50 Amazing Vintage Photos From the 1960s Volume 6
16 Vintage Color Photographs Showing Everyday Life in Britain During the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word for ‘lightning war’.
The Germans conducted mass air attacks against industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940 (a battle for daylight air superiority between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force over the United Kingdom). By September 1940, the Luftwaffe had lost the Battle of Britain and the German air fleets (Luftflotten) were ordered to attack London, to draw RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered the new policy on 6 September 1940. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. Most notable was a large daylight attack against London on 15 September.
The Luftwaffe gradually decreased daylight operations in favour of night attacks to evade attacks by the RAF, and the Blitz became a night bombing campaign after October 1940. The Luftwaffe attacked the main Atlantic seaport of Liverpool in the Liverpool Blitz. The North Sea port of Hull, a convenient and easily found target or secondary target for bombers unable to locate their primary targets, suffered the Hull Blitz. The port cities of Bristol, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southampton, Swansea, Belfast, and Glasgow were also bombed, as were the industrial centres of Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester and Sheffield. More than 40,000 civilians were killed by Luftwaffe bombing during the war, almost half of them in the capital, where more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged.
In early July 1940, the German High Command began planning Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Bombing failed to demoralise the British into surrender or do much damage to the war economy; eight months of bombing never seriously hampered British war production, which continued to increase. The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. British wartime studies concluded that cities generally took 10 to 15 days to recover when hit severely, but exceptions like Birmingham took three months.
The German air offensive failed because the Luftwaffe High Command (Oberkommando der Luftwaffe, OKL) did not develop a methodical strategy for destroying British war industry. Poor intelligence about British industry and economic efficiency led to OKL concentrating on tactics rather than strategy. The bombing effort was diluted by attacks against several sets of industries instead of constant pressure on the most vital. (Wikipedia)
5 Amazing Concept Cars From the 1950s and 1960s That Look Like They’re From Outer Space
Car culture sure ain’t what it used to be. Back in its glory days, the automobile was a triumphant marriage of form and function, beauty and brawn.
Admittedly, the old gas guzzlers of yore were also environmentally-unfriendly dinosaurs… but there’s no harm in dreaming, right? And when it comes to dream machines, the concept cars of the 1950s and 60s are hard to beat. In an era when popular choices like the Ford Thunderbird, the Studebaker Hawk and the Cadillac already embodied the post-war generation’s sense of optimism and space-age possibility, these outrageous vehicles look set to lead a mission to Mars.
- General Motors LeSabre (1951)
The Grand Poobah of American concept cars, the LeSabre was named after the US Air Force’s F-86 Sabre fighter jet, and possessed bonafide aeronautical features such as a jet-engine-inspired air intake and dash dials for compass, technometer and altimeter. A dramatically styled aluminium body and super-charged engine heightened the effect. Though it never made production, designer Harley Earl drove his prototype for years, even lending it to General Eisenhower at one point.
- Manta Ray (1953)
The LeSabre’s influence looms large on this gold-lacquered vision, created by Californian aviation workers Glen Hire and Vernon Antoine. Hand-building its fibreglass body reportedly caused the duo endless grief, but their suffering paid off. With its low-slung lines, dangerous-looking nose cone and triple-finned rear, the Manta Ray redefines the term ‘traffic-stopper.’
- Ghia Streamline X ‘Gilda’ (1955)
Only because it predated the establishment of NASA by three years can we assume there were never any intergalactic plans for the jaw-droppingly futuristic Gilda. But Chrysler certainly had lofty ambitions for the car, enlisting Italian Carrozzeria Ghia to help realise their dream of combining jet-inspired engineering and design. Ironically, when the Gilda was first exhibited in 1955, it was engineless (being too petite to accommodate a turbine engine). But with looks like that, who cares?
- Di Dia 150 (1960)
The ultimate passion project, the Di Dia 150 was conceived and hand-built by Detroit menswear designer Andy Di Dia over seven years, costing $93,000 to complete. And no wonder: its metallic, 30-coat paint job gets its sparkle from real crushed diamonds. Swivelling taillights and fins that out-do George Barris’s Batmobile feature among its other flamboyant charms. Singer Bobby Darin famously bought the car in 1961.
- El Tiburón (Shark) Roadster (1962)
Few cars are more aptly named than El Tiburón. Sleek and streamlined like an apex predator, this fibreglass wonder looks capable of aquatic as well as land travel. It’s not, but it did prove designer Henry Covington’s point that you don’t need a huge engine if the car’s light and aerodynamic enough (– the Shark’s rear Renault engine was just 19 horsepower). With six roadsters and six coupés built, it was practically mainstream by concept-car standards.
37 Amazing Behind-the-Scenes Photos From the Making of Classic Film ‘Gone With the Wind’ (1939)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American epic-historical romance film adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel Gone with the Wind. It was produced by David O. Selznick of Selznick International Pictures and directed by Victor Fleming.
Set in the American South against the backdrop of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era, the film tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara, the strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, from her romantic pursuit of Ashley Wilkes, who is married to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton, to her marriage to Rhett Butler. The leading roles are portrayed by Vivien Leigh (Scarlett), Clark Gable (Rhett), Leslie Howard (Ashley), and Olivia de Havilland (Melanie).
The production of the film was difficult from the start. Filming was delayed for two years due to Selznick’s determination to secure Gable for the role of Rhett Butler, and the “search for Scarlett” led to 1,400 women being interviewed for the part. The original screenplay was written by Sidney Howard, but underwent many revisions by several writers in an attempt to get it down to a suitable length. The original director, George Cukor, was fired shortly after filming had begun and was replaced by Fleming, who in turn was briefly replaced by Sam Wood while Fleming took some time off due to exhaustion.
Here’s a collection of 37 rarely seen photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of Gone With the Wind.
36 Beautiful Vintage Photos of Actress Myrna Dell Wearing a Bikini in the 1940s and 1950s
Myrna Dell (born Marilyn Adele Dunlap; March 5, 1924 – February 11, 2011) was an American actress, model, and writer who appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs over four decades. A Hollywood glamour girl in the early part of her career, she is best known today for her work in B-pictures, particularly film noir and Westerns.
Early life and career
Dell’s mother was silent-film actress Carol Price. Dell entered show business when she was 16 as a dancer with the Earl Carroll Revue. Her film debut came in A Night at Earl Carroll’s (1940), after which she appeared in Ziegfeld Girl (1941), Raiders of Red Gap (1943), Up in Arms (1943), and Show Business (1944). She began making dramatic appearances in several Western films with Hoot Gibson and Bob Steele, and later had a supporting role with Van Johnson in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944). Following a move to RKO Studios in 1949 she starred opposite Ronald Reagan in The Girl from Jones Beach and later secured a recurring role in The Falcon film series opposite Tom Conway. She also had parts in such films as The Spiral Staircase (1945), The Locket (1946), Step by Step (1946), Fighting Father Dunne (1948), Guns of Hate (1948), The Lost Tribe (1949), Destination Murder (1950), and Reunion in Reno (1951).
She was a familiar face in film noir, playing glamour girls, gold diggers, and “tough broads” in such well-regarded pictures as Nocturne (1946), The Locket (1946), and The Strip (1951), including a featured role as a femme fatale in the 1951 B-picture Destination Murder.
Dell later became a household name in television appearing on such programs as Gang Busters, Lux Video Theatre, Crusader, Dragnet, The Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Maverick, Pete and Gladys, Batman, Hazel, The Donna Reed Show, and The Texan. Her last film appearance was in Buddy Buddy (1981) as well as an uncredited appearance in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.
She once told a reporter that she loathed the glamour girl image, stating, “After a time … a girl gets bored with the glamour, the atmosphere, the drinking, the cigarettes to smoke, the wolves.” In her later years, she worked as a writer for Hollywood: Then and Now Magazine in which she shared countless stories about her days as an actress and thanking such figures as Jack L. Warner, Louis B. Meyer, and Samuel Goldwyn for their contributions to the film industry. She and actress Jacqueline White are often credited for creating autograph shows.
Personal life
On June 15, 1951, Dell married Jack Buchtel, a restaurateur. In the 1960s, she married Herbert Patterson, an actor.[11]
A California native all her life, Dell continued living in state by spending her final years in Studio City, California answering fan mail and keeping her fans up to date through her personal website. She died from natural causes on February 11, 2011 at her studio apartment one month shy of her 87th birthday. She was survived by one daughter, Laura Patterson, who spread her ashes next to the Hollywood Sign. (Wikipedia)
Historical Photos of John Mccain as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam
John McCain’s capture and subsequent imprisonment occurred on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg when he ejected from the aircraft, and nearly drowned after he parachuted into Trúc B?ch Lake. Some North Vietnamese pulled him ashore, then others crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt and bayoneted him. McCain was then transported to Hanoi’s main H?a Lò Prison, nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton”.
Although McCain was seriously wounded and injured, his captors refused to treat him. They beat and interrogated him to get information, and he was given medical care only when the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a high-ranking admiral. His status as a prisoner of war (POW) made the front pages of major newspapers.
McCain spent six weeks in the hospital, where he received marginal care. He had lost 50 pounds (23 kg), was in a chest cast, and his gray hair had turned as white as snow. McCain was sent to a different camp on the outskirts of Hanoi. In December 1967, McCain was placed in a cell with two other Americans who did not expect him to live more than a week. In March 1968, McCain was placed into solitary confinement, where he would remain for two years.
In mid-1968, his father John S. McCain Jr. was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater, and the North Vietnamese offered McCain early release because they wanted to appear merciful for propaganda purposes, and also to show other POWs that elite prisoners were willing to be treated preferentially. McCain refused repatriation unless every man taken in before him was also released. Such early release was prohibited by the POWs’ interpretation of the military Code of Conduct which states in Article III: “I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy”. To prevent the enemy from using prisoners for propaganda, officers were to agree to be released in the order in which they were captured.
Beginning in August 1968, McCain was subjected to a program of severe torture. He was bound and beaten every two hours; this punishment occurred at the same time that he was suffering from dysentery. Further injuries brought McCain to “the point of suicide,” but his preparations were interrupted by guards. Eventually, McCain made an anti-U.S. propaganda “confession”. He has always felt that his statement was dishonorable, but as he later wrote, “I had learned what we all learned over there: every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine.” Many U.S. POWs were tortured and maltreated in order to extract “confessions” and propaganda statements; virtually all of them eventually yielded something to their captors. McCain received two to three beatings weekly because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements.
McCain refused to meet various anti-war groups seeking peace in Hanoi, wanting to give neither them nor the North Vietnamese a propaganda victory. From late 1969, treatment of McCain and many of the other POWs became more tolerable, while McCain continued actively to resist the camp authorities. McCain and other prisoners cheered the U.S. “Christmas Bombing” campaign of December 1972, viewing it as a forceful measure to push North Vietnam to terms.
McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years until his release on March 14, 1973. His wartime injuries left him permanently incapable of raising his arms above his head.
March 1, 1994: Five Weeks Before Kurt Cobain’s Death, Nirvana Performed Their Final Concert in Munich, Germany
Nirvana’s last concert ever took place on March 1st, 1994 in Munich, Germany, at Terminal Einz, an airplane hanger that fit 3,050 people. It was far from an ideal venue for a rock show and the acoustics were terrible, though Cobain didn’t realize this until the performance began since he skipped out on the soundcheck. The band opened with a sarcastic version of “My Best Friend’s Girl” by the Cars and had to start “Come as You Are” over again when the power went out. It was obvious to everyone in the crowd that Cobain was experiencing severe vocal issues.
By the time Nirvana reached Munich, Cobain was suffering from bronchitis as a result of the rigors of their European tour. Cellist Melora Creager joined the band for this leg, replacing Lori Goldston who spent the previous year on the road with the group. They also decided to have touring guitarist Pat Smear take over back-up vocal duties from Dave Grohl.
Bassist Krist Novoselic noted the Spinal Tap-like circumstances and said, “We’re not playing the Munich Enormodome tonight. Because our careers are on the wane. We’re on the way out. Grunge is dead. Nirvana’s over. … Our next record’s going to be a hip-hop record!”
After a brief delay, the power returned, and the band picked up where it left off, after removing the next song on the proposed set list, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The 23-song concert ended with “Heart-Shaped Box.” At 80 minutes, it was the shortest show of the tour.
Because of Cobain’s health, Nirvana canceled the rest of their European dates and Cobain flew to Rome to recuperate. Three days later, he was rushed to the hospital after overdosing on champagne and Rohypnol, which he had been taking to relieve the chronic stomach pain he had been suffering from for much of his adult life. At the time, it was suspected that overdose was accidental, but in the aftermath of his death, it was acknowledged that it was a suicide attempt.
A month later, on April 5, Cobain shot himself in his home. His body was discovered by an electrician three days later.
Amazing Examples of the Live-Action Reference Filmed for Disney’s “Cinderella” (1950) as You’ve Never Seen Before
A lot of you have probably seen the live action version of Cinderella that came out in 2015. Well long before Lily James took on the role, another actress played Cinderella at the Walt Disney Studios, Helene Stanley.
Stanley was a live action reference model for the animated 1950 film of Cinderella. She, along with several other models, acted out the entire film in costume in front of cameras so the animators could study the footage when drawing the animated characters. This technique was not a new one, but it was one that was integral to the making of Cinderella in a way it never had been for any Disney film before, or really ever would be again.
Here, Helene Stanley doing live action reference for Cinderella, with Jeffrey Stone as Prince Charming, Mary Alice O’Connor as the Fairy Godmother, and Eleanor Audley as Lady Tremaine. Helene also did live action for one of the stepsisters, Anastasia, alongside Rhoda Williams who modeled for Drizella.
Margaret Hamilton Poses Next to a Huge Stack of Code She Wrote by Hand That Took Humanity to the Moon in 1969
Half a century ago, MIT played a critical role in the development of the flight software for NASA’s Apollo program, which landed humans on the moon for the first time in 1969. One of the many contributors to this effort was Margaret Hamilton, a computer scientist who led the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which in 1961 contracted with NASA to develop the Apollo program’s guidance system. For her work during this period, Hamilton has been credited with popularizing the concept of software engineering.
She explained in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais why she chose to call it software engineering: “I fought to bring the software legitimacy so that it—and those building it—would be given its due respect and thus I began to use the term ‘software engineering’ to distinguish it from hardware and other kinds of engineering, yet treat each type of engineering as part of the overall systems engineering process. When I first started using this phrase, it was considered to be quite amusing. It was an ongoing joke for a long time. They liked to kid me about my radical ideas. Software eventually and necessarily gained the same respect as any other discipline.”
Margaret Hamilton (born August 17, 1936) is an American computer scientist who was one of the first computer software programmers; she created the term software engineer to describe her work. She helped write the computer code for the command and lunar modules used on the Apollo missions to the Moon in the late 1960s and early ’70s.
While studying mathematics and philosophy at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, she met James Hamilton, and they subsequently married. After graduating in 1958, she taught high school mathematics for a short time. The couple then moved to Boston. Although Margaret planned to study abstract mathematics at Brandeis University, she accepted a job at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) while her husband attended Harvard Law School. At MIT she began programming software to predict the weather and did postgraduate work in meteorology.
In the early 1960s Hamilton joined MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, where she was involved in the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) project, the first U.S. air defense system. She notably wrote software for a program to identify enemy aircraft. Hamilton next worked at MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory (now the independent Charles Stark Draper Laboratory), which provided aeronautical technology for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She led a team that was tasked with developing the software for the guidance and control systems of the in-flight command and lunar modules of the Apollo missions. At the time, no schools taught software engineering, so the team members had to work out any problems on their own. Hamilton herself specifically concentrated on software to detect system errors and to recover information in a computer crash. Both those elements were crucial during the Apollo 11 mission (1969), which took astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the Moon.
Hamilton left MIT in the mid-1970s to work in the private sector. She cofounded the company Higher Order Software in 1976 and established Hamilton Technologies 10 years later.
Hamilton was the recipient of various honors, including NASA’s Exceptional Space Act Award (2003). Pres. Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Marilyn Monroe Reads Joyce’s Ulysses at the Playground, 1955
During the 1950s, the pioneering photojournalist Eve Arnold took a series of portraits of Marilyn Monroe. The now iconic photos generally present Monroe as a larger-than-life celebrity and sex symbol. Except for one.
In 1955, Arnold photographed Monroe reading a worn copy of James Joyce’s modernist classic, Ulysses. It’s still debated whether this was simply an attempt to recast her images (she often played the “dumb blonde” character in her ’50s films), or whether she actually had a pensive side. (Her personal library, catalogued at the time of her death, suggests the latter.) But, either way, Arnold explained years later how these memorable photos came about:
“We worked on a beach on Long Island. She was visiting Norman Rosten the poet… I asked her what she was reading when I went to pick her up (I was trying to get an idea of how she spent her time). She said she kept Ulysses in her car and had been reading it for a long time. She said she loved the sound of it and would read it aloud to herself to try to make sense of it — but she found it hard going. She couldn’t read it consecutively. When we stopped at a local playground to photograph she got out the book and started to read while I loaded the film. So, of course, I photographed her. It was always a collaborative effort of photographer and subject where she was concerned — but almost more her input.”
