I awoke from a particularly hard sleep after a night celebrating ten Cub Scouts’ earning their Arrow of Light awards and advancing into Boy Scout troops, to a missive from Carl Cannon (RealClear Politics) wondering why I’m asleep at the switch.
Millard Fillmore died on March 8, 1874, and he expected to see some note of that here at the Bathtub. This blog is not the chronicler of all things Millard Fillmore, but can’t we at least get the major dates right?
Carl is right. Alas, Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub is avocation, and at times like these an avocation that should be far down the list of avocations.
To mark the date, here is a post out of the past that notes two key events on March 8 that Fillmore had a hand in, the second being his death. Work continues on several fronts, and more may splash out of the tub today, even about Fillmore. Stay tuned.
Fillmore died on March 8, 1874; exactly 20 years earlier, Commodore Matthew C. Perry landed in Japan, in the process of what may be the greatest and most overlooked legacy of Millard Fillmore’s presidency, the opening of Japan to the world. Here’s that post:
The Black Ships — Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s squadron in Japan, 1854 – CSSVirginia.org image from Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, Boston, May 15, 1852 (also, see BaxleyStamps.com); obviously the drawing was published prior to the expedition’s sailing.
Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1852 photograph, Library of Congress via WikiMedia
Within 50 years Japan would come to dominate the seas of the the Western Pacific, and would become a major world power.
1854 japanese woodblock print of U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry. Peabody Museum: “The characters located across the top read from right to left, ‘A North American Figure’ and ‘Portrait of Perry.’ According to the Peabody Essex Museum, ‘this print may be one of the first depictions of westerners in Japanese art, and exaggerates Perry’s western features (oblong face, down-turned eyes, bushy brown eyebrows, and large nose).’” But compare with photo above, right. Peabody Museum holding, image from Library of Congress via WikiMedia
Then, 20 years later, on March 8, 1874, Millard Fillmore died in Buffalo, New York.
The Perry expedition to Japan was the most famous, and perhaps the greatest recognized achievement of Fillmore’s presidency. Fillmore had started the U.S. on a course of imperialistic exploitation and exploration of the world, with other expeditions of much less success to Africa and South America, according to the story of his death in The New York Times.
The general policy of his Administration was wise and liberal, and he left the country at peace with all the world and enjoying a high degree of prosperity. His Administration was distinguished by the Lopez fillibustering expeditions to Cuba, which were discountenanced by the Government, and by several important expeditions to distant lands. The expedition to Japan under Commodore Perry resulted in a favorable treaty with that country, but that dispatched under Lieut. Lynch, in search of gold in the interior of Africa, failed of its object. Exploring expeditions were also sent to the Chinese seas, and to the Valley of the Amazon.
The 6th Floor Museum in Dallas presents in-depth studies of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, on November 22, 1963.
There’s a lot more to such a study than you might think. It’s a relatively quick tour — you can view the museum’s displays and films in about two hours, comfortably, stopping to read exhibit cards and really analyze objects on display. A couple of the films present a great deal of history quickly and well (Walter Cronkite narrates one).
One cannot avoid a great deal of history of the Civil Rights Movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War, and the start of the Vietnam conflict. Kennedy’s administration covered only three years, but a very active and important three years in the 20th century.
Increasingly the 6th Floor Museum is a stop for researchers and scholars. The recent addition of a good reading room for scholars is a great asset.
Curator Gary Mack offers a quick introduction in this video:
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Plan to spend three or four hours. You’ll find the place very interesting. After the museum, most likely you’ll want to spend some time exploring Dealey Plaza, the road where Kennedy’s car was when he was shot, and the famous grassy knoll. It’s a part of downtown that is almost always filled with people in daylight in all but the absolute worst weather. (Check out the EarthCam at Dealey Plaza.)
Teachers inspect the Dallas Police station, where accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was held. The door at left opens on the room where Oswald was interrogated by police. Panorama photo by Ed Darrell, use encouraged, with attribution; click for larger version
It’s been a good week of finding sources, for history issues across the spectrum, not just about the Kennedy assassination in Dallas.
Certainly one of the highlights was a bus tour that carried us from Dallas’s Love Field airport, along the route of Kennedy’s motorcade, to Parkland Hospital, and then through Oak Cliff along the route accused assassin Lee Oswald is believed to have traveled after the assassination to his capture at the much restored Texas Theatre on Jefferson Boulevard.
In the photo above we discuss the actions of Dallas Police after Oswald’s capture. This room is in the old homicide division of the old Dallas Police Station, a building still in use for municipal offices and being renovated after the police department moved to a newer building a few years ago. The door at the left leads to the room where Oswald was questioned about his actions and his knowledge of the day’s events.
Cops and their desks departed years ago, but Oswald's interrogation room holds a fascinating, film noir atmosphere; view from inside the room, as teachers discuss events of November 22, 1963, in the larger office outside. Photo by Ed Darrell; click for larger view
Following federal law on how blues club should be, the walls tell stories of blues past, blues well-remembered, good blues players who visited, and stories of blues in general. A neophyte can get a good education just looking at the walls in a good club. One wall wore a painting of what could have been Mount Rushmore, which piqued my history radar — but in place of Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln, it had Chicago blues legends: Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, and Howlin’ Wolf.
Who knows the history of the image? Did Buddy Guy hire it done? Did someone do it as a serious tribute? Was it an image done for a show in the distant past, just pasted onto the wall?
When I heard the club was moving, I feared for the thing, especially since I was not digital at the time and didn’t get a photo of it. To my shock, I couldn’t find any images on the internet.
Then a couple of days ago I ran across a version of the the image, at Today’s Chicago Blues. It’s appropriately called “Mount Bluesmore.”
But the same question remains: Will it be saved with the new venue?
Mount Bluesmore, at Buddy Guy's Legends, Chicago - image from Today's Chicago Blues
* This isn’t blues, below, but it’s worth a listen; I believe it may even be Duncanville’s premiere of Hazo’s tribute to Rosa Parks — alas, without video of the band, and lacking a little on the bass end but otherwise showing off the Wind Ensemble’s performance flair:
Here it is, the invention that stole sleep from our grasp, made clubbing possible, and launched 50,000 cartoons about ideas:
The light bulb Thomas Edison demonstrated on December 31, 1879, at Menlo Park, New Jersey - Wikimedia image (GFDL)
The light bulb. It’s an incandescent bulb.
It wasn’t the first bulb. Edison a few months earlier devised a bulb that worked with a platinum filament. Platinum was too expensive for mass production, though — and Edison wanted mass production. So, with the cadre of great assistants at his Menlo Park laboratories, he struggled to find a good, inexpensive filament that would provide adequate life for the bulb. By late December 1879 they had settled on carbon filament.
Edison invited investors and the public to see the bulb demonstrated, on December 31, 1879.
Thomas Edison in 1878, the year before he demonstrated a workable electric light bulb. CREDIT: Thomas Edison, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left, 1880. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction number LC-USZ62-98067
Edison’s successful bulb indicated changes in science, technology, invention, intellectual property and finance well beyond its use of electricity. For example:
Edison’s Menlo Park, New Jersey, offices and laboratory were financed with earlier successful inventions. It was a hive of inventive activity aimed to make practical inventions from advances in science. Edison was all about selling inventions and rights to manufacture devices. He always had an eye on the profit potential. His improvements on the telegraph would found his laboratory he thought, and he expected to sell the device to Western Union for $5,000 to $7,000. Instead of offering it to them at a price, however, he asked Western Union to bid on it. They bid $10,000, which Edison gratefully accepted, along with the lesson that he might do better letting the marketplace establish the price for his inventions. Other inventive labs followed Edison’s example, such as the famous Bell Labs, but few equalled his success, or had as much fun doing it.
Edison didn’t invent the light bulb — but his improvements on it made it commercial. “In addressing the question ‘Who invented the incandescent lamp?’ historians Robert Friedel and Paul Israel list 22 inventors of incandescent lamps prior to Joseph Wilson Swan and Thomas Edison. They conclude that Edison’s version was able to outstrip the others because of a combination of three factors: an effective incandescent material, a higher vacuum than others were able to achieve (by use of the Sprengel pump) and a high resistance lamp that made power distribution from a centralized source economically viable.”
Look around yourself this evening, and you can find a score of ways that Edison’s invention and its descendants affect your life. One of the more musing effects is in cartooning, however. Today a glowing lightbulb is universally accepted as a nonverbal symbol for ideas and inventions. (See Mark Parisi’s series of lightbulb cartoons, “Off the Mark.”)
Even with modern, electricity-saving bulbs, the cartoon shorthand hangs on, as in this Mitra Farmand cartoon.
Brilliant cartoon from Mitra Farmand, Fuffernutter
Or see this wonderful animation, a video advertisement for United Airlines, by Joanna Quinn for Fallon — almost every frame has the symbolic lightbulb in it.
Thomas Edison's electric lamp patent drawing and claim for the incandescent light bulb CREDIT: “New Jersey--The Wizard of Electricity--Thomas A. Edison's System of Electric Illumination,” 1880. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction Number LC-USZ62-97960.
QWERTY Exhibit at the Museum of Printing History, Houston
QWERTY: A Typewriter Retrospective
October 8, 2009– March 20, 2010 Typewriters inhabit a special place in the American psyche. No longer in widespread use, typewriters have been outsourced by the desktop computer, although they maintain a special air of nostalgia. Americans remember their junior high typing class, while many of today’s youngsters have never set eyes on such a machine. Tucked away in closets and in office corners, many typewriters are still occasionally put to good use. In addition to being beautiful specimens of design, who can forget the characteristic music of taps and bells created by a manual typewriter? From the collection of the Museum of Printing History.
More details on the Museum:
The Museum of Printing History
1324 W. Clay Street
Houston, Texas 77019
Hours:
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday – Saturday
713-522-4652
Free admission for self-guided tours
And the “Origin” changed everything. Before the “Origin,” the diversity of life could only be catalogued and described; afterwards, it could be explained and understood. Before the “Origin,” species were generally seen as fixed entities, the special creations of a deity; afterwards, they became connected together on a great family tree that stretches back, across billions of years, to the dawn of life. Perhaps most importantly, the “Origin” changed our view of ourselves. It made us as much a part of nature as hummingbirds and bumblebees (or humble-bees, as Darwin called them); we, too, acquired a family tree with a host of remarkable and distinguished ancestors.
The reason the “Origin” was so powerful, compelling and persuasive, the reason Darwin succeeded while his predecessors failed, is that in it he does not just describe how evolution by natural selection works. He presents an enormous body of evidence culled from every field of biology then known. He discusses subjects as diverse as pigeon breeding in Ancient Egypt, the rudimentary eyes of cave fish, the nest-building instincts of honeybees, the evolving size of gooseberries (they’ve been getting bigger), wingless beetles on the island of Madeira and algae in New Zealand. One moment, he’s considering fossil animals like brachiopods (which had hinged shells like clams, but with a different axis of symmetry); the next, he’s discussing the accessibility of nectar in clover flowers to different species of bee.
At the same time, he uses every form of evidence at his disposal: he observes, argues, compares, infers and describes the results of experiments he has read about, or in many cases, personally conducted. For example, one of Darwin’s observations is that the inhabitants of islands resemble — but differ subtly from — those of the nearest continents. So: birds and bushes on islands off the coast of South America resemble South American birds and bushes; islands near Africa are populated by recognizably African forms.
Of course you –you cognescenti, you — know Judson is the wit behind Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation, a thoroughly delightful, funny and scientifically accurate book. Which brings to my mind this question: Why are scientists, and especially evolutionary scientists, so funny and charming, in stark contrast to the dull proles of creationism?
And, were he not ill at the time, can you imagine what a fantastic dinner guest Charles Darwin himself would be?
Wondering what to do while you’re in Wichita Falls, Texas?
Through March 2010, you can view a display commemorating Scouting’s 100th anniversary in the United States, featuring nearly 100 years of Scouting history in Wichita Falls.
Stephanie Wood, assistant curator of the exhibit “Boy Scouts of America: 100 Years,” hangs Boy Scout uniforms at the Museum of North Texas History. Photo by Photos by Marissa Millender/Times Record News
History teaches us if you learn from the past, you’ll be better prepared for the future. But being prepared is a quality also embraced by another organization — the Boy Scouts of America.
And so it seemed fitting that when the Boy Scouts reached their 100th anniversary this year, the Northwest Texas Council would commemorate the event at the Museum of North Texas History.
The downtown museum will open its latest exhibit, “Boy Scouts of America: 100 Years,” with a preview dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday at the dowtown museum, 720 Indiana, though more than 400 visitors got a sneak peek of the display Saturday during the Wichita Falls Museum Coalition’s Stroll ‘N’ Roll Museum Day.
The $40 preview dinner will include a viewing of the exhibit and a talk by Jim Hughes, George Adams and Darrell Kirkland.
Hughes, the Boy Scouts Chartered Organization Representative at Floral Heights United Methodist Church, has been involved in Scouting for about seven decades. A lot of his Scouting memorabilia peppers the exhibit, such as his Order of the Arrow badges and Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Explorer awards.
One of the most valuable pieces of memorabilia in the display, he said, is a flag hand-sewn by Scouts in 1913.
“Boys didn’t have money back then and had to make their own flag,” Hughes said.
Another impressive contribution to the exhibit is Bill McClure’s Eagle badge. McClure received his Eagle rank — the highest rank that can be achieved in the organization — in 1921. He was the first Eagle in the Wichita Falls Council to do so. He earned 21 merit badges and would eventually become a journalist for the Times Record News and sold advertising for KWFT before his death in 1982.
Hughes said what he treasures most among his scouting collection over the years is his own Eagle badge.
The exhibit, curated by Betsy O’Connor with Stephanie Wood as assistant curator, also includes a Pinewood Derby track on which visitors can race wooden cars, along with a display of a tent and camp fire.
Visitors will see Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Webelos uniforms on display, as well, such as the 1930s-era uniform of Billy Sims, the 1961 outfit of Tim Hunter and the 1998 uniform of Cory Wood, along with the “brag vest” of Cole Watson.
One area features information about Philmont Scout Ranch, a 137,493-acre ranch in the mountains of northeastern New Mexico in the Sangre de Christo Range of the Rockies, donated by Oklahoma oilman Waite Phillips.
Posters in the exhibit show various ropes and knots Scouts learn to tie, and things Scouts can do in nature conservation.
From left, Betsy O’Connor, curator, and Stephanie Wood, assistant curator, set up a camping display in the “Boy Scouts of America: 100 Years” exhibit at the Museum of North Texas History. Photos by Marissa Millender/Times Record News
Other items to look for: Carl Watson’s walking stick, an Order of the Arrow Native American headdress and Eagle Claw necklace and photographs of local scouts.
The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on Feb. 8, 1910, by William D. Boyce and others. It was modeled after an organization in Great Britain founded by Lord Baden-Powell.
In 1911, Dr. J.L. McKee, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, organized the first troop in Wichita Falls with 27 members before the troop disbanded after McKee left town. But two years later, four more troops were organized. The Wichita Falls Council became the Northwest Texas Council in 1937.
All three of Jim Hughes’ sons, like their father, earned the rank of Eagle Scout. So has one of his grandsons. Another grandson is a Cub Scout who is continuing the tradition of Scouting in the Hughes family.
“I got so much out of it,” Hughes said. “I wanted to have my kids have the same experience.”
Following the exhibit’s opening, “Boy Scouts of America” can be viewed through March 2010.
Do museums in your area have Scouting exhibits planned, or already up? Let us know in comments.
Magna charta cum statutis angliae, (Great Charter with English Statutes). Library of Congress
These links are to exhibits that are closed, but whose images are still maintained on line. The Library promises to update exhibits, and on line collections will grow, too.
There really is some remarkable stuff, most of it obscure enough to be really cool, still.
A 16th century miniature pictures Rustam, the hero of the Persian national epic, The Shah Namah, tossed into the sea by the demon Akwan. (Library of Congress, Near East Section).
In Key West, early on in an apartment near the Ford dealership, where they awaited the delivery of the Ford purchased for Hemingway and his wife Pauline, by Pauline’s Uncle Gus, Hemingway wrote most of A Farewell to Arms, published in 1929.
The house was purchased later. I can’t tell — some say he used here a Royal Quiet DeLuxe.
New logo and slogan for the Texas Historical Commission
A lot of photos from the sites the Historical Commission operates, news of special events, and links to the Commission’s sites’ websites. As yet there are not any substantive historical analyses.
The Pima Air & Space Museum offers exclusive bus tours of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARG), also known as the “Boneyard.” The facility is located adjacent to the Museum at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Seats are avaliable on a ”first come first serve” basis.
See the photo at the bottom — when I lived and taught in Tucson, this was a constant source of fascination, and frankly, to us aviation fans, it still is.
The Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona; the Pima Air & Space Museum now offers bus tours of the 309th Maintenance and Regeneration Group's collection of scrapped and very historic airplanes
A quick snippet of learning from my stay at Mount Vernon:
How many places are named after Washington? How many schools?
At the relatively new museum here I found a display that notes how Americans have honored our First President by naming things after him:
26 mountains
740 schools
155 places (the exhibit said “155 cities and counties,” but the map also showed the State of Washington)
(All of this comes without the aid of a George Washington Legacy Project to inflate his importance and the love of Americans for his work!)
George Washington can still lay claim to his friend Richard Lee’s eulogy, as “first in the hearts of his countrymen.”
I found the display on place names on the way out of the Education Center — a place designed to help visiting teachers learn about resources available for classroom use.
Of course the group works to help teachers who can’t visit at the moment, too. To that end they’ve published online a series of lesson plans developed by the George Washington Teachers’ Institute, a summer residency program that provides professional development.
@af_df @MMilesDISD @dallasschools I'd love to be held accountable for my 100% passing rate, including all minorities & special ed. Not this.Splashed: 1 day ago
RT @NPCA: Are you a shutterbug? We found a fun photo contest, a gorgeous Instagram feed, & more this week on Best of the Net: http://t.co/x…Splashed: 1 day ago
We've been soaking in the Bathtub for several months, long enough that some of the links we've used have gone to the Great Internet in the Sky.
If you find a dead link, please leave a comment to that post, and tell us what link has expired.
Thanks!
Posted by Ed Darrell 
