Showing posts with label DH-4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DH-4. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2020
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Lex Anteinternet: September 8, 1920. The start of Air Mail
Lex Anteinternet: September 8, 1920. The start of Air Mail:
On this day in 1920, the U.S. Post Office inaugurated Air Mail in the United STates with early morning flights taking off from New Jersey and San Francisco, ultimately bound for the other location, and with distribution stops and refueling stops along the way. Cheyenne was one of the cities on their flight path.
September 8, 1920. The start of Air Mail
On this day in 1920, the U.S. Post Office inaugurated Air Mail in the United STates with early morning flights taking off from New Jersey and San Francisco, ultimately bound for the other location, and with distribution stops and refueling stops along the way. Cheyenne was one of the cities on their flight path.
As the Cheyenne paper noted, unusually spelling it out, the reason for the numerous stops was that the Airco DH4 airplanes dedicated to the project didn't carry sufficient fuel not to make numerous stops. The DH4 was a British designed World War One bomber which the US had ordered in sufficient numbers to make the United States the largest customer for the aircraft. After the war they were placed into mail service, which they'd continue to perform up until 1932. Indeed, as late as that year the US seriously considered purchasing an updated variant.
On the same day an Italian crises continued as the Italian Regency of Carnaro, effectively declaring Fiume to be a city state, was proclaimed by Gabriele D'Annunzio, poet and wartime Italian army officer. The move sought to formalize the Italian control over the city of mixed ethnicity but went beyond that in the formation of a proto fascist state. It's independence would be more formalized the following year, but would be brief, as it followed a treaty with Italy that sought to incorporate it within the Kingdom of Italy. That effort lead to a brief war which Italy obviously won.
And this peaceful photograph was taken.
Y.M.C.A. Island & playground, Lynchburg Virginia.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Lex Anteinternet: October 15, 1919. Airplane Mania
Lex Anteinternet: October 15, 1919. Airplane Mania:
October 15, 1919. Airplane Mania
The 1919 Air Derby was still on and Lt. Maynard, who had one the transcontinental one way contest, was flying back across the United States to the east to hero's accolades.
And, as has been seen from other recent issues of these century old papers, the flying mania was spreading. Just a few days ago a couple of papers were making deliveries to their outlying subscribers by airplane. Today the Mrs. Mildred Chaplin, nee Harris, was in the news concerning an airborne event.
Harris was a Cheyenne native and at this point, one year into her marriage with Chaplin, was already separated from him or about to be, in spite of Harris' determination to save the marriage.
The marriage would end in 1920. The whole affair provides an interesting insight into how certain news regarding celebrities varies from era to era, as the entire matter was really fairly scandalous. Harris and Chaplin met when Harris was only 16 years old and at the time of their marriage she was just 17 and likely thought to be pregnant or she believed she was. They would subsequently have a baby in 1919 who died after only three days of life and the marriage fell rapidly apart. Harris had, overall, a tragic life, dying at age 42.
The entire event has the taint of scandal attached to it. Chaplin was 35 yeas old, twenty years older than Harris, when the affair commenced with the teenage actress he'd met at a party. The clearly involved a relationship that would have constituted statutory rape and which today would result in the end of Chaplin's career. At the time, and for decades thereafter, the marriage of couples in that situation precluded prosecution as married couples may not testify against each other, but perhaps the more significant aspect of the story to us in 2019 is that the marriage didn't result in an outcry, which it most definitely would now. Instead it was celebrated and in Cheyenne it was certainly such.
The taint of scandal, or the presumption that there would have been one, is all the more the case as Chaplin's next wife, Lillita McMurry, was 16 years old when he started dating her at age 36. That marriage would not last, and he'd next marry Paulette Goddard when he was in her early 20s. Goddard was the only one of Chaplin's four wives who was legally an adult at the time they started their relationship. That marriage didn't last, and he next met, romanced and married Oona O'Neil, who was 17 years old at the time. They married when she was 18 and he was 54, and remained married until his death at age 73. With all that, Chaplin is still celebrated as a comedic genius (I really don't see it myself) and is widely admired, which would certainly note be the case today.
All of that, however, may simply be evidence how people are seemingly willing to allow teenage girls in particular to be exposed to creepy stuff on the presumption that it'll advance their careers. In the 20th Century this continued on with actresses for ever, even featuring as a side story in the novel The Godfather (and briefly alluded to in the film). It likely continued on until the modern "Me Too" movement, and can be argued to have spread into sports.
At the same time, hope that the Reds might fall in Russia was rising.
While in the US, fears over coal supplies, which were critical to industry and for that matter home heating, were rising.
And, as has been seen from other recent issues of these century old papers, the flying mania was spreading. Just a few days ago a couple of papers were making deliveries to their outlying subscribers by airplane. Today the Mrs. Mildred Chaplin, nee Harris, was in the news concerning an airborne event.
Harris in 1919
Harris was a Cheyenne native and at this point, one year into her marriage with Chaplin, was already separated from him or about to be, in spite of Harris' determination to save the marriage.
The marriage would end in 1920. The whole affair provides an interesting insight into how certain news regarding celebrities varies from era to era, as the entire matter was really fairly scandalous. Harris and Chaplin met when Harris was only 16 years old and at the time of their marriage she was just 17 and likely thought to be pregnant or she believed she was. They would subsequently have a baby in 1919 who died after only three days of life and the marriage fell rapidly apart. Harris had, overall, a tragic life, dying at age 42.
The entire event has the taint of scandal attached to it. Chaplin was 35 yeas old, twenty years older than Harris, when the affair commenced with the teenage actress he'd met at a party. The clearly involved a relationship that would have constituted statutory rape and which today would result in the end of Chaplin's career. At the time, and for decades thereafter, the marriage of couples in that situation precluded prosecution as married couples may not testify against each other, but perhaps the more significant aspect of the story to us in 2019 is that the marriage didn't result in an outcry, which it most definitely would now. Instead it was celebrated and in Cheyenne it was certainly such.
The taint of scandal, or the presumption that there would have been one, is all the more the case as Chaplin's next wife, Lillita McMurry, was 16 years old when he started dating her at age 36. That marriage would not last, and he'd next marry Paulette Goddard when he was in her early 20s. Goddard was the only one of Chaplin's four wives who was legally an adult at the time they started their relationship. That marriage didn't last, and he next met, romanced and married Oona O'Neil, who was 17 years old at the time. They married when she was 18 and he was 54, and remained married until his death at age 73. With all that, Chaplin is still celebrated as a comedic genius (I really don't see it myself) and is widely admired, which would certainly note be the case today.
All of that, however, may simply be evidence how people are seemingly willing to allow teenage girls in particular to be exposed to creepy stuff on the presumption that it'll advance their careers. In the 20th Century this continued on with actresses for ever, even featuring as a side story in the novel The Godfather (and briefly alluded to in the film). It likely continued on until the modern "Me Too" movement, and can be argued to have spread into sports.
At the same time, hope that the Reds might fall in Russia was rising.
While in the US, fears over coal supplies, which were critical to industry and for that matter home heating, were rising.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Lex Anteinternet: October 12, 1919. The Truth on Wilson's Condition breaks, Maynard Wins the Air Derby, A Hero Born.
Lex Anteinternet: October 12, 1919. The Truth on Wilson's Condition ...:
While its commonly believed that "nothing" was really know about Wilson's condition, the opposite is actually true. The news broke on how bad it was on this day in 1919.
What would be done about it, in terms of his role, wasn't apparent. It was generally assumed that the Vice President would be taking over his duties.
And the Air Derby wrapped up, with Lt. Maynard, who was not a "parson", but who had been a Protestant seminary student before the war, the victor.
On this day, in Japan, the Olympus Corporation, (オリンパス株式会社 Orinpasu Kabushiki-gaisha), the famous manufacturer of optics, and now also electronics, was founded. And Dorie Miller, who would become famous for his heroics at Pearl Harbor, was born.
Miller was born in Waco Texas on this day to parents who were farmers, which was his occupation prior to joining the Navy at age 20. He served in the mess section as that was a section open to blacks in the segregated Navy of the era, but his race did not preclude the 6'3" Miller from becoming the West Virginia's heavyweight boxing champion.
On duty in the West Virginia on December 7, 1941, he heroically manned a machine gun and aided the wounded during the Japanese strike on Pearl Harbor. He was killed less than two years later when the ship which he was then on, the Liscome Bay, was struck by a Japanese torpedo and went down with heavy loss of life.
Miller was a recipient of the Navy Cross for his heroism at Pearl Harbor. He was the first African American to receive the medal.
October 12, 1919. The Truth on Wilson's Condition breaks, Maynard Wins the Air Derby, A Hero Born.
While its commonly believed that "nothing" was really know about Wilson's condition, the opposite is actually true. The news broke on how bad it was on this day in 1919.
What would be done about it, in terms of his role, wasn't apparent. It was generally assumed that the Vice President would be taking over his duties.
And the Air Derby wrapped up, with Lt. Maynard, who was not a "parson", but who had been a Protestant seminary student before the war, the victor.
On this day, in Japan, the Olympus Corporation, (オリンパス株式会社 Orinpasu Kabushiki-gaisha), the famous manufacturer of optics, and now also electronics, was founded. And Dorie Miller, who would become famous for his heroics at Pearl Harbor, was born.
Miller was born in Waco Texas on this day to parents who were farmers, which was his occupation prior to joining the Navy at age 20. He served in the mess section as that was a section open to blacks in the segregated Navy of the era, but his race did not preclude the 6'3" Miller from becoming the West Virginia's heavyweight boxing champion.
On duty in the West Virginia on December 7, 1941, he heroically manned a machine gun and aided the wounded during the Japanese strike on Pearl Harbor. He was killed less than two years later when the ship which he was then on, the Liscome Bay, was struck by a Japanese torpedo and went down with heavy loss of life.
Miller was a recipient of the Navy Cross for his heroism at Pearl Harbor. He was the first African American to receive the medal.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Lex Anteinternet: October 11, 1919. Air Derby, Disasters At Sea, Strife in Russia, Newspapers by Air.
Lex Anteinternet: October 11, 1919. Air Derby, Disasters At Sea, St...:
Maynard had become an Army pilot during World War One, and he was still flying in 1919, just after the war was over. He was killed in 1922 preforming stunts in a "flying circus" event.
Too much was going on, on this day, otherwise to really summarize it. Even the headlines of the papers were a mess.
One new oddity was, however, that the Casper Herald flew newspapers to Riverton, showing how much the Air Deby had captivated the imagination of the state.
October 11, 1919. Air Derby, Disasters At Sea, Strife in Russia, Newspapers by Air.
Lt. B. W. Maynard, right, in front of a DH-4. Sgt. Kline was Maynard's mechanic and in the second seat. This photo was taken during the Air Derby.
The press was taking an interest in a particular pilot, B. W. Maynard. Maynard was an Army aviator, but the press liked the idea that Maynard was an ordained minister, which he was not. Rather, prior to World War One, he had been a seminary student at Wake Forest.
Maynard had become an Army pilot during World War One, and he was still flying in 1919, just after the war was over. He was killed in 1922 preforming stunts in a "flying circus" event.
Too much was going on, on this day, otherwise to really summarize it. Even the headlines of the papers were a mess.
One new oddity was, however, that the Casper Herald flew newspapers to Riverton, showing how much the Air Deby had captivated the imagination of the state.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Oberg Pass.
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Which occurred as part of the 1919 Air Derby.
This crash, discussed elsewhere, is usually referenced as occurring "west of Cheyenne". It is west of Cheyenne, but the pilot was following the Union Pacific Railroad and a much better description would have been north west of Laramie, or even south of Medicine Bow.
Which occurred as part of the 1919 Air Derby.
This crash, discussed elsewhere, is usually referenced as occurring "west of Cheyenne". It is west of Cheyenne, but the pilot was following the Union Pacific Railroad and a much better description would have been north west of Laramie, or even south of Medicine Bow.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Lex Anteinternet: October 7, 1919. The White Sox Rally? (Posted due to the 1919 Air Derby)
Lex Anteinternet: October 7, 1919. The White Sox Rally?:
October 7, 1919. The White Sox Rally?
The Sox suddenly were back in the game on this October 7, 1919 game of the World Series.
Dicky Kerr was pitching again, the Sox's did well in a ten inning game.
On this same day, news hit the state of the impending start of a bit air race scheduled for this very week. The race was sponsored by the Army Air Corps and was scheduled to commence on October 8.
In other news, the Germans, whom had been kept at first in the Baltic states by the Allies, but who had become very involved in the conflicts there, were being invited to leave. And a terrible flood hit a small town in Colorado.
Cardinal Mercier continued his tour of Belgium, raising funds for the restoration of the Library at Leuven. On this day, he spoke at Columbia.
In Czechoslovakia, the parliament was in session.
Dicky Kerr was pitching again, the Sox's did well in a ten inning game.
On this same day, news hit the state of the impending start of a bit air race scheduled for this very week. The race was sponsored by the Army Air Corps and was scheduled to commence on October 8.
In other news, the Germans, whom had been kept at first in the Baltic states by the Allies, but who had become very involved in the conflicts there, were being invited to leave. And a terrible flood hit a small town in Colorado.
Cardinal Mercier continued his tour of Belgium, raising funds for the restoration of the Library at Leuven. On this day, he spoke at Columbia.
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