Search
The Rare & Early Newspapers Hobby
Receive the Newsletter
Buy Historic Newspapers
“Guess & Click” – 1920’s Edition…
December 6, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
“Guess & Click” – a little game where I pose a question, you make a guess without using any on-line resources, and then you click on “View Answer” to find out if you were correct. Note: I intentionally left out the word “trivia” since some of the subject matter covered in this or future similar posts may not be trivial.
Ready to play?
In the early 1920’s, who was the richest per capita people group in the entire world?
Once you have your answer, click on the following link: “VIEW ANSWER”
Were you surprised? I know I was.
Hidden gems – Searching for coverage of an 1850 shipwreck…
November 22, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Yesterday I went on a hunt for a report on the death of Margarette Fuller whose life was unexpectedly cut short in a shipwreck off the shores of Long Beach Island, New York. The wreck occurred on July 19, 1850, so I naturally started reading through our newspapers from the following day. My first stop was an issue of The Boston Museum. While it did not have coverage of the tragedy, it did have a few other gems: A report on the death of President Zachary Taylor, a balloon ascension, a detailed report on the gold in and dangers of California (nice for 1850), a poem which encouraged me to count each day as precious, and perhaps the most interesting of all, what appears to be a bit of sarcasm related to the transcendental views of Ralph Waldo Emerson – all amongst additional poems, a sheet of music, excerpts from a selection of contemporary literary items, and general news of the day. I love this collectible!
The reason I collected it: Ai Anglo Sacsun…
August 19, 2024 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Sometimes stepping outside the normal categories of historic, rare, or early when it comes to collecting newspapers can turn up some intriguing items. The odd, strange, unusual, and outright bizarre can be attractive additions as well.
The Ai Anglo Sacsun fits that bill.
This newspaper attempted to exploit a movement to spell words phonetically, just as they sounded. So their motto in the dateline is: “Devoted Tu Ai Difyushun ov Nolej and Nuz, Tru Ai Medium of Fonotipi, or the Tru System ov Spelin Wurdz As Iz, Just Az ae are Pronnst.” (difficult to translate as they use some characters not in the traditional alphabet. Their alphabet is found on page 3).
The entire issue has various articles spelled phonetically, making it difficult to read. Otherwise the layout is much like other newspapers of the era, with a very decorative masthead.
Obviously a movement that never caught on. Yet it produced a fascinating newspaper worthy of collecting.
If they would only have built it sooner… (Shoeless) Joe Jackson…
October 27, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Even if you are not a fan of baseball, in case you haven’t done so already, the movie “Field of Dreams” is winner. The themes of perseverance, worthwhile priorities, and personal sacrifice are masterfully woven together to create one of the more inspiring movies of the 1980-1990’s. Steering clear of spoilers for those who have yet to see it, I’ll just restate that which is already included in the movie’s trailer: “If you build it, they will come!” Without being overly sappy… honestly, you really need to see it.
So, how does this relate to Rare & Early Newspapers? A few days ago one of our staff found an article from 1913 featuring one of the three main characters – “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (of Black Sox scandal fame), who was given a “2nd chance” at playing baseball – the assumption being he would have jumped at the chance to reengage at the professional level had he been given the opportunity to do so. Without saying more, I’ll let the heading and the 1st few paragraphs of the article do the talking (see below). Oh, and for the record, post-baseball, Joe and his wife (who were a team of their own until his death) eventually moved on from baseball, opened a BBQ restaurant, then “Joe Jackson’s Liquor Store”, and along the way co-raised two of his nephews. For better or worse, even if someone would have built it, I’m not sure he really would have come.
I hope you enjoy a portion of the article:
One small step backward for humanity(?)… One giant leap forward for A.I.!
June 20, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · 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.
They put it in print, 1917 – “The more things change…”
October 4, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A recent post focused on a headline which borrowed Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s famous words from 1849: “the more things change, the more they stay the same” (translated from “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”). This tendency, as applied to human behavior, has certainly been substantiated time and time again in the world of politics.
During former President Trump’s term in office “leaks” were springing up everywhere. For a novice to the political realm this may have appeared to have been a new phenomenon; however, the banner headline from a San Diego Evening Tribune dated January 8, 1917 makes it clear that once again, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr was spot-on. How do we know? They put it in print:
They Put It In Print (1941)… World Series – Cardinals vs. Yankees…
October 7, 2019 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Typically, the day after a MLB team is defeated in the World Series, an acknowledgement along with a few humble, congratulatory remarks are the focus of the losing team’s hometown newspaper. However, after the New York Yankees eliminated the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1941 World Series, the St.Louis Post-Dispatch decided to ignore decorum and instead, predicted that the following year, the Cards would return to defeat the Yankees in the 1942 World Series? How do we know they made such a bold prediction? They put it in print – and, Nostradamus would have been proud. The following year both teams returned to the World Series, and the Cards defeated the Yankees in only five games.
Revisiting “The Crime of the Century” through the reporting of the Chicago Tribune…
December 20, 2018 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Question: What do you get when you cross The Chicago Tribune with “The Crime of the Century”?
The Chicago Tribune, self-described as “The World’s Greatest Newspaper,” earned a reputation for having dramatic, timely headlines. In this regards, they are perhaps 2nd to none. However, they are also well-known for what may very well be the greatest mistake in front-page headline news: “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.” While certainly the most recognized, it was not the Chicago Tribune’s 1st major faux pa. Approximately 16 years earlier, in an effort to be at the forefront of breaking news in regards to “The Crime of the Century,” they printed the dramatic headline: “REPORT ‘LINDY BABY HOME’.” Sadly this would prove to be a false, unsubstantiated report (aka, “fake news”) – as the Lindbergh baby would be found dead a little more than a month later. It sure goes to show how even the “best of the best” can make mistakes – a good lesson in humility for all of us.
Who should have the right to vote? Food for thought…
November 5, 2018 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Who should have the right to vote? Should Native Americans? Blacks? Poor Whites? Women? Citizens who either don’t own land or who are unemployed (i.e., don’t pay taxes)? Although all of these at one time did not have the right to vote, today, we all (hopefully) unanimously agree the answer is a resounding YES – and thankfully, although it took time, they now can. However, although we are unified in our appreciation that all citizens should be granted this privilege, is there a responsibility that comes with this right – a civic duty to not only exercise this “right”, but to do so as an informed voter? THE DAILY GRAPHIC’s (New York) November 2, 1875 illustrated front page weighed in on this issue with a degree of sarcasm. Enjoy.
Christmas Day… Not what one might expect…
December 24, 2017 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
Over the years we have written various Christmas-themed posts for the 25th (or 24th) of December. Many of these (and a few extras) may be viewed at Christmas-Themed Posts. However, almost by accident, as I was preparing for this year I happened to notice that the “reason for the season” and what has appeared on the pages of many newspapers published on Christmas don’t necessarily correlate. Before accessing the following link (which will take you to a chronological listing of such issues we have listed on our website – most of which are no longer available), think back through the past 300-400 years and try to come up with a handful events which were reported on Christmas morning. Once done, go to the link to see if you were successful. Enjoy – oh, and Merry Christmas.