On this day in history.

[giradman]

November 20, 1945;

The Nuremberg trials begin for 24 high ranking Nazis.
Nuremberg trials - Wikipedia

The Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) is a film that I do not own on DVD or BD - a 'limited BD edition' of the movie was released a few years back which was well reviewed - sold out now, plus not sure that I would have paid the asking price? Dave
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[giradman]

Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten on this day in 1947

Boy, marriages don't last like this one, i.e. 69 years! - Netflix has a new series on this couple called The Crown, which I've just started to watch - excellent and recommended, if interested - first pic below of Elizabeth & Philip; second pic the actors playing their roles in the Netflix production. Dave

In a lavish wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, Princess Elizabeth marries her distant cousin, Philip Mountbatten, a dashing former prince of Greece and Denmark who renounced his titles in order to marry the English princess. Princess Elizabeth, heir to the British throne, was 21 years old. Philip Mountbatten, age 26, had fought as a British naval officer during World War II and was made the duke of Edinburgh on the eve of his wedding to Elizabeth. The celebrations surrounding the wedding of the popular princess lifted the spirits of the people of Britain, who were enduring economic difficulties in the aftermath of World War II (Source).

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[KevinJS]

Saw that (Judgment at Nuremberg) on the BBC years ago. Quite a star-studded cast.

There's a full version on YouTube.

 

[giradman]

Saw that (Judgment at Nuremberg) on the BBC years ago. Quite a star-studded cast.

There's a full version on YouTube.

Hey Kevin - believe that I recorded the film on my DVR a few years back - a long one - 3 hrs! First pic below of the cast - indeed impressive - 11 Oscar Nominations, winner of just 2 awards (second pic).

Amazon has the BD version shown in the last image - $14 - from Australia (regions A/B), not sure about the 'quality' of the offering vs. the one I posted previously - may be the same restoration? Dave
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[giradman]

Thomas Edison Announces Invention of the Phonograph on this day in 1877!

A seminal invention that had such an important impact in the 20th century, especially for the entertainment industry and the public - the first recordings were on cylinders, but in the 1890s, Emile Berliner was at the forefront of transitioning to flat discs (see quotes below), which are still being used, especially by DJs and vinyl enthusiasts.

When I was growing up, all size discs were available - we had old 78s and I had the usual 45 rpm 'kid's phonograph'; then the 33 1/3 rpm LPs became available. My last turnable was a beautiful Denon model w/ woodgrain and an expensive Shure cartridge - in 1984, I went 'cold turkey' and switched almost overnight to CDs (now own 6000+). Dave

P.S. Susan is from New Jersey and we use to visit regularly when her parents still lived in the Short Hills suburb (1970s-early '80s) - we usually went into NYC, but did a lot of touring in the 'Garden State', including a visit to Menlo Park - a highly recommended stop, if in the area!

The American inventor announces his invention of the phonograph, a way to record and play back sound. Edison stumbled on one of his great inventions–the phonograph–while working on a way to record telephone communication at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. His work led him to experiment with a stylus on a tinfoil cylinder, which, to his surprise, played back the short song he had recorded, “MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB”. Public demonstrations of the phonograph made the Yankee inventor world famous, and he was dubbed the “Wizard of Menlo Park.” (Source)

In the 1890s, Emile Berliner initiated the transition from phonograph cylinders to flat discs with a spiral groove running from the periphery to near the center. Later improvements through the years included modifications to the turntable and its drive system, the stylus or needle, and the sound and equalization systems. The disc phonograph record was the dominant audio recording format throughout most of the 20th century. From the mid-1980s on, phonograph use on a standard record player declined sharply because of the rise of the cassette tape, compact disc and other digital recording formats. Records are still a favorite format for some audiophiles and DJs. Vinyl records are still used by some DJs and musicians in their concert performances. Musicians continue to release their recordings on vinyl records. The original recordings of musicians are sometimes re-issued on vinyl (Source).

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[KevinJS]

For years, I was under the impression that the 16rpm speed for vinyl disks was for spoken word recordings.

I read recently that this was not true, and that the speed was employed for a format that never quite took off; record players for cars.

 

[giradman]

For years, I was under the impression that the 16rpm speed for vinyl disks was for spoken word recordings.

I read recently that this was not true, and that the speed was employed for a format that never quite took off; record players for cars.

Hey Kevin - vaguely familiar w/ that 'snail-speed' from the past - but had to do some googling - short discussion HERE - first part of discussion shown below. Also, nicknamed Highway Hi-Fi, so your car reference is indeed a '50s reality - when I was a boy, we had some cars from that era but cannot remember any having a 'record player' - my first 'in car' music experience was using standard cassettes. Dave
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[scifan57]

I've even got a few 12" 45rpm discs in my collection.

 

[giradman]

I've even got a few 12" 45rpm discs in my collection.

Scifan.. - do you have a machine that will play any of these old discs?

But my curiosity was piqued by this Highway Wi-Fi, so did some googling and found a few interesting images below - seems rather awkward vs. the more convenient cassettes which came later (my brothers bought into the 8-track tapes, but I waited for the standard size) - back then, our cars just had radios. Dave
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[KevinJS]

Looks like you found more sources than I did, Dave, and also confirmed that the spoken word recordings actually did use the format, so both bits of history had some truth in them. The 8-track and, later, the cassette player rendered the format obsolete and looking at your first picture, it's not difficult to see why.

I read that the 16 rpm speed was used due to the immense pressure necessary to keep the stylus in the correct place, several ounces rather than a few grams. Lower speed meant lower temperature at the stylus tip.

The larger centre hole was not confined to these disks. Many 45 rpm singles either had the same size hole or had the capability of punching out the centre. The reason for this was the way that jukeboxes worked, using a cone shaped arrangement to locate the disk. In the UK, I had several imported disks that required an adapter to use them. It consisted of a spring loaded plastic affair that fit inside the larger hole and reduced it to the size normally found on an LP record.

The 12" 45 disk that @scifan57 mentions was popular amongst DJs. I also had a few of those, including one that had 2 tracks recorded adjacent to each other. Dropping the stylus on it gave a 50/50 chance of playing one track over the other. I believe they were called "multi groove".

 

[scifan57]

Scifan.. - do you have a machine that will play any of these old discs?

But my curiosity was piqued by this Highway Wi-Fi, so did some googling and found a few interesting images below - seems rather awkward vs. the more convenient cassettes which came later (my brothers bought into the 8-track tapes, but I waited for the standard size) - back then, our cars just had radios. Dave
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View attachment 74862 View attachment 74863

I have a turntable that will play 78, 45, and 33 1/3 rpm records. My grandmother had a windup record player in a cabinet with storage for records. Some of those records are now close to 100 years old.

 

[scifan57]

November 21, 1916;

HMHS Britannic, sister ship to RMS Titanic, sinks in the Aegean sea after an explosion in the forward part of the ship. It was never determined whether it was a mine or a torpedo that caused the sinking. Today the remains lie 400' deep at the bottom of the Aegean Sea. The sea was shallow enough that the bow hit the bottom when the stern was still in the air. This explains the bent bow in the underwater view of the wreck.
HMHS Britannic - Wikipedia

 

[J. A.]

November 22, 1842:
Mount St. Helens erupts. Ash from that eruption might have reached regions 48 miles southeast of the vulcano.

Photo: Wikipedia

 

[scifan57]

November 22, 1842:
Mount St. Helens erupts. Ash from that eruption might have reached regions 48 miles southeast of the vulcano.
View attachment 74866
Photo: Wikipedia

On May 18, 1980 I was on a naval reserve training vessel anchored in Maple Bay, British Columbia about 250 miles from Mount St. Helens when it erupted. We heard the sound of the eruption quite clearly that morning. I assume anyone near enough to the volcano in 1842 would have heard something similar.

 

[giradman]

John F. Kennedy Assassinated in Dallas today in 1963!

Sad day, indeed - I was a high school senior - in the 90s, I was at a medical meeting in Dallas, and visited the spot; went to the Sixth Floor Museum in the Dallas Book Depository Building where Lee Harvey Oswald was located. Dave

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, is assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy rarely accompanied her husband on political outings, but she was beside him, along with Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, for a 10-mile motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas on November 22. Sitting in a Lincoln convertible, the Kennedys and Connallys waved at the large and enthusiastic crowds gathered along the parade route. As their vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository Building at 12:30 p.m., Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor, fatally wounding President Kennedy and seriously injuring Governor Connally. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. He was 46 (Source).

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