Two boys fighting in a schoolroom while two others try to prevent teacher from entering the room. Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Definition: Holding a grudge usually over something in the past.

Origins: The American origin is not too far from the phrase’s definition. In the early 19th century, if someone was looking to fight, they would literally put a wood chip on their shoulder. They would then walk around with the “chip on their shoulder.” If someone wanted to accept the challenge they would knock it off.

The Long Island Telegraph printed the following in 1830:

When two churlish boys were determined to fight, a chip would be placed on the shoulder of one, and the other demanded to knock it off at his peril.

While the phrase “chip on his shoulder” appears around 1855 in the Weekly Oregonian:

Leland, in his last issue, struts out with a chip on his shoulder, and dares Bush to knock it off.

However, in England this phrase has a different origins story. At the Royal Navy Dockyards, around the 18th century, it was customary for ship carpenters to take home a certain amount of timber offcuts. By the 1750′s, they were thought to have abused that right. A new rule was instituted that the offcuts had to be what one could carry under their arms instead of over their shoulders.

Photo Credit: Vintage Gal

Betty Barrett crowned diaper queen at a convention for the Diaper Service Institute of America, Chicago, 1947. As if beauty contests could not get any weirder…

Golden is an abandoned mining town in Oregon. Photo Credit: Tedder (Source)

Oregon has the most ghost towns than any other U.S. state. There are over 60 ghost towns in Oregon from abandoned logging camps to deserted gold mining towns. It’s hard to find a definitive number of how many towns there are because the state of remaining buildings and debris, if there are any, vary greatly. Some sources state there are over hundreds in Oregon (see comment section below). Some of the ghost towns have no current residents while others still have a few dozen citizens left.

Travel Oregon

The Dimple Machine shown in an advertisement on the left while a women poses with the face device in the right photo. Photo Credit: Modern Mechanix/The Babble

In 1936, Isabella Gilbert of Rochester, New York developed a “machine” to create dimples. In order to create the desired indentations, this device was worn over the cheeks while two knobs press into the cheeks. According to the advertisement, after continual use, the device “soon make a fine set of dimples.” The American Medical Association argued that the “Dimple Maker” would not make dimples or even enlarge original dimples. They also stated that prolonged use of the devise may actually cause cancer.

Not only is the “Dimple Maker” an unfortunate invention, but it also sounds (and looks) like it would hurt!

Polly Mead Patraw, the first female ranger-naturalist at the Grand Canyon, dressed in her uniform in 1931. (Source)

Polly Mead Patraw became the first female ranger at the Grand Canyon in 1929. As a ranger-naturalist, she was only the second female in the entire park service.

During a roadside naturalist talk, ranger-naturalist Polly Mead talks with an auto caravan on a East Rim drive at the Grand Canyon, June 1931. Photo Credit: Grand Canyon NPS

In 1927, at the age of 23, Polly first laid eyes on the Grand Canyon. She was a botany student at the University of Chicago. The Grand Canyon was a stop on a summer-long trip that included visits at several other national parks in the west. When she first saw the canyon, from the North Rim, she was wonder struck. It was “a most emotional experience. It was wonderful.” She later stated. Polly wanted to learn more about it and decided to use it as the subject for her master’s thesis.

When Polly graduated, her benefactor, who was also her aunt, gave Polly the choice between a European trip or a trip back to the Grand Canyon to do research. Polly chose the Grand Canyon. She spent the next two summers researching near the canyon’s North Rim. Usually she stayed twenty miles north of the rim at a lodge but occasionally went on overnight trips to study plant life and collect specimens. On these trips, Polly would bring only a bedroll, canteen and a little pistol for protection. She completed her thesis by the end of her second summer. It was a complete study of the Kaibab Plateau (which borders the Grand Canyon’s North Rim).

After her thesis was accepted, Polly wanted to stay at the canyon. She first applied to the Forest Service but was denied because they did not hire women as ranger-naturalists – the position she wanted. Undeterred, Polly applied for the same position on the South Rim with the National Park Service. They accepted and, on August 1, 1930, Polly was sworn into office by Preston Patraw, the park’s Assistant Superintendent.

Ranger-naturalist Polly Patraw showing a foliage sample to visitor by an automobile around the East Rim of the Grand Canyon, June 1931. Photo Credit: Collins/Grand Canyon NPS

Her uniform consisted of the standard National Park Service uniform (similar to that of a riding habit). It had to be tailored to her since they did not have female uniforms. She also wore a soft-brim hat. Her job as a ranger-naturalist included many different things such as campfire lectures, auto caravan tours, nature hikes, planting wildflower gardens, and writing about various projects and her findings.

Polly began dating Preston Patraw, who sworn her into office. During a drive around the canyon’s rim in March 1931, Preston and Polly became engaged. They married within two months. Preston wanted Polly to stop working and stay home. She agreed. “I just said, ‘Yes, dear,’ as we did in those days.” Polly later remarked with a laugh. The family moved from park to park, going wherever her husband’s job took them. She missed the Grand Canyon but enjoyed discovering the similarities and differences between it and other parks.

Though no longer an employee with the National Park Service, Polly continued to study and write about botany and her own side projects. In 1954, Preston became the Superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park and the family moved back. Her husband retired a year later and the family again moved. This time back to their Santa Fe home, where they had lived from 1947 to 1954. In addition to paving the way for other female rangers, Polly added significantly to the research and literature of plant and flower life in the Southwest. Polly died in 2001 but her legacy as a trailblazing ranger-naturalist still lives on in her beloved Grand Canyon.

Sources
Betty Leavengood, Grand Canyon Women: Lives Shaped by Landscape, Grand Canyon: AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 2004.
R. Bryce Workman, “National Park Service Uniforms: Breeches, Blouses, and Skirts, 1918-1991,” National Park Service, No. 4 (1998).
Grand Canyon National Park, “Insider’s Look at Grand Canyon: Webisode #33 – Women History Month Transcript.”
“Canyon Lodges: Grand Canyon,” PBS.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

”When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer ‘present’ or ‘not guilty.”’

- President Theodore Roosevelt

Designed by Jay Layman

Mari Levine, “Cakes Throughout U.S. History [Infographic],” America’s Test Kitchen, January 23, 2012.

Postcard featuring the 14-ton Giant Underwood Master Typewriter on display at the World’s Fair. Photo Credit: Moore’s Postcard Museum

The 1939-40 New York World’s Fair was hosted in the Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. It was the first to be based on the future with the slogan “Dawn of a New Day.” An estimated 44 million people attended. At the Underwood Elliott Fisher exhibit in the Business Systems Building an unusual item was on display – a typewriter. However, it was not any ordinary typewriter but rather it was The Giant Underwood Master Typewriter.

The typewriter, according to Moore’s Postcard Museum

Operates daily at the Underwood Elliott Fisher Exhibit in the Business Systems and Insurance Building at the New York World’s Fair. This huge machine, weighing 14 tons, is 1,728 times larger than the regular Underwood Master. It required 3 years to build. Each typebar weighs 45 pounds and the carriage alone weighs 3,500 pounds. Letters are typed on “stationery” measuring 9 by 12 feet, and the ribbon in the machine is 100 feet long and five inches wide. Two box cars were required to transport the Giant to the World’s Fair.

A man dressed as a cowboy studies a large letter in front of the massive typewriter. Photo Credit: New York Public Library/Retronaut

With her right foot poised on the “N” key, pretty Miss Muriel Davis is about to complete a message of greeting from Harvey D. Gibson, chairman of the board of the World’s Fair of 1940 in New York to visitors to the big exposition. Photo Credit: New York Public Library

A happy group, including a clown, poise with the giant typewriter. Photo Credit: New York Public Library

Frank Buck’s elephant and giant typewriter. Photo Credit: New York Public Library

Employees of twenty years who brought the 5 millionth typewriter to the fair exhibit sitting on the typewriter. Photo Credit: New York Public Library

Two woman and the giant typewriter. Photo Credit: New York Public Library

Women posing with giant typewriter at the Underwood Elliott Fisher exhibit in the Business Systems Building. Photo Credit: New York Public Library

This image shows the scale of the typewriter with a man and woman standing next to it. Photo Credit: New York Public Library

Original Title: “First flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m.; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.” Photo Credit: Library of Congress

On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright tested out their Wright Flyer I near Kill Devil Hills by Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The photo above is of the first successfully powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with a pilot aboard. Orville acted as the pilot while Wilbur ran at the wingtip to balance it. The starting rail, wing-rest and a coil box are visible, these were necessary for flight preparation. The camera was preset by Orville with John T. Daniels charged with squeezing the rubber bulb which tripped the shutter.

The structure of the Wright Flyer was made out of spruce and ash with muslin coverings. There were fabric pockets sewn inside to help the aircraft “float.” Powered by a four-cylinder engine created by the brothers, the Wright Flyer proved to be strong, flexible and light.

In order to fly the aircraft, the pilot laid on their stomach with their head forward while their left hand operated the elevator control. Attached to the pilot’s hips was a cradle that pulled wires – warped the wings and turned the rudder. To steer, the pilot would move their hips from side to side. The brothers patented their “wing warping” technique (a system for lateral control of a fixed-wing machine).

On it’s first flight, the aircraft took off and flew for 12 seconds and landed with a distance of 120 feet.  They flew the Wright Flyer I four times that day, with the brothers alternating as pilot. Of the four flights, the longest lasted 59 seconds with a distance of 852 feet with Wilbur as the pilot.

After the last flight, those present discussed Wilbur’s long flight. A gust of wind lifted up the Wright Flyer and it went crashing across the sand. It was severely damaged and would never be flown again. However, the Wright brothers accomplished what they set out to do. They demonstrated that basic techniques could in fact fly heavier-than-air aircrafts. The Smithsonian nicley summarized the Wright brothers famous 1903 flight:

Their seminal accomplishment encompassed not only the breakthrough first flight of an airplane, but also the equally important achievement of establishing the foundation of aeronautical engineering.

Distant view of the Wright airplane just after landing, taken from the starting point, with wing-rest in center of picture and launching rail at right. This flight, the fourth and final of December 17, 1903, was the longest: 852 feet covered in 59 seconds. Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Smithsonian, 1903 Wright Flyer – Milestone of Flight.
Smithsonian, 1903 Wright Flyer – Object Collection.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on the Isle of Wight, England – photographed by Julia Margaret Cameron in 1868. (Source)

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

There are many valid points made about “unplugging” oneself from various social media. While I am not on Facebook near as much as I use to be, I can’t say the same for Pinterest. However for History By Zim that is not always a bad thing…

Without it how could I come across this gem?

Woman as clocks. Photo Credit: Old Hollywood

A quick Google search stated that this 1930 photo was a dance segment in Cecil B. DeMille’s “Madam Satan” – I have not seen the movie so I can not discuss the reasoning behind the dancing clocks. But I did also find this:

Image Credit: Triple Canopy

You’re welcome.

The third entry in the “Odd Ads of the Past” series is a bit different from the previous two. These advertisements ran in the 1980′s and would hardly be considered “the Past.” Since they featured Chuck Norris and a new jean with a hidden “gusset” I could NOT pass up posting it!

Chuck Norris’ Action Jeans are described in the advertisements as the following:

Developed by Chuck Norris for stunt fighting in action movies. These great looking western style jeans have a unique hidden gusset* which allows greater movement without binding or ripping.

I bet these were perfect for the everyday person or martial artist who walked around roundhouse kicking people….

Source for both advertisements

_________
*I did not know what a “gusset” was but according to Wikipedia it is “a triangular or rhomboid piece of fabric inserted into a seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing.”

This copy of “The Bay Book of Psalms” is owned by The John Carter Brown Library at Brown University and is one of 11 copies of the first edition known to exist and one of only four perfect copies. The book is in its original binding, with the title page signed by principal editor – Richard Mather (in which you can see on the top of the left page). Photo Credit: John Carter Brown Library/World Digital Library

“The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre” commonly known as the “Bay Psalm Book”, was the first book printed in the American Colonies. It was first printed in 1640 by Stephen Daye, the first printer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The original cover of the 1640 “Bay Psalm Book” in the Library of Congress’ collections. Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Two years earlier, in 1638, Reverend Jesse Glover imported the first printing press to the colonies and Daye, a London printer, came over with the press and established a printing office in Cambridge. John Eliot, Thomas Welde and Richard Mather were asked by the colony’s residents to translate the Book of Psalms from Hebrew for use in the churches. While other hymn books were brought to the New World, the Puritans thought they deviated from the original Hebrew words.  Around 30 New England ministers assisted Mather, the principal translator and editor, in translating the book.

The creation of the book is a milestone for both the church and the colonies. It marked an evolution in musical tradition used in American churches. The book was reissued into several editions and was in use for over 100 years. For the colonies, “Bay Psalm Book” represented advancement as a society. To have an actual printing press meant they were not wholly dependent upon outside sources. The press was imported about 20 years after the Mayflower’s arrival and helped fortify their place in the New World.

There are 11 first edition copies of the “Bay Psalm Book” known to still exist. Only five are in complete condition, four of which are considered “perfect” copies. Among the institutions that own a copy include the Library of Congress, Yale University, Harvard University and Brown University. The Old South Church in Boston actually owns two books, which are housed at the Boston Public Library. In December 2012, the church announced they are going to auction off one of their two copies. (The Old South Church is one of the nation’s oldest churches and was founded in 1669.) It is estimated that the 372-year-old hymn book will fetch anywhere between $10 million to $20 million.

Sources
Library of Congress
World Digital Library
Ted Widmer, “This Is the First Book the Puritans Published on Our Shores,” Slate, November 19, 2012.
Jay Lindsay, “Bay Psalm Book Sale: Old South Church To Sell First Book Published In North America,” Huffington Post, Decemeber 2, 2012.

President Reagan presents Mother Teresa with the Medal of Freedom at a White House Ceremony, 1985. Photo Credit: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library/Source

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

- Mother Teresa

Samuel J. Seymour was five-years-old when he went to see Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater. He saw a man jump on the balcony and was afraid the man might have hurt himself. The man was John Wilkes Booth, he jumped onto the stage after assassinating President Lincoln. This is Seymour on the February 9, 1956 episode of “I’ve Got a Secret.” The host was Garry Moore and the panelists included Bill Cullen, Jayne Meadows, Henry Morgan, and Lucille Ball. Seymour died two months later, 63 days after his game show appearance, on April 12, 1956. He was the last surviving person who had been present at Lincoln’s assassination.

In the article, “I saw Lincoln shot” by Samuel J. Seymour as told to Frances Spatz Leighton, Seymour recounted the fateful night.

All of a sudden a shot rang out – a shot that always will be remembered – and someone in the President’s box screamed. I saw Lincoln slumped forward in his seat. People started milling around and I thought there’d been another accident when one man seemed to tumble over the balcony rail and land on the stage.

“Hurry, hurry, let’s go help the poor man who fell down,” I begged.

But by that time John Wilkes Booth, the assassin, had picked himself up and was running for dear life. . . .

Only a few people noticed the running man, but pandemonium broke loose in the theater, with everyone shouting:

“Lincoln’s shot! The President’s dead!”

Snapshot of Seymour’s article. Photo Credit: The Milwaukee Sentienel

Click here for a closer view of the article.