The Peace of Christmas… An image reminiscent of my own experience…

December 23, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 

We each have those special moments in life which cause us to pause and breathe out the inner-tension we have allowed to build up over time.  While rare, they are precious instances when all seems right with “the world” and a deep peace settles into our core – if only for a split second. This past week, I went looking for Christmas-themed prints at the behest of one our collectors, and as I paged through the LIBERTY magazine issues for the month of December, 1929, I came upon a cover which perfectly captured this sentiment. Viewing the warmth of the crackling fire, a couple snuggled together on a comfy couch while gazing at the perfect picture of peace, I felt warmth flow from my inner-most being as I reminisced about the similar setting my husband and I have been blessed to enjoy together on Christmas Eve over the past nearly 35 years (once the children were nestled and snug in their beds).

My hope and prayer is for you to experience similar core-deep breaths of peace in the midst of an often-hectic Christmas season.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Rare and Early Newspapers Family.

One small step backward for humanity(?)… One giant leap forward for A.I.!

June 20, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 

Dystopian movies featuring A.I. as the antagonist abound. The thought of a world in which a soulless “entity” is in the lead role with humanity at its behest is terrifying. How will the relationship between A.I. and humans play out over time is anyone’s guess, but with all the benefits artificial intelligence brings to the table, I feel a little like “a moth to a flame”, and it bugs me.

Why the angst? We recently came across a Los Angeles Times dated May 12, 1997, which had coverage of the historic(?) chess match between Gary Kasparov, the reigning world champion at the time, and “Deep Blue”, an IBM supercomputer. The strings of o’s and 1’s ruled the day, defeating Kasparov in the deciding game in 19 moves. I wonder if many moons from now, when/if A.I. decides to write its own developmental timeline, if this achievement will be listed as one of significance?Note: In case anyone is wondering, upon its victory, “Deep Blue” was NOT crowned the new World Champion of Chess.

Two hours before disaster… Food for thought!

July 1, 2019 by · Leave a Comment 

What were you doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot, when the space shuttle Columbia exploded, or when the World Trade Center’s twin towers were struck by planes? Remembering what one was doing at the exact moment such disasters strike is common. But what about two hours earlier? Disasters rarely come with warnings, and in most cases, those within their physical or emotional path are simply going about yet another day – washing dishes, changing diapers, walking dogs, daydreaming at school, arguing with a friend – going through the motions of life. AND THEN…

Such was the case on May 6, 1937 as depicted in an issue of the New York World Telegram. We’ll let the image shown below do the talking. Every moment of every day is precious. What were you doing two hours before you lost a child… a friend… a spouse… a parent? “Two Hours Earlier!” Just something to think about.

The Day the Music Died? Mother Theresa dies… Princess Diana is laid to rest…

August 24, 2017 by · 3 Comments 

On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff, and inspired one of the most recognizable tunes of all time: American Pie (Bye, bye Miss American Pie), by Don Mclean – a song he says was inspired by his reaction to reading the account of the crash in the morning paper. Fast forward nearly 20 years to the morning paper for September 6, 1997, and one can only imagine the emotions evoked by the duel headlines: “The World Mourns Diana” and “Revered Mother Teresa Dies”. Two people – one young, one old… one living in abundance, one living in squalor… one with the soft skin of a new-born babe, one with wrinkles upon wrinkles… one incredibly rich, one overwhelmingly poor – yet both committed to making a difference in the lives of the needy… the infirm… the neglected… the destitute. In the blink of an eye, both passed into eternity, leaving a mantle just begging to be picked up by those whose lives they had touched.

What about you? What about me? Truth be told, we’re all just Candles in the Wind. What acts of kindness, goodness, and humble service are filling our days while our candles are still burning? Stirred emotions can be a salve for the soul if they lead to action. Have you picked up their mantel? Have I? Who among us is selflessly helping those who are unable to help themselves?

Yet another set of heart-challenging thoughts (questions) ran through my mind as my damp eyes leafed through the pages of The Arizona Republic (September 6, 1997), passed over the various images of Princess Di and Mother Teresa, absorbed the printed lyrics of The Candle in the Wind (by Elton John), and settled on the photo of the two, together, only months prior to their deaths:

What song does Mother Teresa get? Princess Di gets “A Candle in the Wind”, and the Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper get “American Pie”, but what about Mother Teresa? Who sings for her? And the 2nd question…

If February 3, 1959 is The Day The Music Died, then what is September 6th (or 5th), 1997? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Talk about frustrating!!!

May 11, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

As I was contemplating the abundance of critical issues facing our nation, you can imagine my frustration when I picked up a newspaper and found the following article buried on an inside page:

Seriously? AND the most frustrating thing of all…

The article was found inside the Findlay Daily Jeffersonian dated December 21, 1880. I agree with the mantra, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, what if it is broke?

The never-ending debate: half full vs. half empty…

April 10, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

I’ve heard some say with a degree of frustration that approximately one-half of all people view life through a half-empty prism. Of course I’ve heard others express relief that approximately the same percentage of people have learned how to count their blessings. These polar-opposite, life-defining, joy-determining paradigms have been battling it out for quite some time. With this world-view tension as the backdrop, please enjoy the following article from the Findlay (Ohio) Daily Jeffersonian dated December 17, 1880:

The horrors of Billiards and Baseball… Those were the days…

May 12, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-5-12-2016-1860-baseballA few days ago we posted a blog concerning one of the most shocking events of the 20th century: The 1969 Tate Murders by Charles Manson and his followers. As we reflect back on the turbulent 1960’s, the tragic and bizarre murders seem to have been a somewhat appropriate ending to a very troubled era in American history. Perhaps ironically, nearly 100 years prior and on the opposite coast, the New York Times (October 26, 1860) was reporting about two other societal stressors: billiards and baseball. While we all can appreciate the horrors of billiards (who doesn’t identify with “Ya got trouble, right here in River City”), the article on baseball is what catches our attention. Apparently, young boys playing baseball in the park were creating a high degree of angst among the strollers of the day. Who among us would not trade the distractions and temptations of today’s youth for the youthful pastime activities of yesteryear?

They put it in print… “Liar, Liar”…

April 11, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

From a time before internet dating, the Dec. 30, 1791 issue of “The Morning Post from London contains an interesting–and hopefully tongue-in-check–report headed: “Advertisements Matrimonial” which provides amusing reading if nothing else. “Liar, Liar” in print – what if people desiring a mate through ads in newspapers had to write what they were really wanting??? Enjoy.Blog-4-11-2016-matrimony

The start of a new year…

January 4, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-1-4-2016-Baby-New-Year-1924The start of each new year typically brings a sense of promise – a certain newness of hope and expectation which drives us to peel off bad habits and at least seek to develop new ones. Of course this new refreshed outlook is often quickly squashed once we grab the morning paper and allow the events all around us to cast a wet blanket on our hopes and dreams for the new year. Perhaps a bit jaded – but all too true.

Of course, it doesn’t need to be this way. I’m convinced part of the antidote is for us to practice counting our blessings throughout the year – day-in and day-out. Sound like a plan? For those of us who are “all in”, let’s put our resolution for 2016 to the test and look through the news reports of the first week of January through time and see if we can come out the other end with a sense that life is truly good – after all, we could be living in the past when technology, medicine, the average standard of living, and life-expectancy were not what they are today1st Week of January thru Time

A broken heart… 200+ years ago… today?

February 27, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Anguish… deep sorrow… pain and emptiness that engulf and suffocate… As the saying goes: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” No matter how far we advance as a race over time, the death of a loved one elicits the same paralyzing emotions today as it did 100… 1000… 5,000 years ago, and will continue to do so as long as humanity walks this earth. Such is the case (in spades) with a parent’s crushed spirit upon the loss of a child. While searching through an original printing of The American Magazine, Philadelphia, dated May, 1792 in the hopes of finding historical content, I came across the printing of a letter from a Father who was trying to come to terms with the untimely loss of his child. Language usage and expression aside, this letter written 200+ years ago could easily have been written yesterday. It also made me thankful for a hope beyond the grave – a hope that shouts from a Father’s pen as he attempts to express his heart… his love… his hope:Blog-2-27-2015-death-1

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