On this day in history.

[giradman]

Cinco de Mayo - Battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862

"During the French-Mexican War (1861-1867), an outnumbered Mexican army defeats a powerful invading French force at the small town of Puebla. The retreat of the French troops at the Battle of Puebla represented a great moral victory for the people of Mexico, symbolizing the country’s ability to defend its sovereignty against a powerful foreign nation (Source)."

The 1939 film Juarez (see 2nd quote below from IMDB) portrays a portion of this Mexican-French history during the mid-19th century and overlapping the American Civil War - some excellent stars of the times (Paul Muni as Juarez & and Bette Davis as Carlota, wife of Maximilian I, who eventually faced a Mexican firing squad). Dave

Cinco de Mayo ("Fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. In the U.S. the date has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. In Mexico, the commemoration of the battle continues to be mostly ceremonial, such as through military parades. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken to be Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national holiday in Mexico—which is celebrated on September 16, commemorating the Cry of Dolores that initiated the war of Mexican independence from Spain (Source).

The newly-named Emperor Maximillian, the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire, arrives in Mexico in the early 1860s with his wife Carlotta to face popular sentiment favoring Benito Juarez and popular demand for democracy. With an elite group of Mexican monarchists, Maximillian tries to appease the democratic Mexicans but he fails. Abraham Lincoln continues to support Juarez and asks the French to withdraw support for Maximilian. Carlotta goes to France to plead with Napoleon III, to no avail (Source).

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[KevinJS]

6th May 1937

The airship Hindenburg caught fire and crashlanded with 36 fatalities.

Hindenburg disaster - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

6th May 1937

The airship Hindenburg caught fire and crashlanded with 36 fatalities.

Hindenburg disaster - Wikipedia

Hey Kevin - have not seen your around in a while nor in the Mac-Forums - glad that you're back! The Hindenburg disaster was mentioned on NPR today - just a pic of the crash in Lakehurst, New Jersey and an interesting comparison of its size to the US Capitol Building - Dave
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[scifan57]

Here's the newsreel footage of the crash.

 

[giradman]

Here's the newsreel footage of the crash.

Today, our local paper reprinted an article from the Associated Press - for those interested, take a look at the link, nearly 2 dozen large B&W photos. Dave

 

[KevinJS]

Hey Kevin - have not seen your around in a while nor in the Mac-Forums - glad that you're back! The Hindenburg disaster was mentioned on NPR today - just a pic of the crash in Lakehurst, New Jersey and an interesting comparison of its size to the US Capitol Building - Dave
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Hi Dave. I'm still around. I look in on all the forums but I've been very busy at work. 7 days a week at present.

Happy 72nd birthday, Bob Seger.

 

[scifan57]

May 7, 1915;
The Lusitania is torpedoed without warning off the coast of Ireland by a German submarine. The ship sank in 20 minutes with the loss of 1,198 lives. Although it wasn't publicly known at the time, the Lusitania was carrying contraband to Britain.
RMS Lusitania - Wikipedia
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

War on Mexico Declared this day in 1846!

The Mexican-American War, 1846-1848, one of the least remembered but important to American expansionism, i.e. Manifest Destiny, to the west coast, and likely the main and possibly unjustly reason for starting the war (opinions vary widely) - Zachary Taylor & Winfield Scott were the commanding generals for the US invasion forces w/ Taylor winning the presidency in 1848 (see first two quotes below). James K. Polk, the one-term president (1845-1849) claim to fame is that he added the most land to the expanding United States than any other president (see third quote).

This war does not receive the attention of the others fought by the USA, but I've read a couple of good books and there are some documentaries - the one I remember seeing on release (about a dozen years ago) is shown below, a PBS production - thought that it was in my collection but not found - available on Amazon, so might put in an order. Dave

P.S. Many West Point 'junior' officers fought in this war, including Ulysses S. Grant & Robert E. Lee, who would soon command in the Civil War on opposite sides.

On May 13, 1846, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly votes in favor of President James K. Polk’s request to declare war on Mexico. Under the threat of war, the United States had refrained from annexing Texas after the latter won independence from Mexico in 1836. But in 1844, President John Tyler restarted negotiations with the Republic of Texas, culminating with a Treaty of Annexation. The treaty was defeated by a wide margin in the Senate because it would upset the slave state/free state balance between North and South and risked war with Mexico, which had broken off relations with the United States. But shortly before leaving office and with the support of President-elect Polk, Tyler managed to get the joint resolution passed on March 1, 1845,Texas was admitted to the union on December 29.While Mexico didn’t follow through with its threat to declare war, relations between the two nations remained tense over border disputes, and in July 1845, President Polk ordered troops into disputed lands that lay between the Neuces and Rio Grande rivers. In November, Polk sent the diplomat John Slidell to Mexico to seek boundary adjustments in return for the U.S. government’s settlement of the claims of U.S. citizens against Mexico and also to make an offer to purchase California and New Mexico. After the mission failed, the U.S. army under Gen. Zachary Taylor advanced to the mouth of the Rio Grande, the river that the state of Texas claimed as its southern boundary (Source).

Mexico, claiming that the boundary was the Nueces River to the northeast of the Rio Grande, considered the advance of Taylor’s army an act of aggression and in April 1846 sent troops across the Rio Grande. Polk, in turn, declared the Mexican advance to be an invasion of U.S. soil, and on May 11, 1846, asked Congress to declare war on Mexico, which it did two days later. After nearly two years of fighting, peace was established by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848. The Rio Grande was made the southern boundary of Texas, and California andNew Mexico were ceded to the United States. In return, the United States paid Mexico the sum of $15 million and agreed to settle all claims of U.S. citizens against Mexico (Source).

James Polk and the Mexican Cession, Texas Annexation and the Oregon Treaty - when I set out to write this piece, I was pretty sure that President Jefferson would be a slam dunk for the top spot. He was the President at the time of the Louisiana Purchase, the single biggest territorial acquisition by the United States. But with three substantial additions to the country during James Polk’s presidency, it is America’s 11th president who presided over the USA’s greatest territorial expansion. In total, Polk’s administration oversaw the absorption of 1,188,749 square miles, almost one-third of the present day United States. The Oregon territory came to the United States following negotiations Britain (Source).

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[giradman]

First Oscars on this day in 1929!

The first Oscar Night hosted by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel (first pic below). Wings, a silent film was the 'Best Picture' (The Jazz Singer, the seminal first 'talkie' was not in the running - see quotes below). Janet Gaynor was nominated as 'Best Actress' for three of the 5 films in that category. Dave

On this day in 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out its first awards, at a dinner party for around 250 people held in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. The brainchild of Louis B. Mayer, head of the powerful MGM film studio, the Academy was organized in May 1927 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the film industry. Its first president and the host of the May 1929 ceremony was the actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Unlike today, the winners of the first Oscars–as the coveted gold-plated statuettes later became known–were announced before the awards ceremony itself (Source).

At the time of the first Oscar ceremony, sound had just been introduced into film. The Warner Bros. movie The Jazz Singer–one of the first “talkies”–was not allowed to compete for Best Picture because the Academy decided it was unfair to let movies with sound compete with silent films. The first official Best Picture winner (and the only silent film to win Best Picture) was Wings. The most expensive movie of its time, with a budget of $2 million, told the story of two World War I pilots who fall for the same woman. Another film, F.W. Murnau’s epic Sunrise, was considered a dual winner for the best film of the year. German actor Emil Jannings won the Best Actor honor for his roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh, while 22-year-old Janet Gaynor was the only female winner. After receiving three out of the five Best Actress nods, she won for all three roles, in Seventh Heaven, Street Angel and Sunrise (Source).

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[giradman]

100th Anniversary of the Introduction of Cheerwine in Salisbury, North Carolina!

Not really the usual historic event presented here, but a big article in our local newspaper this morning - Salisbury is just down the road from us (see map) - if I drink colas these days, diet is always my option although I favor non-carbonated diet drinks (such as lemon).

Now in the 1890s, Pepsi-Cola was invented in a drugstore in New Bern, North Carolina on the coast, more famous as the colonial capital of the state and the rebuilt Tryon Palace (discussed in one of my travelogues) - the drugstore is still there and is a tourist museum offering the cola from a soda fountain. Now for the 'granddaddy' of colas (1880s), a trip to Atlanta, GA is needed - a worthwhile visit and plenty of other attractions there. Dave
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[scifan57]

May 19, 1935;
T. E. Lawrence dies as the result of a motorcycle accident 6 days earlier. He is better known as Lawrence of Arabia.
T. E. Lawrence - Wikipedia

The Peter O'Toole movie "Lawrence of Arabia" is the version of his story that most people are familiar with.
Lawrence of Arabia (film) - Wikipedia

When I was in London in 2014, I visited his memorial in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral.

 

[giradman]

May 19, 1935;
T. E. Lawrence dies as the result of a motorcycle accident 6 days earlier. He is better known as Lawrence of Arabia.
T. E. Lawrence - Wikipedia
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The Peter O'Toole movie "Lawrence of Arabia" is the version of his story that most people are familiar with.
Lawrence of Arabia (film) - Wikipedia
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For those who enjoy this film (LONG - I watch over 2 nights), the blu-ray offering shown below is just superb; the audiovisual restoration is spectacular - complete review HERE. Also, Peter O'Toole was (is?) the unluckiest Oscar nominee in history - he received 8 'Best Actor' nominations and won none (as shown below) - finally, given an honorary Oscar shortly before his death. Dave
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[giradman]

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - Last Performance Tonight - End of an Era!

For many reasons (some describe below - more info HERE), the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will shut down after nearly a century and half existence - I've not seen a circus in years (probably last time around 1980 w/ our son in New Jersey), but such a part of Americana.

NPR had a nice show a few days ago and interviewed the long standing ringmaster, Johnathan Lee Iverson - he'll be 'out a job' as will many other performers - apparently he has the distinction of being the first (and last) African American ringmaster of the circus. The Ringling Complex is located in Sarasota, FL - described in one of my travelogues HERE, for those interested. Dave

After its nearly century and a half run, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus plans to shut down "The Greatest Show On Earth." The historic American spectacle will deliver its final show in May, says Kenneth Feld, the chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, the producer of Ringling. Feld announced the news on the company website Saturday night, citing declining ticket sales — which dipped even lower as the company retired its touring elephants. "This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company," Feld says. Ringling has been phasing out elephants as a result of shifting public tastes and criticism from animal rights groups over the well-being of the animals. The company held its last show featuring elephants in May, before completely retiring the animals to its 200-acre conservation center in Polk City, Fla., established by Feld Entertainment in 1995. Elephants had been a circus mainstay almost as long as the circus itself has been a staple of American entertainment, since Phineas Taylor Barnum introduced Jumbo, an Asian elephant in 1882. (Source)

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[scifan57]

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - Last Performance Tonight - End of an Era!

For many reasons (some describe below - more info HERE), the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will shut down after nearly a century and half existence - I've not seen a circus in years (probably last time around 1980 w/ our son in New Jersey), but such a part of Americana.

NPR had a nice show a few days ago and interviewed the long standing ringmaster, Johnathan Lee Iverson - he'll be 'out a job' as will many other performers - apparently he has the distinction of being the first (and last) African American ringmaster of the circus. The Ringling Complex is located in Sarasota, FL - described in one of my travelogues HERE, for those interested. Dave


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I'm watching the circus live on YouTube right now.

If you want to see something of what the circus was like in it's heyday, I recommend watching The Greatest Show on Earth.

 

[giradman]

I'm watching the circus live on YouTube right now.

If you want to see something of what the circus was like in it's heyday, I recommend watching The Greatest Show on Earth.
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Hope that you enjoy - might have to watch those last shows - sure that there will be some future offerings!

But out of curiosity - how many 'circus movies' have been made over the decades - googled and found THIS LIST of 34 films (probably not complete) spanding 1928-2011 - over the years, I've seen the 9 shown below, but just own two (in bold).

If suggestions are wanted, then I'd agree w/ SciFan.., The Greatest Show on Earth is a must! If I had to go down that list, then Billy Rose's Jumbo, Dumbo, La Strada, & Trapeze would be my further recommendations - Dave

At the Circus (1939) - Marx Brothers
Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962) - Day, Durante, Boyd, Raye - own as a DVD-R
Big Circus (1959) - Mature, Buttons, Fleming, Grant et al
Dumbo (1941) - Disney animation - own on BD
Greatest Show on Earth, The (1952) - Stewart, Heston, Hutton, Wilde
La Strada (1954) - Quinn, Masina, Basehart, et al
Roustabout (1964) - Presley, Stanwyck, Freeman et al
Trapeze (1956) - Lancaster, Curtis, Lollobrigida
Water for Elephants (2011) - Pattinson, Witherspoon, et al