About That Las Vegas Town-- Part 6: Taking a Risk and Sports

It's not just gamblers taking risks in Vegas.  The Strip has been a global capital of extreme sports ever since December 1967, when a little-known stunt artist named Evel Knieval tried to jump the fountains of the newly opened Caesars Palace, coming up short and crashing to the tune of several broken bones and a 29-day coma.

The city is also recognized as the undisputed home of boxing since the iconic slugfest between George Foreman and Ron Lyle at Caesars Palace in 1976.

In more recent thrills, last November the eyes of millions were fixed on the city for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix Formula 1's first ever after-dark race in Sin City turned the area into a high velocity street circuit with the Strip naturally taking center stage as the blistering home stretch.

Ever seductive, the Strip continues to temp visitors with its unusual indulgences:  Win a fortune on black, fall in love by the fountains of the Bellagio, get married by Elvis-- or snag a quickie divorce.

Tastes may change, but its the thrill of the ephemeral that makes Vegas Vegas.

--DaCoot

About That Las Vegas Town-- Part 5: Bigger and Grander

In the 1990s, Vegas developers began thinking even bigger, and the arrival of the great pyramid of the Luxur Hotel and Casino in 1993 began an ostentatious decade of international icons arriving in reduced size along the Strip as new casinos sought to become the next big thing.

Where else can you find the Eiffel Tower, Venetian canals and New York skyscrapers all within walking distance?

Yet perhaps nothing catches the eye quite like the show-stopping, cutting-edge tech of the Sphere, the largest spherical structure on the planet, which opened as a concert venue in Vegas last year.  Such grandeur, often with a touch of gaudiness, defines the Strip. 

--DaCoot

About That Las Vegas Town-- Part 4: About That Residency

Toward the end of World War II, piano sensation Liberace pioneered the concept of a residency, where venues dedicate their stages exclusively to individual superstars, often for years at a time.

In their own subsequent residencies at the Copa Room at the Sands, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack helped establish the swanky, after-dark revelry for which Vegas has been become notorious.

Starting in the late 1960s, Elvis Presley was a Vegas fixture.  And, of course, Wayne Newton.

With round-the-clock musicians, magicians, comedians, blue men and white Bengal tigers, the Strip became the premier global destination not just for indecorous gambling, but also for family-friendly entertainment.

(In case you're wondering who the members of the Rat Pack were:  Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.)

--DaCoot

About That Las Vegas Town-- Part 3: The Coming of the Las Vegas Strip

The characteristically American mix of grit, graft and speculation turned a dusty desert road into the entertainment capital of the world, a 4.2-mile stretch that would eventually become known as the Las Vegas Strip.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Strip attracted shady characters right from the start.  In 1939, a cop named Guy McAfee arrived in Vegas after fleeing Los Angeles under accusations of corruption.  He quickly put down roots, buying and developing the Pair O' Dice Club and several others.  Inspired by his Los Angeles' Sunset Strip, he also bestowed the name upon Vegas' main drag.

Soon after, in 1941, California businessman Thomas Hull founded the area's first luxury resort, El Rancho Vegas, with blossoming gardens and a capacious swimming pool.  

The new adult playground caught the attention of the New York mob, who saw opportunities in both legal gambling and in less-legal money skimming.  In 1945, the infamous gangster Bugsy Siegel bullied his way into the development of the luxury Flamingo resort, creating a template for the super-casinos to come.  Until then, Vegas casinos typically sported Wild West themes, but Siegel ushered in an era of unbridled opulence.

--Cooter

About That Las Vegas Town-- Part 2: Gambling and Quickie Divorces

Continued from June 13.

At the turn of the 20th century, the oasis town became a rest area for wagons and a stop on the new railroad connecting Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

This railroad was completed in 1905, and in 1911, Las Vegas was incorporated as a U.S. city.  Though gambling was prohibited at first, clandestine casinos opened for business.  Then, in 1931, everything changes when Nevada became the first state to legalize gambling, as well as the first to offer quickie divorces.

From then on, the Silver State was synonymous with American excess.

Around the same time, construction began on the Hoover Dam, which would supply water and power to the valley.  This monumental project brought in an influx of construction workers to the city of Las Vegas, and local entrepreneurs wasted no time in opening casinos to relieve these men of their spare cash.

--DaCoot

The 15 Most Legendary Sandwiches in the United States-- Part 2:

8.  French Dip, Los Angeles, California  (Sure liked the ones at Hackney's in Lake Zurich, Illinois.)

9.  Pulled Pork BBQ, the Carolinas    (Few things better than Carolina 'Cue.)

10.  Monte Crisco  (Sure miss those Bennigan's montes.)

11.  Sloppy Joe

12.  Muffuletta, New Orleans, Louisiana  (More tastes than you can measure.  A real garbage sandwich.)

13.  Gyro

14.  Philly Cheesesteak, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

15.  Peanut Butter & Jelly  (I sure had a few of these growing up.)

Still Hongry.  --DaCoot

The 15 Most Legendary Sandwiches in the United States-- Part 1: Italian Beef

From April 2024 My Pure Plants US by Nandor Barta.

1.  Po' Boy, New Orleans, Louisiana  (especially a shrimp po' boy.  But any old po' boy will do.)

2.  Cuban Sandwich, Miami, Florida

3.  Reuben Sandwich

4.  Lobster Roll, New England  (The first time I saw a lobster roll sandwich Liz and I were in Maine on vacation.  A McDonald's had it listed.  I didn't get it though, as I figured if that McDonald's had it then the ones back home would have it.  Plus, we were enjoying the lobster pounds too much in Maine.  Sadly, when I got home, I found out a McDonald's lobster roll was just a regional thing.  But, I have since had one.  Boy did I miss out in Maine.)

5.  Italian Beef, Chicago, Illinois

6,  BLT

7.  Grilled Cheese  (Well, only if you have a nice hot bowl of tomato soup to dip it in.)

Mighty Hongry.  --Cooter

Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag-- Part 5: 13 Stripes and Stars for New States

The rules for the design of the national flag were finalized after the War of 1812.

The design needed to be updated again again with the addition of five new states.  

On April 4, 1818, Congress passed the third Flag Act.  Instead of increasing the number of stripes from 15 to 20, the act reduced the number of stripes permanently to 13, honoring the original states.

Congress provided, however, that new stars would be added as new states joined the union.

With Hawaii's admission in 1959, the U.S. flag was modified one last time on July 4, 1960.  The 50th star.

Aren't you glad there aren't 50 stripes?  That would be a mighty strange looking flag.

--DaCoot

Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag (in Honor of Flag Day)-- Part 4: Star-Spangled Banner Flag Had 15 Stripes

The flag immortalized by "The Star-Spangles Banner" had 15 stripes-- not 13!

In 1791, Vermont was admitted to the Union and Kentucky joined in 1792.  Congress passed the second Flag Act on January 13, 1794, authorizing a new national flag with 15 stars and stripes.

During the War of 1812, Mary Pickersgill, her daughter, two nieces and an indentured black girl made a giant flag for Baltimore's Fort McHenry.

On September 14, 1814, after withstanding a heavy British bombardment, the fort raised the giant flag.  This triumph inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem which has since become known as our National Anthem.

--Cooter

Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag-- Part 3: One of the First U.S. Flags Had the Union Jack of Britain in It

Raised during the American Revolution, the first American flag featured, strangely enough, the Union Jack of Great Britain.

The Continental Colors consisted of 13 horizontal stripes of red and white, to which a canton (the square in the upper left corner in case you're wondering) depicting the British flag.

During the Siege of Boston, General George Washington raised this flag on January 1, 1776.

Its design is a reminder that the Revolution's original goal was not independence from Britain but the restoration of the colonists' liberties under British law.

On June 14, 1777, almost a year after the Declaration of Independence, Congress replaced the British flag with 13 white stars on a blue field, representing the United States as "a new constellation" in the heavens, alongside older nations and empires.

--DaCoot

Five Things You Might Not Know About the U.S. Flag-- Part 2: Vertical Stripes? Really?

The first time red and white stripes were used to represent America, there were nine of them-- and they were vertical.

On exhibit at the Old State House in Boston, this particular flag was created and flown at the Liberty Tree by the Sons of Liberty, an organization formed to oppose British taxation in the 1760s.

The nine vertical stripes may have symbolized the nine colonies which sent delegates to the Stamp Act Congress in New York in 1765.

The flag is currently undergoing authentication efforts by historians.

--Cooter

Today Is Flag Day: Is Your Flag Up? Five Things You Might Not Know

From the June 13, 2024 Marquette Today "Star-spangled trivia: five things you (probably) don't know about Flag Day."

The American flag continues to be the steadfast symbol of freedom-- and it's something we celebrate every June 14.  Flag Day is an annual is an annual commemoration of Old Glory's creation in 1777, although the layout looked a lot different then. 

Here are five interesting Flag Day facts:

1.  Flag Day originated in Waubeka, Wisconsin, just north of Milwaukee.  On June 14, 1885, the anniversary of the flag's creation, a 19-year-old teacher named Bernard Cigrand led his pupils in a history lesson called "Flag Birthday."

The following year he began a campaign for a national holiday observing the flag's birthday.

Believing that reverence for the American flag would promote attachment to the American republic, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day starting in 1916.

The Wisconsin origin of Flag Day is memorialized at the National Americanism Center in Waubeca and celebrated with an annual Flag Day parade in neighboring Fredonia.

Is Your Flag Up?  --Cooter

About That Las Vegas Town-- Part 1: 'The Meadows'

From the March 2024, Smithsonian Magazine ""American Icon."

In 1829, a group of explorers led by Spanish merchant Antonio Armijo moved west toward Alta California through the arid Mojave Desert-- the ancestral lands of the Southern Paiute people.  

A young scout named Rafael Rivera discovered a particularly verdant area full of grassland irrigated by a natural spring: this lushness inspired the place's name: "The Meadows," or "Las Vegas." 

Though a couple dozen Mormon missionaries arrived here in 1855-- largely failing to convert the Paiute population-- the oasis remained something of a secret until four years later, when prospectors came to the valley.  They found gold and silver, and the ensuing rush sparked a population boom, with miners arriving in droves to dig by day before chancing new fortunes away in the saloons and bordellos at night.

--DaCoot

Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Society Meeting May 18, 2024

We love visitors, but last month we almost had one we didn't want.  A raccoon made a concerted effort to enter Grant Hall Museum but was thwarted.

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

Fox Lake and the Chain O' Lakes Area really had two seasons of business 100 years ago.

The first was summer to fall with the resorts and boating.

The second one went through the winter and involved ice cutting and ice houses for storage.

Both relied upon Fox Lake's close proximity to Chicago and ease of transport via railroads.

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

Between resorts and ice houses it is estimated that there were over 100 just within village limits.  In addition there were 300 within the Chain O' Lakes area.

--Cooter

The Cicadas Are A-Coming-- Part 2: The Females Do the Clicking

These two broods coming/came to Illinois have spent 13 or 17 years underground.

It is the females who click.  (I have now noticed that some of the cicadas I catch make the clicking sound and some don't.  Now I know which ones I'm dealing with.)

While underground munching on roots, they aerate the soil which is beneficial.

They start climbing/burrowing to the top when soil temperatures reach 64 degrees.  This is why they emerge sooner to the southern areas.  (We sure had lots of hype about them coming from the news stations.)

The last time the two broods have come at the same time was 1803.

For best cicada viewing and hearing go to Lake Forest and Highland Park in Lake County, Illinois.

Cicadas are one of the loudest living insects.

Lake County estimated to have 23 billion of the little critters.

Don't refer to them as locusts.  That makes them mad.

They had a Cicada Fest at Ryerson Woods on June 8.

--Cooter

The Cicadas Are A-Coming-- Part 1: May Meeting of the Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Society

The May 18, 2024, Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Society meeting featured a very timely talk by the Lake County Forest on "The Past, Present & Future of Cicadas."

We had been waiting and waiting for them to arrive, and guess what...  "They're Here!!"  But not everywhere.  The last week, I discovered lots of cicadas around two of my trees in the front yard.  The last time around for them, 17 years ago, I had none, but the house had been built in 1992 and my site was farmland, so not likely to get them.

In Illinois, there are two different types of cicadas: the 17-year and the 13-year.  We have the 17-year ones in Lake and McHenry counties.  13-year ones are mostly in the central and southern part of the state.  (There are also yearly cicadas, but not so numerous as the two broods out now.)

Across the world, there are 3,100 species of cicadas with 190 in North America.

Cicadas are easily the loudest of insects, able to emit 100 decibels of sound, about the level of a lawn mower.

--DaCoot

Trip to Normandy-- Part 5: Fewer WW II Veterans Still Alive

The 80th anniversary will likely be one of the last big D-Day celebrations to include so many living World War II veterans.  Only about 100,000 of the more than 16 million Americans who served during the  conflict are still living.

It is truly remarkable that inside the 89-bed nursing home in tiny Durand, Illinois, there are thee in one hallway.

The military has an expression:  "We stand on the shoulders of giants."

Kohnke, Vinje and Walstrom are living embodiment: patriotic, wise, humble.  And they retain that dark sense of humor unique to those of us who have experienced the hell of war.

On this warm spring morning, Frank Khonke blurts out something on his mind:  "What if I up and die over there?"

One of his friends deadpans:  "Well, then they'll either send you home in a vase or bury you over there.  Basically the same options you had in 1944 -- and at least you'll go out doing something more fun than napping in a nursing home bed."  

There it is: the old belly laugh.

"You're right," Kohnke smiles.  "I'm going back to France."

--Cooter

Trip to Normandy-- Part 4: Two More WW II Veterans

If Frank Kohnke's story isn't remarkable enough, down the hallway from him in the nursing home are two other World War II veterans.

Sverre Vinje is resting after physical therapy for a broken hip.  At 99, he had been living independently and still driving until a recent fall.  He was on the USS Donaldson when the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered.

He remembers sailing into Yokohama Harbor days later.  "We saw all the guns lined up," Vinje says.  "We would have lost so many Americans if we'd had to invade.  My God, we'd have lost good men."

Gordon Walstrom hears the war talk and scoots over in his wheelchair.  He served in the Army's 25th Infantry Division during the final months of the war in the Pacific and remained as part of the occupation force.

In regards to the atom bombs, he said:  "You're 18 and still a daredevil.  But I can tell you they got our attention real quick when we got briefings about the dangers of radiation from the bombs."

--DaCoot

Trip to Normandy-- Part 3: In Operation Market Garden

With today being the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Frank Kohnke arrived in France just after the June 6 landings, and on September 17, his 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment participated in the largest airborne operation of all time.  Operation Market Garden sought to capture bridges over the Rhine, allowing the Allies to advance into Germany through the Netherlands and enter the Ruhr industrial region, the heart of the Nazi war machine.

The operation failed and losses were catastrophic.  Nearly 4,000 Americans were killed, severely wounded or taken prisoner.

Eight decades later, Frank Kohnke does not talk about it.

"I don't like to remember the bad things," he said.  "At my age, it is better just to forget them."

--GreGen

Trip to Normandy for an Illinois WW II Veteran-- Part 2: The 'Rendezvous with Destiny'

Frank Kohnke, 98, is emblematic of a great generation that that unceremoniously answered when the nation called.  The Milwaukee teenager enlisted at age 16, lying about his birthday and forging his mother's signature.

He was desperate to be a paratrooper, a bold new military specialty that trained men to jump out of airplanes and float into combat zones under silk chutes and the cover of darkness.

"You look at it now, and you just think: "Stupid," Kohnke laughs.  "But that's the definition of being young.  I was stupid, but, oh, how I wanted to be a paratrooper."

He was assigned to the 101st Airborne, an untested unit that was stood up just days before the end of World War I and never saw action then.  But before World War II, the 101st was reorganized with parachute regiments, and it got the critical assignment of dropping deep behind enemy lines hours before the invasion.

Its commander would famously call the mission a "rendezvous with destiny."

--GreGen

Trip to Normandy Evokes a Time of Action for Illinois World War II Veteran"

From the June 2, 2024, Chicago Tribune by William A. Ryan.

Since there is a lot of news about the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I will be writing about some of it here in this blog as well, of course, in my World War II blog.

In a nursing home about three hours northwest of Chicago near the Wisconsin border on the edge of Durand, Illinois, a town nicknamed "Village of Volunteers," three WW II veterans are talking about the upcoming 80th anniversary of D-Day.

One of them will be traveling to Normandy for the occasion, though he is increasingly frail at the age of 98.  Frank Kohnke is a bit anxious about the trip.

He straightens his 101st Airborne cap and holds up a sepia-toned photograph of him back then.

At the beginning of June, the Army kicks off 10 days in Normandy to commemorate perhaps the most iconic military maneuver in modern history:  the day America and her allies stormed the beaches of France to gain a foothold in German-occupied Europe.

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to attend, but the guests of honor will be the nearly 130 World War II veterans like Kohnke who are making the the trip on two medically-supported Honor Flights.

--GreGen

13 Facts About the 13 Colonies-- Part 2

Again, go to the site for more information.

7.  New Hampshire offered parcels of land in exchange  for one ear of corn each year.  (Sounds like a deal to me.)

8.  Georgia was founded as a new haven for debtors and impoverished people.

9.  New York became  the first target of British trade restrictions -- for exporting fur hats.

10.  South Carolina benefited from the demand for blue dye.

11.  North Carolina was sold back to the British Crown.

12.  Rhode Island played a big role in the slave trade.  (By 1775, slaves made up 11.5% of its population.)

13.  Delaware really wasn't  formed until 1776.

--CootCol

13 Facts About the 13 Colonies-- Part 1

From the September 27, 2021 History.com.

I'm just listing them.  Go to the site to find out the background.

1.  Connecticut enacted the first constitution in America.  Late 1630s.

2.  Maryland was founded as a haven for Catholics.

3.  Massachusetts  was the birthplace of American iron industry.

4.  Pennsylvania was created to pay a debt.

5.  New Jersey had the alternate name of New Caesarea.  (The Roman name for the island of Jersey in England.)

6.  Virginia's most lucrative crop was tobacco, even though it was opposed by  the king  and the Virginia Company.

--CootCol

Some More on That First Ford Mustang-- Part 2

But, there had to be a first.

Whether you subscribe to the "the early cars are distinct enough to be called "1964 1/2!" idea or stick to "All the cars before the '66 model year have 1965 VINs!", the first pony car to enter the buyer's hands sold on April 15, 1964.

Call it a "1964 1/2" if it pleases you.

What's really astounding is that the first Ford Mustang buyer in the U.S. still calls it, "mine."

BUT...  

The first Mustang sold in the world was to Eastern Provincial Airways pilot Captain Stanley Tucker, according to CBC, mere hours before Gail Wise bought her blue Mustang convertible.

But Ford managed to convince Tucker to give up his car.

  Today, it's on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

But, Tucker was given a fully loaded 1966 Mustang in compensation.

But, Gail Wise (nee Brown) bought that first one with financial aid from her father.  It cost $3,447.50 then ($34,846.75 now).

--RoadTang

Some More on That First Ford Mustang-- Part 1

From April Hot Cars "The first Ford Mustang sold in the U.S. still belongs to the original owner" by Paul Stadden.

**  The first Ford Mustang sold in the United States went to owner Gail Wise on April 15, 1964, two days before its official release.

**  Despite being based on the Falcon, the 1964.5 Mustang was designed to be sporty and option-heavy, making it a hit on the market.

**  After a 27-year hibernation in the late 1970s, Gail's beloved Mustang was restored to its former glory in 2008, solidifying its historical significance.

The 1964 Ford Mustang launch was a major event in the car world, and Ford sold 121,538 Mustangs that year.  

--MusDog

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang?-- Part 8: About That Horse Under the Hood

In pop culture, the fastback became Steve McQueen's pursuing car in the great car chase sequence in the 1968 movie 'Bullitt."  Wise says that Mustang still exists and was recently sold, but that he had no idea the new owner's identity.

The Wises thought of selling their classic car not long ago.  "But it fell through due to capital gains taxes," according to Tom.  The present plan is to allow the car to eventually go to the family estate with their four children not liable for capital gains, he said.

As summer approaches with its convertible weather, neighbors who wave at the Wises as they motor past will likely get their version of horsing around.

During the long stretch when Tom Wise worked to restore the car. he had it outfitted with an auxiliary horn.  Now, when the Wises press a button, a horse-like "whinnying" sound comes forth from the car's innards, reminding people the so-called "pony car" despite is age is still ready to ride.

--RoadDog

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang?-- Part 7

When she and her husband, Tom Wise, who served in submarines in the Navy, were living in Charleston, South Carolina, in the late 1960s, the car stayed garaged with her parents in Chicago, rather than piling up miles on the road.  

And when Tom Wise decided he could no longer drive the aging car to work in Bellwood in 1979, he simply stashed it away in his garage in Park Ridge until he was ready to restore it 27 years later.

The Mustang has just 68,000 miles on the odometer.

Tom Wise said the fastback Mustang was introduced in the fall of 1964 along with a souped-up engine with a more robust than his 168-horsepower model.

--Cooter

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang?-- Part 6: Old License Plate and the Blizzard of '67

Affixed to Gail Wise's Mustang is a 1964 Illinois license plate and a 1965 Chicago city sticker.  The Mustang has also benefited from a relatively good fortune to celebrate sixty years in the family's possession.

In the early days, she managed to make it home without abandoning the rear-wheel drive car in snowdrifts-- the fate of tens of thousands of vehicles-- as Chicago's Great Blizzard of 1967 dumped 23 inches of snow on the city.

As it was, Wise was blocked  by the blizzard from sheltering the Mustang in the garage so it had to stay out on the street as the snow covered it.

--DaMustang

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang?-- Part 5: Driving a Classic

In contrast to today's cars, the Mustang had simple features.  The dashboard had only a few instruments in addition to the AM radio.  The right passenger seat does not adjust backwards, and only the front seats have lap belts, shoulder harnesses arrived later.

The historic car has called Park Ridge home since 1977.

First of a series of distinctive models brought on by automotive impresario Lee Iacocca, the Wise's "pony car" has already gone through a complete body and mechanical restoration after rust and aging engine woes threatened its existence.

Saving wear and tear on its piston strokes and tire treads, the Wises put it on a flatbed to travel to the Mustang's 50th anniversary at Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, to its designer's Gale Halderman's personal museum and to Midwest car shows.

Gail got to rub shoulders with Ford family scion Edsel Ford on stage.

--DaCOOT

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang?-- Part 4: What Was It Like in the Spring 1964?

The world was far different, and seemingly more quaint, in the spring of 1964.

As Gail Brown drove away from Johnson Ford, she could press the button on the car's AM-only radio to WLS 890 to hear the Beatles snare the top two songs with "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Twist and Shout.  The Fab Four also had "Do You Want to Know a Secret" at No. 5  and "She Loves You" at No. 8. 

Remember, we were in the depths of Beatlemania at the time.

If she switched to 720 she could hear WGN-Radio's Cubs broadcast with Jack Quinlan and Lou Boudreau.  She could hear the play-by-play of right fielder Lou Brock who was starting his third season for the Cubs (and before that disastrous trade to the Cardinals).

Tooling around Chicago she would pass many corner newstands selling  four daily newspapers (for ten cents each).  

Do you remember the four newspapers?

Morning:  Tribune and Sun-Times.  Evening: American and Daily News.

--Cooter

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang?-- Part 3: 'Felt Like a Movie Star'

Said Gail Wise when she drove her new Mustang: "I felt like a movie star.  I didn't go looking for attention.  Everybody was happy to see this car.  Everybody was waving, asking me to slow down."

One time she was following a Chicago police car, "He waved me to drive up next to him so he could see the car up close."

She arranged for her $5,000 rookie teacher's salary to be spread out over 12 months so she could enjoy a leisurely summer.  That enabled her to take trips to the beach where the car attracted even more attention.

--DaCoot

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang Sold in the US? --Part 2: It Cost $3,447

No convertible was available on the floor, but the salesman did have something of interest in back.  There was a Ford Mustang covered with a tarp and not supposed to be for sale until two more days until Henry Ford II unveiled the car at the New York World's Fair.

But, Cleadis Brown had $3,447 sale price cash (as a loan to his daughter) plus a 1958 Chevy Impala worth $400 in a trade-in as incentives, so the salesman opted to jump the gun with Gail so long as she did not take the car for a test drive.  He could have cost the Johnson Ford dealership dearly.

"If Ford had found out he had sold the car early, they might have taken the dealership away," said Tom Wise.

No American could have missed the publicity over the Mustang in the spring of 1964. The car was fodder for news magazine cover stories.  As the then Gail Brown drove the car from her teaching job in west-suburban Berkeley to her Northwest Side home, bystanders gawked at her and the car.

--DaCoot

Who Bought the First Ford Mustang Sold in the U.S.?

From the April 22, 2024, Chicago Tribune 'I felt like a movie star' by George Castle.

Tom Wise drove a vintage convertible through suburban Park Ridge last week along with his wife.  It has been almost six decades since she bought this particular iconic vehicle.

That vehicle is iconic because it is an early Ford Mustang.  But, what really makes it iconic is that it is the very first Mustang sold in the United States.  And, it was his wife, Gail Wise, who bought it.

Gail Wise was then a 22-year-old rookie 3rd grade when she bought it on April 15, 1964.teacher.  And, she never intended to be a pace setter when she bought the sporty car which caused such a stir with young people because it was so different from their parents' huge sedans.

She simply wanted a convertible.

On April 15, 1964, she and her father, Cleadis Brown stopped at Johnson Ford at Cicero and Diversey in Chicago near their home.

And, then.....

--CootStang

A History of Poinsettia Plants-- Part 4: What's in a Name? Flor de Nochebuena

The cultivation of poinsettias dates back to the Aztec Empire in Mexico 500 years ago.

Among Nahuatl-speaking communities of Mexico, this plant is known as cuetlaxochitl, meaning "flower that withers."  It is an apt description of the thin red leaves on wild varieties of the plant that can grow to heights above 10 feet.

Year-end holiday markets in Latin America brim with the potted plant known in Spanish as the "flor de Nochebuena", or "flower of Christmas Eve," which is entwined with celebrations of the night before Christmas.

The "Nochebueno" name is traced to early Franciscan friars who arrived from Spain in the 16h century.  Spaniards once called it scarlet cloth.

Additional nicknames abound:  "Santa Catarina" in Mexico; "estrella federal," or "federal star," in Argentina; ""penacho de Incan," or "headdress," in Peru.

Reckon I'll stick with poinsettia.

--Cootettia

A Little More About Joel Poinsett-- Part 3

In a new biography on Joel Poinsett, "Flowers, Guns and Money," author Lindsay Schakenbach describes him as a cosmopolitan, political and economic pragmatist who conspired with a Chilean independence leader and colluded with British bankers in Mexico.

Though he was a slaveowner, he opposed secession and he didn't live to see the Civil War.

As far as the removal of Indigenous people is concerned,"...because Poinsett belonged to learned societies, contributed to botanists collections and purchased art from Europe, he could more readily justify the expulsion of native from their homes," she writes.

--Cooter

About Those Poinsettia Plants-- Part 2

A life-size bronze statue of Poinsett still stands in his honor in downtown Greenville, South Carolina.

However, he was cast out of Mexico within a year of his discovery, having earned a local reputation for intrusive political maneuvering that extended to a network of secretive Masonic lodges and schemes to contain British influence.

But as more people learn of its namesake's complicated history, the name "poinsettia" has become less Attractive in the United States.

Unvarnished published accounts reveal Poinsett as a disruptive advocate for business interests abroad, a slaveholder on a rice plantation in the U.S., and a secretary of war who helped oversee the forced removal of Native Americans, including the westward relocation of Cherokee populations to Oklahoma known as the "Trail of Tears."

--DaCoot

About Those Poinsettia Plants

It would be difficult to imagine Christmas without these plants and their gorgeous colors.  

From the December 24, 2023, Chicago Tribune "New look at Christmastime flower" by Morgan Lee.  

This next part appears to be somewhat "woke."  "...attention is again turning to the poinsettia's origins and its checkered history of its namesake, a slaveowner and lawmaker who played a part in the forced removal of Native Americans from their land.  Some people would now rather call the plant by the name of its Indigenous origin in southern Mexico."  I have to wonder if the article's write would rather call it by its Mexican name?

The name comes from the amateur botanist and statesman Joel Roberts Poinsett, who happened upon the plant in 1828 during his tenure as the first U.S. minister to the newly independent Mexico.

Poinsett, who was interested in science as well as potential cash crops, sent clippings of the plant to his home in South Carolina and to a botanist in Philadelphia who gave the new plant its name, poinsettia after Joel Poinsett.

--Cooter

About Those Poinsettia Plants (Not Just for Christmas)

I have two poinsettia plants that are fifteen years old and also one I bought this last Christmas which has survived.  I have no luck with buying the real small ones as they always die on me, but when I do buy a bigger one they are much more likely to survive.

I put them outside on the front porch by the door (with a northern exposure that does get some early morning sun) and, of course, bring them in for the winter and keep them by windows with a southern exposure. The two old ones get some red leaves but not as splashy as the ones you buy at the store.  Their stems are quite woody now.

A will put them back outside in five weeks.  By then, they have lost many of their green leaves, but as soon as they get outside they fill out nicely and even bloom red a little.

Over the next several blog entries I will write about their origins.

--DaCootia

Top Ten Oldest Establishments of Their Kind-- Part 2

5.  THEATER:  Teatro Olimpio in Vicenza, Italy.  Opened in 1585

4.  AMUSEMENT PARK:  Bakken in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Opened in 1583

3.  MUSEUM:  Musei Capitolini in Rome, Italy.  Opened in 1471

2.  UNIVERSITY:  The University of al-Quarwiyy in Fez, Morocco.  Opened in 859

1.  HOTEL:  Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan.  Opened in 705

--DaCoot

Top 10 Oldest Establishments of Their Kind in the World: Airport and Restaurant

From March 31, 2022, ListVerse by Kerri Lee Gluch.

I am just listing them.  For more information, go to the site.

10.  AIRPORT:  College Park Airport, Maryland.  Opened 1909

9.  MOVIE THEATER:  State Theater in Washington, Iowa.  Opened May 14, 1897.

8.  SHOPPING MALL:  Galleria  Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy.  Opened in 1877

7.  ZOO:  Tiergarten  Schonbrunn on Vienna, Austria.  Opened 1752

6.  RESTAURANT:  Restaurante Botin in Madrid, Spain.  Opened 1725.

--Cooter

This Job's for the Birds-- Part 4: Eatin' and 'Scapin'

The official title of Ravenmaster is only fifty years old, though the role is far older, and Barney Chandler is the sixth holder of the post.    He is charge of the health and welfare of the ravens, who usually roam freely by day and sleep in cages at night.

Duties include maintaining the birds' enclosures, arranging veterinary checkups and keeping them fed on their preferred diet of raw meat supplemented by the occasional treat of a hard-boiled egg or a hardtack soaked in blood.

"They're carrion birds," said Chandler.  "They'll eat almost anything."

The birds' feathers are trimmed to keep them from flying away, although they occasionally escape.  According to Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that oversees the tower, a bird named Grog flew off in 1981 and was last seen outside an East End pub.

Chandler, who served in Afghanistan and around the world during 24 years in the Royal Marines, has been on bird handling courses and had other formal training for his role.

--DaCootFlyingAway

This Job's for the Birds-- Part 3: Many Uses of the Tower of London

The jet-black birds are a familiar feature at the Tower of London landmark, which has served as an arsenal, palace, prison, zoo and more recently a tourist attraction. 

Built by King William I after hiss conquest of England in 1066, it served as a royal residence for several hundred years, but is more famous as a prison.  Famous inmates have included Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth I; Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up Parliament; and Adolph Hitler's deputy, Rudolph Hess.

Nowadays, almost 3 million tourists come each year to soak up history and see the glittering Crown Jewels which are kept there.

--Cooter

This Job's for the Birds-- Part 2: The Beefeaters

Michael "Barney" Chandler took over the post of Ravenmaster on March 1, 2024.  As such, he leads a group called Yeoman Warders, which goes back to the 15th century.  You may know them better as Beefeaters who dress in the very distinctive black and scarlet Tudor-style uniforms.  If you've ever seen a bottle of Beefeaters Gin, that's them.

They perform a hybrid role at the Tower of London.  They not only provide security, but also lead tours of the tower and perform ceremonial duties.

He leads a group of 4 former military men looking after the tower's seven ravens-- the six decreed by Charles II and a spare.  In case you're wondering, their names are Jubilee, Harris, Poppy, Georgie, Edgar, Branwen and the latest addition, Rex, who was named in honor of King Charles III last year when he had his coronation.

--Cooter

This Job's for the Birds: Tower of London's New Ravenmaster

From the March 5, 2024, Chicago Tribune "A job that's really for the birds" by Jill Lawless, AP.

If an ancient prophesy is correct, then Michael "Barney" Chandler has the most important job in England.  The 56-year-old former Royal Marine is the new ravenmaster at the Tower of London.  It is his new job to be responsible for looking after the feathered protectors of the 1,000-year-old fortress.

According to legend, if the ravens leave the 11th century fortress beside the River Thames, its White Tower will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall.

In the 17th century, King Charles II was told of the prophesy and decreed that there must always be six ravens at the tower.

--DaCoot

I Found a New Picture of the HMS Kestrel Dog in the WW I Plane

One of the pictures that accompany this blog is of the bulldog dog in the cockpit of what appears to be a WW I plane.  I attempted to find out some more information about it.

I came across a similar photo, this time in color, of the English bulldog in the cockpit of the WW I era airplane.

He is wearing an HMS Kestrel sailor hat.

At first I thought that meant the plane might have flown off the HMS Kestrel, but since it was a destroyer, it was way too small to have a plane.  Plus, I did not read anything about it having a plane.

So, not sure about why the bulldog had the hat on in that plane.

Quite the Dog.

Neat Picture, Though.  --Cooter

Lake Geneva's Riviera-- Part 2

The Riviera was originally named the Northport and the building was dedicated on May 22, 1933.  Ever since, it has been a landmark for the region's tourism, including its design as a launch site for tour boats on the lake.  (Definitely something you want to try, especially the mail boat.)

Through the 1950s, the ballroom hosted renowned musicians including Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller and Louis Armstrong.  And then in a more modern era: Chubby Checker, Herman's Hermits and Stevie Wonder who performed on the ballroom's Top Deck in the 1970s.

The building was renovated and repurposed as a hub for civic events in 1983.  Three years later it earned a spot on the state and national Register of Historic Places.

Restoration efforts were led by local architect Daniel Curran, who preserved the structure's architectural integrity and historical significance.

Today, the ballroom hosts weddings, corporate events and other social gatherings.

--DaCoot

Lake Geneva's (Wisconsin) Riviera

From the March 2024, Northwest Quarterly.

THE RIVIERA

812 S. Wrigley Drive

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Architect  James Roy Allen designed this Italian Renaissance Revival-Style reception hall during the Great Depression.  The project was initiated by Lake Geneva city authorities and funded with public bonds to generate employment.

It juts out into the beautiful Geneva Lake tight downtown and is one wonderful sight to see.

The two-story brick building boasts corner towers, a hipped ceramic tile roof and symmetrical facades.  Inside a central parquet dance floor is surrounded by a promenade containing towers housing restrooms and facilities.  Outside, a landscaped grassy area and wooden piers extend out over Geneva Lake.

--DaCoot

Garrison School in Rockford-- Part 3: Find a New Use

Developers Chandler Anderson and Joseph Morrissey took over the property in the mid-2000s and spent $6 million transforming the Garrison School and its surrounding property into 14 upscale lofts and townhomes.

Though they transformed much of the surrounding land. the developers preserved much of the original schoolhouse and gym, integrating exposed brick, reclaimed wood flooring and steel beams into these private residences.

In case you're interested in buying one of the townhomes, there is one listed on Trulia with 3 bedrooms, two baths and 2,717 feet of area,  It is listed at $256,900.

Studio GWA has many pictures of the lofts.  They are beautiful.

Great to have adaptive uses instead of tearing down significant structures like this.

--Cooter

Garrison School in Rockford, Illinois-- Part 2: Growth and Closure

Garrison School doubled in size in 1892, and a gymnasium was added in 1920 for physical education, school assemblies, community programs and elections.

A one-story octagonal  structure with a library at its center and six classrooms surrounding it, was added onto the north side of the building in 1969.  (I am willing to bet it was part of the "open classroom" concept that was pushed so much back then.  The classrooms only had walls  between them and weren't separate.  It was hard to conduct classes with the noise levels.  Thus becoming another in a long series of ideas to "better" education.)

Garrison was one of nine buildings abandoned in 1989 when the school district had to close a $9 million budget deficit.

--DaCoot

Making New Use of Old Stuff: Garrison School Lofts-- Part 1

From the Northwest Quarterly magazine 2024.

I am all for finding new uses for old buildings rather than tearing them down, especially when they are architecturally significant.

GARRISON SCHOOL LOFTS, 1105 North Court Street, Rockford, Illinois.

Near the end of the 19th century, Rockford was growing quickly as families moved in, so did their kids.  There was great pressure on providing schools for them.  Several new schools opened around this time, including Garrison School which just had four rooms when it opened in 1887.

It was named for Thomas Garrison, a real estate developer from New Jersey, who in 1853 settled in Rockford's Signal Hill neighborhood where the school is located.

Of interest, the school's first four principals were women.  The first principal. Lizzi Shaw, ran the school until 1891.

--Cooter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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