Category Archives: Photos

And to think that it happened on Mulberry Street

Posted on by The Old Wolf

(With apologies to Theodore Geisel.)

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This 1900 Photocrom was taken on Mulberry Street in New York City. My grandparents immigrated to New York from Italy separately and met here; they arrived in around 1900. (Click the photo for a full-size version).

Pasquale & Maria

This is the kind of scene that would have greeted them; the detail is incredible. Notice the young chap in the foreground enjoying a beer.

Posted at /r/HistoryPorn by user The OneInThe Hat. Based on the addresses visible in the photos, he or she was also able to get a street view of the same perspective:

Mulberry

What a change in 113 years. I wonder what the area will look like in 2126?

The Old Wolf has spoken.

The Sydney Opera House… up close and personal.

Posted on by The Old Wolf

In January of 2010 I was privileged to make a pilgrimage to Australia. I spent a week in the breathtaking Wollumbin crater – indescribable, raw beauty – and another two weeks puttering around New South Wales and Queensland. I’ve posted about the Dish, the Solar System Drive, and the Warrumbungle – but here are a few photos from Sydney which I found of interest.

Opera House 1

 

The Sydney Opera House as you always see it in the brochures.

Opera House 4

 

Opera Theater Entrance

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View of the city from between arches.

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Side view

Opera House 5

 

Entry to the back promenade, off limits to all but seagulls and window-washers…

Opera Tiles 1

 

Tilework

Opera Tiles 2

 

Closeup of the tiles

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Opera House Bar

Go ahead, try to tell me Vedek Winn wasn’t an Aussie…

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Seriously, though – It’s an amazing complex. If I had as much money as Bill Gates, I might just be able to afford a show there.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Astronomer Pranks

Posted on by The Old Wolf

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From Shorpy, Washington, D.C. “Prof. H.E. Burton, 8/5/29.” A Star Search matinee. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.

There was a time when astronomers actually looked into their telescopes, instead of working at remote locations on sophisticated digital (or a bit earlier, photographic) equipment. But one can imagine that there were times when things got a bit boring in the observatory, and then idle minds became the devil’s workshop.

Al Frueh proposed just such an incident in 1937, in the New York Times. Here’ for your gratuitous pleasure, is reproduced

THE JEST

Al Frueh - The Jest (Astronomers)

 

As a kid, I had one of those little black eye tubes. It worked great. And just in case you think old guys can’t be trolls,

Old Troll

 

Watch out for retired people. We have the time to make your life hell.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

A Conversation with Hitler (recorded)

Posted on by The Old Wolf

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Adolf Hitler having a conversation with The Marshal of Finland on his birthday in 1942.

This conversation was secretly recorded; this is the only known recording of Hitler while not giving a speech. The video below provides translated subtitles to the conversation.

Hitler deserves no particular focus or attention, but as a historical item of interest, this has value. The only time I ever heard his voice was in his recorded speeches, when he’s reveling in his bombastic madness. It sounds uncanny to hear him speaking in an intimate, conversational setting.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

The Bjälbo stone

Posted on by The Old Wolf

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A runestone which was used as building material in Bjälbo church, Östergötland, Sweden. Photo taken in 1907.

Swedish: “Käcke män reste denna sten efter Grep, sin gillesbroder, Juddes son. Love ristade runorna”.

English: “Valiant men raised this stone in memory of Grep, their guild-brother, son of Judde. Love carved the runes”.

 

Chester E. Macduffee and his Diving Suit

Posted on by The Old Wolf

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What looks like the packing crate for Robby the Robot is actually a diving suit invented by Chester E. Macduffee, seen here in 1911. The suit weighed 250 kilograms (550 lbs) and was successfully used at a depth of 213 feet in 1915 – because it was not watertight, it was equipped with a water pump that removed water from the leg sections. Very little is known about Macduffee himself; this website provides some additional information and more photos.

The Old Wolf has spoken.