Annie Edson Taylor (1838-1921) was an American adventurer who, on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901, became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Desiring to secure her later years financially, and avoid the poorhouse, she decided she would be the first person to ride over Niagara Falls inContinue reading “Annie Edson Taylor: The First Person to Survive Trip Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel in 1901”
Tag Archives: celebrity & famous people
Amazing Photos of the Seven Sutherland Sisters And Their 37 Feet of Hair From the 19th Century
Sarah, Victoria, Isabella, Grace, Naomi, Dora and Mary: the seven Sutherland sisters were born in quick succession between 1846 and 1865. They were raised in a small log cabin in Niagara County, New York State. Education was a luxury, shoes were worn only on Sundays, the girls’ dresses were sewn from burlap and their motherContinue reading “Amazing Photos of the Seven Sutherland Sisters And Their 37 Feet of Hair From the 19th Century”
The Story Behind Sophia Loren’s Infamous Side-Eye to Jayne Mansfield Photo, 1957
A photo taken 60 years ago of Hollywood’s two most alluring sex symbols is still getting a lot of attention. The most famous side-eye or even stink eye photo in history belongs to Sophia Loren’s reaction to Jayne Mansfield and her famous large assets! Here’s a little history of the iconic photo that appeared inContinue reading “The Story Behind Sophia Loren’s Infamous Side-Eye to Jayne Mansfield Photo, 1957”
How Hans And Sophie Scholl’s White Rose Movement Fought Back Against The Nazis
Sophie Scholl was just 21 years old when she was executed along with her brother, 24-year-old Hans Scholl, on Feb. 22, 1943. The Scholl siblings had been arrested three days earlier and undergone nearly constant interrogation by the Gestapo before their trial. Nazi judge Roland Freisler, infamous for handing out death sentences in some 90Continue reading “How Hans And Sophie Scholl’s White Rose Movement Fought Back Against The Nazis”
The Story Behind the Filming of Steve McQueen’s Dramatic Fence-Jump Scene in “The Great Escape”
The Great Escape is a 1963 American World War II epic film that depicts an escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from a German POW camp. The film is based on Paul Brickhill’s 1950 book of the same name, a non-fiction first-hand account of the mass escape from Stalag Luft III in Sagan (nowContinue reading “The Story Behind the Filming of Steve McQueen’s Dramatic Fence-Jump Scene in “The Great Escape””
Ananda Mahidol: The Mysterious Death of a King
Ananda Mahidol, Thailand’s king Rama VIII, died on the 3rd of June, 1946. He was only twenty at the time. A child when he was elected successor to the throne in 1935, he continued to be educated in Switzerland, not visiting Thailand as king until 1938 when he was thirteen. The Japanese invaded Thailand theContinue reading “Ananda Mahidol: The Mysterious Death of a King”
Viola Smith, a Pioneering Woman Drummer Who Was Still Actively Drumming at Age 107
Early in her music career, Viola Smith became known as “America’s fastest girl drummer.” She spent decades challenging the barriers facing female musicians — and the centenarian she still plays today. She is the drummer for a band in her home community. Smith was born on November 29, 1912 in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, the eighthContinue reading “Viola Smith, a Pioneering Woman Drummer Who Was Still Actively Drumming at Age 107”
50 Amazing Vintage Photos From the 1920s Volume 5
Amazing Photos of White Wolf, aka Chief John Smith, the Oldest Native American to Have Ever Lived
At the ripe age of 137, White Wolf a.k.a. Chief John Smith is considered the oldest Native American to have ever lived, 1785-1922. When asked the secret to good health, Chief Smith responded “I never fly United Airlines.” The Minneapolis Morning Tribune obituary says Ga-Be-Nah-Gewn-Wonce (variously known as Kay-bah-nung-we-way, Sloughing Flesh, Wrinkled Meat or plainContinue reading “Amazing Photos of White Wolf, aka Chief John Smith, the Oldest Native American to Have Ever Lived”
Clint Eastwood Skateboarding on Via Veneto, Rome in 1965
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor, film director, producer, and composer. After achieving success in the Western TV series Rawhide, he rose to international fame with his role as the “Man with No Name” in Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy” of Spaghetti Westerns during the mid-1960s and as antihero cop HarryContinue reading “Clint Eastwood Skateboarding on Via Veneto, Rome in 1965”