Today in History

[vitanola]

On this day in 1801, Thomas Jefferson, was elected the 3rd president of the U.S.

On this day in 1904, Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly, was premiered at La Scala theatre, Milan.

 

[MissMittens]

Today in 1928, Bell Labs invented an anti-flutter mechanical system for television, while competitor RCA was publicly testing their own mechanical television system for NBC's fledgling TV service, W2XBS, which was broadcasting flickery still images of a Felix the Cat doll. Proving multimedia was created for the glorification of our feline friends.

On this day in 1931, Bell Labs and New York Telephone Company, partnered to introduce a system that was being worked on from 1927, to business leaders in the City, with a hope to commercializing it. That invention was the first videophone system - ironically, apparently NOT utilizing anti-flutter technology, as the reviewer writes that the picture had "a tendency towards flickering".

 

[3fingers]

On this day in 1931, Bell Labs and New York Telephone Company, partnered to introduce a system that was being worked on from 1927, to business leaders in the City, with a hope to commercializing it. That invention was the first videophone system - ironically, apparently NOT utilizing anti-flutter technology, as the reviewer writes that the picture had "a tendency towards flickering".

They must have gotten it perfected. The ones George Jetson had worked perfectly.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Mechanical television was very fussy -- it used a perforated disk in front of a flickering neon tube as the source of its images, and if the disks on the sending and receiving sides weren't perfectly synchronized, you'd get all sorts of wobbly effects. Supposedly this synchronization was supposed to be obtained off the 60 cycle AC power line, but that frequency could be unstable, and so could the pictures. They were also in color -- all orange-red!

The actual "picture phone" setup. "Deposit five cents for the next three minutes please. Don't try any funny stuff, schmuck. I can SEE you!"

And the actual unit itself, which survives to this day.

 

[vitanola]

I built a mechanical television system when I was in high school. This was about the time of the fiftieth anniversary of the WECo development.

I used the "flying spot" system of scanning, using a projector modified with a direct current supply to the light bulb. I tried using four 868 phototubes for the light pickups, but they were not sensitive enough, so at the suggestion of my "Elmer" I substituted war surplus photomultiplier tubes. I built a modern amplifier to drive the neon tube, a Raytheon "Kino Lamp" (such things could yet be found in those days, sigh!).

To eliminate synchronization problems I placed both the transmitting and receiving discs on a common shaft. I was able to get recognizable images of certain objects, though faces tended to all look alike.

This is a simplified schematic of a mechanical television system:

 

[scotrace]

February 27, 1942, the birthday of Jimi Hendrix.
Also the anniversary of the death of Louis Vuitton, 1892. His brand survives.

 

[scotrace]

The Salem Witch Trials began in MA in 1692. John Proctor's house, I believe, still stands and is on the market today.
Joseph Stalin collapsed of a stroke March 1, 1953. He died four days later--catch The Death of Stalin if you haven't already. A great dark comedy.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Six months later, in September 1692, they got around to hanging my 6x-great grandmother. Oh those noble Puritans with the whole freedom and liberty thing.

Speaking of freedom and liberty, on this date in 1941, the first issue of "Captain America Comics" appeared on East Coast newsstands, with a flamboyant cover illustration of said Captain punching Hitler in the face.

Death threats from American Nazi supporters against creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were received at the Timely Comics office in Manhattan. Mayor LaGuardia -- a comics fan -- responded by placing the artists under the personal protection of the NYPD.

 

[3fingers]

Mayor LaGuardia -- a comics fan -- responded by placing the artists under the personal protection of the NYPD.

I don't recall the exact circumstances beyond a strike being involved, but I have listened to mayor LaGuardia reading the newspaper funnys over the radio so the children wouldn't miss out. Can't imagine Bloomberg or de Blasio doing that.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yep, it was during the big newspaper delivery strike of 1945 that kept every paper off the streets except for the Daily Worker and the Brooklyn Eagle. LaGuardia had a Sunday time slot on the municipal station WNYC where he'd spout off about any topic that came to his attention, and during this strike he'd read the comics from the Daily News to keep the kids happy.

"The Little Flower" is one of my favorite personalities of the Era. He was the New Yorkest New Yorker who ever lived.

 

[EngProf]

Six months later, in September 1692, they got around to hanging my 6x-great grandmother. Oh those noble Puritans with the whole freedom and liberty thing.

Speaking of freedom and liberty, on this date in 1941, the first issue of "Captain America Comics" appeared on East Coast newsstands, with a flamboyant cover illustration of said Captain punching Hitler in the face.

Death threats from American Nazi supporters against creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were received at the Timely Comics office in Manhattan. Mayor LaGuardia -- a comics fan -- responded by placing the artists under the personal protection of the NYPD.

A bit odd that two of the three Germans are using US weapons.
Also odd that Bucky's "mask" looks like a pair of "cat-eye" glasses. I knew several people who wore cat-eye glasses and I could always recognize them whether they were wearing their glasses or not.
Clark Kent/Superman glasses principle apparently at work here...

 

[LizzieMaine]

And on top of that, he went by "Bucky" whether he was in or out of costume. My own theory is that everyone knew who he was, but didn't want to hurt his feelings. Aw, let the little fella have his fun.

As for the glasses, I remember reading this comic at my cousin's house one Sunday afternoon, and feeling like nothing would ever be the same again:

 

[EngProf]

And on top of that, he went by "Bucky" whether he was in or out of costume. My own theory is that everyone knew who he was, but didn't want to hurt his feelings. Aw, let the little fella have his fun.

As for the glasses, I remember reading this comic at my cousin's house one Sunday afternoon, and feeling like nothing would ever be the same again:

That looks and sounds like a "National Lampoon" parody of "Superman".

 

[scotrace]

In 1510, Cortez arrives in Mexico, looking for Aztec gold. Captains Barbarosa and Sparrow would duke it out over the cursed result for centuries....

The first issue of PEOPLE magazine is published March 4, 1974.

 

[vitanola]

March 5th, 1770

The Boston Massacre, was a confrontation in which British Army soldiers shot and killed several people while under harassment by a mob. It was heavily publicized by leading Patriots, such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, to encourage rebellion against the British authorities. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support crown-appointed colonial officials attempting to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation.

 

[LizzieMaine]

On this date in 1940, NBC sound effects technician Frank Pittman pushed an odd aggolmeration of junk off a prop staircase in front of a microphone, introducing the radio audience to Fibber McGee's closet.

 

[3fingers]

I found out recently that Fibber Magee's closet is no longer a frame of reference that most people relate to.
It loses the effect when you have to explain it to people.
'Tain't funny Magee.

 

[GHT]

I found out recently that Fibber Magee's closet is no longer a frame of reference that most people relate to.
It loses the effect when you have to explain it to people.
'Tain't funny Magee.

That sounds like Gibbs, getting frustrated when he hears a load of technobabble: "In English, McGee."

 

[3fingers]

GHT, When Fibber told a joke or story that Molly didn't care for her standard response was "'Tain't funny McGee."

 

[scotrace]

Today is the birthday of Michelangelo. He is 544.

Bayer registered its trademark for aspirin, 1899.