Friday, January 29, 2016

Forced Savings Plan for CCC Members

From the Jan. 6, 2016, MidWeek "Looking Back"  Serving DeKalb County, Illinois.

1941, 75 YEARS AGO.  "James T. McEntree, director of the Civilian Conservation Corps, today announced that beginning January 1; the sum of seven dollars will be set aside each month from the earnings of each CCC enrolled with dependents and placed in a special deposit fund to be held for him until his discharge.

"Under the plan an enroller spending a six-month enrollment period in the corps, will upon discharge, have $42 with which to buy clothing and other necessities while he searches for a self-supporting job."

Taking Care of the Guys.  --DaCoot

Are Stamps Licked?-- Part 4: Titanic Souvenir

Some other stamps on dispplay:

**  Patriot names.  AS the declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, a letter made its way to that document's most famous signatory, John Hancock.  It was addressed to "The Hon. John Hancock Esq. In Philadelphia.  (What, no Zip Code?)

**  A famous mistake.  A rare 1918 misprint celebrating the first airmail flight shows an upside down JN-4 airplane, or Jenny"; a single "inverted Jenny" sold in 2007 for nearly $1 million.    The museum has a set of 4.

**  (Fe)Mail Milestones.  On her historic solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932, Amelia Earhart carried mail postmarked before and after landing.  This one was stamped Trans-Atlantic Non-Stop  Solo-Flight  First Aviatrix  Amelia Earhart Flight  Newfoundland-Ireland May 20-1932- May 21 and was addressed to Bernt Balchen, Hasbrouch Heights, New Jersey.

**  Shipwreck souvenir.  Before an iceberg sunk the grand Titanic in 1912, one of its first-class passengers mailed a letter written on the ship's stationery.  It says White Star Line and shows the company's flag.  It was addressed to M.W. Defmeyer S A 36  Berlin Germany.

--Cootstamper.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Are Stamps Licked?-- Part 3: Some More Interesting Stuff

Also in the museum's new stamp exhibition:

**  Stamps from the 1800s European colonies.

**  A letter carried by a Pony Express rider who was caught and scalped by Indians in 1860.  Settlers found it and sent it along with a note on the envelope describing circumstances.

**  A seared letter that was on the Hindenburg when it caught fire in 1937.  Burned letters were salvaged from the wreckage and all delivered.  This one was going to Mr. John Schoonbrod, 320 W. 107 th St., New York, USA.

**  The registered envelope in which jeweler Harry Winston shipped the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian, insuring the package for $1 million.

--DaCoot


Are Stamps Licked?-- Part 2 The New Smithsonian William H. Gross Stamp Gallery

Inside are 20,000 stamps, including examples from every single country that has ever had them, including some like Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which no longer exist.  There is also the only letter ever postmarked from the moon and one sent to John Hancock on July 4, 1776.

Also, there is a letter recovered by settlers after Indians captured the Pony Express rider carrying it.

Of course, there is a block of "inverted Jenny" stamps, like a set that sold for nearly $3 million,  which feature an upside down airplane.  It became one of the most famous ever U.S. stamps after a 1918 misprint and quick recall.

Lick Me.  --Cooter

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Are Stamps Licked?-- Part 1: Is Stamp Collecting On Its Way Out?

From the Nov. 4, 2013, Time Magazine "Are Stamps Licked?  by Katy Steinmetz.

Baltimore's Philatelic Society had their 75th annual stamp show did not have a lot of young collectors.  But stamp collecting isn't over.  Rarest stamps are increasing in value and the hobby is spreading abroad.  But, in the U.S., philately is down.  Membership in the largest stamp society continues to wane.

Billionaire Bill Gross, who owns the world's most-valuable private collection says, "It's not necessarily obvious that kids even know what a stamp is."  Not surprising in these days of e-mailing and texting.  He even gave $10,000,000 to build a new 12,000-square-ft. stamp exhibit at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.

Revenue at philatelic auctions is up.  Collections worth $5-$10 million were almost unheard of before, but now there are several dozen.

Doing well in the world, but not so much at home.  The market lacks young collectors to make it thrive.  The Boy Scouts issue a merit badge for stamp collecting.  In 2012 it issued 1,000 of them (compared with 22,000 for basketry and 92,000 for first aid).

New memberships at the American Philatelic Society have shrunk about 30% after peaking in the 1980s.

--DaCoot

Wisconsin Bill to Make It Easier to Destroy Indian Mounds

From the  Jan. 17, 2016, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Mounds should remain part of landscape" by Mary Louise Schumacher.

A protest was held in Madison.  The bill is supported by Redi-Mix which is in  a legal battle with Ho-Chunk Nation over control of mounds in one of its quarries.

Not much is known about the mounds, but they were already here when Europeans first arrived.  As many as 20,000 of these earthen sculptures were built.

They were created by native people from about 800 B.C. to 1000 A.D. and were especially numerous in the southern part of Wisconsin.  They became an significant obstacle for early white farmers.  Some were huge like the destroyed bird effigy near Muscoda which had a wingspan of a quarter mile.

Many mounds contain burial remains and it is estimated that about 80% of them have already been lost

The bill from Sen. Chris Kapenga and Rep. Robert Brooks places a significance on whether the mound contains actual burial remains.

Here's Hoping They Keep Them.  --Cooter

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Final Goodbyes Said in 2015-- Part 2: "Not Logical"

Blues Legend B.B. King, 89.  Old Blues Boy.  "The Thrill is Gone" now.

Three-time NBA MVP Moses Malone, 60  The guy cold play.

Actress and comedian Anne Meera, 85  Steela and Meara.  George's parents.

Actor Al Molinaro, 96  Owned Arnold's and the cop on the "Odd Couple."

Mathematician John Nash, 86  The brilliant mind.

Mr. Spock of "Star Trek" Leonard Nimoy, 83  "Beam Me Up."

Actress Maureen O'Hara, 95  Loved her "spanking" by John Wayne.

Singer Percy Sledge, 74  "When a Man Loves a Woman"  How can you get sadder than that?

Songwriter-producer-musician Allen Toussaint, 77  That guy was all over the place and a huge part of the New Orleans sound.

Actor Dick Van Patten, 86  "Eight Is Enough"


Final Goodbyes Said in 2015-- Part 1: "It Was Like Deja Vu All Over Again"

From the December 31, 2015, Chicago Tribune.

There were many more listed than what I have here, but these are the ones that meant more to me.

Baseball great Ernie Banks, 83   Mr. Cub

Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra, 90    I loved the Aflac Duck and him in that commercial.

Civil Rights icon Julian Bond, 75

Filmmaker Wes Craven, 76

"The Beverly Hillbillies" star Donna Douglas, 82   Ellie Mae.  She sure was a fine sight.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and sportscaster Frank Gifford, 84

Singer Lesley Gore, 68  One of the great Girl Singers.  "Its My Party"

Monday, January 25, 2016

Ten Historically Significant Sites Destroyed for Awful Reasons-- Part 1

From the June 19, 2013, Listverse.

10.  MOMA, Museum of Modern Art in New York City, for expansion, destroyed the American Folk Museum, a brownstone home that belonged to John D. Rockefeller, the Dorset Hotel and the City Athletic Club.

9.  A Civil Eights site destroyed in South Carolina for a store.

8.  William Shakespeare's House in Stratford-Upon-Avon where it is said that he wrote some of his later work.  Destroyed in 1755.

7.  Ancient Chinese grave sites destroyed by thieves breaking into at least 900 tombs.

6.  Ancient Taoist Temple in Beijing, China.  680 years old destroyed for 2008 Olympics.

More to Come.  --DaCoot


Finds 400-Year-Old Skeleton, Charged $5,000

From the June 17, 2013, Yahoo! News.  The Lookout "Ontario couple finds 400-year-old skeleton, gets $5,000 bill" by William Holt.

Ken Campbell of Sarnia, Ontario, was digging post holes in his backyard when he came across some bones.  His wife Nicole Sauve encouraged him to unearth the rest and they called police who cordoned off the area.

Forensic anthropologist Michael Spence examined the site and said that the skeleton was that of a 24-year-old Indian woman who died in the late 1500s or early 1600s.

Spence then contacted the Registrar of Cemeteries who told the couple they had to hire an archaeologist to examine the rest of their backyard at their cost.

Thanks a Lot, Wifey.  --Cooter

Friday, January 22, 2016

Salem Witch Trial Hanging Site Confirmed-- Part 2

Twenty people suspected of witchcraft were killed in Salem in 1692 during a frenzy stoked by superstition, fear of disease and strangers and petty jealousies.

Nineteen were hanged and one was crushed to death by rocks.

The top of nearby Gallows Hill had long been thought to be the site of the hangings, but there was no evidence to support that.  Proctor's Ledge is at the base of Gallows Hill.

The investigation team also determined that there was probably never a gallows at the site.  More than likely a rope was tossed over a tree branch.

Also, it is not likely that none of them were buried at Proctor's Ledge as it is too rocky and there is only shallow soil.

--DaCoot

Salem Witch Trial Hanging Site Confirmed-- Part 1

From the January 17, 2016, Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel "Researchers Confirm site of hangings for Salem witch trials" by Mark Pratt and Rodrique Ngowi, AP.

19 innocent people were slain there during 1692 hysteria.

Salem, Massachusetts.

A team of researchers using historical documents and 21st century archaeological techniques has confirmed the exact spot where 19 innocent people were hanged during the Salem Witch trials.

The site is known as  Proctor's Ledge and is in a small, city-owned plot of woods between two residential streets and behind a Walgreens pharmacy.

Historian Sidney Perley had determined Proctor's Ledge as the site nearly a century ago by using historical documents, but his findings were lost to time.

The current research, known as the Gallows Hill project set out to locate the site for sure.

--Cooter

Thursday, January 21, 2016

"Sit, Ubu, Sit!"

From the June 24, 2013, Yahoo! TV.

Someone wanted to know who Ubu was and what TV series signed off with these words.

It was the one featuring uber-conservative Alex P. Keaton being raised by his hippie parents Steven and Elyse Keaton on "Family Ties."

Series creator Gary David Goldberg did the voice.  Ubu was his black lab Ubu Roi.

The full quote was "Sit, Ubu, Sit...good dog!"  This was followed by Ubu's bark.

Ubu accompanied Goldberg through his college days and Goldberg and his wife's trip through Europe.

Sadly, Ubu died in 1984, two years after "Family Ties" premiered.  But he can also be seen closing "Spin City."

--DaBark

100 Funniest Movies-- Part 5

The last twenty:

A Shot in the Dark
Slap Shot
Soapdish
Some Like It Hot
South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

Sullivan's Travel
Swingers
Tropopo
This Is Spinal Tap
There's Something About Mary

Tootsie
Trading Places
Tropic Thunder
Used Cars
Waiting for Guffman

Wet Hot American Summer
When harry Met Sally
Withnail & I
Young Frankenstein
Zoolander

--Cooter

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

100 Funniest Movies-- Part 4: "Animal House"

Love and Death
M*A*S*H
Modern Times
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python's Life of Brian

National Lampoon's Animal House
National Lampoon's Vacation
The Odd Couple
Office Space
Old School

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
The Player
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The Princess Bride
The Producers

Pulp Fiction
Raising Arizona
Rushmore
Serial Mom
Shaun of the Dead

--DaCoot


100 Funniest Movies-- Part 3: "Groundhog Day"

Fletch
Friday
The General (1927)
Ghostbusters
Groundhog Day

The Hangover
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Harold and Maude
Heathers
Heaven Can Wait

His Girl Friday
Hot Fuzz
How to Marry a Millionaire
In the Loop
The In-Laws

It Happened One Night
The Jerk
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Kung Fu Hustle
La Cage aux folles

--Cooter

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

100 Funniest Movies-- Part 2: "A Christmas Story"

Blazing Saddles
Borat
Bowfinger
Bridesmaids
Bridget Jones's Diary

Bring It On
Bull Durham
A Christmas Story
Caddyshack
Clueless

Coming to America
Dazed and Confused
Diner
Dr. Strangelove
Duck Soup

Dumb & Dumber
Election
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Buehler's Day Off
A Fish Called Wanda

Sixty to Go.  --DaCoot

100 Funniest Movies-- Part 1: "Airplane!"

From Yahoo!  Movies  "100 Funniest Movies to See before You Die."

The 40-Year Old Virgin
9 to 5
Adam's Rib
After Hours
Airplane!

All About Eve
Anchorman:  The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Annie Hall
The Apartment
The Aristocrats

Arsenic and Old Lace
Arthur
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Bad Santa
Ball of Fire

The Bank Dick
Best in Show
The Big Lebowski
Billy Madison
Black Dynamite

Eighty More.  --Cooter

Monday, January 18, 2016

NIU's Great 2011 Football Season

Sept. 3  NIU 49  Army 26
Sept. 10  Kansas 45  NIU 42
Sept. 17  Wisconsin 49 NIU 7
Sept. 24  NIU 47  Cal Poly  30

Oct. 1  Central Michigan 48  NIU 41
Oct. 8  NIU 40  Kent Stae 10
Oct. 15  NIU 51  W. Michigan 23
Oct. 22  NIU  31  Buffalo 30

Nov. 1  NIU 63  Toledo 60
Nov. 8  NIU 45  Bowling Green  14
Nov. 15  NIU  41  Ball State 41
Nov. 25  NIU 16  E. Michigan 12

Dec. 2  NIU 23 Ohio 20

Jan. 6  NIU 38  Arkansas State 20  GoDaddy Bowl

Great Year.  --DaNIUCoot

Ten Unpleasant Creatures Made Lovable By Cartoons

From the Feb. 3, 2012 Listverse.

10.  Rats--  Ratatouille
9.  Ghosts--  Caspar, the Friendly Ghost
8.  Spiders--  Charlotte's Web

7.  Skunks--  Looney Tunes' Pepe le Pew
6.  Dead Dogs--  Corpse Bride
5.  Caterpillars--  A Bug's Life, Heimlich
4.  Ants--  A Bug's Life  Dot is so darn cute.

3.  Ogres--  Shrek
2.  Cockroaches--  Wall-E
1.  Snakes--  Kung Fu Panda

--Cooter

Friday, January 15, 2016

Eight Best Canned Beers

From Esquire.  These are the best ones to drink.

1.  Dale's Pale Ale
2.  Porkshays Pale Ale
3.  Brooklyn Lager

4.  Fat Tire Amber Ale
5.  Cynic Ale
6.  Boont Amber Ale

7.  PBR
8.  Simpler Times Lager

Drinking Beer.  --Cooter

Who Knew: 1913

In 1913, there were 14.020 shoe stores, no TVs

The first 1040, because of the 16th Amendment originally taxed at 1% for just the people earning more than $3,000 a year.  Average salary then was $800.

There were also 1600 registered fortune tellers, hypnotists and spiritualists.

38 million workers in the work force.  (141 million today)1,053 umbrella vendors  and 1593 lighthouse keepers  (Today there is just one manned lighthouse, Boston.)

--DaCoot


Ten People Who Give America a Bad Reputation

From the Jan. 14, 2012, Listverse.

Go to the site to learn why.

10.  Alfred Charles Sharpton, Jr.
9.  Benedict Arnold
8.  Julius Rosenberg

7.  President Warren G. Harding
6.  President Andrew Jackson
5.  John Wilkes Booth
4.  John C. Calhoun

3.  Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr.
2.  George Lincoln Rockwell
1.  Senator Joseph McCarthy

--Cooter

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Play It Safe: A Short Look at Football Helmets-- Part 2

1960s

Helmets and double bar face masks were introduced.  All players in the NFL wore face masks.

1970s

Riddell introduced a helmet with an air bladder inside  the helmet to absorb energy and soften the impact of a hit on the head.

1980s-1990s

First polycarbonate helmet and protective visors were added.  In 1998, the NFL required visors to be transparent.

Today

With improved face masks, cushioning against impact and chin straps, helmets are now designed to reduce concussions.

--CooterHelmet

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Play It Safe: Football Helmet History-- Part 1: From Soft Leather to Hard Plastic

From the Nov. 18, 2015, Northwest Herald (Illinois) "Kid Scoop"

Of interest as we near the end of football for the season and the movie "Concussion."

1920s

The first helmets were merely soft leather coverings that were meant primarily to protect the ears.

1930s

In 1939, the John T. Riddell Company of Chicago introduced the first all-plastic football helmet.

1940s

Soft leather head coverings became hard leather helmets.  Chinstraps and decorations were added.  helmets became mandatory for NFL players.

1950s

A single face bar was added to plastic helmets.  In 1956, a radio helmet was introduced which allowed coaches to communicate with players on the field.

--DaCoot

Irish First World War Sailors Sought-- Part 2

Three hundred and fifty Irish sailors were killed at the Battle of Jutland, 91 at the Battle of Coronel and 62 on the HMS Hawke.

Others lost their lives when the MFA Whitehead, a steamship, was torpedoed in 1917, the submarine HMS K-17 which sank in an accidental collision in 1918 and the HMS Bayono, a converted merchant ship, torpedoed off Ireland which caused bodies to wash up on the Ard Peninsula.

At least 14 Irishmen lost their lives on the first warship lost to enemy action in the war, the HMS Amphion in 1914.

Overall, some 1,500 Irish sailors were killed in action during the war.

--Cooter

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Irish First World War Sailor Descendants Sought-- Part 1

From the Dec. 25, 2015, Belfast telegraph "Descendants of Irish sailors of First World War sought to mark the Battle of Jutland."

A series of events will be held May 31, 2016, marking the centennial of the largest sea battle of World War I.  They will be held on the HMS Caroline which will open as a heritage visitor attraction in Belfast.  It is the only ship at  the Battle of Jutland still afloat.

I was able to see this ship in a cruise around the British Isles when we tied up next to the drydock where the RMS Titanic was built.  At the time it didn't much look like a warship, though.

Thousands of Irish men and women assisted in the war effort including as sailors in the Navy, merchant marine, fishing industry workers and dockworkers.  Others were lighthouse keepers, lifeboat crews and Coast Guard who kept the seas as safe as possible.

--Cooter


Loss of Two Favorite Actors: Trapper John and Schneider

WAYNE ROGERS, 82.  Played Trapper John on MASH for just three years.  I was surprised at how short this was.  I always thought he was on the show for a lot longer.  Died December 31, 2015.

PAT HARRINGTON, JR., 86.  Best known for his role as handyman and building superintendent Dwayne F. Schneider on the TV sitcom "One Day at a Time."  Died Jan. 6,2016.

This series starred Bonnie Franklin as a divorced mother raising two teenage girls.  Schneider was a self-styled ladies man with a trim mustache and an ever present tool belt with a gut pressed up against his white tee shirt.  He got the paunch by drink mass quantities of water before each filming.

The series lasted from 1975 to 1984.

Two of my favorite-ever shows.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Ten Things You Might Not Know About December Holidays-- Part 4: Nativity Scene, Mayor Daley on Mistletoe, "The Night Before Christmas"

8.  The Christmas tradition of kissing someone under the mistletoe took on a decidedly Chicagp bent in 1975.  The first Mayor Richard Daley was fiercely protective of his family.

Responding to criticism that he funneled city business to a company that employed his son, he responded, "There's a mistletoe hanging from my coattail."

9.  St. Francis of Assisi is credited with making the nativity scene part of the Christmas tradition.  In 1223, he organized a live creche to emphasize Jesus' humble beginnings.

10.  We were all told that the poem "The Night before Christmas" was written by Clement Clarke Moore, a Manhattan scholar.  But the facts are squishier.  For starters, the poem was first published as "A Visit From St. Nicholas."

For another thing, Moore may not have written it.  Literary sleuth Donald Foster investigated the poem and concluded that Moore was lying.  Foster thinks the author was amateur poet Henry Livingston, Jr. of Poughkeepsie, N.Y..

Foster says the poem bears the style, outlook and cultural references of Livinsgton, not Moore.  Moore didn't claim ownership until 1844, nineteen years after the poem's anonymous appearance in a Troy, N.Y., newspaper.

By that time, Livinston was dead.  Before coming forward as the author, Moore wrote to that paper and asked whether anyone remembered the poem's author.  The answer came back that anyone who might have known was dead or gone.  Moore claimed it.

Twas the Night before Christmas and Who Did It?  --DaCoot

Ten Things You Might Not Know About December Holidays-- Part 2: On the Outs and Boxing Day

6.  Among the holiday traditions on the decline are tinsel and spray cans of fake snow.  Already declared dead are aluminum trees, which became uncool when they were denounced on TV's "A Charlie Brown Christmas."  I used to hate putting tinsel on the tree and, even worse, taking it off.

7.  Boxing Day is a weird holiday.  No one is sure when it got started or why it got its name.  Celebrated in many British-influenced lands, Boxing Day is traditionally the day after Christmas.

It may be an offshoot of St. Stephen's, which is what the Irish call it.

In Canada and England, it has turned into a shopping frenzy like America's Black Friday.

The "box" in Boxing Day may be the donation bins of the Anglican Church that were opened for the poor on Dec. 26.  Or, the name may come from the boxed presents that British aristocrats gave to the help the day after Christmas.

--OutoftheBoxCoot

Friday, January 8, 2016

Ten Things You May Not Know About December Holidays-- Part 2: Kwanzaa, Abraham Lincoln

4.  Kwanzaa, which is observed Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, is a nonreligious holiday that celebrates black culture.  The weeklong event highlights seven principles, including Nia, which is Swahili for "purpose."  That's how actress Nia Long got her name.

5.  Abraham Lincoln's youngest son, Thomas, nicknamed Tad, was known as a sensitive youngster.  On Christmas 1864, Tad, then ten, took the spirit of the season to heart and invited some street urchins into the White House for a meal.

The cooks refused to feed them until Tad took the issue to the president, who ordered that the children be fed.

--Cooter

Ten Things You Might Not Know About December Holidays-- Part 1: Poinsettias, Hanukkah, Rudolph

December 25,2015, Chicago Tribune by Mark Jacobs and Stephan Benzkofer.

Master researchers in anybody's book.

1.  The traditional Christmas plant we call the poinsettia was known to the Aztecs as cuetlaxochitl.  It's current name came from the first U.S. envoy to Mexico, Joel R. Poinsett, who noticed the plant being used for holiday celebrations and sent a few north to the United States in the 1820s.

2.  Hanukkah, based on the Jewish calendar, is a wandering holiday.  This year the eight-day celebration begins at sunset Dec. 20.  It 2016, it starts on Christmas Eve.  In 2013, it was Thanksgiving eve, Nov. 27.

3.  Rudolph, who now resides at the North Pole, was born in 1939.  The Montgomery Ward department store chain assigned ad copywriter Robert May to compose a Christmas poem that could be distributed to customers nationwide.

He wrote "Rollo the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but execs didn't like the name.  May's third name, Rudolph, was accepted, and the poem was shared with millions of customers.

--DaCootdeer

The Chicago Christmas Quiz-- Part 4: Take a Look at the 100 Year Predictions for 2008.

9.  The famed "Christmas Tree Ship" that sank in Lake Michigan in 1912 en route to Chicago was called the Rouse Simmons.  Who or what was Rouse Simmons?

A.  A duck dish popular among Norwegians
B.  A Kenosha businessman
C.  A Chicago alderman
D.  A poor translation of the Potawatami word for "wet"

10.  A 1908 Tribune article headlined :How Christmas Will be Celebrated One Hundred Years From Now Predicted that:

A.  Chicagoans will be visiting grandma Christmas morning at her cozy home 245 stories above the ground.
B.  Lights mounted on tall towers or on airships will illuminate every corner of the city.
C.  Cars and trains are likely to be obsolete--  "there will not be a wheeled vehicle of any kind on the streets...."  Rather, people will fly through the air or travel underground in pneumatic tubes.
D.  Christmas shoppers will be able to look at store merchandise remotely through a combination of telescope and moving picture machine by means of which you connect your room with the toy department and see the display by wire-- or perhaps by wireless."
E.  All of these.

Answers to yesterday's last post:  #6.  A,  #7.  E,  #8.  C.

Answers to today:  #9,  B,  #10  E.

As Usual, Some Interesting Stuff.  --Cooter

Thursday, January 7, 2016

The Chicago Christmas Quiz-- Part 3

6.  Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is from:

A.  Santa Claus, Indiana
B.  Noel, Missouri
C.  North Pole, Alaska
D.  Christmas, Fla.

7.  The film "Home Alone" was set during Christmas in Chicago's north suburbs.  Which of these details about the film are true?

A.  The Winnetka home used in the movie sold for $1.58 million in 2012.
B.  The film features a clip from another Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."
C.  The Tribune's Gene Siskel gave the "cloying holiday comedy" only 2 stars; the Sun-Times' Roger Ebert said it was worth 2 1/2.
D.  When the filmmakers were done with their fake snow, they donated it to the Lyric Opera.
E.  All of the above

8.  John Alexander Dowie, the Scottish evangelist who founded the northern suburb of Zion, once described the story of Santa Claus as ...

A.  "a charming example of charity in these heathen-filled times"
B.  "an abomination worse than dancing or strong drink
C.  "a  shameful lie which is sapping the veracity on infant minds of the whole nation"
D.  "a harmless myth about a man with a large beard and larger sense of humanity."

Answers tomorrow.

Answers to the earlier post today   #3.  B,  #4 A,  #5.  E.

--SamefulCooter

The Chicago Christmas Quiz-- Part 2: Christmas Day and "A Christmas Song"

3.  What major Chicago event occurred on Christmas Day 1865?

A.  Mrs. O'Leary's cow was born
B.  The Union Stockyard opened
C.  The Haymarket Riot took place
D.  The Chicago Historical Society was founded.

4.  New Cubs manager Rick Renteria was born on Christmas Day 1961.  What Chicago baseball hero was born on Christmas Day 1927?

A.  Nellie Fox
B.  Ryne Sanberg
C.  Ernie Banks
D.  Luis Aparicio

5.  "The Christmas Song," known for the lyrics "chestnuts roasting on an open fire," has Chicago connections.  Co-writer Mel Torme was born here, and another Chicagoan, Nat King Cole, recorded a beloved version of the song.  Plus, it's the favorite Christmas song of a Chicagoan in the White House, Michelle Obama.  Which of these other alleged facts about the song are true?

A.    The song was written in California on a hot summer day.
B.  Torme referred to the song as "my annuity."
C.  The song has been covered by Cee Lo Green
D.  The song has been covered by Daffy Duck.
E.  All of the Above

Answers from yesterday  #1.  B   #2  A

Answers to these three will be given in the next post.

--Cootermas

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

The Chicago Christmas Quiz-- Part 1: Warmest and Coldest Christmases

From the December 25, 2015, Chicago Tribune by Mark Jacob.

I realize that Christmas is over (Liz even at this moment is rapidly taking down the decorations inside and I still have to get to the outside ones but snow, ice and cold say not today) but I figure I may have misplaced this by next December.

So, here goes.

1.  Which one of these Christmas characters was invented in in Chicago?

A. Ebenezer Scrooge
B.  Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer
C.  frosty the Snowman
D.  The Grinch


2.  The warmest and coldest Christmases recorded in Chicago came in back-to-back years--  1982 and 1983. What was the high temperature on Christmas 1982 and low on Christmas 1983?

A.  High of 64 and low of 17 below zero
B.  High of 40 and low of 10
C.  High of 55 and low of 1 below zero
D.  High of 82 and low of zero

Answers Tomorrow.  --DaCoot

Muscle Car Calendar 2016-- January: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe

From the Chevrolet Muscle Cars 2016 Calendar.

The month of January features a silver 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe.

"1963 marked the ten year anniversary of the Corvette's premier, and the release of its second generation.  With a 327 cubic inch engine, 300 horsepower, and offering an independent rear suspension, optional power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning, it was also now available as both a coupe and a convertible.

"Easily identified by its rear split-window, the 1963 Coupe would be the only year to bear this feature due to rear visibility concerns."

You can get a copy of the calendar for free at your local Chevy dealer.

I'll be Salivating All Month.  --CootSplash

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

University Plaza Building Permit Issued in 1965

From the Nov. 4, 2015, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1965, 50 years ago.

"A building permit for construction of a $2,840,000 dormitory complex, the largest privately funded project in DeKalb's history was issued today by the City of DeKalb.  The permit will be used for the construction of two dormitories and a central dining area and recreation facility by University Plaza at 900 Crane Drive.

"Grading has already started on the big project and construction is expected to begin soon."

University Plaza is still there as a private dormitory at Northern Illinois University.  When I was a student there, 1969-1973, it was considered the top dorm on campus.  Those living there got the best food.  But it was considerably more expensive than the regular dorms.

--DaCoot

Halloween in DeKalb in 1965

From the Nov. 4, 2015, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1965, 50 years ago.

"DeKalb police reported one of the busiest weekends of the year ended this morning,. however the city apparently escaped Halloween without serious damage.

"Officers logged 104 entries on the desk blotter of calls investigated between 7 a.m. Saturday and this morning."

Evidently, the kids back then were considerably more rambunctious than kids today.

--Cooter

Farm Auction in DeKalb County in 1915

From the Dec. 30, 2015, MidWeek "Looking Back."

The J.B. Rosette farm sale occurs Thursday of this week at the H.H. Bullis farm, near Elva.  The sale begins at 10 o'clock.

"15 head iof horses, 3 cows, one bull, 60 Poland China Hogs, 150 chickens, and a lot of farm machinery are included in the sale list.  H.E. Walker will cry the sale."

--DaCoot

Bill for Pensions to Widows and Orphans of Spanish-American War Veterans in 1915

From Dec. 30, 2015, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1915, 100 years ago.

"A bill to pension the widows and orphans of soldiers and sailors of the Spanish-American War, was introduced in the present session of congress.  Under provisions of the bill, the widow of any soldier or sailor who served during the Spanish-American war, the Philippines Insurrection or the Boxer uprising in China is to be pensioned at $12 per month and $2.00 per month for every child under 16 years of age."

Hey, what about the Marines?

--Cooter

Monday, January 4, 2016

Law of State of Illinois Regarding Ex-Military Peddling

In the last post I mentioned that one of the three men peddling in DeKalb was not arrested because he had a soldier's permit to do so.  I was unaware of ex-military being able to peddle their wares without having to obtain a license, so looked for more information about it.

From Laws of the State of Illinois.

This was an amendment to a 1901 law (which would have applied to the 1915 DeKalb soldier).

"An Act to amend section 1 and the title of "An Act permitting all former soldiers and sailors of the United States and State of Illinois, honorably discharged from the military or marine service of the United States or State of Illinois, the right to vend, hawk and peddle goods, wares, fruits or merchandise, not prohibited by law, in any county, town, village, incorporated city or municipality in the State of Illinois.

"Approved May 11, 1901, in force July 1, 1901."

In 1921, it was amended to include former military members of the World War.  But, this only applied to products he was vending just for himself.

I also found that the State of Indiana did not charge for license for peddling to veterans.  Also New York City.

--DaCootPeddler

You Have to Have a Peddlers License in DeKalb in 1915, Unless...

From the Dec. 30, 2015, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1915, 100 years ago:  "One peddler's license will do for one man and no more.  Three vendors here last evening who were selling apples on South Seventh Street in DeKalb learned that when two of them were arrested for peddling without a license.

"The third had a soldiers' permit which enables him to peddle without a license."

--Cooter

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Nash Motors, Pride of Kenosha, Wisconsin

From Wikipedia.

While on the subject of today's two earlier posts, I decided to find out some more about the Nash automobiles.  I remember the song "Beep, Beep" about the little Nash Rambler pulling alongside the car and asking how to get the car out of second gear.

While at college, I had a Nash Rambler station wagon I called the "Ramblin' Wreck."  It burned a quart of oil about every 50-100 miles.

Nash Motors was based in Kenosha, Wisconsin and was a major employer.  It lasted from 1916-1937 then was a part Nash-Kelvinator Corporation from 1937-1954.  Nash production continued from 1954-1957 with the creation of the American Motors Corporation.

Nash Motors were known for their pioneering innovations:

1938-- heating and ventilation systems still in use today
1941--  Unibody construction
1950--  seatbelts
1950--  U.S. built compact car
1957--  muscle car

It was founded in 1916 by former General Motors president Charles W. Nash after he acquired Kenosha's Thomas B. Jeffery Company which had started in 1902.  The Jeffery Company's best-known vehicle was the Rambler.

--Cooter

Arthur Taylor, Nash Dealer in DeKalb and Sycamore, Illinois

From HavrKost Nash Dealerships in Illinois and Indiana.

Continuing with more research on one of the previous entries on today's earlier post.

Shows three Nash dealerships in DeKalb, Illinois:

1940--  Felton Motor Sales
1941--  Taylor Motor Sales
1952--  Wagenseller Motors, Inc.

Sycamore, Illinois:

1939-1941--  Art's Garage at 124 W. State Street  (Probably Arthur Taylor
1948-1956--  Taylor Nash Sales at the same address.

--DaCoot

WPA to Work on Sycamore Sidewalks, New Nash Dealer in DeKalb and Chicken Thieves in 1940

From the Dec. 29, 2015, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1940, 75 years ago.

"Property owners of Sycamore who would like to have new sidewalks laid at their houses or who would like any trees or stumps removed from parkways may enter their application to have this work including in the spring program of the WPA in Sycamore by notifying any city official on or before January 15."

"Arthur Taylor, veteran garage businessman in Sycamore,. opened a Nash sales station in DeKalb on Monday morning at 151 North Fourth Street."

"Two farms a few miles northeast of Sycamore were the scenes of bold chicken raids late last night or early this morning as a band of chicken thieves took nearly 300 most of them White Rocks from the Nels Nelson and Lee Nelson farms."

--Feathers Everywhere.  --Cooter

Friday, January 1, 2016

No Hog Butchering in DeKalb in 1915

From the Dec. 29, 2015, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

From 1915, 100 years ago.

"A unique breach of the law reported today by Police Officer Sid Rowe.  He was called to the foreign settlement on tenth Street by a report of a disturbance and found one of the families there just finishing the work of butchering a pig with all the accompanying squealing and uproar.

"He informed the foreigner, who could not talk English, that he was violating the law and warned him against a repetition of the offense but no arrests were made as the man was innocent enough."

Don't Kill That Pig, Now.  --DaCoot

Four DeKalb Lieutenants Back in 1916

This continues my post from December 26, 2015.

From the 29 March 1916 True republican "Four DeKalb County Boys Lieutenants."

Lt. Clayton Waterman is now in Vermont after being in China after service in Arizona.  He is engaged as an instructor in military tactics at Wellington, Connecticut.

All four lieutenants are in line for advancement because of the invasion of Mexico.

The other lieutenants:

Lt. Frank M. Kennedy of Hinckley who is in the aviation corps.

Lt. Cedric W. Lewis of Sandwich

Lt. Elvin H. Wagner who served in the Spanish-American War in Cuba and was stationed in Manila.

These last three are now stationed in Panama, part of 15,000 American troops there.

--Cooter