Civil War Union Buttons - Original And Reproduction

Here is a game for all of you to play. It features two buttons that date to the time of the War Between The States as well as two buttons that were made recently. Can you tell which ones are old and which ones are new??? Not too hard, huh?

Here is the url for the above video in case the embedding does not function properly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoEao1aZako

William Howard Taft Signature Study

This blog entry features a signature study for President William Howard Taft.  This short video will help you differentiate between what is real and what is fake.

Here is the url for the above video in case the embedding does not function properly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd_T2fKPE8Y

Going Back To 1850 For This Year's Valentine's Day

On this Valentine's Day in the year 2010, we are going back in time ... 160 years, in fact, to 1850. Here is a Valentine Card from that very year. Cards of this age are difficult to find. I am very lucky to have acquired it. Given the card's extremely fragile condition, it is a wonder that it has survived to the present day. Since this Valentine was made for the 1850 season, it was certainly produced in the late 1840s making it quite old indeed.

Here is the front:


Close-up of the center:


Some damage:


More damage:


The card opened:


Close-up of the text - you will note 1850 written in the upper right corner:


The original envelope:


Close-up of the artwork:


The back of the envelope - you can see that it was once sealed:


I hope that you have enjoyed viewing this specimen of the early Victorian era.

Tomorrow, February 11 ... Iran's Destiny

Ladies and gentlemen, in a few short hours, the sun will rise in Iran and on this day, the 31st anniversary of that country's revolution, there will be a vast and dedicated movement for freedom and human rights. I believe there may be pandemonium the likes of which that nation has never seen. Each side is bracing itself for what will be a war of words and a war of actions ... a clash of conviction and a clash of ideology. Citizens of the world, I ask all of you to wear the color green on February 11 to show support for these brave and steadfast individuals who are risking their lives in the fight for freedom and equal rights.

Wonderful Sights In The Sky On January 2, 2010

What a way to begin the year and the decade. The Moon was shining brightly and was accompanied by the Planet Mars as well as the Twin Stars of Gemini: Castor and Pollux. The photographs were taken at around 9:00 PM on January 2.

Castor, Pollux, Mars and The Moon:


Labeled so you can see what is what:


Mars and The Moon:


Mars - close-up!


Mars - close-up!






Some Stars including the Constellation Orion:


Some Stars including the Constellation Orion:


Previous pic lightened so you can see more Stars:


Here is some video footage of the evening (taken at about 10:00 PM):

Here is the url in case the clip does not embed properly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC35GnDj0gs

Bob Heft, Creator Of The Fifty-Star U.S. Flag, Passed Away

Bob Heft passed away on December 12, 2009. The major news media outlets did not report his passing at all. Only the media local to his residence bothered to report the news. I just found out yesterday (December 29) ... and by chance. Bob was such an important figure to this country - he was the one who came up with the design for our current Flag, and his death came by without mass acknowledgement. Really - all of us need to hang our heads in utter shame for this.

There are some funny stories associated with Bob's life. At the age of 17, Bob created the Fifty-Star Flag as a project in high school. He believed two additional states would join the Union at some point. He received a B- for his work since in his teacher's words, "It lacked originality.". Bob wanted an A, and his teacher told him if Congress accepted his design, he would increase his grade to an A. It indeed happened. The President at the time, Dwight David Eisenhower, called Bob and asked for Robert G. Heft. Not knowing he was speaking to the President, he replied, "Yes, but you can call me Bob.". Furthermore when DDE asked him if he could come to Washington a few days before the official presentation of the Flag, he put the President on hold so he could ask his boss about it (Heft was only at his job for eleven days and, therefore, did not have any leave time). Shocked at the fact that Heft put the President on hold, his boss told him he could have the days off. Bob Heft then picked up the phone and said, "Dwight, are you still there?". The people in the room with him laughed.

I have wanted to meet Bob Heft for some time now.  I was never able to work it out. He actually visited Frank Woodruff Buckles (America's last surviving Veteran of World War One) a few days after I met him back in January.

An extremely important person involved in the history and culture of America has died, and it went by with little-to-no recognition. We are about to enter a new decade. Let us make a commitment to not let the passing of such a significant figure go by with such apathy and reticence. We can do better America.

Here are some autographed items by Bob Heft from my collection.




You can find more information about Bob Heft by typing his name into search engines and youtube.

Christkindlmarkt In Clark, New Jersey On November 22, 2009

This blog entry features photographs from the Christkindlmarkt in Clark, New Jersey.  The Deutscher Club held the event.  I have had experience attending the Christkindlmarkt in various cities in Germany and Austria and in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in years past ... this was the first time that I attended one in New Jersey.










The Deutscher Club's website: http://deutscherclub.us

146th Anniversary Of The Gettysburg Address

Today is the 146th Anniversary of The Gettysburg Address. Just like today, November 19 fell on a Thursday back in 1863.

Abraham Lincoln was not the only speaker at the event. As a matter of fact, Lincoln's role was quite minor. His involvement in the ceremony was merely that of an afterthought. Despite this, for lack of a better description, he stole the show. The main speaker at Gettysburg was Edward Everett. His oration was to be the Gettysburg Address, but fate and destiny had other plans. The following day Everett wrote Lincoln a letter which included these words, "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes".

I have some authentic 1860s items related to the Gettysburg Address.

The first two jpegs are of CDV (Carte-De-Vista) images of Everett and Lincoln dating from the mid- to late-1860s. The next four jpegs are of a newspaper from November 1863 and includes the first page, Lincoln's speech, the first part of Everett's speech and the final part of Everett's speech.













The Library Of Congress currently owns the actual letter Everett wrote to Lincoln (given to the Library by Abe's son Robert) and it is pictured at the following url:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt032.html

Now, ending this message is a rare opportunity to hear a recollection of the Gettysburg Address by someone who was there in person. William Rathvon recorded his memories in 1938 and his words comprise the only first-hand account of the day in audio format. Although wikipedia is not always accurate, this entry is fine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_R._Rathvon

At the bottom you will see "External links". You have a choice between a six-minute version with commentary or a longer version of twenty-one minutes. Should you endeavor to choose the latter, I guarantee ... you will be richly fulfilled.


UPDATE (November 19, 2012): I see the audio link for William's entire interview on NPR's site no longer works. I do make a point to listen to his account every November 19.

Siege Of Fort Mifflin Revolutionary War Reenactment Held On November 15, 2009

Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania held a historical "Siege Of Fort Mifflin" Reenactment on the 15th of November. Reenactors dressed like Colonial Revolutionaries, British Redcoats, Scottish Highlanders aka Green-Coated Loyalists (in the green kilts) and Loyalists (played by the 1st New Jersey Volunteers). It was a fantastic event and representation that even featured an 18th century concert at the end!



Here's an airplane flying overhead!












The concert - a drummer and three fifers!


Here I am by the old wall and cannon!


Additional photos from the event can be seen here:
http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u213/portaltothepast/Reenactments/Revolutionary%20War/Fort%20Mifflin%2011-15-2009

I have five videos of the event at my youtube page, http://www.youtube.com/MichaelTheResearcher. They can be found using the search phrases "Revolutionary War Reenactment At Fort Mifflin 11-15-2009" and "18th Century Concert At Fort Mifflin 11-15-2009".

Fort Mifflin has many more great events coming up:
http://fortmifflin.us

Armistice Day/Veterans Day/Remembrance Day

Armistice Day ... Veterans Day ... Remembrance Day ... the name is not always the same depending on the country, but the recognition is. This is a day to acknowledge the World War One Veterans who are still with us as well as remembering the World War One Veterans who have passed on. The world, and specifically Britain, lost two Veterans of the Great War in 2009: Henry Allingham and Harry Patch.

Henry Allingham was a founding member of the Royal Air Force and was the last surviving Veteran of the Battle of Jutland. Although he was assigned to fly, he experienced the horrors of the ground one evening. While searching for debris, he fell into a trench that was filled with arms, legs, flesh, dead rats and water. Despite the shock of the experience, he lived to become Britain's oldest verified man ever and was prior to his death, the oldest man in the world at that time. In World War Two, he worked to neutralize German mines.


Harry Patch was the last survivor of Passchendaele, a Battle that included a German private by the name of Adolf Hitler. While in the trenches, he was wounded in action and witnessed three of his friends die. He is considered the last Tommy and was the oldest man in Europe before his death. He saw some action in World War Two as a fireman during the Baedeker Blitz raids.


Although Bill Stone was in basic training during World War One, some have included him in its roster. He passed away in 2009 as well. In World War Two, he was involved with picking soldiers up from beaches and was torpedoed on two occasions.


Some of you may have seen a video of the Ceremony at the Cenotaph in 2008. It was the 90th Anniversary of the Armistice. Those who were there personally will keep the memory with them forever for it was the last time the three men were seen altogether and it was the last time any of them would be alive on November 11.