.jpg)
Person.
On May 31 and June 1, 1921, mobs of white Tulsa Oklahoma residents, many deputized and given weapons by city officials, waged war on the city's black residents in the Greenwood, or Black Wall Street, district, one of the wealthiest black communities in the country at the time.
It all started when a black shoeshine was accused of assaulting a white female elevator operator. A lynch mob gathered at the jail, and a group of black men, some armed, showed up to offer protection. The sheriff persuaded the black men to leave the jail, but violence began soon after. The Oklahoma National Guard imposed martial law and ended the violence in June 1, but between 100 and 300 people died, 10,000 blacks were left homeless, and millions and millions of dollars worth of property was destroyed. Six thousand blacks were arrested and interned at three sites in the city Tulsa's residents, black and white, then proceeded to basically wipe the incident from history and never speak of it for almost 75 years.
Buck (Charles) "B.C." Franklin (1879-1957) was an attorney in Tulsa, of black and Choctaw ancestry. He was the father of iconic historian John Hope Franklin, who was six at the time of the massacre. B.C. Franklin was interned for several days in the Convention Hall. When released, he set up a tent and began working to defend the rights of the victims. When the city passed new fire ordinances which would have prevented rebuilding Greenwood, Franklin successfully sued the city and mayor, overturning the law and allowing rebuilding to begin.
Place.
Greenwood, the black neighborhood of Tulsa leveled by a white mob in 1921, was nicknamed "Black Wall Street," and it was one of the most prosperous black communities in the US at the time. While numbers vary, between 100 and 300 people were thought to have been killed, and up to 10,000 were made homeless.
Families lived in tents long after the massacre, but within ten years, most of the district was rebuilt, despite legal roadblocks put into place by white Tulsa to hamper reconstruction. With desegregation in the 1869s, Greenwood started to lose some of its original vitality. Since Tulsans finally started to deal with and speak about the massacre, after 75 years of silence, efforts are being made to commemorate, preserve, and dig into, literally, the truth of what happened there
Greenwood, the black neighborhood of Tulsa leveled by a white mob in 1921, was nicknamed "Black Wall Street," and it was one of the most prosperous black communities in the US at the time. While numbers vary, between 100 and 300 people were thought to have been killed, and up to 10,000 were made homeless.
Families lived in tents long after the massacre, but within ten years, most of the district was rebuilt, despite legal roadblocks put into place by white Tulsa to hamper reconstruction. With desegregation in the 1869s, Greenwood started to lose some of its original vitality. Since Tulsans finally started to deal with and speak about the massacre, after 75 years of silence, efforts are being made to commemorate, preserve, and dig into, literally, the truth of what happened there
Thing.
For a period of time following the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, in which a white mob rioted, killing up to 300 people and rendering up to 10,000 black people homeless, black Tulsans were required to heed curfew restrictions and carry ID cards signed by their employees.
For a period of time following the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, in which a white mob rioted, killing up to 300 people and rendering up to 10,000 black people homeless, black Tulsans were required to heed curfew restrictions and carry ID cards signed by their employees.
.jpg)
Person.
On June 2, 1896, Italian engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for a wireless telegraphy in the UK, making him the father of radio.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is the story of Marconi and of murderer Hawley Crippen, and how their lives intersect.
Marconi (1874-1937) was born into landed Italian nobility, and his mother was the granddaughter of John Jameson, founder of Jameson and Sons whiskey distillery. His entire education was conducted with private tutors at home. At 16 or so, he began working on the idea of wireless telegraphy, an idea others had been working in for fifty years without success, and he conducted experiments at his parents' estate in Bologna. In 1895, a breakthrough allowed him to transmit over two miles. In 1896, he decided support and financial backing would be easier to find in the UK, so he went to London at age 21, with his mother, and did demonstrations for government officials and the public. Securing support, he built towers and stations, gradually increasing radio's reach. The first transatlantic message was transmitted in 1902.
In 1923, he joined Mussolini's Fascist Party. In 1930, Mussolini appointed him head of the Royal Academy of Italy. In 2002, scholars discovered paperwork that showed that, during his tenure, he had personally identified Jewish applicants and members of the Academy, who were expelled or denied entry.
On June 2, 1896, Italian engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for a wireless telegraphy in the UK, making him the father of radio.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is the story of Marconi and of murderer Hawley Crippen, and how their lives intersect.
Marconi (1874-1937) was born into landed Italian nobility, and his mother was the granddaughter of John Jameson, founder of Jameson and Sons whiskey distillery. His entire education was conducted with private tutors at home. At 16 or so, he began working on the idea of wireless telegraphy, an idea others had been working in for fifty years without success, and he conducted experiments at his parents' estate in Bologna. In 1895, a breakthrough allowed him to transmit over two miles. In 1896, he decided support and financial backing would be easier to find in the UK, so he went to London at age 21, with his mother, and did demonstrations for government officials and the public. Securing support, he built towers and stations, gradually increasing radio's reach. The first transatlantic message was transmitted in 1902.
In 1923, he joined Mussolini's Fascist Party. In 1930, Mussolini appointed him head of the Royal Academy of Italy. In 2002, scholars discovered paperwork that showed that, during his tenure, he had personally identified Jewish applicants and members of the Academy, who were expelled or denied entry.
Place.
On June 2, 1896, Italian engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for a wireless telegraphy in the UK, making him the father of radio.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is the story of Marconi and of murderer Hawley Crippen, and how their lives intersect.
Marconi founded his own communications company in 1897, and Marconi equipment soon found its way on board ships. Wireless telegraphy proved invaluable on April 15, 1912 and May 7, 1915 when the RMS Titanic and RMS Lusitania sunk. Both ships were equipped with Marconi's equipment, and the response time for rescuers was dramatically shortened.
Marconi had been offered free passage on the Titanic's fateful voyage, but he opted to take the Lusitania three days earlier. His daughter later said that he had a lot of paperwork to do on the trip, and the Lusitania offered a public stenographer.
On June 2, 1896, Italian engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for a wireless telegraphy in the UK, making him the father of radio.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is the story of Marconi and of murderer Hawley Crippen, and how their lives intersect.
Marconi founded his own communications company in 1897, and Marconi equipment soon found its way on board ships. Wireless telegraphy proved invaluable on April 15, 1912 and May 7, 1915 when the RMS Titanic and RMS Lusitania sunk. Both ships were equipped with Marconi's equipment, and the response time for rescuers was dramatically shortened.
Marconi had been offered free passage on the Titanic's fateful voyage, but he opted to take the Lusitania three days earlier. His daughter later said that he had a lot of paperwork to do on the trip, and the Lusitania offered a public stenographer.
Thing.
On June 2, 1896, Italian engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for a wireless telegraphy in the UK, making him the father of radio.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is the story of Marconi and of murderer Hawley Crippen, and how their lives intersect.
Marconi's system included the following (not that I know what many if these words mean):
A relatively simple oscillator or spark-producing radio transmitter;
A wire or metal sheet capacity area suspended at a height above the ground;
A coherer receiver, which was a modification of Edouard Branley's original device with refinements to increase sensitivity and reliability;
A telegraphy key to operate the transmitter to send short and long pulses, corresponding to the dots-and-dashes of Morse Code; and
A telegraph register activated by the coherer which recorded the received Morse Code dots and dashes onto a roll of paper tape.
On June 2, 1896, Italian engineer and inventor Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for a wireless telegraphy in the UK, making him the father of radio.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is the story of Marconi and of murderer Hawley Crippen, and how their lives intersect.
Marconi's system included the following (not that I know what many if these words mean):
A relatively simple oscillator or spark-producing radio transmitter;
A wire or metal sheet capacity area suspended at a height above the ground;
A coherer receiver, which was a modification of Edouard Branley's original device with refinements to increase sensitivity and reliability;
A telegraphy key to operate the transmitter to send short and long pulses, corresponding to the dots-and-dashes of Morse Code; and
A telegraph register activated by the coherer which recorded the received Morse Code dots and dashes onto a roll of paper tape.
.jpg)
Persons.
The Zoot Suit riots occurred from June 3-8 1943 in Los Angeles CA, when US sailors and civilians went through a heavily Mexican neighborhood attacking Mexican (and black and Filipino) young men wearing zoot suits, brightly colored and patterned, baggy coats and pants with suspenders, hats and pocket chains that had become the standard attire for young Mexicans asserting their freedom, flamboyance and culture.
Los Angeles was on edge because of war and economic tensions and ethnic tensions when a Mexican, Jose Diaz, was found dying near a swimming hole called the Sleepy Lagoon. With almost no evidence, police arrested 17 zoot suitors who were convicted and imprisoned. All convictions were overturned in 1944. Outraged by mostly false stories of zoot suitors harassing white girls and by the assertive cultural pride of the Mexican-American youths, carloads of sailors from the nearby base attacked, beat, and stripped zoot suit wearers.
The Zoot suited males called themselves pachucos, and their girlfriends pachucas. Pachucas wore high bouffant hairdos, heavy makeup, and often altered male zoot suits. Some pachucas and pachucos were involved in gang and criminal activities, and older Mexican-Americans disliked their style, but most zoot suiters were just young people who enjoyed jazz, swing, movies, and nightclubs.
The Zoot Suit riots occurred from June 3-8 1943 in Los Angeles CA, when US sailors and civilians went through a heavily Mexican neighborhood attacking Mexican (and black and Filipino) young men wearing zoot suits, brightly colored and patterned, baggy coats and pants with suspenders, hats and pocket chains that had become the standard attire for young Mexicans asserting their freedom, flamboyance and culture.
Los Angeles was on edge because of war and economic tensions and ethnic tensions when a Mexican, Jose Diaz, was found dying near a swimming hole called the Sleepy Lagoon. With almost no evidence, police arrested 17 zoot suitors who were convicted and imprisoned. All convictions were overturned in 1944. Outraged by mostly false stories of zoot suitors harassing white girls and by the assertive cultural pride of the Mexican-American youths, carloads of sailors from the nearby base attacked, beat, and stripped zoot suit wearers.
The Zoot suited males called themselves pachucos, and their girlfriends pachucas. Pachucas wore high bouffant hairdos, heavy makeup, and often altered male zoot suits. Some pachucas and pachucos were involved in gang and criminal activities, and older Mexican-Americans disliked their style, but most zoot suiters were just young people who enjoyed jazz, swing, movies, and nightclubs.
Place.
Many of the pachucos and pachucas, the Mexican- American youths who created the zoot suit culture came from the Chavez Ravine area of Los Angeles. The Chavez Ravine is an L-shaped canyon in the hills north of downtown LA. The first recorded owner of the land was Julian Chavez, in 1844. The land was used to build "pest houses" for Mexican-Americans and Chinese-Americans during 1850s and 1880s smallpox outbreaks. It was also home to the first Jewish settlements in LA.
In the early 1900s, it became a majority Hispanic neighborhood. A naval training center was built nearby. Sailors from this base entered the Ravine during the Zoot Suit Riots.
In the 1950s, the city of Los Angeles bought much of the land for the construction of the LA Dodgers stadium through eminent domain. This led to major resistance from residents and a ten year unsuccessful legal battle. Some of the homes acquired through eminent domain were sold to Universal Studios for a dollar each and moved studio lots. They can be seen in movies such as To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch's house was originally in Chavez Ravine. Is that ironic?
Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon is the story of the Diaz murder that led in part to the Zoot Suit Riots
Many of the pachucos and pachucas, the Mexican- American youths who created the zoot suit culture came from the Chavez Ravine area of Los Angeles. The Chavez Ravine is an L-shaped canyon in the hills north of downtown LA. The first recorded owner of the land was Julian Chavez, in 1844. The land was used to build "pest houses" for Mexican-Americans and Chinese-Americans during 1850s and 1880s smallpox outbreaks. It was also home to the first Jewish settlements in LA.
In the early 1900s, it became a majority Hispanic neighborhood. A naval training center was built nearby. Sailors from this base entered the Ravine during the Zoot Suit Riots.
In the 1950s, the city of Los Angeles bought much of the land for the construction of the LA Dodgers stadium through eminent domain. This led to major resistance from residents and a ten year unsuccessful legal battle. Some of the homes acquired through eminent domain were sold to Universal Studios for a dollar each and moved studio lots. They can be seen in movies such as To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch's house was originally in Chavez Ravine. Is that ironic?
Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon is the story of the Diaz murder that led in part to the Zoot Suit Riots
Thing.
A zoot suit is a men's suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing became popular in African-American, Mexican-American, Filipino-American, Italian-American, and Jewish-American, communities during the 1940s.
Jazz bandleader Cab Calloway frequently wore zoot suits on stage, including some with exaggerated details, such as extremely wide shoulders or overly draped jackets.[13] He wore one in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. In his dictionary, Cab Calloway's Cat-ologue: A "Hepster's" Dictionary (1938), he called the zoot suit "the ultimate in clothes. The only totally and truly American civilian suit."
The zoot suit originated in an African American comedy show in the 1930s and was popularized by jazz musicians like Calloway. During the shortages and rationing of World War II, they were criticized as a wasteful use of cloth, wool being rationed then.
Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon is the story of the Diaz murder that led in part to the Zoot Suit Riots.
A zoot suit is a men's suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing became popular in African-American, Mexican-American, Filipino-American, Italian-American, and Jewish-American, communities during the 1940s.
Jazz bandleader Cab Calloway frequently wore zoot suits on stage, including some with exaggerated details, such as extremely wide shoulders or overly draped jackets.[13] He wore one in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. In his dictionary, Cab Calloway's Cat-ologue: A "Hepster's" Dictionary (1938), he called the zoot suit "the ultimate in clothes. The only totally and truly American civilian suit."
The zoot suit originated in an African American comedy show in the 1930s and was popularized by jazz musicians like Calloway. During the shortages and rationing of World War II, they were criticized as a wasteful use of cloth, wool being rationed then.
Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon is the story of the Diaz murder that led in part to the Zoot Suit Riots.
.jpg)
Person.
On June 4, 1615, forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu took Osaka castle in Japan, ending a major threat to his rule.
In 1975, James Clavell published Shotgun, the first of his Asian saga. Like James Michener, Clavell was a master of huge, sweeping historical fiction. In the 1980s, the golden age of great tv miniseries, Shogun was adapted into one of the greatest tv events, in my opinion, and I loved the book as much.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) was the founder and first Shogun (military dictator) of the Tokugawa Shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. He is known as one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan. He ruled from Edo (now Tokyo), and he implemented the bakuhan system, the complex feudal system designed to keep the daimyos (nobles or war lords) and samurais (knights, warriors, vassals of the daimyos) in check and loyal and obedient to the Shogun.
Clavell's Shogun places an English sailor in the middle of feudal Japan, the first English an in the country, based on real-life figure William Adams, who became Japan's first western samurai. He becomes an advisor to Toranaga, the character based on Tokugawa.
Clavell's first draft was 2,300 pages. A 2019 edition comes in at 1,312 pages and 3 pounds. Worth every second in my opinion.
On June 4, 1615, forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu took Osaka castle in Japan, ending a major threat to his rule.
In 1975, James Clavell published Shotgun, the first of his Asian saga. Like James Michener, Clavell was a master of huge, sweeping historical fiction. In the 1980s, the golden age of great tv miniseries, Shogun was adapted into one of the greatest tv events, in my opinion, and I loved the book as much.
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) was the founder and first Shogun (military dictator) of the Tokugawa Shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. He is known as one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan. He ruled from Edo (now Tokyo), and he implemented the bakuhan system, the complex feudal system designed to keep the daimyos (nobles or war lords) and samurais (knights, warriors, vassals of the daimyos) in check and loyal and obedient to the Shogun.
Clavell's Shogun places an English sailor in the middle of feudal Japan, the first English an in the country, based on real-life figure William Adams, who became Japan's first western samurai. He becomes an advisor to Toranaga, the character based on Tokugawa.
Clavell's first draft was 2,300 pages. A 2019 edition comes in at 1,312 pages and 3 pounds. Worth every second in my opinion.
Place.
Construction of Osaka Castle began in 1583 and was completed in 1597. The castle grounds cover 15 acres. There are two moats, with wet and dry sections, and 13 structures in the grounds. From Tokugawa Ieyasu's conquest of the castle in 1615 through World War II, elements of the castle have been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times due to fires and wars. The last restoration was completed in 1997, and the structure is now home to a museum.
Construction of Osaka Castle began in 1583 and was completed in 1597. The castle grounds cover 15 acres. There are two moats, with wet and dry sections, and 13 structures in the grounds. From Tokugawa Ieyasu's conquest of the castle in 1615 through World War II, elements of the castle have been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times due to fires and wars. The last restoration was completed in 1997, and the structure is now home to a museum.
Thing.
Japanese armor first appeared in the 4th century, inspired by Chinese armor. It consisted of lacquered leather and iron plates. During the Edo period, the beginning of Tokugawa's rule, it changed to become lighter but stronger due to the introduction of firearms. Samurai warriors and Daimyos (warlords) often owned multiple sets of armor. Tokugawa Iyeasu owned dozens including the replicas in these photos. Armor was worn until the 1870s.
James Clavell's Shogun is a classic book about Tokugawa Japan.
Japanese armor first appeared in the 4th century, inspired by Chinese armor. It consisted of lacquered leather and iron plates. During the Edo period, the beginning of Tokugawa's rule, it changed to become lighter but stronger due to the introduction of firearms. Samurai warriors and Daimyos (warlords) often owned multiple sets of armor. Tokugawa Iyeasu owned dozens including the replicas in these photos. Armor was worn until the 1870s.
James Clavell's Shogun is a classic book about Tokugawa Japan.
.jpg)
Persons.
D-Day. Cornelius Ryan wrote the classic book, The Longest Day, based on over 3,000 interviews with participants from all perspectives and countries: US, Canada, UK France, and Germany, soldiers and civilians.
I thought I'd highlight a few participants you might know.
James Doohan- Canadian artillery, Juno, took out two snipers, took six machine gun bullets, lost middle right finger, cigarette case stopped bullet to chest
David Niven -Lt. Colonel British commandos, commanded signals/communications unit on D-Day
Yogi Berra - manned naval support craft, firing machine gun
Medgar Evers - sergeant, 325th Port Co., landed supplies on beaches
J.D. Salinger- landed in Utah Beach, supposedly carrying a few draft chapters of The Catcher in the Rye with him
Henry Fonda - quartermaster USS Satterlee, naval support
Alex Guinness - landing craft officer
Golfer Bobby Jones- US Army Reserve, landed at Normandy at age 42 (convinced commanding officer to let him go)
Charles Durning - Omaha Beach, most of the men in his group died. He was shot several times and awarded the Silver Star
D-Day. Cornelius Ryan wrote the classic book, The Longest Day, based on over 3,000 interviews with participants from all perspectives and countries: US, Canada, UK France, and Germany, soldiers and civilians.
I thought I'd highlight a few participants you might know.
James Doohan- Canadian artillery, Juno, took out two snipers, took six machine gun bullets, lost middle right finger, cigarette case stopped bullet to chest
David Niven -Lt. Colonel British commandos, commanded signals/communications unit on D-Day
Yogi Berra - manned naval support craft, firing machine gun
Medgar Evers - sergeant, 325th Port Co., landed supplies on beaches
J.D. Salinger- landed in Utah Beach, supposedly carrying a few draft chapters of The Catcher in the Rye with him
Henry Fonda - quartermaster USS Satterlee, naval support
Alex Guinness - landing craft officer
Golfer Bobby Jones- US Army Reserve, landed at Normandy at age 42 (convinced commanding officer to let him go)
Charles Durning - Omaha Beach, most of the men in his group died. He was shot several times and awarded the Silver Star
Place
The Normandy coast was selected as the target of the Allied attack from the sea on June 6, 1944, D-Day. Following the overnight air drop of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian troops by parachute and gliders, the plan was to land over 150,000 troops in the early morning hours, supported by 200,000 naval personnel.
There were five beaches, each assigned a code name. American forces would take Omaha and Utah, and British and Canadian forces were assigned Gold, Juno, and Sword. The German forces were thought to number just over 50,000 with 170 coastal artillery guns, and multiple barriers erected on the beaches.
The Germans never knew for certain where the attack would come because the Allies had employed Operation Bodyguard for months, staging fake attack launch sites with inflated balloons made to look like tanks, among other elaborate deceptions, all intended to keep the Germans guessing.
Allied casualties were counted as 10,000+ with 4,414 dead, and German casualty estimates range from 4,000 to 9,000.
The Normandy coast was selected as the target of the Allied attack from the sea on June 6, 1944, D-Day. Following the overnight air drop of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian troops by parachute and gliders, the plan was to land over 150,000 troops in the early morning hours, supported by 200,000 naval personnel.
There were five beaches, each assigned a code name. American forces would take Omaha and Utah, and British and Canadian forces were assigned Gold, Juno, and Sword. The German forces were thought to number just over 50,000 with 170 coastal artillery guns, and multiple barriers erected on the beaches.
The Germans never knew for certain where the attack would come because the Allies had employed Operation Bodyguard for months, staging fake attack launch sites with inflated balloons made to look like tanks, among other elaborate deceptions, all intended to keep the Germans guessing.
Allied casualties were counted as 10,000+ with 4,414 dead, and German casualty estimates range from 4,000 to 9,000.
Thing.
Have you ever wondered why the National WW II Museum (originally the D-Day Museum) is in New Orleans? Because the landing craft that made D-Day and other landings possible, the Higgins boat, was invented in New Orleans by Andrew Higgins. Higgins developed a whole line of boats that changed (created maybe?) amphibious warfare.
Each LCVP ( Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) or Higgins boat could carry either 36 troops, a jeep and 12 troops, or 8100 pounds of cargo. Manned by a crew of four, it could float in three feet of water, reach a speed of 12 knots, and was armed with two .30 caliber machine guns.
Higgins, holder of 18 patents, also developed high speed PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats.
The Longest Day, by Cornelius Ryan, is the go-to book in D-Day.
Have you ever wondered why the National WW II Museum (originally the D-Day Museum) is in New Orleans? Because the landing craft that made D-Day and other landings possible, the Higgins boat, was invented in New Orleans by Andrew Higgins. Higgins developed a whole line of boats that changed (created maybe?) amphibious warfare.
Each LCVP ( Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) or Higgins boat could carry either 36 troops, a jeep and 12 troops, or 8100 pounds of cargo. Manned by a crew of four, it could float in three feet of water, reach a speed of 12 knots, and was armed with two .30 caliber machine guns.
Higgins, holder of 18 patents, also developed high speed PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats.
The Longest Day, by Cornelius Ryan, is the go-to book in D-Day.
.jpg)
Persons.
The Gilded Age was full of scandals. Newspapers competed tooth and nail to out-scandalize their competition. And then this story breaks: the great-grandson of founding father Alexander Hamilton (who was no stranger to scandal in his lifetime), a cunning female con artist, an orphan baby, life in a brothel, bigamy, a stabbing, lurid divorce details, and charges of a faked death. In the early 1890s, this was the story in the headlines.
Robert Ray Hamilton (1851-1890), was the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton. The surname made him a member of American high society, but his given name and fortune came from his maternal grandfather, Robert Ray. He lived a relatively quiet life until Evangeline L. Mann set her sights on his fortune, telling him she was pregnant with his child. He married her, and his life fell apart as truths emerged which threatened to besmirch his name, reputation, and family.
The Scandalous Hamiltons, by Bill Shaffer, is scheduled for release on July 26. Look for a 7 Questions chat with the author on June 24 and a review in the next couple of weeks
The Gilded Age was full of scandals. Newspapers competed tooth and nail to out-scandalize their competition. And then this story breaks: the great-grandson of founding father Alexander Hamilton (who was no stranger to scandal in his lifetime), a cunning female con artist, an orphan baby, life in a brothel, bigamy, a stabbing, lurid divorce details, and charges of a faked death. In the early 1890s, this was the story in the headlines.
Robert Ray Hamilton (1851-1890), was the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton. The surname made him a member of American high society, but his given name and fortune came from his maternal grandfather, Robert Ray. He lived a relatively quiet life until Evangeline L. Mann set her sights on his fortune, telling him she was pregnant with his child. He married her, and his life fell apart as truths emerged which threatened to besmirch his name, reputation, and family.
The Scandalous Hamiltons, by Bill Shaffer, is scheduled for release on July 26. Look for a 7 Questions chat with the author on June 24 and a review in the next couple of weeks
Place.
One of the real horrors of the Gilded Age/Victorian Age in American and British cities was baby farms. Unwanted children were turned over to women who collected either lump sums upfront or weekly payments to take care of the infants. Often, they then turned around and sold the babies, for $5 to $10 in the US or up to £10 in Britain. Unfortunately, some women discovered that high turnover meant high profits.
In Britain, Amelia Dryer was hanged in 1896, convicted of murdering one infant. It's thought that she killed at least 400, via opiates or strangling. Thousands of children died in baby farms.
The Scandalous Hamiltons, by Bill Shaffer, is scheduled for release on July 26. Look for a 7 Questions chat with the author on June 24 and a review in the next couple of weeks
One of the real horrors of the Gilded Age/Victorian Age in American and British cities was baby farms. Unwanted children were turned over to women who collected either lump sums upfront or weekly payments to take care of the infants. Often, they then turned around and sold the babies, for $5 to $10 in the US or up to £10 in Britain. Unfortunately, some women discovered that high turnover meant high profits.
In Britain, Amelia Dryer was hanged in 1896, convicted of murdering one infant. It's thought that she killed at least 400, via opiates or strangling. Thousands of children died in baby farms.
The Scandalous Hamiltons, by Bill Shaffer, is scheduled for release on July 26. Look for a 7 Questions chat with the author on June 24 and a review in the next couple of weeks
Thing
The author Bill Shaffer was inspired to research Robert Ray Franklin because he often passed by the Hamilton Fountain, located at West 76th St. and Riverside Drive, New York. Following his tragic death in 1890, it was discovered that Robert Ray Hamilton, the great-grandson of Alexander, has bequeathed $9,000 to the people of New York to build a fountain, chiefly for horses.
When the fountain was finally installed in 1906, the age of the horse was passing, and the fountain soon fell into vandalized disrepair and disuse. In 2009, the Riverside Park Conservancy used donations to restore the site to working order.
The author Bill Shaffer was inspired to research Robert Ray Franklin because he often passed by the Hamilton Fountain, located at West 76th St. and Riverside Drive, New York. Following his tragic death in 1890, it was discovered that Robert Ray Hamilton, the great-grandson of Alexander, has bequeathed $9,000 to the people of New York to build a fountain, chiefly for horses.
When the fountain was finally installed in 1906, the age of the horse was passing, and the fountain soon fell into vandalized disrepair and disuse. In 2009, the Riverside Park Conservancy used donations to restore the site to working order.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)