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The Political Season Has Arrived. Next Up – An October Surprise (?)…
October 4, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Since it only takes 2 items to count as a series, this is the 1st post in what I am confident will be a series leading up to the election in November. However, in lest anyone already be overcome by political angst, please know the series will only meet the minimum requirement of 2 – one in September and one in October, this being the first.
In anticipation of what might soon be filling the airwaves and making the rounds on social media ad nauseum, I was inspired to explore the history of the political tactic of using an “October Surprise”. With minimal effort (thanks to the internet), I found a report in THE GLOBE, October 23, 1840, which describes what many believe to be the first such occurrence.
“In mid-October 1840, shortly before the 1840 presidential election, federal prosecutors announced plans to charge top Whig Party officials with “most stupendous and atrocious fraud” for paying Pennsylvanians to cross state lines and vote for Whig candidates in New York during the 1838 [midterm] elections.” ~ Wikipedia
So, as we keep our eyes open for what is sure to rain down upon us in short order, let’s keep our heads about us as we recite the age-old adage: “There is nothing new under the sun”. 
“Just a Moment Before”… The Wild West is Romanticized…
September 2, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Our lives are filled with “Just a Moment Before” instances – the brief seconds, minutes, or day right before we hear either good or bad news which changes our lives forever. From dramatic events to small, nuanced changes, our life’s path is littered with turning points. On July 26, 1881, a newspaper editor set about his daily work of printing the day’s news in THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH, without any inkling of what he would be printing exactly 3 months later.
“Few could argue for a more recognizable title from the Old West, nor could any town be more linked to the romance of the West than this one. Tombstone is steeped in Western lore, and the several movies done concerning the gunfight at the O.K. Corral have kept this town in popular culture.” ~ Tim Hughes
But on this July day, the editor only gave brief mention to the Earp brothers, with a page 3 legal notice for a mining claim beginning: “United States Land Office…Notice is hereby given that Robert J. Winders for himself and his co-claimants, Virgil W. Earp, Wyatt [misspelled at Eyatt] S. Earp, and James C. Earp, whose post office address is Tombstone, Cochise county…”
Little did he know that just 3 short months later he would be printing a defining moment in the epic drama of the United States’ Wild West era.
Leading up to the Political Season… Late 1800’s Edition…
August 26, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Here it comes – at about this same time on a 4-year rotating basis… the autumn media ramp-up to our presidential election. Although it can seem a bit overwhelming at times – like a tsunami of ads and interviews, I thought it might be fun to look to the past at a more humorous version of political culture and embrace the comedy and satire that accompanied the mid-to-late 1800’s press. So, feel free to join me as I peruse Puck and Judge Magazines – not to mention the endless stream of Harper’s Weekly Nast Cartoons. We could all use a chuckle right about now.
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words… The Beginning of a Series…
August 12, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
On March 22, 2021, I created a post titled, “A Picture paints a Thousand Words”. Using that post as a jumping off point, today begins a series of the same name. Of course, by calling this a “series”, the pressure is on to (somewhat) regularly find front pages worthy of this age-old adage. However, here I go…
There are issues we come across in the Rare Newspapers Archives in which the image on the front page stops us dead in our tracks. The event may be new to us or a historical event of which we’re familiar. However, regardless of the category the images fall into, their impact gives us cause us to stop and contemplate what is before us. Sometimes the pause brings a smile… sometimes it brings a chill. Either way, these newspapers (often front pages) were able to capture the entirety of the impact the journalist and publishers hoped for with just an illustration or photo.
My 1st choice to kick off this series is a bit of an obvious one. As a hint, this event brought forth the dramatic statement of, “Oh, the humanity!” and was captured in THE EVENING BULLETIN, May 7, 1937.
Since History Often Repeats Itself, the Past Can be an Excellent Teacher…
July 22, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Why does the saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, ring true? Perhaps it’s because of another saying, “History repeats itself”. We see this tandem of truths play out over-and-over again as we look through historic newspapers and see the headlines of today emblazed on the old worn pages of yesteryear. Below is a vivid example of this truth as shown in a FRANK LESLIE’S ILLUSTRATED, New York, Oct. 10, 1885. When compared side by side with a BBC article from 130+ years later, we can see the waves of history crash on the beach of time in the same way and with a similar impact on humanity. If we hope to see the storms of the future coming in time to make ready, perhaps we should study the past a bit more closely.
Don’t try this at home. . . or ANYWHERE for that matter!
July 15, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
We have all heard various versions of, “Kids, Don’t try this at home!”, including in 1966 when Batman and Robin (Adam West and Burt Ward) told us, “Remember kids, Batman can’t fly.”
Perhaps Ben Franklin should have penned “Don’t try this at home. . . or anywhere” shortly after he successfully completed his famous lightning/kite experiment. If he had thought this through, we may never have had his follow-up letter describing copycat deaths printed in…
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OR UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE, September 1790.
Thankfully he survived his own efforts in 1752.
So, just in case you missed the memo, remember kids, Batman can’t fly… or catch lightning, and neither can you!
The Founding Documents – the Bill of Rights edition…
July 12, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
I recently read about a “man on the street survey” where people were asked to choose one of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights from a list of 4 options. The options were: The right to vote, the right to healthcare, the right to a public education and the right to trial by a jury of your peers. Sadly, most of those interviewed did not pick the correct one. Even worse, most picked either the right to healthcare or the right to a public education. I quickly sent a group text to my adult children and asked them the same question and then awaited their responses with a bit of trepidation. Thankfully, my concern was unfounded.
One of the reasons we at RareNewspapers.com love what we do is that we feel as if we are helping to keep the heart of our country alive by protecting authentic papers containing real-time (contemporary) reports regarding our founding documents such as the Bill of Rights. The portion shown below was printed in THE PENNSYLVANIA PACKET & DAILY ADVERTISER, Philadelphia (PA), October 6, 1789. Newspapers like these need to be cherished and their message intentionally disseminated to all generations so future surveys are a bit more encouraging. Thanks in advance.
Sometimes you just know what it means – The Spirit of ’76…
July 4, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · 2 Comments
Sometimes you hear a word or a phrase and even though you can’t clearly give a written definition, you just have a gut feeling of what it means. Earlier today, when I was looking at a Picture and Magazine section from a Chicago Sunday Tribune, July 4, 1926, I breezed by the caption of the front-page image… The Spirit of ’76. After a moment, I found my mind wasn’t so much thinking of what that phrase meant, but instead, I was struck by the emotions which had been stirred… pride (in a good way as my mother would say), determination & a deep sense of purpose. Wanting to see if the phrase, “The Spirit of ’76” had a clear definition, I went to Wikipedia and found the following…
“The Spirit of ’76 is a sentiment explored by Thomas Jefferson. According to the text published at Monticello, “The principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence promised to lead America—and other nations on the globe—into a new era of freedom. The revolution begun by Americans on July 4, 1776, would never end. It would inspire all peoples living under the burden of oppression and ignorance to open their eyes to the rights of mankind, to overturn the power of tyrants, and to declare the triumph of equality over inequality.”
Thomas Jewett wrote that at the time of the American Revolution, there was “an intangible something that is known as the ‘Spirit of ’76.’ This spirit was personified by the beliefs and actions of that almost mythical group known as the Founding Fathers and is perhaps best exemplified by Thomas Jefferson.”
Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress believed the Spirit of ’76 “included the ‘self-evident’ truths of being ‘created equal’ and being ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights’ including ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'” ~ Wiki
Hmmmm… “an intangible something”. I would agree this spirit is hard to completely capture with words, but it can certainly be understood with a feeling, a picture, or a flag, and it is certainly a “spirit” we need in abundance today.