Good evening. This is Michael. It is February 13, 2013, and, on this eve of Valentine's Day, I have love to share with all the ladies out there. This blog entry features two Love Tokens fashioned from Seated Liberty Dimes from the 1880s. One is dated 1882, and the other is dated 1886. Love Tokens are engraved coins. In the late 1800s, it was quite common for people to smooth over and engrave coins with initials or another kind of design. The two examples presented here are engraved with the initials "CIS" and "FHH".
The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef-1x-H25Vs
These are two wonderful expressions of love and romance in the nineteenth century. I hope that all of you enjoyed viewing these lovely specimens of the Victorian Age. Thank you for watching everyone, and I wish you and your special someone a very Happy Valentine's Day.
Louisiana Hines, whom I blogged about on January 26 of this year (Link: http://michaeltheresearcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-number-of-survivors-from-1800s-is.html) passed away on Friday. I just found out a moment ago as I was looking at the GRG's chart of Oldest Living People (Link: http://grg.org/Adams/E.HTM). She lived long enough to be verified and recognized as being born in 1899, and I am happy about that. Louisiana was the Oldest Living Black Person On Earth. The number of surviving people born in the 1800s has dropped once again to fourteen. A nice article about Louisiana's recent passing can be found here: http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20130205/NEWS/130205007 Louisiana Hines - April 13, 1899 to February 1, 2013. Right now, I give a very hearty salute to a World War II Rosie The Riveter!
February 4 ... on this day, one year ago, Florence Green departed this Earth, and, on this day, one-hundred years ago, Rosa Parks entered this Earth. Exactly who are these women, and what did they do? Florence Green was born in Edmonton, London in England on February 19, 1901. At the age of seventeen, Florence joined the Women's Royal Air Force during World War One and eventually became the absolute Last Surviving Veteran of The Great War. Florence signed up with the WRAF because she wanted to do her part for the war effort. She passed away on February 4, 2012. Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in the United States Of America on February 4, 1913. At the age of forty-two, Rosa refused to give up her seat on a bus and her refusal helped usher in the Civil Rights Movement in America. Rosa did not stand up for her belief ... she sat down for her belief, and talk of her act of defiance was heard all over the world. She passed away on October 24, 2005. The previous two paragraphs describe quite succinctly what these two women did, and this is how they will be remembered forevermore. Florence Green stood up to the challenge of her day, and Rosa Parks sat down to the challenge of her day.
How will you be remembered? By watching the super bowl ... or, as I call it, the stupid bowl or the toilet bowl? By drinking alcohol? By doing drugs? What will you leave behind, and is that how you wish to be remembered?
It is 2013, and I am continuing the observance of the Bicentennial of the War Of 1812. On January 31, 1813, two hundred years ago, an ensign of the 16th Regiment Infantry of the United States Army named Thomas J. Martin worked on and completed the document featured in this video. It pertains to recruitment. I acquired this document four months ago and I am elated to show it to you right now ... on its 200th Birthday!
Here is the url for the video above in case it does not embed properly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uNOMtnd77g Here is the transcription: Philadelphia January 31, 1813 Received from Lieutenant Colonel Richard O Dernig two hundred dollars on the bounty ... premiums and contingency Dollars 200 = Duplicate receipts_ Thomas J Martin Ensign 16th Regiment Infantry
It is January 30, 2013. I just came back from the store. While I was in line, I noticed the cashier was looking at a coin. I asked her if it was a rare coin. She said it was a 50 cent piece from Malaysia. I asked if I could have it as change, and she said "Sure". It is a 50 Sen piece from the year 2003 - Bank Negara Malaysia. A Malaysian coin made its way to the USA, and I took advantage of the opportunity.
The coin is kinda cool ... now if the country only got rid of its stupid and savage islamic apostasy law.
This is interesting. The recent passing of Koto Okubo (as reported on January 13 of this year: http://michael-the-researcher.blogspot.com/2013/01/koto-okubo-worlds-oldest-woman-passed.html) caused the number of surviving people born in the 1800s to drop to 14. Earlier today, I looked at the chart, and the number is back up to 15. I looked at my data and compared it to the most recent chart, and it looks like another survivor from the 1800s has been verified. Her name is Louisiana Hines, and she was born on April 13, 1899. Her application date was July 13, 2010, and she was accepted on January 22, 2013. We are now back to 15 survivors from the 1800s! Louisiana Hines was either the daughter of slaves or the grand-daughter of slaves. I found conflicting reports. She is now the Sixth Oldest Person on Earth and the Second Oldest American. The names of the current survivors from the 1800s and other supercentenarians have been compiled by the Gerontology Research Group. All of the pertinent information can be seen at their website: http://grg.org/Adams/E.HTM A very incredible interview with Louisiana Hines from the year 2000 can be found here - http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/100years.html. Out of all of the people who were interviewed on the webpage, Louisiana is the only person currently living. According to the interview segment, Louisiana was a Rosie The Riveter in World War II! She could very well be the oldest of all Rosie The Riveters in America. It would be wonderful to hear of her experiences in the 1940s. Hopefully someone can make this happen very, very soon.
It has been eleven months since I posted a celestial-based blog entry. The Moon, the star Aldebaran (as part of the Constellation Taurus) and the planet Jupiter were in plain view on January 22, 2013. I tried to record a video, and unfortunately, Aldebaran was not able to be captured. It was also FREEZING outside! I did not stay outside for long at all ... this could very well have been my fastest night sky photoshoot ever! The photo was taken at 8:50 PM.
I have some more sad news to report to you this month. Another supercentenarian who was born in the 1800s has departed the Earth. Her name is Koto Okubo, and she is the second person from the 1890s to have passed on this month. Not much is known about Koto. The following link features some information about her: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20130113a4.html R.I.P. to Koto Okubo who lived from December 24, 1897 to January 12, 2013 ... 115 years total. There are now only fourteen individuals who were born in the 1800s left on the planet.
January 9, 2013 ... the 100th Birth Anniversary of Richard Milhous Nixon. On this day, in 1913, Richard Nixon was born. In honor of Richard Nixon's Centennial, I decided to dig into the archives and pull out a few items such as autographed books, signed letters, press photographs, political campaign buttons, a record and a hilarious and incredibly bizarre Richard Nixon shower head ... no doubt one of the most bizarre pieces of presidential memorabilia ever made!! I also spun the record for those who want to hear his voice.
Richard Nixon ... Congressman, Senator, Vice President, President and World War II Veteran.
My Friends: This Sunday, January 13, 2013, a demonstration calling for a stop to the pending executions of the cousins Zanyar Moradi and Loghman Moradi and all political prisoners in Iran will be held in Washington, DC. As it stands presently, I will be attending this protest. If any of you want to attend (and I hope you do), the link below has all of the details. http://missionfreeiran.org/2013/01/08/free-moradis
