The History Orclee

In the summer of 1947, a woman walked into a drug store in Memphis, Tennessee, to drop off film to be developed when she realized she had one exposure left.
She noticed a young boy outside the drugstore and asked him to pose with his bicycle so she could finish the roll and turn it in.
Only years later did she realize that it was a 12 year old Elvis Presley?

This is an Italian prototype of a MIAS mobile armored shield, built in the mid-1930s.
Its purpose was to provide its operator with a mobile machine gun and some protection, to enable them to fire under cover.
The design was a simple one, consisting of a semi-enclosed compartment that protected a single man and carried two machine guns. It was powered by a 5 hp Frera engine and ran on a basic track system.
The rear section was left open, so the MIAS only provided protection from the front and sides. The roof section was hinged and could be raised by the operator if needed.
It was only armored enough to defend against 7.92mm Ma**er armor-piercing rounds, and was not designed to withstand anything remotely "anti-tank".
Another version, the MORAS, was armed with a 45 mm Bixia mortar. Neither of the designs were produced.

Discovered in 1908 at Giza, these 4,500-year-old statues of Pharaoh Menkaure were hidden beneath layers of sand for millennia. Found in nearly perfect condition, the statues capture the incredible skill of ancient Egyptian artists, with every detail preserved despite the passage of time.
Menkaure, known for building one of the Great Pyramids, is shown in these statues as a symbol of power. It’s amazing to think they lay untouched for thousands of years before being revealed to the modern world.

In 1914, Della Crewe, with her sidecar Harley and a dog named “Trouble” took a six-month tour across the country.

[A "Walking Library" in London, circa 1930s]
The concept of a "Walking Library" in London during the 1930s refers to individuals who would carry books with them and offer them to the public in various locations. These walking libraries were essentially mobile libraries, enabling access to books for people who might not have had easy access to traditional libraries.
The idea was to promote literacy and the love of reading among the populace. Individuals acting as walking libraries would roam the streets, parks, and public spaces, lending books and sometimes even reading to those interested. This initiative was particularly valuable during a time when not everyone had the means or opportunity to visit a stationary library.
The 1930s was a period marked by economic challenges, and such innovative ideas played a crucial role in providing cultural and educational resources to the masses. The walking libraries also fostered a sense of community and shared learning experiences.

Imagine being a young widow of just 21, left with the responsibility of raising four children in the bustling city of Philadelphia. This was Martha Coston's destiny, but instead of succumbing to despair, she transformed her sorrow into a pioneering innovation. Their story is one of resilience, ingenuity, and the unwavering determination to revolutionize maritime communication.
It all started with a chance discovery. Martha stumbled upon her late husband's notebooks, filled with his unsuccessful attempts to create a maritime marking system. While many might have only seen failure, Martha saw potential. Determined to succeed where her husband couldn't, she embarked on a quest to develop a system of flares that could illuminate the night sky and communicate vital messages across the vast oceanic distances.
Martha's path wasn't easy at all. Relying on the help of chemists, he spent years experimenting with various materials and designs. Inspiration finally struck when she realized the vivid, explosive nature of fireworks could be harnessed for her marking system. After countless tests and sleepless nights, he perfected his "Pyrotechnic Night Signals", using a combination of red, white, and green flares. In 1859, their persistence was rewarded with the grant of patent #23,536.
The U.S. Navy quickly recognized the strategic advantage of Martha's Flares. During the Civil War, these signs became a crucial tool for the Union, aiding in battlefield communication and maritime rescues, ultimately contributing to the victory of the North.
But Martha didn't stop there. In 1871, he introduced a torque ignition device, further refining his system. Their flares were soon in demand worldwide, used by the military, carriers and yacht clubs. Despite her success, Martha faced relentless prejudice. In an industry dominated by men, he often found his contribution underestimated and his compensation insufficient. However, her determination never wavered. He continued to fight for recognition and fair treatment, leaving an indelible mark on maritime history.

Gentlemen with Ribbons, Phillipsburg, KS, Early 1900s
An intriguing photo of two gentlemen adorned with ribbons, photographed by George A. Locke in Phillipsburg, Kansas, early 1900s. From my glass negative collection, this image piques curiosity about the occasion.

I've read a lot about love but I've never read anything like this!!!.
The Russian writer and philosopher (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) wrote to his beloved Maria saying:
On the street where you live, there are nine women prettier than you, seven women taller than you, nine women shorter than you and one who loves me more than you. You do, and at work there's a woman who always smiles at me, and another urges me to talk, and the waitress at the restaurant put honey instead of sugar in my tea... but i love you.
She endured his diseases, her poverty, her travels and her absence from her, and she endured all kinds of miseries with him, while he was on his deathbed. He said, "I didn't betray you even in my memory."

Here are some fascinating facts about books that will leave you amazed:
1. Roosevelt read an average of one book per day.
2. Harvard University Library has four books bound in human skin.
3. Iceland tops the world in per capita book reading.
4. People who read books are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
5. In Brazilian prisons, reading a book can reduce a prisoner's sentence by four days.
6. The most stolen book is the Bible.
7. Victor Hugo’s *Les Misérables* contains a sentence with 823 words.
8. Virginia Woolf wrote all her books while standing.
9. Leo Tolstoy's wife hand-copied the manuscript of *War and Peace* seven times.
10. There are over 20,000 books written about chess.
11. Noah Webster took 36 years to write his first dictionary.
12. The Mahabharata is the only book or epic in the world with over 1,200 characters.
13. Words like “hurry” and “addiction” were invented by Shakespeare.
14. If all the books in the New York Public Library were lined up, they would stretch 8 miles.
15. The longest novel ever written is *In Search of Lost Time* by Marcel Proust, with over 1.2 million words.
16. The first book ever printed was the Gutenberg Bible in 1455.
17. J.K. Rowling is the first billionaire author, thanks to the success of the Harry Potter series.
18. Charles Dickens was paid by the word, which is why many of his books are so lengthy.

Seems we are all in need of a little wartime romance, judging by the popularity of the weekend's posts, so here's a story to cheer up a dreary Monday morning 😀
Meet Joy and Carl. ❤️
When the Blitz broke out Joy was a sixteen year old from Bexleyheath in Kent. After the death of her father William in 1941, Joy was thrust into the role of bread-winner, supporting her mother Renee and two younger brothers Anthony and Geoffrey. Joy slept under a Morrison cage shelter and got up at dawn to get the train into London, dodging bombs to work as a typist in London. For Joy, escape from danger and privation was found in the wartime dancehalls.
‘I used to go to the Embassy Ballroom in Bexley,’ Joy told me. ‘It was a popular haunt for the GIs and that drew a lot of girls.’
It was there in September 1944, that 19-year-old Joy met 24-year-old bespectacled GI Carl Beebe. ‘He wasn’t full of swagger like the other GIs were,’ she told me. ‘He didn’t tell me the streets of New York were paved with gold!’
Carl worked for US Army Intelligence as a code breaker at Hall Place in Bexley, part of Bletchley Park. Soon, he and Joy were stepping out.
‘He was so polite and kind. He was always bringing me flowers and was so thoughtful to my mother. He knew we didn’t have much so brought her treats, like peanut butter, which we’d never tasted before.’
Joy and her mother were won over and when he proposed after three months of courtship, she accepted. On April 28, 1945 - Joy and Carl were married in Welling, Kent in a church with a ‘blown off’ roof. Joy looked radiant in an exquisite white silk dress her brother had managed to source on the black market. It snowed during the ceremony, with rain dripping through the hole in the roof, but when they stepped outside the sun muscled out from behind the clouds.
‘It was the best life I had ever known,’ she said. Ten days after they exchanged their vows, Victory in Europe was declared, but Carl’s war wasn’t yet over. He was reassigned to Germany to decipher Japanese code before the final victory in August 1945. It wasn’t until February 1948 that the heroic young couple were able to set sail for America with their nearly 2-year-old son, Philip. The fifteen-day trip across the Atlantic on SS Marine Falcon was treacherous.
‘It was so hard to leave my mum and the journey was frightening, with rough seas. To add to the drama the ship cracked just before we got to Ellis Island and we were directed to go back and hold out at sea!’
Despite such a foreboding start, war bride Joy quickly set down roots in Oregon and forged a meaningful life. She and Carl had four children, Philip, Jennifer, Barbara and Vivian. Carl built them a home and worked as a decorator, while Joy became a restaurateur. They enjoyed fifty-one years of happy marriage before Carl’s death in 1995, aged 75.
‘I miss him, but surviving the war has taught me I have no choice but to get on with things,' she told me. 'You can’t ever give up.’
Joy, in common with all GI brides, was a bold pioneer! I'm so grateful I got the chance to interview her before she passed away last year at the fine age of 97, She was surrounded by her family of five generations including children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. What a life! x❤️
Credit - Kate Thompson

This boy is called Josh, he suffers from bullying at his school because of his weight. Out of spite, some students forced him to invite the most popular and beautiful girl in school to go to a dance (with the intention of him receiving no for an answer, and being even more hurt), Josh went to her house with a bouquet of flowers and made the proposal... The girl hugged him and accepted the invitation... They were the King and Queen of the ball.…

This is A.B. Blocker at the age of 83 in San Antonio circa 1939. A.B., who died in 1943, was probably the best/most famous trail-riding cowboy of all time, driving cattle from Texas northward so many times I can't count them all. I've written about him on multiple occasions. So did J. Frank Dobie. Among other things, A.B. designed the famous XIT brand. Remember his name, because I'll post his entire account of being a cattle-driving cowboy in the next few days. It's quite a tale. He was the epitome of a no-nonsense Texas man!

The Holtermann 'Nugget'
While the Welcome Stranger is the largest gold nugget ever discovered, the single biggest gold specimen ever found is the Holtermann. Dug up in October 1872 by German miner Bernhardt Holtermann at Hill End in New South Wales Australia, it was crushed, and the gold extracted.
Although dubbed the Holtermann Nugget, the gold was not, in fact, a nugget. Weighing in at a whopping 285kg, it was a mixture of gold, quartz and slate. It stood 144.8cm high, and was 66cm wide and 10.2cm thick. The 93.2kg of gold extracted from the specimen had an estimated value of $5.2 million at today's prices.

Camille Monfort, known as "The Amazon Vampire," became a legend in 1896 when Belém, Brazil, flourished from the rubber trade. The city saw a sudden rise in wealth as rubber exports enriched local farmworkers, who built grand mansions using European materials. Their families indulged in luxuries such as sending their laundry to Europe and importing mineral water from London. The "Theatro da Paz" was the center of cultural life, hosting performances by European artists.
Among these artists was Camille Monfort, a beautiful French opera singer born in 1869, whose presence captivated the wealthy men of Belém and sparked jealousy among their wives. Monfort’s beauty and bold disregard for social norms made her controversial. She was rumored to have danced half-naked in the streets during afternoon rain showers and often took solitary nighttime walks along the banks of the Guajará River, dressed in flowing black gowns under the full moon.
As her popularity grew, so did the rumors surrounding her. It was whispered that she had an affair with Francisco Bolonha, a prominent local figure who allegedly bathed her in expensive European champagne in his mansion. Stranger tales circulated, suggesting that Monfort had been afflicted with vampirism while in London, explaining her pale appearance. According to these rumors, she developed a thirst for human blood, said to mesmerize young women with her voice during performances, causing them to faint and allowing her to prey on them. These fainting spells were often attributed to the overwhelming emotional power of her music, but some claimed they were the result of darker forces.
Monfort was also rumored to possess supernatural abilities, such as communicating with the dead and summoning spirits through ectoplasm in spiritual séances. These activities were believed to be early examples of spiritualism, which later became more widely practiced in secretive circles in Belém, including the Pinho Palace.
In late 1896, Camille Monfort fell victim to a cholera outbreak that swept through Belém. She was buried in the Soledad Cemetery, where her grave remains under the shadow of a large mango tree. The neoclassical mausoleum, now weathered with moss and leaves, features a white marble bust of a woman and a small framed image of her in black. Her tombstone reads:
"Here lies
Camilla Maria Monfort (1869-1896)
The voice that captivated the world."
However, some believe her tomb is empty, claiming her death was staged to hide her vampirism and that Camille Monfort still lives in Europe, now over 150 years old. The legend of "The Amazon Vampire" endures, adding to the mystique surrounding her life and death.

he learned that a young man in his company had created an experimental car. Edison met this young man, Henry Ford, at a company party in New York and was thoroughly impressed by his gasoline-powered car idea. Edison, who had been considering electricity as a power source, enthusiastically encouraged Ford, saying, "Young man, that's the thing! You have it! I think you are on to something! I encourage you to continue your pursuits!"
Encouraged by the respected inventor, Henry Ford continued his work, eventually inventing a car that made him wealthy.
On December 9, 1914, Edison's laboratory and factory were destroyed by fire. At 67 years old, the damage was too extensive for insurance to cover. Before the ashes were cold, Henry Ford handed Edison a check for $750,000 with a note saying Edison could have more if needed.
In 1916, Ford relocated his home next to Edison's. When Edison was later confined to a wheelchair, Ford also got a wheelchair so they could race each other.
Thomas Edison made Henry Ford believe in himself, creating a friendship for life.
LESSON:
Don't ever be jealous of others' success. If you can't win a race, help the person in front of you break the record. Your candle doesn't lose its light by lighting another. Let us follow this example of supporting and uplifting each other!

A homesteader and his family in front of their sod house in Cherry County, Nebraska. c.1900.
Photo by Solomon D. Butcher.

"Remember this Kenyan runner Abel Mutai who was just a few feet from the finish line, but became confused with the signage and stopped, thinking he had completed the race. A Spanish runner, Ivan Fernandez, was right behind him and, realizing what was happening, started shouting at the Kenyan to continue running. Mutai didn't know Spanish and didn't understand. Realizing what was taking place, Fernandez pushed Mutai to victory.
A journalist asked Ivan, "Why did you do that?" Ivan replied, "My dream is that someday we can have a kind of community life where we push and help each other to win."
The journalist insisted, "But why did you let the Kenyan win?" Ivan replied, "I didn't let him win, he was going to win. The race was his." The journalist insisted again, "But you could have won!" Ivan looked at him and replied, "But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor in that medal? What would my mother think of that?"
Values are passed on from generation to generation. What values are we teaching our children? Let us not teach our kids the wrong ways and means to win. Instead, let us pass on the beauty and humanity of a helping hand. Because honesty and ethics are winning!"

Todays best picture

L-R: Duke Frog, David Kills Without Wounding, Hugh Running Horse, Big Boy (aka Lewis Eagle Dog), and Earth, at Carlisle Indigenous Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania - Sicangu - 1882
{Note: All these boys were relatives of the Sicangu Lakota man known as Whirlwind Soldier.}

The California Trail across Nevada was a popular route for wagon trains in the 1860s, with the Bartleson-Bidwell Party leading the way in 1841. By 1869, an estimated 450,000 people had made the arduous journey along the trail, facing numerous challenges, including the 40-mile desert between Lovelock and Fernley, which was particularly daunting due to the scarcity of water. Despite these obstacles, the town of Fallon was established in the 1930s,

Virginia, 1911...
Photographer's Caption
One way to keep the children out of the mill. Mrs. D.E. Hudson, South Boston, Va. Her children are seated around her. In the chairs are some of her boarders. Children are well-kept. The home showed her thrift. Husband is in the cotton mill. Location: South Boston, Virginia...
Source
National Child Labor Committee Lewis Hine photographer

1. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America, making it unique in the region.
2. It is known for its diverse ethnic makeup, with a blend of Indo-Guyanese, Afro-Guyanese, and Indigenous populations.
3. Guyana is home to the stunning Kaieteur Falls, one of the world's largest single-drop waterfalls.
4. The country boasts an incredible variety of wildlife, including jaguars, giant river otters, and the rare giant anteater.
5. Guyana has a rich cultural heritage, with influences from Indian, African, Chinese, and Indigenous cultures.
6. It has the distinction of being the only country in South America that is not a Spanish-speaking nation.
7. The capital city of Guyana is Georgetown, which is known for its beautiful colonial architecture.
8. Guyana is famous for its vast stretches of pristine rainforests, which are home to a wide array of plant and animal species.
9. The country is a major producer of bauxite, gold, and diamonds, contributing to its economy.
10. Guyana is also home to the Rupununi Savannah, a vast grassland that is home to diverse wildlife and indigenous communities.
Daily Factfinder

The Melungeons are one of the most fascinating and mysterious groups in Appalachian history, a people whose origins have long been the subject of speculation and folklore. Centered primarily in the Appalachian regions of eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and southeastern Kentucky, the Melungeons have been a part of the cultural landscape since at least the early 1800s, though their history likely stretches back much further.
For centuries, the Melungeons were viewed as an enigma. They were a tri-racial, multi-ethnic group whose ancestry included European, African, and Native American bloodlines. Many Melungeons had dark skin, straight black hair, and distinctive features that set them apart from the white settlers in the area. They lived in remote, isolated communities, often in the mountains, where they developed their own customs and traditions, blending elements of their diverse heritage.
Theories about the origins of the Melungeons have ranged from the plausible to the fantastic. Some claimed they were descendants of Portuguese or Spanish explorers, while others believed they had connections to Turkish, Jewish, or Moorish sailors who had been shipwrecked on the American coast centuries earlier. Still others thought they might be the descendants of the mysterious Lost Colony of Roanoke or that they were remnants of an ancient group of people who lived in North America long before European settlers arrived.
Despite these speculations, the true origins of the Melungeons remained unclear for generations. Because of their mixed-race heritage, they often faced discrimination and were marginalized by both white and Black communities. Many Melungeons were labeled "free people of color" on census records, which limited their rights and social status in the pre-Civil War South. Some were even forced to deny their heritage, claiming to be of solely European descent in order to avoid persecution.
In recent years, DNA testing and genealogical research have shed more light on the Melungeons' origins, confirming their tri-racial ancestry. Studies have shown that their roots likely trace back to early European settlers, enslaved Africans, and Native American tribes who intermarried and formed isolated communities in the Appalachian Mountains. While the exact details of their origins are still debated, the Melungeons' story is now understood as part of the broader narrative of racial and ethnic blending that has shaped the American South.
Today, the Melungeon heritage is a source of pride for many descendants. Cultural festivals, genealogical societies, and academic studies have helped to preserve and celebrate their unique history. The Melungeons are a testament to the complexity of Appalachian history and the diverse mix of peoples who have called these mountains home for centuries.
Their story is a powerful reminder of the resilience of those who live on the margins of society and the rich, layered history that exists in the mountains of Appalachia. Whether through folklore, genealogy, or modern-day cultural revival, the Melungeons remain a vital part of the region's identity, offering a window into the often-overlooked stories of those who shaped Appalachia’s past.

In 1900, a Nebraska homesteader and his family stand proudly in front of their sod house, a testament to their resilience and pioneering spirit. Built from the thick, grassy earth of the plains, the sod house provided shelter in an era when traditional building materials were scarce on the frontier. The family, embodying the determination of countless settlers, showcases the hard work and dedication required to thrive in the challenging conditions of the American Midwest. Their home reflects the ingenuity and resourcefulness that characterized homesteading during this transformative period in U.S. history.