Image, French Embassy U.S. Twitter.
In the first Bastille Day parade after the War, U.S. Troops, along with troops of the other allies, march through Paris. And at a more recent Bastille Day, this stirring rendition of the Marseillaise was performed:
Fighting in the First World War ended on November 11, 1918, with the signing of the Armistice. And one hundred years ago today, the war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Confident that he had made the world safe for democracy and ended all wars, President Wilson set sail for home.
It’s likely that the news headline shown above made its way to the American press (the same day as the treaty was signed, no less) via the key of Don Wallace, later W6AM, who served as Wilson’s radio operator.
Eclipse as seen on Principe. Wikipedia photo.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the eclipse of May 29, 1919. The total solar eclipse, which darkened the skies over a band from South America to Africa, had the distinction of having the longest totality (6 minutes 51 seconds) of any since 1416.
Einstein in 1921. Wikipedia image.
But the eclipse was most notable as making possible an experiment that demonstrated one of the predictions of Albert Einstein‘s General Theory of Relativity published in 1915. The gravitational pull of a large object (such as the sun) would bend light waves passing close by, and Einstein predicted how large the effect would be. He noted that a solar eclipse would be the perfect opportunity to prove or disprove the theory, since stars close to the sun would be visible. Their “correct” location in the sky was known. If they could be observed in the “wrong” location, then the measured location would confirm his theoretical findings.
The first attempt was done in conjunction with the eclipse of August 21, 1914. An expedition made up of German and U.S. astronomers traveled to Crimea to observe the eclipse. Unfortunately, Germany declared war on Russia on August 1. The German scientists were either sent home or taken prisoner. The U.S. astronomers were not detained, but clouds prevented the necessary observations.
Dyson (left) and Eddington (right). (Photo credit.)
The 1919 eclipse was the next opportunity, and an experiment was organized by British astronomers Frank Watson Dyson and Arthur Stanley Eddington. This came to be known as the Eddington experiment. Rather than place all eggs in the same basket, as happened in Crimea, the 1919 experiment would have observations taken at two sites: Sobral, Brazil, and the island of Principe off the west coast of Africa.
In Principe, even though clouds obscured the sun until shortly before the eclipse, the team was able to make several photographic plates, one of which showed the background stars clearly enough. The positions did confirm Einstein’s predictions.
While the scientific community was slow to fully accept the findings, the popular press jumped on board, and Einstein’s name became a household word as a result of the experiment. The news clipping below, for example, calling the experiment “the greatest discovery in history” appeared in the Washington Times on November 9, 1919.
This interesting article appeared in Popular Science a hundred years ago this month, April 1919.
Due to wartime labor shortages, many women took over the profession of electric meter reading, and the magazine noted that this was one area of employment for women that would probably survive the war. Utility companies had started schools to train girls for the job, made somewhat challenging due to the fact that each dial ran in the opposite direction of the one next to it. So in the example shown here, the dial at the left ran counter-clockwise, and the one next to it ran clockwise.
The course instructor discoursed largely upon the hardships of the work, which managed to drive away many of the students. Then, some of them were unable to pass the examination. But those who made it through the intensive three-day course “stick to their jobs just as tenaciously as do the men.”
Wikipedia image of electromechanical meter currently in use.
The other striking thing about this century-old article is the fact that the same dials of the electromechanical meter are easily recognizable today. While many home electric meters have digital components, many of the type shown here remain in service.
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2019 fire. Wikipedia photo: LeLaisserPasserA38 [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Construction of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, which is burning today, began in 1160 and was largely completed in 1260. It was wired for sound in about 1925, as shown in the illustrations above. At left, a microphone is visible above the pulpit. At right, a speaker is mounted on a pillar near the chancel. One of the cathedral’s distinctive rose windows is visible in the background. The pictures appeared in the July 1925 issue of Radio News, which reported that the then-700-year-old cathedral had finally been modernized. According to the magazine, the speakers were installed “so that the congregation may hear the services.”
Another picture, shown below, is also of Notre Dame, but is not immediately recognizable as such. From the 1918 issue of Electrical Experimenter, the picture shows air raid sirens installed atop one of the towers. For an look at a 1914 air raid on Paris, see our earlier post.
Contrary to your first guess, no, this is not a picture of the Hindenburg. Instead, the picture appeared on the cover of Popular Science one hundred years ago this month, March 1919, a full 18 years before the Hindenburg’s crash on May 6, 1937. The picture is actually of an explosion during inflation of an observation balloon at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
The article explained that this scene was a thing of the past thanks to the discovery of the element helium, and its great availability as a byproduct of the decay of radium in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. But the article hints at the later disaster by asking how the first world war might have been different if the Germans had helium for their zeppelins.
As we previously wrote, despite the Roosevelt Administration’s eagerness to sell the strategic gas to Germany, Interior Secretary Harold Ickes nixed the idea, keeping helium out of the hands of the Germans.
The following residents of the City of St. Paul and Ramsey County, Minnesota, gave their lives in the First World War. These names are taken from Volume 2 of Soldiers of the Great War, published in 1920.
If I’ve been able to locate the serviceman’s grave or other information, it is linked below. Please let me know if you have any additions or corrections to clem.law@usa.net.
A hundred years ago this month, the October 1918 issue of Talking Machine World showed this amusing yet patriotic accessory suitable for use on the phonograph when patriotic records were being played.
The figures of Uncle Same and the Kaiser were mounted on the tone arm, and when the music started, Uncle Sam would commence kicking the Kaiser, who was busy playing with his U-boat.
The magazine included the following quote, taken from the New York Sun:
UNCLE SAM KICKS KAISER TO MUSIC
Canned Chastisement Amusing to Sidewalk Crowds.
Uncle Sam, in front of a large and enthusiastic audience, spent most of yesterday kicking Kaiser Bill where such kicks belong. The kicking kept time with martial airs played on a phonograph. The little “Kaiser kicking toy” is for attaching to phonographs so that when songs which have as their theme the “canning” of the Kaiser are play.
Alas, the Armistice came the next month, so it’s difficult to know how many were ultimately sold for $1.50. But they were available from the National Company, “mechanical specialty manufacturers,” of 281 Congress Street, Boston.
The young woman shown here on the cover of the September 1958 issue of Electronics Illustrated is listening wistfully to some music courtesy of the portable phonograph she constructed according to the plans contained in that issue.
She was able to put the project together in just a few hours, and it allowed her to listen to music wherever she pleased, thanks to the fact that the set ran entirely on batteries. Both the motor (three speeds–45, 33, and 16 RPM) and the amplifier were powered by four flashlight batteries, and the completed phonograph was no larger than a small overnight bag, light enough for a child to carry.
The circuit consisted of two CK722 transistors, as well as a 2N255 mounted on a heatsink, which provided enough power to drive the speaker. Volume was said to be adequate for dancing and mood music, although the article pointed out that it was not a high fidelity instrument.
While there’s no way of knowing for sure, it’s likely that she is being entertained by a former Vice President of the United States. Topping the charts that month was “It’s All In The Game” performed by Tommy Edwards, which you can listen to in the video below.
Charles Dawes. Wikipedia image.
The melody of that song, originally unimaginatively entitled “Melody in A Major,” was composed in 1911 by Charles G. Dawes, who went on to become Vice President under Calvin Coolidge and earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925. Under President Hoover, Dawes served as ambassador to the United Kingdom. The song has the distinction of being the only number one single to have been composed by a Vice President of the United States. The Wikipedia entry for the song incorrectly states that the song is the only one to have been composed by a Nobel laureate, but the Dawes biography points out that this distinction is now shared with Bob Dylan. Dawes shares with Sonny Bono the distinction of being the only members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives to be credited with a number one hit.
In addition to being a banker, composer, diplomat, soldier, and politician, Dawes was a rather prolific author, as can be seen at his Amazon author page. A 2016 edition of his Journal of the Great War is still available.
