Am I Dating Myself? The B&O Railroad…

August 6, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 

Raise your hand if you spent hours as a kid playing Monopoly. Raise your hand if you can’t imagine why you spent hours as a kid playing Monopoly. Somehow, back in the day before handheld electronics did more than play music, I loved that game. Nowadays it would seem agonizing to play; however, my interest was peeked by a March 5, 1827 issue of The National Gazette and Literary Register which had: “the founding of the historic B & O Railroad, the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States.” Amazingly, this property is able to be purchased for a mere $200 in a Monopoly game – and just think, B&O was not the only railroad made famous by the world’s longest lasting board game.

The Traveler… the monolopy is ended… hoping for better sailing ahead…

December 17, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

Today I traveled to San Francisco, California, by way of The Call dated December 17, 1912.  There I found that the Federal Supreme Court had ruled to destroy the monopoly that was created by six railroad owned coal companies in the Pennsylvania anthracite fields which had purchased the output for all time of “independent” mines. They were shown to be in “undisputed control”.  This was the first time the Supreme Court successfully used the “Essential Facility Doctrine”, and resulted in significant restraint on monopolies.

The sports page had boxer Frank Moran preparing for upcoming matches, against Gunboat Smith, Luther McCarty and Al Palzer. Frank Moran retired ten years later after 66 bouts and then entered the career of acting in which he played many roles of gangsters, bartenders, guards, cops, bouncers, etc.. He retired from that in 1957 at the age of 70 and died ten years later from a heart attack.

Did you ever read a novel about all the mysterious and unusual murders on a ship at sea? This issue has a report of “Death Stalks On The Korea’s Trip” which would read right out of a novel. This would be one cruise that this traveler would not wish to participate in! Check it out!! (see report)

~The Traveler