On this day in history.

[scifan57]

February 10, 2014;

Shirley Temple dies at her home in Woodside, California at the age of 85.
Iconic child star Shirley Temple dies at 85 - Feb 10, 2014 - HISTORY.com

 

[giradman]

February 10, 1923: Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, German physicist, died of cancer.

Röntgen discovered x-rays in 1895 and within several years, the impact on medicine and other related areas was revolutionary - in 1896, a Harvard undergraduate named Walter Cannon was studying swallowing and gastric motility on animals using heavy metal salt meals, e.g. bismuth & barium, and is considered the father of gastrointestinal radiology, which was my specialty for over 30 years.

One of Röntgen's early x-ray photographs was a picture of his wife's ringed hand (shown below) - he of course is considered the father of radiology - the first Nobel prize in physics honored Röntgen in 1901, only six years after his discovery - diagnostic radiology has changed dramatically since that time but x-rays are still the foundation of many imaging procedures, although other newer non-xray methods, such as ultrasound and MRI, have become important. Dave
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[giradman]

St. Valentine Beheaded on this day in 278 A.D.

Beginning quote below from a longer story on the History website (check Source below) - apparently the legend is that this day evolved into our present holiday of Valentine's Day for exchange of cards, flowers, etc.

SO - Happy Valentine's Day

Dave

P.S. Susan received a bouquet of mixed lilies this year (similar to the one below but smaller).

On February 14 around the year 278 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed.

Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families.

To get rid of the problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret (Source).

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[scifan57]

February 14, 1929;

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre
On this day, 4 men dressed as police officers entered George "Bugs" Moran's headquarters in Chicago, lined 7 men up against the wall and shot them. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre - Feb 14, 1929 - HISTORY.com

 

[giradman]

February 14, 1929;

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre
On this day, 4 men dressed as police officers entered George "Bugs" Moran's headquarters in Chicago, lined 7 men up against the wall and shot them. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre - Feb 14, 1929 - HISTORY.com

My father was born in Chicago in July 1926 - don't believe that I ever asked my grandmother about being in that city during the 'Roaring 20s' - years later when I was home from college for a weekend (would have been mid-1960s), we hoisted her up on one of my brother's motorcycles and I took the pic below - she would have been nearing 80 years old - enjoyed being around both of my grandmothers, who were quite different characters - Dave
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[J. A.]

February 20, 1902: Ansel Easton Adams, American environmentalist and photographer, was born.

Ansel Adams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

February 20, 1902: Ansel Easton Adams, American environmentalist and photographer, was born.

Ansel Adams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks Johanna for posting about Ansel Adams - we own a couple of Adams photographs from HERE - two pics of Half Dome - a special edition series described & shown below - not prints but actual photos made 'on demand' using Adams's original negatives (images shown from the web and blurry, a resolution issue - much better looking in person).

Also, for those interested in this brilliant photographer, then the PBS video below is highly recommended - believe Susan & I have watched the documentary at least three times - also, there is an upcoming Ansel Adams exhibit in our home town at Reynolda House about to open, so we'll be attending - Dave

Ansel Adams launched the Yosemite Special Edition series in 1958. Today, Alan Ross makes each Special Edition Photograph by hand from Adams ' original negative on gelatin silver fiber paper. Ross, a master printer and fine art photographer in his own right, began working side-by-side with Adams as his photographic assistant in 1974; he's been the exclusive printer of this series since 1975. Each of the prints in this limited series bears an identifying stamp. Yosemite Special Edition Photographs are available only from The Ansel Adams Gallery.

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[giradman]

OK - I was embarrassed by the web pics of the two Ansel 'real photos' that we own, so took some pics of the corner of our dining room where the framed images are located. First pic of the corner showing the two framed photos (the actual prints are about 6" x 9") - second pic of the Amado Peña monotype mixed media artwork (need to see in person for the detail) - one of the two most expensive art purchases for us (bought in the late 80s on a trip to the American southwest) - final pic a close-up of the Ansel photos which hopefully give a better appreciation of their quality. Dave
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[scifan57]

February 20, 1962;

John H. Glenn Jr. Becomes the first American to orbit the earth. An American orbits earth - Feb 20, 1962 - HISTORY.com

 

[J. A.]

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was born on February 21, 1946, in Acton, London.

Alan Rickman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

February 20, 1962;

John H. Glenn Jr. Becomes the first American to orbit the earth. An American orbits earth - Feb 20, 1962 - HISTORY.com

Boy, I was a sophomore in HS and remember in one of the classes, the teacher had a radio, so we spent nearly an hour listening to the event - Glenn circled the planet 3 times - Dave

 

[scifan57]

February 22, 1980;

The Miracle On Ice. The United States Olympic hockey team beats the four time Olympic champion Soviet Union team 4-3 at Lake Placid. Two days later they beat Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal. This Day in History - What Happened Today - HISTORY.com

 

[giradman]

February 22, 1980;

The Miracle On Ice. The United States Olympic hockey team beats the four time Olympic champion Soviet Union team 4-3 at Lake Placid. Two days later they beat Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal. This Day in History - What Happened Today - HISTORY.com
View attachment 70381

Watched both of those games - of course at that time, the USA team consisted of amateurs & collegiate, which made that win against the Soviets even more phenomenal! - Dave

 

[scifan57]

Watched both of those games - of course at that time, the USA team consisted of amateurs & collegiate, which made that win against the Soviets even more phenomenal! - Dave

Especially since the Soviet Union was using professional hockey players for decades before it was allowed. The loophole was that the players were officially members of the Red Army.

 

[giradman]

George Washington born on this day in 1732!

George Washington was born today in 1732 (same year as Joseph Haydn, born in Austria) - hero of the American Revolution and first president of the USA (more information about him HERE).

His birthplace was on Popes Creek, a small tributary of the Potomac River in Virginia about a 90-minute drive from Richmond (see map below). We've made many visits to Richmond (discussed in one or more of my travelogues), one back in 2009 which included a day-trip to the George Washington Birthplace National Monument - the original house burned down in 1779 but was excavated in the 1930s - the foundation is now marked by seashells (see pic below). The house was reconstructed and has period pieces and an excellent guided tour (below several pics of the restored house, one w/ Susan that I found on a camera SD card from the past). Dave
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