Thursday, December 31, 2020

2020 Summary -- December 31, 2020

 

www.listal.com

2020 was a tough year. 

After our so-called president was impeached at the end of 2019, the Republican controlled Senate staged a farcical trial in January and February and acquitted him.  Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote for conviction. 

In January, we saw that the new year in the lunar calendar was the Year of the Rat. 

We were sad to learn that Mercy High School in San Francisco was going to close at the end of the school year. My mother-in-law, my wife and our daughter all went there and got an excellent education.

We celebrated the 175th anniversary of the publishing of Edgar Allan Poe's. "The Raven." We noted the 150th anniversary of the Marias Massacre. We marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of Prohibition and the founding of the ACLU. 

Pitcher Don Larsen died. 

BRExit happened and the UK left the EU.  Bad idea. 

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In February, we began to hear more about the Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19, now called the TrumpVirus.  I did a post about the related jerry collonavirus. Our so-called president insisted that the coronavirus was a hoax by the Democratic Party or nothing worse than the flu or something created in a Chinese laboratory. At the end of the month, the Archdiocese of San Francisco said wine would no longer be distributed at communion.  

We noted the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro National League. We celebrated the 75th anniversary of the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. 

We noted Babe Ruth's 125th birthday and Bob Marley's 75th on the same day. 

In March, It became clear that COVID-19 was a pandemic. Our so-called president denied that there was a problem. I knew things were serious when Catholic churches stopped having in-person masses, baseball delayed the start of its season, the NBA and NHL suspended their seasons, the NCAA cancelled March Madness, and the IOC delayed the Tokyo Olympics until next year. Other things delayed or cancelled included the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the San Francisco History Expo, Disneyland and various film festivals. Museums, movie theaters, restaurants and bars closed. 

My wife and daughter, both teachers, were ordered to switch to distance learning using the Zoom application. I was impressed how quickly they both made the transition. 

The California primary was in March this year, so our votes counted. 

I noted the 100th anniversary of the publication of F Scott Fitzgerald's first novel. 

I wrote about the 150th birthday of General George Thomas. 

Pianist McCoy Tyner died, as did trickster Mal Sharpe. 

In April we were going to start celebrating the 150th birthday of Golden Gate Park. They set up a Ferris Wheel in the Music Concourse. It did not operate until December. 

It felt strange going through Holy Week and Easter Time without going to church.  We watched masses online.  It is not the same thing. I posted a 1920 article about San Francisco's anti-mask league. 

British Army photo

On his 100th birthday, 30-April-2020, Britain and much of the world celebrated Captain Tom Moore, a veteran of World War Two. While still recovering from injuries suffered in a fall, he decided that he would walk 100 laps in his garden. He hoped to finish the walk by his birthday and raise £1,000 for the NHS. He kept going and made 200 laps and raised £32,795,065. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. 

I posted an article about the 150th anniversary of what may have been the first game played by the Chicago Cubs' franchise. 

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I also wrote about the 75th anniversary of Pete Gray's major league debut. I wrote about the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. 

I wrote about the 100th birthday of Ken Nordine, the Word Jazz guy. 

I noted the 75th anniversary of the death of FDR. I noted the 75th anniversary of the well-deserved death of Benito Mussolini. I noted the 75th anniversary of the suicide of Hitler. 

Many people died.  Too many died from the TrumpVirus, including Ellis Marsalis, Jr, Wallace Roney Bucky Pizzarelli, John Prine, Al Kaline, Lee Konitz and Adam Schlesinger. Bill Withers died of heart trouble. Stirling Moss, Mort Drucker and Phyllis Lyon died of something other than TrumpVirus. 

In May, we saw a video of a Minneapolis policeman kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, an African-American who was supposed to resemble the description of a man who passed a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. Floyd died lying face-down in the street, after trying to tell the policeman that he couldn't breathe. Other people tried to get the policeman to lift his knee. Protests were peaceful, but after dark, anarchists, right-wing agents provocateurs and thieves rioted and looted in several cities. San Francisco declared a curfew from 8pm to 5am. The policeman who knelt on Floyd's neck was arrested after a few days.

In May, the TrumpVirus forced many changes. The Indianapolis 500 got rescheduled. Restaurants and florists lost a lot of business when they had to remain closed for Mothers' Day. US deaths hit 100,000. 

California started on phase two of reopening businesses. Some states opened up right away and had a sharp spike in infections. 

I wrote about the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike ceremony and the world heavyweight championship fight between Jem Mace and Thomas Allen.

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the death of José Martí. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the death of Mexican president Venustiano Carranza. 

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of V-E Day.  

I noted the 50th anniversary of the Kent State Massacre. I also mentioned the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' album Let it Be.  

I wrote about the 100th birthday of Peggy Lee and the 75th birthday of John Fogerty. 

Richie Cole and Matt Keough died, as did Jorge Santana, Jimmy Cobb, Larry Kramer, Little Richard, Betty Wright and Jerry Stiller. 

In June, protestors pulled down several statues honoring Confederate traitors. 

In June, we began seeing reports that Russia was paying a bounty to Taliban members for each coalition soldier killed in Afghanistan. Our so-called president has ignored intelligence reports about this.

SpaceX made the first launch of humans into space from the United States since the last Space Shuttle launch in 2011.

The Market Street Railway's San Francisco Railway Museum, closed because of shelter in place, got vandalized. 

I started a new series of Coca-Cola ads. 

I wrote about the 150th anniversary of Charles Dickens' death. I noted the 150th anniversary of the first loss of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the Paris-Bordeaux-Lyon auto race. I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN charter. 

I wrote about Jack Dempsey's 125th birthday. I wrote about the 100th birthday of Hazel Scott and Shelly Manne, who were born on the same day. I also wrote about the 100th birthday of Amos Tutuola. I wrote about Carly Simon's 75th birthday. 

Bonnie Pointer died, as did Art Curtiss, David Perlman, Vera Lynn and Mike McCormick. 

America's National Game, Albert Goodwill Spalding, 1911

In July, the major leagues began playing a 60-game season with everyone using the designated hitter. Almost immediately, members of the Florida Marlins tested positive for COVID-19.  

Our so-called president sent federal agents with no identification to snatch people off of the streets of Portland, Oregon. Many of the children locked in cages by ICE are getting sick and some are dying. 

We went to mass at Good Shepherd for the first time since March and met our new pastor, Father Suan. 

I started a new series about the paintings of Albert Bierstadt. I started a new series of items from The Annals of San Francisco.

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the start of the Franco-Prussian War. I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the Trinity Test. 

I noted the 125th birthday of Buckminster Fuller and the 100th birthday of Paul Gonsalves. I noted David Sanborn and Debbie Harry's 75th birthdays. 

Representative John Lewis died. Dr CT Vivian also died, and I did not write about him. Singers Freddy Cole and Annie Ross died. 

Cincinnati Enquirer, 15-August-1945

In August, dry lightning started wildfires all over California.  

My wife and daughter had to start the new school year with remote learning. 

Catcher Joey Bart made his debut with the Giants. 

Good Shepherd Church in Pacifica began holding mass at 11am in the lower parking lot. We attended sitting in our car. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the death of Ray Chapman, the only Major Leaguer to be killed by a pitched ball.  The next day was the 100th anniversary of the final ratification of the 19th Amendment. Detroit radio station WWJ celebrated its 100th birthday.

We noted the 75th anniversary of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the surrender of Japan. I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the demise of the Yosemite Valley Railroad. 

I mentioned the 50th anniversary of the attack on the Marin County Courthouse. 

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the death of bad guy John Wesley Hardin. 

I mentioned the 125th birthday of Bert Lahr.  I wrote about Charlie Parker and Ray Bradbury's 100th birthdays. 

I wrote about the 75th birthday of Van Morrison. 


September was exciting. On September 15, the sky was dark red all day, because of the many wildfires. 

Donald Trump's tax returns were published, showing he paid little if any income tax.

The Giants missed two games because of a false positive result on a COVID-19 test. Later, a series had to be moved from Seattle to San Francisco because the smoke had moved north. The Giants were in contention until the last game of the weird 60-game season, but did not make the grotesquely expanded playoffs. 

I wrote about the 175th anniversary of the boxing match between Bendigo and Ben Caunt. I noted the 150th anniversary of the conquest of Rome, the last step towards Italian unification. I noted the 100th anniversary of the Wall Street bombing and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NFL. I noted the 75th anniversary of Japan's formal surrender during World War Two. 

I noted the 125th anniversary of George Kelly and Juan de la Cierva's birth, the 100th anniversaries of Dick Bong and William Conrad's birth and the 75th anniversary of Jessye Norman's birth. I wrote about Roger Angell's 100th birthday. 

I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix. 

A bad month for baseball history. Tom Seaver and Lou Brock died. 

Toots Hibbert died, as did Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stanley Crouch. 

Brooklyn Eagle, 11-October-1920

October was an odd month as the election lurched towards its conclusion. Texas Trump supporters in trucks with flags and banners tried run a Biden/Harris campaign bus off the freeway. California Trump supporters drove their trucks through Marin City in an effort to intimidate the people of color who live there. The Texas Trump Train was incited by the elder son, and our so-called president approved and retweeted a video. 

Covid-19 infections and deaths slowed down in California, but raged in several midwestern states. Restaurants in San Mateo and San Francisco counties opened for indoor dining. 

The Dodgers won the World Series after a bizarre season. I wrote about Bill Wambsgnass making the only unassisted triple play in a 1920 World Series game, as the Cleveland Indians beat the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the train which crashed through the wall of the Gare Montparnasse in Paris. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of light heavyweight championship fight between Georges Carpentier and Battling Levinsky. I also wrote about the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Black Sox being indicted. 

I noted several 75th birthdays, including Donny Hathaway. Don McLean and Huell Howser

Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Bob Gibson and Whitey Ford died. James Randi died. 

I wrote about the 50th anniversaries of the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. 

I noted the 100th anniversary of the death of journalist John Reed. 

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the death of baseball pioneer Harry Wright. 

moveon.org

Days of counting proved that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had won the presidential election, receiving the most popular votes in history. At the end of November, our so-called president was still insisting that the election was rigged and that lawsuits could overturn the result. 

COVID-19 infections were spiking all over the country. San Mateo County went from red to purple. We attended mass at Good Shepherd in our car, first listening to a low power FM broadcast and then a live stream on YouTube. Three vaccines were close to approval. 

Alex Trebek, the host of Jeopardy, died. Later in the month, coincidentally, I passed the third stage of the audition to be on Jeopardy

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the first automobile race in the United States. I noted the 100th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, part of the Irish War for Independence.  I also wrote about the 100th anniversary of the hanging of Kevin Barry. I noted the 100th anniversary of the first formal broadcast by KDKA in Pittsburgh. 

I noted Stan Musial's 100th birthday. 


In December, our so-called president continued to claim that he won the election. There was a huge COVID-19 spike after people ignored recommendations and gathered together for Thanksgiving. Intensive Care beds in Southern California were at zero percent free. 

On Christmas Day, terrorists set a suicide car bomb in downtown Nashville. Many immediately attributed the attack the our so-called president's stochastic terrorism. 

The Cleveland Indians announced that they will change their name. The Commissioner announced that the Negro Leagues will be treated as major leagues. 

I posted an article about lynching in1920. I hope it will be the beginning of a series. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the burning of Cork.

I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the death of Rube Goldberg. 

I wrote about the 100th birthdays of Dave Brubeck and Clark Terry. I wrote about the 75th birthday of Bette Midler. 

Chuck Yeager died. Wrestler Pat Patterson died, as did Phil Niekro and John le Carré. 

The Cliff House closed on the last day of the year. The operators could not make a new contract with the USPS. We drove by after dinner and saw that the sign on the roof had already been removed. 

usgs.gov

And to top off a tough year, we had an earthquake this morning. It may have awakened me, but it was pretty small. 

Beautiful Yvonne De Carlo acted, sang and danced in many Hollywood movies. I first saw her on The Munsters

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

COVID-19, Masks, Church and School -- December 30, 2020

calmatters.org

We are still sheltering in place at home. By late December, over 19 million Americans had been infected and over 333,000 had died. More than 3,000 Americans die each day. 

Cable cars remain out of service, but cars have been on display at Powell and Market and Hyde and Beach on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The cables have operated and some cars have run for testing.

Muni returned the J-Church line to rail on 19-December-2020, but had trains turn back at Church and Market.

In December, two COVID-19 vaccines received emergency approval, and started to be distributed around the country.

My wife and daughter are still teaching hybrid classrooms. 

Church has also been hybrid, with people on chairs and people in cars.  

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

California Steam Navigation Company -- December 29, 2020

 

Placer Herald, 19-April-1862

The California Steam Navigation Company controlled most transportation on the San Francisco and San Joaquin Rivers. Chrysopolis was a legendary sidewheel steamboat that carried passengers between San Francisco and Sacramento from 1860 to 1875. She was then converted to the Oakland, a double-ended ferryboat which crossed San Francisco Bay until she was destroyed by a fire in 1940. 

Monday, December 28, 2020

Phil Niekro, RIP -- December 28, 2020

 

Knuckleballer and Hall of Famer Phil Niekro has died. I remember when he pitched for the Braves. He played until he was 48. 

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Sacramento Valley Railroad -- December 27, 2020

 

Placer Herald, 19-April-1862

The Sacramento Valley Railroad, which began operating from Sacramento to Folsom in 1856, was the first common carrier railway in California. 

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Friday, December 25, 2020

Christmas, 2020 -- December 25, 2020

 

Pioche Record, 24-December-1920

Merry Christmas, everyone. Peace on Earth and goodwill to men (women, and children).

Pioche is a small Nevada town just east of nowhere. 

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Christmas Eve, 2020 -- December 24, 2020

 

Washington Times, 24-December-1920

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone. The little bear is ready.  

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Christmas Number, 1909 -- December 23, 2020

coverbrowser.com

The original Life Magazine was a humorous weekly that was published from 1883 to 1936.  Here is the cover of their 1909 Christmas Number.  I like the design. 

Monday, December 21, 2020

Christmas Number, 1930 -- December 21, 2020

magazineart.org


The original Life Magazine was a humorous weekly that was published from 1883 to 1936.  Here is the cover of their 05-December-1930 Christmas Number. I like the dog.

Saturday, December 19, 2020

The Oceanic To Go -- December 19, 2020

San Francisco Call, 03-February-1895

William A Coulter did many maritime drawings for the San Francisco Call.

THE OCEANIC TO GO.
She Will Sail for Belfast to
Repair.
COPTIC TAKES HER PLACE.
The Pioneer Ship of the White Star
Company.
IN SERVICE HERE NINETEEN YEARS.
English Officers Look Forward With
Pleasure to the Prospective
Visit Home.

The big China-line steamer Oceanic has entered the port of San Francisco for the last time this year, and perhaps forever. She sails February 12 for China and Japan, and then goes back to the place of her birth in Ireland for repairs.

For nineteen years the tall masts of the Oceanic with their burdens of canvas have been recognized at sea by every navigator on the Pacific. Her white star, always floating at the peak, would recall to mariners who passed her the history of her inception and the subsequent revolution in the building of ocean speeders.

In January, 1871, the Oceanic first dipped her bow into the water of the world at Belfast, Ireland, with the insignia of her owners waving over her decks. She was the first vessel built for the White Star line on the new plan of deck arrangement, iron hull and improved machinery. Her tonnage was to be almost 4000, with five holds to receive the cargoes. The accommodations for 100 cabin passengers were superior to anything crossing the Atlantic at that time, while the steerage-room was considered too large by the average shipping-man who knew nothing regarding the rush of emigrants about to take place. In the early part of 1871 she made her maiden trip from Liverpool to New York, and became the pride of the White Star Company.

When the Southern Pacific Railroad Company formed the plans for the Occidental and Oriental steamship line, the Oceanic attracted the eye of the management, and a lease was forthwith entered into at a stipulated price per month. It was agreed that the white star of her owners should always be carried at the masthead, and that English officers should be in command. Both of these provisions have been carried out.

In 1880 a trip was made to Ireland for repairs, but she was immediately returned to her run on the Pacific. This trip may prove different, as more time will be required to do the work, and by the time it is completed other arrangements may be made.

Her assistants in the burden-bearing line are the Gaelic and Belgic, also owned by the White Star line. Another "ic" will take her place on March 19, when the Coptic will sail from Hongkong for here with the White Star flying.

The officers look forward with pleasure to the return "home," as they term it. Most of them have been on board a number of years and have made hosts of friends both here and in the Oriental ports. They will say good-by to many with regrets, but have hopes of again being assigned to Pacific runs.

The ship itself can go back home with but one stain upon its record, and that is the sinking of the City of Chester about five years ago.

Friday, December 18, 2020

John le Carré, RIP -- December 18, 2020

 


Time, 03-October-1977

Author John le Carré has died. I read The Spy Who Came in From the Cold in high school, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in college. I read later books as they came out. Many of his books were adapted for television and movies. 

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Thursday, December 17, 2020

The Angel and the Saint -- December 17, 2020

San Francisco Call, 22-July-1912

In 1912, the Santa Fe Railroad offered The Angel, from San Francisco or Oakland to Los Angeles, and the Saint, from Los Angeles to San Francisco or Oakland. Fare $25. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Negro Leagues are Major Leagues -- December 16, 2020

Phoenix Index, 15-August-1942

"This Diamond Quartette is as good as any in the big league." Well, today Major League Baseball announced today that it will consider the various Negro Leagues as major leagues, and will include their statistics with other post-1900 statistics. It is about time, although the statistics will be complicated. 

The Homestead Grays are one of the best-remembered teams of the Negro Leagues. Their 1942 roster included Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard,  and the men in the photo: Sam Bankhead, Howard Easterling, B Wilson (Jud Wilson?), L Williams (?) and Matthew Carlisle. Sam Bankhead and his 4 brothers all played in the Negro Leagues. 

Cleveland Indians -- December 16, 2020

 


The Cleveland Indians have announced that, because of pressure from Native Americans and people who support them, they will change their name. They may not do it until 2022. Perhaps they can call themselves the Spiders or the Naps. 

My dad grew up a Cleveland fan. He saw Bob Feller and Satchel Paige pitch in Municipal Stadium. I would like to hear his thoughts on the subject of the name change. He might have approved. 

I love Bill Veeck's books. 

The New York Giants swept Cleveland in the 1954 World Series. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Bierstadt -- The Oregon Trail -- December 15, 2020

Butler Institute of American Art

I have always enjoyed the paintings of Albert Bierstadt. We don't know when he painted "The Oregon Trail." 

Monday, December 14, 2020

Clark Terry 100 -- December 14, 2020



Trumpeter and flugelhorn player Clary Terry was born 100 years ago today, on 14-December-1920.  He played with everyone.

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Comic Book -- Famous Funnies -- December 13, 2020

 

coverbrowser.com
Christmas is coming. 

Famous Funnies, which ran from 1934 to 1955, was the first long-running American comic book. It mostly published reprints of newspaper comic strips. I'm not doing a good job of recognizing the characters. 


Friday, December 11, 2020

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Pat Patterson, RIP -- December 10, 2020

 

wrestlingmuseum.com

Wrestler Pat Patterson has died. When I was a kid, I watched the broadcasts of Roy Shire's Big Time Wrestling on KTVU-Channel 2. I think Patterson was mostly a bad guy (heel) during this time. The only wrestling match that I ever attended was at the Cow Palace. My father was kind enough to take me. I think Pat Patterson defeated Ray Stevens, the good guy (face) by cheating. I remember getting very upset. 

After that I lost interest in pro wrestling until one of my high school classmates started apprenticing with Big Time Wrestling. He explained some of the techniques. I saw a similarity with commedia dell'arte, where the general outline of the match was decided ahead of time and then it was played with some improvisation. 

Some time after that, Patterson came out as the first openly gay wrestler. It did not seem to harm his career. 

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Chuck Yeager, RIP -- December 9, 2020

listal.com

General Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier on purpose, has died. During World War Two, he started as an enlisted mechanic in the US Army Air Force, and then became a flight officer (something like a warrant officer), He flew a P-51 Mustang in Europe and was credited with 11.5 victories. In 1944, he received a commission.

After the war, he became a test pilot and broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 rocket plane. He stayed in the US Air Force, commanding fighter squadrons and wings, and was the first commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School. 

Chuck Yeager was the best character in Tom Wolf's book The Right Stuff and in Phil Kaufman's movie adaption. Sam Shepard, seen in the photo with Yeager, played Yeager. 

Pulp -- Inadvisable Science -- December 9, 2020

 

Pulp-O-Mizer

This rare issue of Inadvisable Science was kindly supplied by Pulp-O-Mizer


Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Increase in Lynching -- December 8, 2020

 

listal.com

James Weldon Johnson was a poet, a writer, a diplomat and a civil rights activist. He wrote "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Every anti-lynching bill considered by the US Congress was filibustered by southern senators. 

INCREASE IN LYNCHING.
(By the Associated Negro Press.)

New York, Dec. 8. -- The terrible extent to which lynching is taking hold of the United States is set forth in a special appeal by James Weldon Johnson, executive secretary, N. A. A. C. P., through the Associated Negro Press.

Mr. Johnson says:
Two days before Thanksgiving Day a Mississippi mob battered down the doors of a courtroom, seized a prisoner who was being tried at a special term of the court, and dragged him at the end of a rope tied to the rear of an automobile, finally hanging the lifeless body and riddling it with bullets.

On Thanksgiving Day a New York newspaper published the following headline:

"LYNCH NEGRO BY MISTAKE."
"Georgia Posse Shoots Brother of Man Who Killed White."

In Mississippi the sanctity of a courtroom was violated. In Georgia an innocent man was brutally murdered. No one will be punished for participation in these or the fifty other atrocities which have disgraced the United States before the world in 1920.

The American people are now given opportunity to end this disgrace. Senator Curtis and Representative Dyer have introduced in Congress a federal anti-lynching bill which provides:

1. For a $10,000 fine to be paid by any county in which a lynching occurs;
2. For prosecution of negligent state and county officers in the United States courts;
3. For trial on charge of murder in a United States Court of all participation in lynchings.

May we, through the Associated Negro Press ask those citizens who want lynching in the United States stopped, to write their senators or representatives urging the enactment of federal anti-lynching legislation?

Yours very truly,
James Weldon Johnson, Secretary.


Monday, December 7, 2020

Pearl Harbor Day, 2020 -- December 7, 2020

 

Australian War Memorial, Photo No 008055.

79 years ago a sneak attack by forces of the Japanese Empire sank or damaged much of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in the territory of Hawaii. The Japanese Empire came to regret doing this.

When the attack started, destroyer USS Cassin (DD-472) was in drydock next to destroyer USS Downes (DD-375). A Japanese bomb landed between the two destroyers, which started fires that eventually caused explosives to explode on both ships. The machinery and other equipment were salvaged and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard built two new ships, sharing the names and hull numbers of the Cassin and the Downs. Both new ships served in the Pacific throughout the war. 

The photo above  shows the original DD-372, on a visit to Australia in March, 1941. Below we see the new DD-372 at Mare Island on 20-Feb-1944.

navsource.org photo 0537213


Rube Goldberg, 50 Years -- December 7, 2020

 

Washington Times, 30-June-1918

Cartoonist, engineer and inventor of Goldbergian devices, Rube Goldberg, died 50 years ago today, on 07-December-1970. He was a native of San Francisco. That may have been the first time I heard people say "I didn't know he was still alive." 


Sunday, December 6, 2020

Mass -- December 6, 2020

 


Today we went to mass at Good Shepherd and found that the chairs had been set up outside instead of in the gym. We sat in our car and listened to the  mass on FM. 

Dave Brubeck 100 -- December 6, 2020


Composer and pianist Dave Brubeck, a native of the Bay Area, was born 100 years ago today, on 06-December-1920.  I remember seeing him and the quartet on television.  They were integrated, which was remarkable, and they looked like accountants, but they made wonderful music.  When I heard them on KJAZ or elsewhere, I knew there was something different about them.  






Saturday, December 5, 2020

Unless the Skipper Can Locate That Crowbar... -- December 5, 2020

Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger, 14-December-1920

I love Fontaine Fox's The Toonerville Trolley That Meets All the Trains. The Skipper's missing crowbar leads to a crisis. 

Washington Times, 30-June-1918


Thursday, December 3, 2020

Who Come? -- December 3, 2020

 

Washington Times, 24-December-1920

I love George Herriman's Krazy Kat. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Washington Times, 30-June-1918