Saturday, September 25, 1926. A five day work week.

Henry Ford introduced the eight-hour day and five-day workweek at the Ford Motor Company.

The eight hour workday was revolutionary in and of itself, but so was a five day workweek.  This introduced the American and indeed global standard.

That standard has massively eroded in recent decades as the US has moved towards a seven day a week, twenty four hour a day, standard.  Serious efforts need to be taken to restore it, including blue laws.

The League of Nations Slavery Convention was signed by representatives of Australia, Austria, Belgium, British India, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Haiti, Latvia, Nicaragua, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.  The pact bound signators to abolish slavery within their jurisdictions.

It was a Saturday, which Ford workers now had off.

The Saturday Evening post "September Bride" issue also had an advertisement illustrated by Leyendecker depicting students as they were imagined to look like at the time, and which in fact was relatively accurate.

Last edition:

Saturday, September 18, 1926. 1926 Miami Hurricane.

Labels: 1870s, 1876, 1920s, 1926, 1990s, 1997, Art, Clothing, Florida, Florida (Miami), J. C. Leyendecker, Personalities, Weather

Saturday, May 1, 1926. Things labor on May Day.

Ford Motors introduced the 40 hour workweek into American industry.  They reduced what had been a 48 hour workweek to that level, with no reduction in pay.

Five people were killed and 28 injured in May Day fighting between Polish Communists and Socialists.

A lot of Americans seem to be too dim to realize there's a difference between the two, but there is.

800,000 British coal miners were locked out.

Last edition:

Friday, April 30, 1926. Bessie Coleman killed.

Labels: 1920s, 1926, Aircraft, Ethnicities, Personalities, Women

Thursday, December 23, 1915. Villa defeated again.

 

The news reported a Villa defeat.

Henry Ford Abandons His Peace Ship

Last edition:

Wednesday, December 22, 1915. Hartmannswillerkopf ends.

Labels: 1910s, 1915, Alsace-Lorraine, Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf, Mexican Border War, Mexican Revolution, World War One

Tuesday, July 29, 1945. The sinking of the USS Indianapolis. The 509th Composite Group receives orders for Operation Silverplate. The last Medal of Honor of World War Two.

The USS Indianapolis was sunk by the submarine I-58. Secrecy due to its role in delivering the atomic bomb to Tinian would keep its sinking secrete for several days, leading to the greatest mass shark attack in history.

The 509th Composite Group of the United States Air Force received the order that would lead to the dropping of the first atomic bomb.

Melvin Mayfield performed the actions that resulted in his winning the Medal of Honor.

He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while fighting in the Cordillera Mountains of Luzon, Philippine Islands. When 2 Filipino companies were pinned down under a torrent of enemy fire that converged on them from a circular ridge commanding their position, Cpl. Mayfield, in a gallant single-handed effort to aid them, rushed from shell hole to shell hole until he reached 4 enemy caves atop the barren fire-swept hill. With grenades and his carbine, he assaulted each of the caves while enemy fire pounded about him. However, before he annihilated the last hostile redoubt, a machinegun bullet destroyed his weapon and slashed his left hand. Disregarding his wound, he secured more grenades and dauntlessly charged again into the face of pointblank fire to help destroy a hostile observation post. By his gallant determination and heroic leadership, Cpl. Mayfield inspired the men to eliminate all remaining pockets of resistance in the area and to press the advance against the enemy.

You'll note that this occurred on Luzon, which the US had declared to be secured. 

He survived the war and died in 1990 at age 71.  

His action was the last action of the war to result in a Medal of Honor.

Henry Ford issued a statement declaring:

the nation and the world are on the threshold of a prosperity and standard of living that never before were considered possible.

I'm not a fan of Ford's, but he was correct, perhaps beyond his wildest imagination.

The British 8th Army, the Desert Rats, was disbanded.

Last edition:

Saturday, July 28, 1945. Taking no notice.

Labels: 1940s 1945, boats and ships, Cartoons, Clement Attlee, Disaster, Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy, Japan, New York, Potsdam Conference, U.S. Air Force, United Nations, World War Two

Thursday, October 10, 1901. O'Canada and Henry Ford.

O Canada was sung publically for the first time in Toronto by the band of The Royal Canadian Regiment while troops marched past the visiting Duke of York. The song, which was not yet the CAnadian national anthem, only had French lyrics at the time.

Alexander Winton of Cleveland and Henry Ford of Detroit competed against each other in a car race at a horse racing track in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.  The respective automobiles were a Winton Motor Carriage Company with a 40-horsepower Bullet engine and 26-horsepower Detroit Automobile Company vehicle driven by Ford.  The Ford vehicle was somewhat more technically advanced and he  passed Winton on the eighth lap winning the race with an average speed of 43.5 miles per hour.

It was the only time that Henry Ford himself drove in an automobile race.

Last edition:

Wednesday, October 9, 1901. Martial Law in South Africa.

Labels: 1900s, 1901, Boer War, South Africa