German bombers emerging in the heavens over London brought a new weapon of horror and carnage into the arsenal of twentieth-century warfare. Beginning with September 7, 1940, this focused direct bombardment of industrial targets and urban centres started with strong attacks on London. It marked the start of the Blitz, a period of relentless bombardment of Great Britain’s cities including…
Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who fed troops rations during the War of 1812, is supposedly the source of the moniker Uncle Sam. At the time, contractors were expected to mark their name and where the rations originated onto the food they were delivering. Wilson’s packages bore labels “E.A – US.” Though meant to stand for…
One of the most influential figures in motion-picture history and generally considered as the best comedy artist of the film is Charlie Chaplin. From childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, his career stretched over more than 75 years and included both adoration and criticism. Chaplin lived in poverty and suffering during his early…
On March 14, 1951, Einstein’s 72nd birthday, the photo was taken just following an event honouring him at Princeton. Reporters followed Mrs. Aydelotte back to their car with Dr. Frank Aydelotte, the former chairman of the Institute for Advanced Study, hoping to acquire pictures of Einstein. When the throng of reporters had scattered around the car, UPI photographer Arthur Sasse…
Unquestionably an American landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge’s symbolic impact exceeds that of the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty in part because of its portrayal of optimism, a very American quality. Its visual relationship of form and environment, goal and design, does not set limits but rather symbolizes Western prospects and Pacific possibilities. Here the American ideas of…
Among American icons, the Hollywood sign could be singular. It is a monument whose white letters are recognizable everywhere as the main movie sign. Day after day visitors wanting to position themselves for the finest possible angle on the sign stroll into nearby Griffith Park or troll up and down the streets for the Hollywood Hills with cameras. To moviegoers…
Early November 1985, Princess Diana and her husband Prince Charles visited the United States. The royal pair remained at the White House and on November 9 attended a gala supper. Photographed in the Entrance Hall dancing with actor John Travolta to the soundtrack of his 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, the 24-year-old Princess Widely shared worldwide, the pictures and TV…
With its unique fashion styles, the 1980s were a decade marked by excitement and daring taking the stage. Among the other classic designs that arose during this period, the Rah-Rah skirt was considered as a representation of young inventiveness and energy. The vibrant world of cheerleading is where the Rah-Rah skirt first originated. Renowned for their energetic displays and dramatic…
This is the narrative behind the well-known photo of test pilot George Aird thrown from his Lightning F1 fighter jet. September 13, 1962 saw Jim Meads take the image. Newspapers all throughout the world at the time published it; many people believed it to be fake until the Ministry of Defence attempted to place a “D Notice” on the picture…
The finest thing in luxury air travel was the German Zeppelin airship before first-class suites and contemporary flight. With the dirigible gliding peacefully in the skies, the Hindenburg was built to carry passengers across the Atlantic in peace. Considered the longest class of flying machines and the biggest airship by envelope capacity, the airship was Airships such as the Hindenburg…