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Monthly Archives: December 2009
The Disco Ball
As we dance into a new decade, let’s groove to the past and look into the mirrored disco ball.
It’s unclear as to who invented the mirrored ball, but it dates back to at least 1897! The February issue of The Electrical Worker describes a ballroom where the highlight was “a carbon arc lamp flashing [...]
Sessions Mantel Clock
As the year winds down, I thought it appropriate to write about this clock. It was made by the Sessions Clock Company in Forestville, Connecticut.
The Sessions Clock Company has a long and sometimes confusing history, so let me tick off some of its more interesting facts:
1 – Opened for business in 1831 as the Barns [...]
‘Space Age Santa Claus’ sheet music
Oh, Santa Claus has a rocket sleigh
Getting ready to zoom away
On his first trip into space
In his pressurized suit with the fur along the border
And a long white bearded helmet made just to order
He’ll take the Christmas spirit every place
To learn about this novelty Christmas tune please visit: FaLaLaLaLa.com
Posted in Holiday Themed, Music Tagged novelty Christmas songs, Space and astronaut memorabilia Leave a comment
DC-7 American Airlines postcard
The weekend’s snow storm is over in the Northeast and it’s the beginning of a week of heavy travel for a lot of people. One mode of transporation for folks back in the mid-1950s was the new Douglas DC-7. Here’s a postcard of it from 1954.
American Airlines introduced the DC-7 in November 1953 during a [...]
Posted in Ephemera, Transportation Tagged aviation postcards, history of American Airlines Leave a comment
John Coltrane’s ‘My Favorite Things’
While technically not a holiday tune, My Favorite Things gets a lot of airplay this time of year. Here’s a clip of the classic melody as interpeted in 1961 by the late John Coltrane:
My Favorite Things was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for their 1959 Broadway musical Sound of Music. Coltrane took the song and [...]
Charlie McCarthy ‘The Detective’ Spoon
Seventy years ago this month The Detective hit the silver screen. This comic caper starred Edgar Bergen and his wise-cracking sidekick (both literally and figuratively) Charlie McCarthy. To commemorate the film’s release a silver plated spoon came out. As you can see the spoon has McCarthy dressed like Sherlock Holmes.
This spoon originally belonged to my [...]
Fortune magazine
It’s that time of year when mutual funds dole out their capital gains for the year. So, let’s celebrate with a brief look back at the history of Fortune magazine!
The first issue of Fortune hit stands in February 1930, four months after the stock market crash of 1929.
A yearly subscription rate was $10. A single [...]
The Beach Boys: From Stage to Studio
December 1964 was a turning point for The Beach Boys and their leader Brian Wilson. The group was at the top of the charts with their album Beach Boys Concert; their Christmas Album was in the top ten. And yet despite the success, the pressure was too much for Brian Wilson. In the midst [...]
