Avoiding Infantile Paralysis in 1918

From the October 24, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"DeKalb people who have little folks,  and who are in the least  frightened as to the infantile paralysis here, may avoid any trouble and quiet all fears by having the family physician administer the the preventative serum.

"The board of health of the city has secured a quantity of this preventative serum which may be given by any doctor, and it has been doing wonderful work wherever used and should keep any child from the disease, if other precautions are taken."

--Cooter

Infantile Paralysis Hitting DeKalb in 1918

From the October 17, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"One of DeKalb's little lads, who had been told  by his parents that he must remain indoors on account of the infantile paralysis, called the health commissioner, asking permission to go out in the yard and play.

"The commissioner inquired as to who the speaker was and he said, 'This is a DeKalb boy, and I ain't been out of the house for two weeks and I ain't sick a bit.'  Needless to say , that little fellow brought a smile from the health  official and also the necessary permission to go out and play."

Go Forth and Play, My Lad.  --Cooter

Sunday Schools Called Off Because of Scarlet Fever and Infantile Paralysis Epidemic

From the October 3, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"The epidemic of scarlet fever and infantile paralysis and the order that children under 16 be kept from coming into contact with one another or meeting on gathering places, is responsible for the calling off of Sunday schools of the Methodist Congregational and Baptist churches."

--Cooter

Scarlet Fever and Infantile Paralysis Threatening DeKalb in 1918

Not only was the Spanish Flu a disease threatening DeKalb County back in 1918, but also scarlet fever and infantile paralysis (polio).

From the October 3, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"The chairman of the DeKalb board of health issued a warning to the people of DeKalb that owing to the prevalence of  scarlet fever and infantile paralysis in the city, every precaution must be taken by the people to avoid a serious epidemic."

Ah Yes, the Good Old Days.  --Cooter

Spanish Flu in Sandwich, Illinois in 1918

From the December 26, 2018, MidWeek   "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"Sandwich, in the south end of the county, is having its share of trouble now with the influenza, and to prevent a serious epidemic there, the health authorities have placed restrictions on all public gatherings.

"Public gatherings were closed down there for some time, several weeks ago. and when the disease subsided, the ban was lifted, and now it has been replaced to avoid any serious trouble.

The Spanish Flu in DeKalb County.  --Cooter

Ten Strange Facts About Disneyland-- Part 2: The Sleeping Beauty Castle Inspiration

5.  WALT'S SECRET APARTMENT--  Second floor of the Main Street Firehouse.

4.  FAMOUS CAST MEMBERS--  Michelle Pfieffer, Steve Martin, Kevin Costner among others

3.  LINGERIE AND TOBACCO--  At times.

2.  SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE--  Inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

1.  DORITOS WERE ONCE TRASH--  Stale tortillas were thrown out until they began frying them.

Grab Those Ears.  --Cooter

Ten Strange Facts About Disneyland-- Part 1: The Hidden Basketball Court

From the January 23, 2017, ListVerse  "10 Strange Facts About Disneyland That Will Really Surprise You" by Ronald Eayre.

You can go to the site to learn more about them.

10.  BLACK SUNDAY--  2 decades in the planning, 1 year in construction, but not completed at opening day., July 17, 1955.    There were also other problems.  160 acre orange grove,   $17 million.

9.  CLUB 33--  In New Orleans Square.  It is very expensive to belong, but the only place that sells alcohol.

8.  TOMORROWLAND PLANTS--  edible

7.  HIDDEN BASKETBALL COURT--  At the top of Matterhorn Mountain.

6.  FERAL CATS--  roam the grounds, mostly at night.

Membership In Club 33.  Don't Leave Home Without It.  --CootCat

The Interesting Story of Col. Eugene Lietensdorfer-- Part 3

According to one account I read, Col. Eugene Lietensdorfer was William Eaton's chief of staff for the move on Derna, in which the Marines earned the line "Shores of Tripoli" in the Marine Corps Hymn.

After the evacuation of Derna, Lietensdorfer continued his wanderings until 1809, when he arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, and looked up William Eaton.  He then made his way to Washington, D.C., and armed with letters of recommendation from Eaton, got a job with Thomas Jefferson's chief architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, as surveyor of public buildings.

In 1833, as part of his role in the March to Derna, he received 300 acres in Missouri, where he lived until his death in 1845.

That is all I can find out him.  Sure wish there was more.

But, Quite a Life.  --Cooter

The Interesting Story of Col. Eugene Lietensdorfer-- Part 2: From Here To There To Everywhere

However, the French suspected him of being a spy and threw him into jail.  He escaped by poisoning his guards and changed his name again, this time to Jean Eugene Lietensdorfer and rejoined the French Army and had been part of the force that invaded Egypt, but had switched sides, later joining the British.

After that he wandered and even ran a coffee shop for British officers in Alexandria, had married a Coptic maiden, his second wife.  But, when the British withdrew, he left as well, leaving his wife and eventually making his way to Messina.  There, he entered a Capuchin monastery as a novice friar.

He found this live wasn't for him so made his way to Constantinople where he became a dervish and Muslim.  He went by the name of Murat Aga and wandered through the Middle East, eventually making his way to Mecca and Jedda.

Finally, he got the job of interpreter to Lord Gordon and accompanied him on a tour of Abyssinia and returned to Egypt where he met William Eaton.  This is where he was involved in the First Barbary War.

And, we're not finished with his story yet.  Wonder where he went next?

Quite A Bit of Moving On For This Man.  --Cooter

The Interesting Story of Col. Eugene Lietensdorfer-- Part 1: Member of the Austrian and French Armies

Still from the Small Wars Journal on the First Barbary War.

This was a man of many, many stories indeed.

He was William Eaton's chief of staff during the march on Derna.  Eaton had met Lietensdorfer in Cairo.  But how Lietensdorfer  had come to be in Cairo is an interesting story in itself.

His real name  was Gervasso Prodasio Santuari and he was 33 years old Italian from a village  near Trent in the Tyrol.  His parents had wanted him to become a priest but he quit school at the age of seventeen, got married, and then joined the Austrian Army in its campaign against the Turks.

He fought at Belgrade from 1789 to 1790. and continued serving in the Austrian Army  during the siege of Mantua.  But in 1797, the Austrian collapsed, surrendering to Napoleon.

Santuari did not wish to remain with the losers, so he changed his name to Carlo  Hossando and joined the French Army.

A Man of Two Armies.  --Cooter

Little-Known Facts About First Barbary War: Meriwether Lewis

Meriwether Lewis was Thomas Jefferson's  private secretary and the only other occupant of the White House.  Before becoming private secretary, Lewis had been a captain in the Army of the West.  His grandfather and Jefferson's father had a shared past.

Shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Jefferson chose him along with his friend, William Clark, to lead an expedition to explore and map the newly acquired land of the western United States.

--Cooter

Little-Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 6: Henry Wadsworth

Henry Wadsworth

When Commodore Preble decided to send two fireships into the harbor of Tripoli to destroy pirate ships anchored there.  Among the men selected for this daring task was Henry Wadsworth, a 20-year-old acting lieutenant.  Preble made him second in command of one of the ships, the Interprid.

On the night of September 4, 1804, the USS Intrepid, now a fireship containing 100 barrels of gun powder, sailed into Tripoli Harbor, but, tragically, the Intrepid blew up before it could reach its target.

The entire crew, including Henry Wadsworth, were killed.

The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was named after his uncle, Henry Wadsworth.

--Cooter

Little Known Facts of the First Barbary War-- Part 5: Stephan Decatur

At the end of the War of 1812, where he made a huge name for himself, Stephen Decatur sailed to Algiers on the 44-gun frigate USS Guerriere and eyed the familiar harbor of Algiers.  On July 3, he negotiated a peace treaty with Algiers, the strongest of the Barbary States.

They renounced their claim to an annual tribute from the United states.

He then sailed on to Tunis and Tripoli, where the Bey and Bashaw respectively, signed lasting peace treaties with the United States.

The Barbary States Reign of Terror over American commerce had come to an end.

Sadly, Decarur lived just six years after forcing the Barbary States to peace terms.  On March 22, 1820, he was killed in a duel with Commodore  James Barron in Bladensburg, Maryland.  He was just 41 when he died.

Kind of Gunboat Diplomacy I Think.  --Cootgun

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 4: James Lawrence "Don't Give Up the Ship"

JAMES LAWRENCE also rose to great fame during the War of 1812.  As commander of the USS Hornet, he captured the HMS Peacock and was promoted to captain.  On June 1, 1813, as commander of the 48-gun frigate USS Chesapeake, he fought the HMS Shannon and was mortally wounded.  As he lay dying, he told his men:  "Tell them to fire faster and not give up the ship, fight her till she sinks!"

In honor of Lawrence, a group of women stitched the words "Don't Give Up the Ship" into a flag and presented it to Oliver Hazard Perry, who flew it on his USS Lawrence named in Lawrence's honor in the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie.

Since then, the Navy has named many ships in Lawrence's honor and his words, "Don't Give Up the Ship" have become the motto of the U.S. Navy.

--Cooter

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 3: Thomas Macdonough and Charles Morris

NAVAL HEROES:  Many naval men served, but four especially stand out.

Midshipman THOMAS MACDONOUGH who later was a hero in the War of 1812 for his role in the American victory at the Battle of Plattsburgh / Lake Champlain when his naval force destroyed the British fleet.

CHARLES MORRIS  who went on to serve as 1st lieutenant on the USS Constitution in its battle against the HMS Guerriere.  He was promoted to captain after this and later commanded the frigates USS Adams and Congress.

Next, James  Lawrence  --Cooter

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 2: Hyms, Scimitars and A Few Good Men

In 1801, Tripoli declared war on the United States.  President Thomas Jefferson sent the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to the Mediterranean Sea to battle them.  After a four year war, the U.S. finally won.

HYMNS AND SCIMITARS:  After the Battle of Derna, the phrase "To the Shores of Tripoli" was added to the Marine Corps battle hymn.

The Marine Corps officer sword, adopted in 1826, was modeled after the Marmaluke scimitar given to Lt. O'Bannon in honor of his role in the march to Derna.

A FEW GOOD MEN:  In 1799, the Marine Corps consisted of 25 officers and 58 enlisted men.  Lt. O'Bannon continued to serve aboard the USS Argus and retired in 1807.  He moved to Kentucky where he served in both houses of the state legislature before dying in 1850 in Russellville.

A Frankfort, Kentucky, memorial to him that has the inscription "As captain of the United States Marines, he was the First to Plant the American Flag on Foreign Soil."

--DaCoot

Little Known Facts About the First Barbary War-- Part 1: No More Tribute

From the January 20, 2017 Small Wars Journal by David Smethurst.

The First Barbary War was fought between 1801 and 1805.

The Barbary States were Morocco, Tripoli, Algiers and Tunis along the shore of North Africa.

For centuries they had been demanding tribute from any ship in the Mediterranean Sea.  Since the United States had received its independence, its ships were no longer under the protection of British tribute.

The United States signed peace treaties with each Barbary State and paid annual tributes.

In Case You Were Wondering.  --Cooter

13th Year of This Blog

This blog entry is the 5270th in this blog which is now in its 13th year.  It is also my fourth blog I started.

It started in 2007.

I was finding that I had a whole lot of history entries in my Down Da Road I Go blog so that is why I started this one.  I also started one on the Civil War, Saw the Elephant because I was having too many Civil War stories.

Definitely Too Many Blogs, But I Enjoy 'Em.  --DaCoot

Most Pigeons Flew Home, A Few Remained

From the September 19, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"Regardless of the fact that nearly 3,000 pigeons were released here Sunday morning by the employees of the American Railway Express company, there are but few of the birds to be seen flying about the city today.

"As a general rule there are always many of the birds which do not get started on their homeward journey and later become victim of some one's rifle or shot gun.  The laws nowadays  state that such birds must not be shot  as all efforts  are being made  to train them for service in the army."

Be American, Don't Shoot the Pigeons.  --Cooter

Pigeons To Be Released in DeKalb for War Training

From the September 12, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"Agent George Culver of the American Railway express company stated today that he expects a shipment of  some 70  coops of pigeons tomorrow, to be liberated some time Sunday, probably during the morning hours.

"The agent states that the birds are sent out for training purposes and the people are liable  to severe punishment if they interfere in any way with the birds.  Heretofore many of the birds were shot and converted into potpie the next day, but since the government is expending money for the training of these birds, it is best to play safe and not shoot any of the pigeons released."

--DaCoot

The Flu Situation in Malta, Illinois, in 1918

From the December 12, 2018, MidWeek,  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"The flu situation at Malta improved, the school was opened there Monday.  Nearly all of the children have returned to school and affairs at Malta have been generally resumed."

A Marine Speaks of Battling "The Horrible Huns" in 1918

From the December 5, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"Joe Neuman, a wounded Marine,  was at Genoa last evening, where he gave a couple of addresses, telling of his experiences in the firing line against the horrible Huns.  Genoa people had planned a regular demonstration for the DeKalb soldier, but rainy weather put a halt to the plans.

"Neuman is scheduled to speak at Sycamore Friday evening and at Shabbona Saturday evening of this week, and it is probable that he will be heard by many people in both places."

--Cooter