Category Archives: Christmas

Christmas Truce, 1914

ChristmasTruce

On Christmas Day, 1914, the Seattle Star reported on the Christmas Truce.  While a truce was more likely to take place on lines where the British were fighting the Germans, the Star’s reports came from the lines between the Germans and French.  The paper reported that in some cases, German soldiers were swapping their beer ration for the quarter bottle of champagne provided to each French soldier.

As might be expected, the truce was more popular with enlisted men and perhaps junior officers.  Senior officers took a much dimmer view, and their were stern warnings the next year against fraternization.

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Merry Christmas!

Santa1914Santa hasn’t changed a great deal over the last hundred years.  Here, he’s shown in a 1914 Ohio newspaper, answering the phone.

The accompanying advertisement reminds readers how much more convenient both Cristmas and life in general would be if they had a telephone installed in their homes.

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Merry Christmas Hans: 1939

Dec1939BL

The December 1939 issue of Boys’ Life magazine carries an interesting short story, “Merry Christmas Hans” by Philip Lightfoot Scruggs. It’s full of technical inaccuracies, the author’s unfamiliarity with Amateur Radio, and even countless FCC rule violations. But it’s an interesting look at how Amateur Radio was viewed 75 years ago, and it pretty conclusively puts to rest the assertion that the Boy Scouts are somehow designed to militarize boys.

The hero of the story is Dave Smith, W2KSM. (It looks like the call was really in use, as shown by what looks like a Sweepstakes entry in this 1938 QST. And it was held in 1954 by one Howard M. Ames Jr.)

Young W2KSM, a 17-year-old Eagle Scout, decided to get on the air on Christmas Eve to wish a Merry Christmas to his DX friends in France, England, Belgium, or Holland. Much to his surprise, he heard the voice of Hans Schuler in Germany, where Amateur Radio was not allowed. (Amateur Radio actually did exist in Germany, and even continued somewhat during the war. Germany was one of the few belligerent countries where there were still a few hams on the air, even during the war. For more information, see my earlier post.) The story contains an editor’s note pointing out that the story was written before war was declared. Dave asked Hans what would happen if he was caught, and Hans replied, “the concentration camp at least.”

Still, the two continue their conversation, as Dave tells of freedom, and Hans tells of the repression in Germany, and even explains how he can quickly dismantle the station and antenna if the Gestapo got too close. Another Scout in New York City just happens to be listening to the contact, and alerts his father, a network executive, who spontaneously decides to broadcast the contact nationwide where millions, including Dave’s parents, listen to the boys talk.

Dave tells about Boy Scouts, and Hans tells of his experience preparing for war in the Hitler Youth. Dave concludes the contact by reciting the Scout Oath and Law, “that is our Scout Oath and Law, Hans–what we try to live by,” as Hans prepares to hastily disassemble his clandestine set.

Dave walks downstairs wondering whether his family will believe it, only to hear the end of the broadcast in which he and Hans had a starring role.


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Give Junior a Slide Rule for Christmas!

MathcraftFifty years ago, I bet Santa could barely keep up with the demand from kids clamoring for one of these under the tree. The Mathcraft Set included a slide rule, abacus, protractor, compass, and more. This kid sure looks excited to have one. Or maybe he’s wishing that Santa had brought the bug collecting kit, the weather station, or the chemical lab. All of these and more were featured in Popular Mechanics, December 1964, as good gift ideas for future scientists.

Seriously, though, the slide rule did get us to the moon.  If you want to play around with a virtual one, here are free slide rules that you can use on your Android device:

The real article, on the other hand, is getting hard to find. If you’re not careful with your Amazon search, you might wind up with one of these:


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Victrolas for Christmas, 1914

1914OmahaPhonographs

In 1914, Santa Claus probably delivered quite a few new phonographs to American parlors. He had quite a selection available, as shown in the December 6, 1914, advertisement in the Omaha Daily Bee.

Prices ranged from $18.75 to $207.50, with all of them available on credit. The less expensive models could be brought home for $5 down, including a set of records.


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