Thursday, November 20, 1924. The marriage of my father's parents.

Which was oddly a Thursday.  I think of most weddings being on Saturday.

At least they are now.

The wedding was in Denver, where they had met and where my grandfather was working.  They'd live there until 1937, when they'd move to Scottsbluff.  In that time they had all of their children save for one, who would be born in Scottsbluff, the first one being born in 1926 and my father being born in 1929.

They were both 23 years old.  He had been on his own since age 13.  She was living with her parents in Denver, where they had moved after her father had closed his store in Leadville.  Her parents were of 100% Irish extraction, with her mother being from Cork.  His parents were of 100% Westphalian extraction.  They were both Catholic, although I don't know what church they were married in.  Likey one of the Catholic churches downtown.

The American Automobile Association of State Highway Officials approved a resolution recommending that states agree to a consistent system of numbered highways.

Last edition:

Tuesday, November 18, 1924. Adding to the public domain.

Labels: 1920s, 1924, 1950s, 1954, Army, Black Hills, Calvin Coolidge, Commentary, Medicine, Personalities, Public Land, South Dakota, United States Forest Service

Afrika Korps display, National Museum of Military Vehicles.

 

Last edition:

Dodge WC Command Car. National Museum of Military Vehicles.

Labels: 1940s, 4x4, Automobiles, National Museum of Military Vehicles, Transportation, World War Two

Dodge WC Command Car. National Museum of Military Vehicles.

 Produced early in WWII, the 1/2 ton Dodge WC command car. The father of the SUV.

Last edition:

Tank engines. National Museum of Military Vehicles.

Labels: 1940s, National Museum of Military Vehicles, technology, Tracked vehicles, World War Two, Wyoming (Dubois)

Monday, November 13, 1944. Air service returns to London.

Civil air service returned to London.  It had been stopped in September, 1939.

The Akebono, Akishimo, Hatsuharu, Kiso and Okinami was sunk in Filipino waters by the U.S. Navy.  The I-12 was sunk east of Hawaii.

The Bulgarian 1st Army captured Skopje.

SSgt Junior J. Spurrier performed the actions that resulted in his receiving a Medal of Honor.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy at Achain, France, on 13 November 1944. At 2 p.m., Company G attacked the village of Achain from the east. S/Sgt. Spurrier armed with a BAR passed around the village and advanced alone. Attacking from the west, he immediately killed 3 Germans. From this time until dark, S/Sgt. Spurrier, using at different times his BAR and M1 rifle, American and German rocket launchers, a German automatic pistol, and hand grenades, continued his solitary attack against the enemy regardless of all types of small-arms and automatic-weapons fire. As a result of his heroic actions he killed an officer and 24 enlisted men and captured 2 officers and 2 enlisted men. His valor has shed fresh honor on the U.S. Armed Forces.

Spurrier had an extremely difficult time adjusting to post World War Two life and rejoined the Army during the Korean War, where he proved to be a difficult soldier.  He was by that time an alcoholic and after his second period of service had numerous run ins with the law.  He ultimately became a teetotaler and ran an electronics repair service, dying at age 61 in 1984.

Last edition:

Sunday, November 12, 1944. Carving off part of China, Tirpitz sunk, Hitler takes time to release a long Beer Hall message, Dog Faces in chow line.

Labels: 1920s, 1923, 1940s, 1944, Adolf Hitler, Army, Beer Hall Putsch, boats and ships, France, German Kriegsmarine, Nazi Germany, Nazi Party, Republic of China, Royal Air Force, The written word, USSR, World War Two

Artillery and Prime Movers. National Museum of Military Vehicles.

 Last edition:

SPW 152 "Iron Pig" (BTR 152). National Museum of Military Vehicles.

Location: 6419 US-26, Dubois, WY 82513, USA

Friday, November 7, 1924. A balanced budget.

The Weimar Republic announced the first balanced German budget since the end of World War One.

The Soviet Union produced its first domestically manufactured motor vehicle, the AMO-15 truck.

The Alvarado Hot Springs was created when a natural gas exploratory well taped into a geothermal pool in Los Angeles County.  It was operated commercially as a hot springs facility until at least 1961, following which it seem to have disappeared from history.

2BE began operating commercially, broadcasting twice a week, in Sydney. Australia's first commercial radio station would close in 1929.

Last edition:

Thursday, November 6, 1924. The 100th Anniversary of Christopher Robin and Winey the Pooh.

Labels: 1920s, 1924, 1924 Election, Calvin Coolidge, Girl Scouts, Norman Rockwell, Teenagers, The written word, Women

Allis Chalmers M7 Snow Tractor. National Museum of Military Vehicles.

 An oddity from World War Two, this tracked vehicle went from being adopted in 1943 to being a limited standard in 1944.  About 290 were built.

Last edition:

M7 Self Propelled Gun. US Armored Vehicle Central Display. National Museum of Military Vehicles.

Labels: 1940s, 1950s, Army, Artillery, Korean War, National Museum of Military Vehicles, Tracked vehicles, World War Two

Early Jeeps: National Museum of Military Vehicles Dubois Wyoming.

There are a lot of Jeeps depicted in this series of posts, with a fair number being World War Two Willys and Ford Jeeps.  This museum, however, has a collection of the very early Jeeps that preceded the Willys MB patter standariation.

The request for a 1/4 ton truck came out just before World War Two and one of the company's that responded was Bantam, a vehicle manufacturer which specialized in small cars.  Their introduction was very much like what the MB would become, except it was lighter.

Bantam always felt cheated by the military for not securing the contact, which they really couldn't fulfill.  The company ceased to exist in 1956.

Willys Overland specialized in in "overland" vehicles to start with, and  came up with what was really the best design for the competition, although it was submitted later than Bantam's.

Ford also competed, putting in an entry that was much like Willy's.

Last edition:

World War Two U.S. Motorcycles: National Museum of Military Vehicles Dubois Wyoming.

Labels: 1940s, Dubois Wyoming, Military, Motorcycles, National Museum of Military Vehicles, Transportation, World War Two, Wyoming (Dubois)

World War Two U.S. Motorcycles: National Museum of Military Vehicles Dubois Wyoming.

At one time, decades ago, I know a lot about motorcycle, but that's no longer the case, so I can't really comment that much.

World War Two was the golden age of the US military motorcycle.  Other armies made very extensive use of motorcycles in World War One and World War Two, with the Germans being particularly notable.  The US experimented with motorcycles early on, but they never took off in U.S. use they did in other armies.  The military continues to experiment with them off and on today.

Depicted above is a Harley Davidson WLA.  A Harley Davidson with  a side car is just to its right, but I failed to get a photo of it.

I unfortunately didn't get the data on all three of these motorcycles.  The one on the far right is an Indian, and the one in the middle might be as well.

Last edition:

World War Two U.S. Vehicle Livery: National Museum of Military Vehicles Dubois Wyoming.

Labels: 1940s, 4x4, 6x6, Automobiles, Dubois Wyoming, Jeep, Military, Trucks, United States, wepaons, World War Two, Wyoming (Dubois)

Tuesday, October 10, 1899. Isaac R. Johnson patented the modern bicycle frame.

 

Johnson was an African American.

Last edition:

Monday, October 9, 1899. Boer ultimatum.

Labels: 1890s, 1899, Boer War, British Army, British Empire, Cape Colony, Mining, Orange Free State, South African Republic (Transvaal), United Kingdom, Witwatersrand Gold Rush

Friday, August 25, 1944. Paris, Versailles and Avignon liberated.

The Battle of Paris ended at 2:30 p.m. when German commander Dietrich von Choltitz surrendered the French capital against orders.

Dietrich von Choltitz with Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque and Jacques Soustelle in the M3 Scout Car.

De Gaulle arrived in the city at 4:00 p.m. to cheering crowds.

Versailles was liberated by French troops.

124 residents of  Maillé, Indre-et-Loire were murdered by the Germans in reprisal for actions by the French Resistance.

The Red Ball Express truck convoy system of emergency supply provision began and would run for 83 days.

US and French forces liberated Avignon without opposition.

The British 8th Army commenced Operation Olive in Italy.

Belgian No. 4 Troop of No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando raided Île d'Yeu, which turned out to be unoccupied.

Romania declared war on Germany.

The Germans scuttled the U-18, U-24 and U-178.  The U-667 hit a mine in the Bay of Biscay and sank.  The Z24 was sunk by Allied aircraft.  The U-1000 hit a mine off of Pilau and was damaged beyond repair.

The US prevailed in the Battle of Aitape.

The Japanese destroyer Yūnagi was sunk northeast of Cape Bojeador, Luzon by the USS Picuda.

"Coast Guardsman Kent C. Pompella, boatswain’s mate second class, displays the picturesque facial fashions of the fighting South Sea invader. On his face he sports a 10 months growth of briers and in his ears a pair of shark tooth earrings."  Pompella passed away in January 2000 at the age of 79, a resident of Cloverdale, California.  The last 20 years of his life he ran a hotel in that city, behind which he planted a large garden.  He was a commercial fisherman prior to that.  Earrings in men, it might be noted, were extremely unusual at the time.

Last edition:

Thursday, August 24, 1944. Paris Reached.

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Act of 23 August, Battle for Paris, German Army, Nazi Germany, Operation Dragoon, Operation Goodwood, Operation Overlord, Romania, Romanian Army, Royal Navy, technology, U.S. Navy, World War Two

Painted Bricks: Sheepwagon statue, Cheyenne Wyoming.

Painted Bricks: Sheepwagon statue, Cheyenne Wyoming.:  

Sheepwagon statue, Cheyenne Wyoming.

The Work Truck Blog: Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.

The Work Truck Blog: Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.:  

Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.

 Spotted by MKTH on the streets of Laramie.