Caruso performs Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night):
Author Archives: clem.law@usa.net
Silent Night: 1818
Christmas Eve 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the hymn Silent Night.
Flooding had damaged the church organ at the parish church of Oberndorf in the Austrian Empire. The priest, who had written the words, asked Franz Xaver Gruber to compose music for the guitar. It was first performed 200 years ago tonight.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas: 1943
In 1943, Bing Crosby sings “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” Of course, for the men shown in the video, it was only in their dreams.
1928 Puerto Rico Hurricane
Ninety years ago this month, the December 1928 issue of Boys’ Life carried this picture of Nat Pomeranz, 2APD, of Brooklyn, New York. When a September hurricane devastated Puerto Rico, the Navy’s station was destroyed, but a hasty emergency setup was made. Pomeranz was the first to pull in their weak signal and establish a communications link with the mainland.
The accompanying article noted that the Boy Scouts were in the process of setting up a radio network which could be of service not only in times of emergency, but in establishing closer contact between various troops.
Radio Leningrad, 1925
This snapshot shows the studio of the Leningrad radio station in 1925. It’s taken from the March 1925 issue of Друг радио (Radio Friend).
1959 Boys’ Life Radio Contest
Sixty years ago this month, the December 1958 issue of Boys’ Life magazine ran the rules for the 1959 annual Boys’ Life radio contest. The contest was set for February 15-28. To make sure scouts got their sleep, contest time was limited to 12 hours per week.
The contest featured separate categories for hams and SWL’s. In the Ham category, the top prize was a National NC303 receiver. The SWL top prize was a Hallicrafters S-85.
1948 Antenna Ideas
Seventy years ago this month, the December 1948 issue of Popular Science offered these antenna suggestions. For tough reception areas such as office buildings and hotels, the tried-and-true loop antenna in the window could pull in the stations on the standard broadcast band. Four suction cups made for a neat installation,
And for that newfangled FM set, a dipole discretely tacked behind the sofa would probably pull in the local static-free station.
1958 Christmas Robots
Sixty years ago this month, the December 1958 issue of Popular Electronics promised Christmas Fun with electronic robots. But unfortunately for the hapless newsstand buyer who bought the copy based upon the cover, the magazine didn’t include a construction article for the robots shown.
Instead, the magazine contained an article pointing out that robots were here to stay. The magazine was noncommittal on the issue of whether the robots would eventually run amok.
1943 Code Practice Oscillator
The young man shown here is working on his Morse Code skills thanks to a combination oscillator/blinker from the December 1943 issue of Popular Mechanics.
The set could make use of either a type 37 or 76 tube. Since both of these were older varieties, they were commonly found in discarded sets or the junk box.
The circuit ran on 6 volts, which could be supplied by either a car battery or four dry cells.
1938 Notebook Radio
Eighty years ago this month, the December 1938 issue of Popular Science carried the plans for this miniature one-tube receiver built into a notebook.
Due to limited space, no tube socket was used. Instead, the connections were soldered directly to the pins of the miniature tube, with the tube sewn into place in the cover of the notebook.
