LINDBERGH BABY KIDNAPPING – In 1932, Charles Lindbergh’s nineteen month old baby boy was taken from his second story bedroom by a kidnapper. The kidnapper left a note with a symbol on it. Later, a ransom note arrived with the same symbol demanding $70,000. Lindbergh made the money exchange at a cemetery and was told the baby could be found on a boat. Sadly, the baby was not on the boat and later his body was found crudely buried under leaves by a truck driver looking for a spot to relieve himself. When some of the ransom money was used at a gas station, the money was traced to a Bruno Hauptmann. Evidence included a box full of the ransom money and wood matching the kidnapper’s ladder. Lindbergh testified that Hauptmann’s voice was the same as the man in the cemetery. Hauptmann was executed by electric chair. Whitcomb p. 237
ELEANOR’S GUN – Franklin Roosevelt always slept with a pistol under his pillow. His wife carried a handgun in her purse and in her glove compartment. She was a great shot. In 1958, at age 74, she was invited to a civil rights workshop in Tennessee. The KKK put a $25,000 bounty on her head. When the FBI warned her and told her they could not guarantee her safety, she went anyway. She was picked up at the Nashville air port by a 71-year old friend. The two women drove to the church with Eleanor’s gun on the seat. Eleanor spoke to black schoolkids about nonviolent civil disobedience. Plunges Again p. 242
AMELIA EARHART’S DISAPPEARANCE – “Lady Lindy” took her first flying lesson at age 24 and she was hooked. One year later, she bought her first plane. The next year, she set a record by going up to 14,000 feet in altitude. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, but this was just a publicity stunt as she was just a passenger. In 1930, she set the speed record for women at 181 mph. In 1932, she was the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo. She was the first woman to fly solo across America. In 1935, she became the first person to fly from the mainland to Hawaii. In 1937, she decided to become the first person to fly around the world. She and her navigator Frederick Noonan took off from Oakland, California on May 21, 1937. They made landings in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the South Pacific. On June 28, they landed on New Guinea. The next leg was 2,556 miles to Howland Island. The Lockheed Electra took off on July 2, but it never reached its destination. It was in contact with the Coast Guard cutter Itasca. The ship received transmissions from Earhart asking for it to get a bearing on her location, but apparently Earhart could not receive communications from the ship. Later, Earhart broadcast that she was running low on gas. She was obviously having trouble finding Howland Island, but the Itasca could not help. An extensive search by the U.S. Navy turned up no evidence of what happened. The official finding was that the plane ran out of gas and crashed in the Pacific. This seems likely considering that Noonan was an alcoholic and Earhart was actually not a good pilot and was not very familiar with the Lockheed Electra.. She crashed on take-off on her first attempt at the around the world flight. There are many theories about what happened. Some believe that she was on a mission to fly over Japanese bases for intelligence information. She was then shot down by Japanese aircraft and taken captive. They executed her when Americans landed on the island during WWII. Others believe that Earhart crash landed near an island and managed to get ashore, but she and Noonan would have perished on the island. Some artifacts have been found on the island of Nikumaroro that could have belonged to them. Uncle Lost pp. 230-236
THE KILLER WEED – Marijuana comes from the hemp plant (cannabis sativa). The hemp plant has multiple uses. The fibers can be made into rope, sails, and shirts. Its center can be made into paper. The seeds can be pressed to produce lubricating oil, the pulp from the seeds can be animal food, and the seeds themselves can be bird food. Extracts from the leaves can be used in medicines and tonics. Hemp played a major role in early America. Wooden sailing ships needed a huge amount of rope and sails. Washington and Jefferson grew it as a cash crop. The first American flags were made of hemp. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper. Covered wagons were covered with hemp. Levi Strauss’ first jeans were made of hemp. Sears Roebuck sold candy made of maple syrup and hashish (made from the resin from the leaves). In the Gilded Age, many patent medicines had marijuana as an ingredient. There was no real concern about it until the 1920’s when publisher William Randolph Hearst used his newspapers to launch a campaign against the “killer weed”. Numerous articles railed against marijuana-addicted jazz musicians, “crazed minorities”, and criminals. Marijuana became associated with violence. Hearst found an ally in Harry Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Anslinger made marijuana drug use target number one. He encouraged the newspaper sensationalism with statements like: “If the hideous monster Frankenstein came face to face with the monster marijuana, he would drop dead from fright.” In 1930, the government commissioned the Siler Commission, which studied marijuana use by off-duty servicemen in Panama. The finding was that there were no lasting effects and it was recommended that it not be criminalized. In spite of this, by 1931 twenty-nine states abolished marijuana use for nonmedical reasons. In 1937, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. Anslinger testified for the bill. It basically made marijuana illegal except for medicinal uses. It greatly reduced the growth of hemp. Interestingly, this benefited Hearst financially because he had huge investments in wood for making paper. Also, the DuPont chemical empire benefited from no more competition with hemp. It’s nylon and rayon competed with hemp for many products. By the way, Anslinger was tied to DuPont through marriage. Uncle Lost pp. 327-332
THE FDR DIME – In 1926, FDR donated enough money to start a foundation to help polio victims to come to Warm Springs, Georgia for therapy. In 1937, singer Eddie Cantor proposed that every American send a dime to the White House to help the foundation with polio research. Soon over 150,000 letters arrived. In 1945, after his death, Congress passed a law putting FDR on the dime. The first ones were issued on FDR’s birthday – January 30, 1946. Uncle p. 365
MEDICINAL MARIJUANA – In the early 1900s, the Parker-Davis company imported lots of marijuana and sold it in extract form or in bulk. In bulk, it was used by Russian and Polish immigrants for their respiratory problems. They would put it in their radiators and inhale the fumes. Parker-Davis started to grow their own cannabis Americana to make new synthetic drugs. However, William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers published sensational stories about the “killer weed”. Bureau of Narcotics head Harry Anslinger launched a crusade against marijuana. He provided Congress with exaggerated information about the dangers of the drug, resulting in the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. It basically made marijuana illegal. The bill was opposed by the bird seed industry which argued that marijuana needed more study. maroon 29
NEW DEAL DEFINITIONS – Opponents of the New Deal poked fun at it with the following definitions:
– socialism: If you have two cows, you give one to your neighbor.
– communism: If you have two cows, you give them to the government and it gives you some milk
– fascism: If you have two cows, you keep the cows and give the milk to the government, then the government sells you the milk
– Nazism: If you have two cows, the government shoots you and keeps the cows
– New Dealism: If you have two cows, you shoot one and milk the other, then you pour the milk down the drain.
– capitalism: If you have two cows, you sell one and buy a bull.
maroon p. 58
THE DUST BOWL – A kid got lost on the way home and smothered to death. A man spent eight hours in his garden before bumping into his house. Cars and even some telephone poles were buried. Some people slept with towels over their mouths. Street lights were turned on at noon. maroon p. 58
WELFARE EXCUSES – Here are some excuses people made to try to get government help from 1938-41.
- I am glad to report that my husband who was missing, is dead.
- I am writing to say that my baby was born two years old. When do I get my money?
- This is my eighth child. What are you going to do about it?
- I cannot get sick pay. I have six kids. Can you tell me why?5.
- In accordance with your instructions, I have given birth to twins in the enclosed envelope.
- I am forwarding my marriage certificate and my children, one of which is a mistake, as you can see.
- My husband got his project cut off for two weeks and I haven’t had any relief since.
- I am very much annoyed to find you have branded my son illiterate. This is a dirty lie as I was married a week before he was born.
- Please find out if my husband is dead. The man I am living with can’t eat or do anything until he knows.
- Mrs. Jones has been without clothes for a year and has been visited by the clergy regularly.
- I want my money as quick as I can get it. I have been in bed with the doctor for two weeks and he doesn’t do me any good. If things don’t improve, I’ll have to send for another doctor.
– maroon p. 59
JACQUELINE COCHRAN – Jacqueline is second only to Amelia Earhart when it comes to women aviators. In 1935, at the age of 25, she became the first woman to win the famous Bendix Transcontinental Air Race. She won it again three years later. In 1940, she broke speed records for both men and women. Over a 25 year period, she set 200 records. She won the Harmon International Trophy for world’s outstanding woman flyer 15 times. She was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times. She was the first woman to be awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. In 1941, she was the first woman to ferry a bomber across the Atlantic to England. This became an important job for women pilots during WWII. Her ideas about the potential for women doing military flying duties impressed FDR. She was appointed director of the WASPs (Women Air Service Pilots). – maroon 66
DUST BOWL JOKES
– A raindrop hit a farmer on the head. It took three pails of dust thrown on him to restore his consciousness.
– A farmer threw pails of rocks on his roof so his children could hear what rainfall sounded like.
– A farmer went to the bank to get a loan, but he was turned down when the banker noticed his farm blowing by.
– Lawrence 183
WPA JOKES
– A man went to a druggist to buy some WPA squirrel poison – it doesn’t kill the squirrels, but it make them so lazy, you can just stomp them
– A WPA worker sued the government because he was injured when the shovel he was leaning on broke.
– A cure for cancer has been found, but unfortunately it is the sweat from a WPA worker.
Lawrence 188
LIFE IN 1930
– population = 123 million / 25% lived on farms
– life expectancy = 58 men / 62 women
– illiteracy rate = 4.3%
FIRSTS
1930 – Twinkies, Snickers, sliced bread (Wonder), supermarket, windshield wipers, Blondie comic, pinball machine
1931 – Nobel Peace Prize to an American woman (Jane Addams), home air conditioning, Alka Seltzer, Dick Tracy comic
1932 – Mounds, Frito corn chips, Skippy peanut butter,
1933 – blood bank, Ritz crackers, Windex, walkie-talkie, Newsweek
1934 – Donald Duck, Walgreens, L’il Abner comic
1935 – Alcoholics Anonymous, canned beer, Toyota, Richter scale, Jolly Green Giant, roller derby
1936 – helicopter flight, knock-knock joke, vitamin pill
1937 – nylon, Flag Day, trampoline, shopping cart
1938 – ballpoint pen, Jefferson nickel, March of Dimes
1939 – car air conditioner, nylon stockings
– Gordon
MICKEY MOUSE BANNED – In 1932, a Mickey Mouse cartoon was banned because a cow was reading a controversial book. The book was entitled Three Weeks and it was about a young Englishman having an affair with a Russian queen. Shenkman 229-230
J. EDGAR HOOVER’S SHADOW – The FBI director did not like for people to stand on his shadow and he liked to position himself so his shadow would be as long as possible. The 5’9’’ Hoover greeted visitors to his office while standing on a 6 inch box. Whitcomb and Whitcomb
FACTS ABOUT “THE WIZARD OF OZ”
When I was a kid, there were two big events on TV every year. One was the “Charlie Brown Christmas Special” and the other was the annual airing of “The Wizard of Oz”. It was first aired on Nov. 3, 1956. Here are some interesting facts about the movie.
- It was based on the book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. It was published in 1900 and was a big hit. Baum was paid $75,000 for the book rights.
- The movie went through four directors, although only Victor Fleming was credited. Richard Thorpe started the film, but he was fired after a couple of weeks. George Cukor took over, but then he was pulled to work on “Gone With the Wind”. Fleming was next, but he also was sent off to help with GWTW, so King Vidor brought the film home.
- Screenwriter Noel Langley changed Dorothy’s slippers to ruby from the book’s silver. Ruby filmed better. The slippers are one of the most popular displays at the Smithsonian Institute. When Dorothy clicks her heels and says “There’s no place like home”, in the book the line was “Take me home to Auntie Em”.
- Shirley Temple was considered for Dorothy, but it was decided she didn’t have the musical chops that Judy Garland had.
- Ray Bolger was slated to play the Tin Man. Bolger was proud of his fluid dancing style and felt the Scarecrow would be a better showcase for his talents. He talked Buddy Ebsen into switching parts. Bad move for Buddy, it turned out he was allergic to the aluminum powder used for Tin Man. He had to bow out. I guess Bolger told him “no give-backees”. Jack Haley replaced Ebsen. His son later married Judy Garland.
- Dorothy was originally imagined as blonde with lots of make-up.
- Frank Morgan played five roles. He was Professor Marvel in Kansas, the Doorman at the Emerald City, the Cabbie with the Horse-of-a-Different-Color (the various colors were Jell-O crystals), a Guard, and the Wizard.
- Toto’s real name was Terry. Terry was a female Cairn terrier. It was paid $125 per week. Most of the Munchkins were paid $50 per week. During filming, a guard stepped on Terry, breaking a leg. Garland wanted to buy Terry after the film, but her trainer/owner refused.
- The oil and tears of the Tin Man was actually chocolate syrup.
- During the Scarecrow’s “If I Only Had a Brain”, a female inserts the line “wherefore art thou Romeo?”. The line was sung by Adriana Caselotti, the actress that sang Snow White’s role in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”. She was paid $1,000.
- Billie Burke plays the glamourous and young-looking Glinda. She was actually 54. Her old-looking sister, the Wicked Witch, was played by Margaret Hamilton, who was 18 years younger. Hamilton had been a kindergarten teacher before she became an actress. She later made an appearance on Mister Roger’s Neighborhood to explain to kids the concept of make-believe. Hamilton was badly burned on her face and hands in her exit from Munchkinland. She had to leave the production for six weeks. Much of Hamilton’s performance was left on the cutting room floor because it was deemed too scary for kids.
- When Dorothy leaves on the Yellow Brick Road, Glinda kisses her on the forehead. This is a reference to in the book Glinda tells her that her kiss would give her protection.
- The Cowardly Lion’s costume was made of real lion pelts. It weighed over 100 pounds. Because of the Technicolor process, the film had to have extra lighting, meaning the temperatures on set were over 100 degrees. It must have been a very sweaty experience for Haley.
- The movie was not a box office smash. It did get nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture (losing to “Gone With the Wind”). It won for Best Original Song (“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) and Best Original Score. “Somewhere…” was almost cut for time reasons, and some thought it was too sad. Judy Garland won an Oscar called the Juvenile Award.
- NO MUNCHKIN COMMITTED SUICIDE ON THE SET! This internet “fact” is bogus. What some people with vivid imaginations think is a little person hanging in the background of one of the scenes is actually one of the exotic birds flapping its wings. The birds were brought in to add ambiance to the background.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/68137/17-wonderful-and-not-so-wonderful-facts-about-wizard-oz
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g2715/wizard-of-oz-surprising-trivia/
https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/g28784381/wizard-of-oz-facts-trivia/?slide=28
https://parade.com/329429/lindsaylowe/75-weird-wonderful-facts-about-the-wizard-of-oz/
FACTS ABOUT THE DUST BOWL
- The Dust Bowl occurred in the 1930’s. The decade was called the “Dirty Thirties”. The worst years were 1930-31, 1934, 1936, and 1939-40. The states that were most effected were Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
- It was caused by a combination of bad farming methods, high winds, and drought. During WWI, the price of wheat soared as American farmers found new markets in Europe. Those markets dried up once European farmers got back on their feet, so American farmers plowed even more farmland to make up for lower prices with more quantity. This increased the damage to the grasslands of the Great Plains. New gas-powered tractors allowed for more efficient plowing, but the native grasses that anchored the soil were torn up, leaving the topsoil loose and liable to be blown away. The coincidence of a decade with below average rain and above average winds spelled disaster. By 1934, 34 million acres of farmland were useless.
- The term came from a newspaper article by Robert Geiger in 1935. He said: “Three little words achingly familiar on a Western farmer’s tongue rule life in the dust bowl – if it rains.”
- Geiger was writing about the worst dust storm of the decade. It started on April 14, 1935. The “black blizzard” reached two miles high. It traveled all the way to the east coast. The Statue of Liberty and the Capitol Building were obscured. Ships in the Atlantic got a coating of dirt.
- As though things were not bad enough, the region was hit by a series of locust plagues and floods of ravenous jackrabbits. It was estimated that at their worst, 23,000 locusts could be found per acre. Communities organized “rabbit hunts” where rabbits were herded into pins and then killed with clubs and baseball bats.
- Hundreds of people, mostly the elderly and children, died for dust pneumonia, also known as the “brown plague”.
- The storms created high amounts of static electricity. If you shook hands with someone, you might both be knocked to the ground.
- One folk remedy was to kill snakes and hang them belly-up on fences. Some rain makers offered to bring rain by firing rockets with dynamite and nitroglycerine to explode in the sky.
- It is estimated that up to 35 million people migrated from the area. This was actually only ¼ of the residents, so most people toughed it out. The ones who left were collectively known as “okies” although most did not come from Oklahoma. It is a myth that they all went to California. Most simply moved to a neighboring state.
- It got so bad at times, that cars had to use their lights in the middle of the day and street lights would be put on. Kids wore dust masks to school, if their school was still open – many closed. If you got caught outside during a dust storm, you might have a hard time finding your house. Dust drifts covered roads.
https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-dust-bowl
https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/dust-bowl
BETTER THAN EARHART
Amelia Earhart became the face of women aviation pioneers, but she was not the greatest aviatrix. That was Jacqueline Cochran. Here are some interesting facts about this remarkable woman.
- She was born to a father who ran sawmills. Although it was not a bleak existence, she later claimed that she was an orphan. But she kept in contact with her family and cared for them. She married at age 13 or 14, but it did not last.
- She met Floyd Odium who was one of the ten richest men in America. Odium, who was 14 years older, became her biggest fan and supported her financially. She started a cosmetics business which he suggested naming “Wings of Beauty”. He used his Hollywood connections to get Marilyn Monroe to endorse her lipstick. The couple later married.
- After getting her first plane ride from a friend, she was hooked and learned to fly in three weeks. She was 22. She excelled and began to enter races, which were a big thing in the 1930’s. She set many speed records and became known as the “Speed Queen”. She also set altitude records. By 1938, she was acknowledged as the best woman pilot in the world. She won the Harmon Trophy for best female pilot 14 times.
- Before U.S. entry into WWI, she helped Great Britain. As part of the “Wings for Britain” program, she became the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic. She worked for the British Air Transport Auxiliary, recruiting and training American women to fly noncombat missions.
- When the U.S. entered the war, Cochran helped create the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) to ferry bombers to Britain. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest non-combat award.
- She was a longtime friend of Chuck Yeager. He helped arrange for her to be the first woman to break the sound barrier in 1953. She was 48 years old.
- Some of her other achievements:
– first woman to take off and land on an aircraft carrier
– first woman to fly a jet across the Atlantic
– first woman to make an instrument (“blind”) landing
– first woman to fly above 20,000 feet with an oxygen mask
– first woman to fly Mach 2 (at age 58)
- At the time of her death in 1980, she held more distance, altitude, and speed records than any other woman. Or man.
- She was enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1971. She was the first woman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Cochran
https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/jacqueline-cochran/
https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/women-in-aviation/cochran.cfm
THE CONTRALTO VERSUS THE D.A.R.
The words “My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty” rang out to the crowd of 75,000 in front of the Lincoln Memorial to begin the most famous concert ever held in the national capital. The nation listened via NBC Radio. The singer, contralto Marian Anderson, became a symbol of the Civil Rights movement. She hadn’t planned it this way. Marion was one of the most famous singers in the world in 1939. Howard University wanted to host a concert by her and turned to Constitution Hall for the venue. Unfortunately, the Daughters of the American Revolution had a clause in its contracts forbidding any non-white singer from using its hall. This resulted in a scandal. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR and explained her reasons in her column “My Day”. Walter White of the NAACP suggested the Lincoln Memorial and Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes approved and introduced Ms. Anderson at the beginning of the concert on April 9, 1936. It started with the song “America” and ended with three spirituals: “Gospel Train”, “Trampin’”, and “My Soul is Anchored in the Lord”. She was awarded the NAACP’s Springarn Medal that year. It was her greatest moment in a long career that started with a Baptist choir at age six. She became famous in Europe and returned to America to be the first African-American to sing at the White House in 1936. She was friends with Albert Einstein and slept at his house numerous times, including when local hotels would not have a black woman. She was the first black woman to sing at an inaugural – Eisenhower’s. And later Kennedy’s. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
https://www.npr.org/2014/04/09/298760473/denied-a-stage-she-sang-for-a-nation
FACTS ABOUT MOUNT RUSHMORE
John Gutzon Borglum was born on March 25, 1871. Here are some interesting facts about his most famous achievement.
- The idea came from South Dakota historian Doane Robinson. He thought a carving of historical figures would be good for tourism. He wanted Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, Crazy Horse, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Red Cloud.
- Work began on Gutzon Borglum’s “Shrine of Democracy” on Oct. 4, 1927. He chose a 6,000 foot mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The mountain was named after a New York lawyer named Charles Rushmore. He had made a trip to the area in 1885. When he saw the mountain he asked his guide what it was called, the guide responded that it had no name so why not call it Rushmore Peak. Done. Nobody apparently cared that the Sioux called it “The Six Grandfathers”. Later, Charles made a $5,000 donation to start construction, making him one of the earliest private donors.
- The project involved 6 ½ years of sculpting (using pneumatic drills and dynamite) and 7 ½ years of getting funding to finish the project. It cost $990,000, with $800,000 coming from the federal government. Borglum was paid $170,000. Borglum was chosen after starting the carving of South Mountain in 1925. He was fired from that project before completion.
- Gorglum chose Washington because he was the first President, Jefferson because of the Declaration of Independence and Louisiana Purchase, and Lincoln for the Civil War. The fourth was up in the air until he chose Teddy Roosevelt over Woodrow Wilson. Gorglum admired Roosevelt’s support for conservation and construction of the Panama Canal. In 1937, there was grass roots campaign to add Susan B. Anthony, but Congress decided not enough funding was available. Each face is 60 feet from chin to top of head.
- 450,000 tons of granite had to be removed. Most of this was done with dynamite. Holes would be drilled and “powder monkeys” would insert dynamite which was blown up in the evening after most had left the site. The carving was done with jack hammers and power drills from chairs suspended by metal wires. In spite of the dangers, not one life was lost.
- Funding problems forced Borglum to downside the project in several ways. He wanted to depict the men from the waist up. He wanted to carve an 80×120’ outline of the Louisiana Purchase which would have a brief summary of the history of America carved on it. It was determined that it would be unreadable from afar and there was a lack of funds. He intended to add a “Hall of Records” carved into the hillside behind Lincoln’s head. It was to have a tunnel leading to an 80×100’ room containing mosaics and busts of famous Americans. Important documents would be contained in bronze and glass cabinets. A rough 68 foot long tunnel was excavated before funding ran out. Later, 16 porcelain enamel panels were placed inside the entrance to tell the story of the construction of Mount Rushmore to future generations.
- Jefferson was to be located to the left of Washington, but beneath the granite was a lot of quartz. The face had to be moved to the right of Washington.
- Borglum did not live to see completion. He died at age 73, six months before his son Lincoln finished the work on Oct. 31, 1941.
https://www.thoughtco.com/interesting-facts-about-mount-rushmore-1779326
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/626450/mount-rushmore-facts
LINDBERGH KIDNAPPING
In the evening of March 1, 1932 the nurse of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. came to the famous aviator to ask if he had seen his 20-month-old son. Lindbergh rushed upstairs to the nursery to find the crib empty. Searching the grounds of his estate at Hopewell, New Jersey, Lindbergh found a ladder and footprints under the nursery window. Anne found a ransom note demanding $50,000. The note contained a symbol of two interlocking circles. Later, more notes arrived, upping the ransom to $70,000 and demanding a John Condon act as intermediary. Condon met with the kidnapper at a cemetery and arrangements were made for delivery of the money. At the next meeting, Lindbergh accompanied Condon and the money was passed. Condon was told the baby was on a boat called the Nelly off the coast of Massachusetts. Lindbergh flew along the coast, but no boat of that name was discovered. Not long after, a trucker who went in the woods to urinate found the body less than a mile away from the mansion. His skull had been fractured. More than two years later, one of the ransom notes was passed at a gas station. The suspicious owner wrote down the license plate number and it was traced to a German immigrant carpenter named Bruno Hauptmann. Hauptmann was arrested with a $20 note in his possession. When his house was searched, $13,000 of the ransom money was found. A notebook had a sketch of the ladder and wood from the attic matched the wood of the ladder. Condon’s phone number was written on a wall. The trial was called the “trial of the century”. Handwriting experts testified that Hauptmann’s handwriting matched that of the ransom notes. Lindbergh swore on the witness stand that he recognized Hauptmann’s voice from the cemetery. Hauptmann testified that the money was left by a friend who had gone back to Germany and had died. Hauptmann was electrocuted in 1936, still claiming his innocence. Although books have been written supporting his claim, it seems the right man was executed.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lindbergh-baby-kidnapped
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindbergh_kidnapping
THE STORY BEHIND “THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND”
When you were in kindergarten and you sang “This Land is Your Land”, did your teacher tell you that you were singing a protest song? Did she even know? It’s a good bet that Jennifer Lopez knew when she sang part of the song at Biden’s inauguration. But how many Americans got her message?
Woody Guthrie’s most famous song was written on Feb. 23, 1940 in a seedy hotel in New York City. Guthrie had spent many years traveling the country as a hobo. During his travels, he heard the popular Kate Smith version of “God Bless America” many times and became increasingly aggravated by its schmaltzy patriotism. He decided to write a sarcastic rejoinder to it. Originally, he was going to call it “God Blessed America”. Note the past tense. He did not record the song until 1944 when he was on shore leave from the Merchant Marine. By then he had become a bit more patriotic himself, so he left out the most inflammatory verse (the one about the relief office). The song retained its lauding of inclusion and equality and its criticism of economic injustice and greed. The song was largely forgotten until the 1950’s when it was included in a popular school music textbook. That’s why you sang it in school. But the textbook did not provide analysis of the lyrics, so you and probably your teacher did not know that you were singing a socialist song that made fun of “God Bless America”. There is still a lot of misunderstanding about the song (similar to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”). Guthrie has rolled over in his grave many times because of this. For instance, in 1984 Reagan had it played at his victory party after defeating Mondale (who used it during his campaign). However, he must have been smiling when J-Lo sang it. Here are the original lyrics:
This land is your land, and this land is my land
From the California to the Staten New York Island,
From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf stream waters,
God blessed America for me.
[This land was made for you and me.]
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
And saw above me that endless skyway,
And saw below me the golden valley, I said:
God blessed America for me.
[This land was made for you and me.]
I roamed and rambled and followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts,
And all around me, a voice was sounding:
God blessed America for me.
[This land was made for you and me.]
Was a high wall there that tried to stop me
A sign was painted said: Private Property,
But on the back side it didn’t say nothing —
God blessed America for me.
[This land was made for you and me.]
When the sun come shining, then I was strolling
In wheat fields waving and dust clouds rolling;
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting:
God blessed America for me.
[This land was made for you and me.]
One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple
By the Relief Office I saw my people —
As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if
God blessed America for me.
[This land was made for you and me.]
https://www.npr.org/2000/07/03/1076186/this-land-is-your-land
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/585577/this-land-your-land-americas-best-known-protest-song
https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-this-land-is-your-land/
WRONG WAY CORRIGAN
Douglas Corrigan became enamored with flying when he took a ride on a plane for $2.50. He was 18 years old. He became an airplane mechanic and helped build The Spirit of St. Louis. He became a pilot who loved to do tricks. For a while, he barnstormed, making money by landing in fields and giving people rides. He bought a ramshackle plane and rebuilt it. He crossed the country in it. He developed a reputation for flying risky aircraft. In 1938, he decided he wanted to fly across the Atlantic, but his application was turned down by the authorities because they determined it would be suicidal in his plane. Corrigan filed a flight plan for a trip to California. On July 17, 1938, he took off from Brooklyn in a plane called “Sunshine”. He knew that it had a gas leak, but did not want to take the time to fix it. Soon after taking off he entered a cloud bank and he made a 180 degree turn. Carrying two chocolate bars, two boxes of fig bars, a quart of water, and a U.S. map, he headed across the ocean. The fuel leak caused gasoline to pool on the floor, so Corrigan used a screw driver to poke a hole in the floor to drain the gas. 28 hours after taking off, he landed near Dublin, Ireland. He asked an Irishman “Just got in from New York, where am I?” When questioned by the press and authorities, he blamed the wayward flight on the clouds and a malfunctioning compass. “I got mixed up in the clouds and I must have gone the wrong way.” This quote created his famous nickname “Wrong Way” Corrigan. By the time he sailed back to New York, he was a celebrity and got a ticker-tape parade. He continued to insist he was headed for California, but usually with a wink.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wrong-way-corrigan-crosses-the-atlantic
https://www.historynet.com/the-adventures-of-wrong-way-corrigan.htm