Sunday, December 13, 2015

Strange But True Odds & Ends -- Part Three



Bicycles built for two apparently were not catchy enough, so why not make a tandem tricycle! That was the attitude of the Columbia Tricycle Company when they mass produced their product during the fad of the 1880s.

They claimed that they insured “absolute freedom from danger of accident.” They were more stable as they had three wheels and more support.

So what is the most magical place on earth?

Disneyland Employee Cafeteria in 1961
How about the employee cafeteria at Disneyland? Yes, indeed, seeing Snow White, Goofy, and a Native American all dining elbow to elbow must have been an interesting sight.


What at first appears to be a scene out of an old Sci-Fi flick, it is in reality London during WWII. Brits feared that the Nazi's would turn their poison gas attacks on civilians, and they protected themselves accordingly -- including their children with gas masks.

Jackie Mitchell was the only woman to ever strike out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. In the picture above, she shakes their hand in 1931.


It's just your average Las Vegas day in the 1950s. They might as well have had a viewing party to watch atomic bomb tests. No big deal, right? After all, Las Vegas used this to their advantage to boost tourism by promoting "atomic cocktails" served at "Dawn Bomb Parties." One casino owner remarked, "The best thing to happen to Vegas was the Atomic Bomb."


Ham was not your average astronaut when he flew the Mercury mission in 1961: he was a chimpanzee! His training included working with a neuroscientist to push a lever if he saw a blue light flash. Ham not only survived the mission, but lived out the rest of this 25 year life at the Asheboro Zoo in North Carolina.

Atabrine, a synthetic treatment for fighting malaria, was used in large quantities by he US military in the South Pacific during WWII. This sign was a reminder to the troops near a military hospital in New Guinea, where nearly two-thirds of our men fell ill with malaria.


It was not uncommon in the 20s for the beaches to be monitored for swimming suit length. Women whose suits were not long enough, and considered too revealing, were asked to change. While I'm sure it was difficult to find someone to do such a job, imagine something like this happening today!


Prohibition was not our country's brightest hour. You can take the booze out of the country, but, no wait, you can't. This flood was part of disposal of illegal alcohol being poured out of a Detroit building. It's proximity to Canada made it a key location for smuggling in spirits.

This Prohibition bust by the state police included arresting the local sheriff and the Mayor!


Ever wonder how Harley-Davidson motorcycles got started? Well. here you go! The picture above is of William Harley and Arthur Davidson in 1914.

And yes, this was compiled from multiple sources.
Tom Correa

1 comment:

  1. Here's an odd fact for you. Mattel once made cap guns. That's right kids. Your favorite toy company, the same one that makes your Barbie dolls, once made cap guns. Cap guns such as the Fanner 50, The Shootin' Shell .45, and the Ramrod. I had at least two of them as a kid. The Fanner 50 and the Shootin' Shell. My grandfather got them at a flea market more than 25 years ago but I have since lost them. I did, however, manage to get a vintage cap gun from Hubley on Ebay and it's from 1958. It's called the Colt .45. I wish Mattel could go back to making cap guns. But this time they will have to make them with orange or red safety tips. But when they DID make them back in the 50s and 60s, almost all of them could hold Greenie Stick 'Em caps. If I had a time machine, I could go back in time to all the places and events that I missed out on because I wasn't there or even alive at the time. And one of the timelines I would visit would be the 1950s. I would then be able to advertise Mattel's cap guns. Whatever happened to those days. Oh, wait a minute, yeah P.C. culture. More like P.U. culture if you ask me. But I digress. See ya.

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