arrested on charges of transporting liquor.

"Later in the day, a raid was conducted on the house of Hugh V. on Market Street.  Here a  still and several gallons of mash  was confiscated and V. placed under arrest."

--Cooter


Tuesday, February 13, 2024

NIU 1922: Ain't No 'Girls College' No More

From the March 8, 2022, MidWeek "Looking Back."  (DeKalb County, Illinois)

Here is a name for Northern Illinois University that I did not know.  But, evidently in its earlier days it was called "Girls College."

Here's the article from March 1922:

"It will not be many days before the work of installing a chapter of the Y.M.C.A. at the Teacher' College will be completed.  Dean of Men Robert G. Buzzard called a meeting of all men members of the student body and faculty at which time a brief  outline of what is to be done was given.

"A forming of the Y.M.C.A. at the Teachers' college would be a fair indication that the college is growing away from the old name "Girls college."  The last few years has seen a wonderful growth in the number of men students at the college."

And the gals were so happy.

No More "Suitcase College" Here.  --Cooter


Friday, February 9, 2024

Most Common Jobs in Illinois and the U.S. 150 Years Ago-- Part 1

From the April 4, 2022, Stacker.  From U.S. Census Bureau.

First number is Illinois and second number is national.  That would make it 1872 so from the 1870 census.

1.  Farmers and Planters  

240, 256  //  2,977,711

2.  Agricultural laborers'

133,649 //  2,885,996

3.  Laborers (not specified)

63,130 //  1,031.666

4.  Domestic servants

44,903  //  975,734

5.  Carpenters and joiners

23,040 //  344,596

6.  Employees of railroad companies (nor clerks)

14,946 //  154,027

7.  Clerks in stores

13,980 //  222,504

--Cooter


Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Mr. White Sox, Minnie Minoso, Finally in Baseball's Hall of Fame

From the July 24, 2022, SB Nation "Mr. White Sox is finally in the Hall of Fame" by Chrystal  O'Keefe.

Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox player Minnie Minoso.

Wonder how many of last years Injured Reserve Sox will make it to the Hall?

Baseball's Been Very Good to Mr. Sox.  --Cooter



Saturday, May 13, 2023

Illinois' I & M Canal's 175th Anniversary-- Part 2

The importance of the Illinois & Michigan (I&M) Canal lies in the fact that it in effect, connected the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River via the Illinois River.

The miniature 16-by-24-foot museum is filled with interesting artifacts that lend color to the daily lives of the canal toll collectors.  On a shelf, you'll find a bugle and a conch shell, both used by boat captains to wake up the sleeping collector, whose rope bed was in the southwest corner of the building.

In 2009, a full-sized replica canal boat, previously featured in the film "Prairie Tides," was moved to the site.  The barge is lined with boxes and crates symbolizing the 150-plus tons of cargo those boats hauled along the canal.

For more information, visit pickusottawail.com/attractions/im canal-toll-house.

--Cooter