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‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in 1923…
December 24, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Just in from Bethlehem…
Merry Christmas from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
compliments of The Globe, December 24, 1923!
(view previous Christmas-themed posts)
What was Happening 100 Years Ago – March 6, 1923…
March 6, 2023 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
We frequently receive requests for “birthday newspapers” for friends and family of our collectors. Giving a person, young or old, a glimpse of the world as reported on the day they were born is certainly a convivial and thoughtful gift. Being a bit more creative, some gift-givers branch out and select an issue from 100 years prior to their birthdate in order to help the receiver capture a snapshot of life a century prior to their birth. With this on my mind today, I went looking for a common title people often select, the New York Times. In this particular instance (March 6, 1923), being smackdab in the middle of Prohibition, a sampling of the headlines included: “CITY WANTS WHISKY FOR HOSPITAL USE”, “MODERN PAUL REVERE WARNS OF LIQUOR RAID”, and “RUM-RUNNING ON THE SOUND”. There was also an eclectic mix of other headlines which included: “LAUDS NEGRO EDUCATION”, “Harding Foresees Beneficent Results to Race and Nation”, “’Human fly’ FALLS 10 STORIES TO DEATH”, and “Harry F. Young, Scaling Martinique Hotel for a Movie Film, Misses His Grip”. Take a peek at this issue to see additional details regarding these stories and more.
With over 3-million newspapers within our archives, perhaps someday someone will send you a newspaper from the day you were born – or a 100-year prequel.
As we close the door on 2020…
December 31, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Overall, 1923 was a pretty good year. However, even a decent year has its share of troubles. A few examples from 1923 include:
The Rosewood massacre, the eruption of Mount Etna, the unexpected death of the popular President Warren G. Harding, Gustav Stresemann being named Chancellor of Germany resulting in policies which led to hyperinflation crushing the German economy (paving the way for Hitler’s rise, the Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo and Yokohama killing an estimated 142,807 people, 640 structures a burned to the ground in Berkley (CA), Adolf Hitler is arrested for his leading role in the Beer Hall Putsch greatly increasing his popularity among those who want to see change, the Gleno Dam (in Italy) bursts killing hundreds, multiple competing factions in China align themselves with the Communist Party – greatly strengthening their influence – and eventual dominance, Prohibition reigns, the largest peace-time U.S. Naval disaster (to-date) occurs off the coast near Santa Barbara (the Honda Point disaster), and more. Although somewhat under the radar, a number of world events took place during 1923 which, upon looking in the rear view mirror, helped pave the way for Communism in China, Nazism in Germany, and the severely ramped up conflict in the Middle East.
Yes, even a good year can have its share of warts. AND then, there’s 2020… Was it worse than the years impacted by the Spanish Flu epidemic, WW1, WW2, any of the Great plagues, the death and destruction brought by Atilla the Hun – to name a few? This doesn’t diminish the impact of the pandemic which defined much of 2020; rather, it’s intention was to merely put it in perspective (if possible).
Speaking of perspective…
A few days ago the front page of a Rotogravure Section of a Detroit News for December 30, 1923 caught my eye. It was a great reminder that there are times when it’s simply best to look to the future with child-like faith. Happy New Year!
Snapshot 1923… King Tutankhamun unearthed…
April 23, 2018 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The following snapshot comes from the February 17, 1923 issue of The New York Times…
Oxford girls in 1923 cannot be thwarted…
February 29, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
When we think of college fraternity life, scenes of Animal House (whether we’ve seen the movie or not) likely play in our minds as we imagine, among other things, guys relentlessly exploring ways to covertly enter (and eventually exit) woman’s dormitories or sorority houses late at night. The young testosterone-inflamed males are always the pursuers, with the estrogen-nourished females the pursued. While the burning of brassieres marking the throwing off of gender roles and stereotypes did not become popular until the 1960’s, the front page of the New York Times for January 25, 1923 had an interesting article regarding the young woman of Oxford which foretold of things to come. Perhaps the idiom “You just can’t keep a good (wo)man down” is appropriate in this instance. Enjoy.