1964 New York World's Fair

 

Disneyland

 

Steve Jobs

 

Rest In Peace, Vera Rubin

 

Winston Churchill

 

Thomas Jefferson

 

Merry Christmas

 

Christmas in Camelot

 

Fun Facts Week: Moscow Olympics

In 1980, the United States and 65 other countries chose to boycott the Soviet Union because of its invasion of Afghanistan. The United States has traditionally served as a counterbalance to the aggressive Soviet Union/Russia.

 

Fun Facts Week: "Snorky" Capone

Al Capone hated the nickname foisted upon him by the press- "Scarface".

 

He actually wanted people to call him "snorky". His preferred nickname never stuck.

Fun Facts Week: Fort Lee, NJ Film Capital of the World?

 

The Original Universal Studios in Fort Lee, NJ

The original movie capital of the world was in Fort Lee, NJ. After Thomas Edison used draconian methods to defend his patents on film cameras, the major studios fled Fort Lee for Hollywood, California. Hollywood gave the Studios a buffer against Edison's patents and much nicer weather that gave them year round opportunities for outdoor filming.

Fun Facts Week: California Island

Before what is currently the western United States was properly mapped, the State of California was believed to be an island.

 

Fun Facts Week: An Upside Down Christmas Tree

What's the deal with these upside down Christmas trees? Are they some strange statement on the holiday?

 

Their usage dates back to the 700s. Saint Boniface had likened upside down Christmas trees to the Holy Trinity, leading many to begin displaying them in this manner.

 

New York City 1910

 

The Axman of New Orleans

The Ax-Man of New Orleans terrorized the town in the early 1900's. He wrote a letter to authorities saying that he wouldn't kill anyone playing jazz music, so the then scandalous jazz music became synonymous with the city.

 

Building a Landmark

 

Jack the Ripper as a Ghoul

 

Christmas 1899

 

The MGM Grand Fire

On November 21, 1980, tragedy struck in Las Vegas as the MGM Grand Hotel caught fire. Despite the catastrophic looking scene, most of the hotel's fire protection devices worked as designed. The hotel was eventually repaired, its fire suppression systems rebuilt and strengthened. MGM sold the hotel to Bally's and built a new hotel/resort south of the original hotel.

 

Merry X-Mas

 

Despite the current belief that using the term "X-Mas" is some sort of modern attempt at removing Christ from Christmas, its use actually goes back centuries. In fact, the letter X was commonly used as an abbreviation for Christ going back to the earliest days of Christianity; quite possibly because early adherents feared being identified as Christians and subjected to persecution.

Additionally, many have interpreted the prohibition against graven images found in the Old Testament to apply to textual  representations of God. While most Christian adherents had stopped strictly interpreting the prohibitions against graven images, others continued to avoid textual use of Christ's name, therefore using X-Mas instead.

Christmas in the 1970's

 

Christmas 1850

 

RIP, John Glenn

 

John Glenn in DISNEYLAND with Robert F. Kennedy

The Historic Beverly House

 

A Pearl Harbor Warning?

As the United States marks the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, one mystery about that day remains unsolved- who placed these bizarre ads in the New Yorker days before the bombing occurred?

 

The first ad depicts people sitting in a bomb shelter and suggests that people put away supplies in preparation for an air raid.

 

Other ads scattered throughout the magazine showed dice with a 12 and 7 on them (numbers that do not appear on dice) that appear to be about a game called The Daily Double from Monarch Publishing. After the bombing, someone noticed the coincidence and the U.S. Army investigated. No such company or game existed and the ads were hand delivered to the magazine and paid for with cash. The investigation ended without resolving anything and the mystery lives on.

Christmas 1935

 

Drunk History Quotes

 

James Marshall after the Rush

History tells us that James Marshall discovered gold in Coloma, California thereby starting a mad rush by people from around the world. Rarely do we hear what ended up happening to him.

 

Marshall's reason for being in Coloma was to build a sawmill for John Sutter, who held vast land holdings in Northern California. After news of the discovery spread, his workers deserted him and squatters descended upon Coloma. Financially ruined, Mr. Marshall left Coloma in search of new opportunities. When none presented themselves, Marshall returned to Coloma, moved into a cabin and began selling his autograph to curious travelers who wanted to see where it all began.

 

Bitter about his losses, Marshall took to drinking heavily. He successfully convinced the State of California to pay him a pension since he believed that the state would not have come into being without him. They agreed, but made him return to the legislature each year to get the pension renewed. He lost the pension after a couple of years, most likely due to his alcoholism. (Legend has it that a bottle fell out of his pocket when he stood to address the state legislature.) Mr. Marshall passed away penniless. Ironically, the state then commissioned a statue in his honor, allocating $9,000 to its construction.

 

Christmas 1964

 

Christmas 1955

 

Drunk History Quotes

 

Historical Fact Check: The Blackfeet Nation & L. Ron Hubbard