Author Archives: clem.law@usa.net

Rep. George I. Clem, 1947

Seventy-five years ago today, the June 23, 1947, issue of Broadcasting magazine carried this ad from WCCO radio in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The gentleman shown speaking at the microphone is Rep. George I. Clem (no relation to the author of this website), who served one term in the Minnesota Legislature representing the 56th District, which at that time was the Pine City area, about 100 miles north of the Twin Cities.

Inexplicably, the ad copy states that Clem drove to Minneapolis to assume his duties in the Legislature, which seems unlikely, seeing that the state capital is St. Paul. But in any event, while carrying out his legislative duties by day, by night he attended WCCO’s “Radio School for Legislators,” in which station personnel taught legislators the nuts and bolts of communicating effectively by radio. The faculty included the station’s educational director E.W. Ziebarth, program director Gene Wilkey, news director Sig Mickelson, and farm services director Larry Haeg.

Rep. Clem reported that his attendance at when addressing the Pine City Commercial Club, he knew that his attendance at the school made the difference, and also made it possible for him to keep the people of his district better informed.  He served a single term in the Legislature, and died in 1988 at the age of 78.



1942 Rex Ristlite Wrist Flashlight

1942June22LifeThis ad appeared in Life Magazine 80 years ago today, June 22, 1942, extolling the virtues of the Rex Ristlite from the Flashlight Company of America of Jersey City, NJ.  The light snapped on like a wristwatch, giving you full use of both hands.  It was a “boon to mechanics, car owners, sportsmen, housewives, Army, and Navy men.”  It sold everywhere that flashlights were sold for only 98 cents, including batteries.  According to this online inflation calculator, that works out to $17.57 in 2022 dollars.

It seems like a practical idea, although it has been largely supplanted by the headlamp, of the type shown at left.  After all, if you need to look at something, then your head is going to be pointing in the right direction, so it makes sense to put the light there.  On the other hand, having it on your wrist could be handy in many cases, so they had a good idea 80 years ago.

And fortunately, the same thing is available today, only better.  And the price (including batteries) is almost the same as the 1942 price, adjusted for inflation, of course.  Like everything else, it is available at Amazon, and you can see it pictured at right.

This one also includes a clock (with 24-hour display, as our readers will appreciate) and compass.  It’s customary to wear a watch on your wrist, so the clock seems logical.  And since it appears to be much smaller than the 1942 version, you can wear it in situations where you might need a light, rather than putting it on as needed.  Many of the reviews state that the compass doesn’t work very well, although I suspect that it works well as long as it’s flat.  As long as it’s magnetized and spinning freely, there’s really not much that can go wrong with a compass.  So if you take it off an lay it on a flat surface, I imagine it will reliably point north.  And if you click on the Amazon link or the picture, you’ll see that the cost, adjusted for inflation, is about the same as it was in 1942.

One big advantage of the modern version is that you don’t have to worry about batteries.  It has a built-in lithium ion battery, and it comes with a micro USB charger.  If the charger gets lost, you can use the same one you normally use with your cell phone.



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1952 Tenna-Ship

1952JuneRadioRetailingSeventy years ago this month, if you lived in a strong signal area, but didn’t want an unsightly set of rabbit ears on top of your TV, you could instead get the Tenna-Ship for only $12.95, from the Gleam Manufacturing Company, 740 North Leavitt St., Chicago.

This ad appeared in the June 1952 issue of Radio Retailing.



Patriotic Salvage Corps, Winnipeg, 1942

1942JuneCKYYour first guess is that this picture taken 80 years ago was taken in England. After all, the truck proclaims that it’s going to feed families in bombed-out areas. The truck was on its way to Britain, but the picture was taken in Canada, specifically at 755 Henry Avenue, Winnipeg, the then-headquarters of the Patriotic Salvage Corps.

Like Americans, Canadians were encouraged to collect scrap materials for the war effort.  In this case, the funds received from selling those materials to industry were used to purchase this truck, and others like it.

The building above is still standing, and can be seen in the Google Street View image below.  The picture above appeared in the June 1942 issue of Manitoba Calling, the program guide of CKY.

755Henry



Radio Dreams 1922

1922JuneRadioNewsA hundred years ago, this radio enthusiast lived and breathed radio. And when he slept, he dreamed of radio. Of course, he’s probably sleeping during the day so that he can stay up all night pulling in distant stations.

The illustration appeared on the cover of the June 1922 issue of Radio News.



Lane Technical High School, Chicago, 1922

1922JuneRadioAgeWe’ve previously written (here and here) about the radio department of the Lane Technical High School in Chicago, and a hundred years ago this month, the June 1922 issue of Radio Age featured the school.

Shown here are students during the school’s annual military review. Orders were sent by a sending set in the school office to these students near the field of battle. The orders were then relayed to the field officers by megaphone.



1952 Grocery Prices

1952PricesFor a snapshot of grocery prices in 1952, this ad for A&P Super Markets appeared in the Pittsburgh Press 70 years ago today, June 13, 1952. While the prices look low, there’s been a lot of inflation in those seven decades. According to this online inflation calculator, one dollar in 1952 is the equivalent of $11.03 in 2022 dollars, so to compare, you need to multiply all of these prices by 11. So 51 cents per pound for chicken sounds like a bargain, but that’s about $5.50 in today’s money. And steaks for 99 cents a pound sound cheap, but that’s really the same as $11 today.

If you were going to make dinner with what’s shown in this ad, what would you make?

For a full-size view, click on the image above.



1922 Radio Scouting

1922JuneBLWe’re not told exactly what these scouts were doing, but it was obviously important. While the plane flies over, one is watching with the binoculars, and the other is listening to some important message on the radio.

The illustration, by Douglas Duer, appeared a hundred years ago this month in the June 1922 issue of Boys’ Life.

The issue contained a number of features about wireless, including one fiction story, as well as detailed instructions for constructing a crystal set. It also included this sad tale of the sinking of the SS Grøntoft.

1922JuneBL2

 



Health Builders “Daily Dozen” Records, 1922

1922JuneTalkingMachineWorldA hundred years ago this month, the June 1922 issue of Talking Machine World carried this advice for phonograph dealers worried about a summertime slump in sales. Their lifesaver would be the “Health Builder” records featuring the Daily Dozen exercises of Walter Camp.

Camp had worked as an adviser to the U.S. military during World War I and came up with a physical fitness regimen for servicemen. This became the “Daily Dozen,” a series of twelve simple exercises to get a running start on the serious work of the day. The Daily Dozen were featured in books and articles, and starting in 1921, in this series of phonograph records. So the dealer could sell not only the records, but also the phonographs to coach customers on their fitness regimen.

Camp’s company could supply the literature and cut-outs, and suggested that the dealer run demonstrations. They could use an athletic member of the sales force, or a young husky from the neighborhood.



1942 Air Raid Alarm

1942JuneServiceEighty years ago this month, the April 1942 issue of Service magazine carried this ad for the Model AR-101 Air Raid Alarm from National Union Radio Corp., 57 State Street, Newark, NJ.

For $5 plus installation, the small device was attached to “any type of radio set,” although I suspect the radio in question had to be a superheterodyne with AVC. But since most five-tube radios of the time fit that description, it was pretty close to “any type of radio set.”

During an air raid, radio stations would go off the air, so as not to serve as a beacon for incoming aircraft. According to the ad, the stations going off the air “are usually the first indications of attack.” The ad noted that during the early air raid alarms in Los Angeles, owners of radios with this device would have received warning six to ten minutes before the sirens sounded. And inside the house, the sirens might not be noticeable.

When the station went off the air, the radio equipped with this alarm would emit a “loud siren-like tone.”

According to the ad, the alarm was “sturdily constructed of the finest quality materials, and under normal conditions should last as long as the radio set and require no attention. In fact, the unit is sealed to prevent tampering, moisture, dust, or other deteriorating factors.”

And I suspect it was sealed for another reason–to conceal just how simple the circuit was, especially given the $5 price tag. The image in the ad shows a tiny box, with only a switch and what appears to be a potentiometer. The device had four wires that connected to easily accessible points in the radio.

1957ConelradI haven’t been able to find any more information about this device, but I suspect it’s very similar or identical to the 1957 “CONELRAD The Easy Way” circuit we featured previously. In that circuit, shown here, when the radio is set into the alarm mode, the AVC voltage is used to bias the first audio tube to cut-off, rendering the radio silent. But if the station goes off the air, the AVC voltage is zero, and the first audio stage comes back to life. The output from the final audio amplifier is fed back through the capacitor, resulting in feedback, or what the ad would call a “loud siren-like tone.”