a comparison is a powerfully vivid way to see something before and after

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122224044140155666&set=a.122141150270155666

I'm sure this is the first time I've learned the actual earliest evolution of the railroad... from horse drawn coal wagons, to wagon wheel improvement, to wood rails, to steel plated rails, and leveling a railway for miles. For the first time. Extraordinary info summed up in minutes. Thank you Stephen!

Another intriguing fact, is the sheer amount of mining going on, and that it was limited to those mines in proximity to the rivers... and THAT changed with railways! 

 

Ford Tripmonitor Pre-GPS unit, which ran on the Transit satellite network was the first true GPS system in commuter vehicles it seems... it adapted the DOD GPS system for civilians

 

In 1983 Ford shocked the world by introducing the Lincoln Continental 100 Concept. Much like Doc Brown‘s DeLorean, this exciting new concept erupted onto the scene seemingly from thin air. Packing more technology than we’d ever seen in one vehicle.

The centerpiece of this concept was, of course, Ford’s new Tripmonitor system. “In the future, motorists may not have to rely on their own sense of direction,” promised the Desert Sun in June of 1983. “Called a Tripmonitor, it employs a nine-inch, diagonal, eight-color cathode ray tube mounted in the middle of the instrument panel. Push a button and a map appears on the screen with the car’s location.”

the “Transit” GPS system. Initially created for operational use, mostly by the U.S. Navy, Transit slowly transitioned to civilian applications as well. The first satellite-based geopositioning system analyzed radio signals to track the movement of receiver-equipped objects. It was a criminally simple yet ultimately revolutionary idea.

The U.S. government restricted this exciting new GPS technology to military use until 1983, however. Thus, Ford’s Tripmonitor was the very first automotive application to incorporate what would eventually become a common feature we take for granted today.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1481483539916230&set=a.934188851312371
https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles/fords-1983-tripmonitor-nav-system-was-totally-tubular

Just so I'm not opening your reading day with my outrage (see the next post) here's the coolest thing I've read in a while, and yeah, it's good Submariner history

Disease, and perhaps an increasing desire not to use one’s own hand to wipe one’s nether regions, drove Lt. Cmdr. James Coe of the submarine Skipjack to send an “urgent” message to the powers that be.

Since July 1, 1941, a requisition had been submitted for 150 rolls of toilet paper to replenish the dwindling supply aboard the Skipjack. However, as the boat patrolled the Pacific, no sign of the all-important bathroom item appeared — even as other war materiel came in.

In March 1942, Coe took command of the Skipjack and learned of the dire situation. To make matters worse, Coe received a canceled invoice for the TP alongside a stamped July 1941 message stating “cancelled-cannot identify.”

In response to this bureaucratic boondoggle, Coe sent a letter to the supply officer in Mare Island, California. His tongue-in-cheek rejoinder would become the stuff of legends within the Navy.

USS SKIPJACK June 11, 1942 From: Commanding Officer To: Supply Officer, Navy Yard, Mare Island, California Via: Commander Submarines, Southwest Pacific

Subject: Toilet Paper

Reference: (a) USS HOLLAND (5148) USS Skipjack req. 70-42 of 30 July 1941. (b) SO NYMI Canceled invoice No. 272836

Enclosure: (1) Copy of cancelled Invoice (2) Sample of material requested.

1. This vessel submitted a requisition for 150 rolls of toilet paper on July 30, 1941, to USS HOLLAND. The material was ordered by HOLLAND from the Supply Officer, Navy Yard, Mare Island, for delivery to USS Skipjack.

2. The Supply Officer, Navy Yard, Mare Island, on November 26, 1941, cancelled Mare Island Invoice No. 272836 with the stamped notation “Cancelled---cannot identify.” This cancelled invoice was received by Skipjack on June 10, 1942.

3. During the 11 ¾ months elapsing from the time of ordering the toilet paper and the present date, the Skipjack personnel, despite their best efforts to await delivery of subject material, have been unable to wait on numerous occasions, and the situation is now quite acute, especially during depth charge attack by the “back-stabbers.”

4. Enclosure (2) is a sample of the desired material provided for the information of the Supply Officer, Navy Yard, Mare Island. The Commanding Officer, USS Skipjack cannot help but wonder what is being used in Mare Island in place of this unidentifiable material, once well known to this command.

5. Skipjack personnel during this period have become accustomed to use of “ersatz,” i.e., the vast amount of incoming non-essential paper work, and in so doing feel that the wish of the Bureau of Ships for the reduction of paper work is being complied with, thus effectively killing two birds with one stone.

6. It is believed by this command that the stamped notation “cannot identify” was possible error, and that this is simply a case of shortage of strategic war material, the Skipjack probably being low on the priority list.

7. In order to cooperate in our war effort at a small local sacrifice, the Skipjack desires no further action be taken until the end of the current war, which has created a situation aptly described as “war is hell.”

J.W. Coe

War is hell when you don’t even have one-ply toilet paper, so I respect LCDR Coe and crew for utilizing the “the vast amount of incoming non-essential paper work” to get the job done. That's just putting useless paperwork to good use. Gotta respect that!

After almost a year, upon returning to Australia after its patrol, the men were greeted with crates of toilet paper seven feet high, toilet paper streamers decorating the dock and a band wearing toilet paper neckties with toilet paper adorning their trumpets and horns to greet them.

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research-guides/z-files/zc-files/zc-ship-files-in-the-navy-department-library-s/uss-skipjack-toilet-paper-memorandum.html

In the 1959 comedy Operation Petticoat, Cary Grant writes a letter to the supply department about the inexplicable lack of toilet paper on board the fictional USS Sea Tiger... that's all based on the USS Skipjack

probably during the civil rights movement, maybe part of the Cesar Chavez fight for migrant workers

William Gedney, California, 1966-67

Strikes and lockouts -- Agricultural laborers -- California Migrant labor -- California

the Chicago Bridge and Iron Works built water tanks for steam locomotives, and new housing developments, in the early 1930s. Huh, well, I bet you can make a lot more water tanks than bridges, and a lot faster (this is the 61,000th post, fyi, if you're curious)

They are known for pioneering innovations in tank design and construction, including the transition from riveted to welded steel tanks and the development of iconic designs like the Watersphere and Waterspheroid. CB&I has designed and built over 25,000 elevated water storage tanks.

As of the late 2010s, there were mergers and acquisitions galore, and the company probably doesn't exist anymore, it's patents and IP, and all that probably are just fodder for equity companies. 

 The more residential and revolutionary type, that you've probably seen a lot more of than railroad tanks

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1981/sep/17/feature-water-towers/

in 1969 Volkswagen sought to launch the Formula Super Vee, a category meant to bridge the gap between Formula Vee and Formula 3

the VW 1600 engine had already proven itself in various racing applications, however, Gene Beach unlocked the engine’s potential in 1969.

The SV16 featured a mid-engine layout, which provided optimal weight distribution and handling characteristics. The suspension system was another highlight, designed to provide exceptional handling and control. 

A major improvement over the standard Formula Vee, which used VW suspension, while the Formula Vee was less expensive to build and race, the Super Vee had the potential to keep up with Formula Ford and other open-wheel cars.

the Beach SV16 debuted at the Daytona 24-Hour race in January 1970 

https://thegentlemanracer.com/2025/07/project-car-beach-sv16/

huh! I wouldn't have guessed this correctly.... what was the 1st mass manufactured American car with a turbo?

For all its innovation, the Jetfire was… let’s say, a bit high-maintenance. The turbo system wasn’t just a bolt-on boost machine. It required a precisely calibrated setup, with the Turbo Rocket Fluid being essential for full power delivery. If the fluid ran out or the system detected irregular pressure, it would cut boost entirely.

The turbo system used a wastegate and pressurized fluid injection, both advanced for the time. In a weird twist, it also had a manual transmission option with a floor-mounted shifter—something that became more performance-oriented later in the decade. The Jetfire was also one of the first cars to pair a high-compression engine with forced induction, a formula that would later be refined in sports cars and tuner machines for years to come.

https://www.hotcars.com/forgotten-first-turbo-v8-sedan-american/

https://en.wheelz.me/oldsmobiles-bold-experiment-the-1963-jetfire-and-the-dawn-of-turbocharging

1919 Cornfield Classic 200 Mile race in Marion, Indiana

 Maldwyn Jones, the scrappy old-timer who knew his way around a wrench and a dirt oval equally as well, is among the greatest motorcycle racers America ever produced.

Jones quickly developed a reputation for salvaging and refining his own breed of racing machines from Merkel’s Pottstown factory junk bin, and by 1913 was considered one of the best dirt track racers in the midwest.

Soon after the outbreak of WWI, Jones took up work as an experimental aviation engineer at McCook Field in Dayton, before rejoining the infamous Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew in 1919 for the big 200 Mile Cornfield Classic

https://www.facebook.com/archivemoto

https://archivemoto.com/

Archive Moto is an ongoing research and publishing project dedicated to rediscovering America's rich history of motorcycle culture, one story at a time.

a very remarkable bridge, one that no longer exists, except in a painting by Van Gogh. The original drawbridge was replaced by a reinforced-concrete bridge in 1930. Van Gogh claimed the painting as "something funny... I will not create every day."

The Langlois Bridge at Arles is the subject of four oil paintings, one watercolor and four drawings by Vincent van Gogh.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langlois_Bridge_at_Arles

Arthur C. Clarke made reference to van Gogh's Bridge at Arles in his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey. In it, the character David Bowman notices the painting when observing the living room of "an elegant, anonymous hotel suite" after travelling through the Stargate.

The Langlois Bridge at Arles with Women Washing is one of numerous van Gogh paintings visited by the unnamed dreamer in Akira Kurosawa’s film ‘’Dreams’’

One hell of a large time capsule in Seward Nebraska, was sealed in 1975, with a 50 year time line opening, so that many of the young people who put things in could enjoy seeing them after 5 decades, and to see what their parents and grand parents put in the capsule for THEM!

a 75 Vega and a blue Kawasaki motorcycle were in the 50 year old time capsule, along with 4,998 other items. Yes, even in a dry time capsule, the Vega rusted! HA! 

The Vega emerged on with an engine warranty for the first 60,000 miles, and is hoped to be running for the 4th of July parade! 

While a plaque on the World’s Largest Time Capsule instructed the time vault to be opened on July 4, 2025, the process was started early to ensure the public could view the capsule for the Fourth of July. 

The 45 ton time capsule was the brain child of Harold Davisson, a Seward furniture store owner, in his store's yard, to preserve memories of that time for his friends and family.. At 20-by-8-by-60 feet and weighing around 45 tons, it earned recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest time capsule. 

In 1983, after the title was snatched, Davisson responded by building a second time capsule on top in the shape of a pyramid. Inside that capsule, sealed in 1985, was a 1975 Toyota Corolla. His efforts paid off as he reclaimed the title which is now carried in perpetuity since Guinness retired the classification.

the tires are hold air, the car was put up off the floor of the capsule on blocks of wood designed by GM at all 4 wheels. Smart!

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1541179820266051&set=a.1014070576310314

most sources are paywalled, try and use https://12ft.io/proxy for any paywalled sites! 

https://journalstar.com/news/local/article_4ee50675-750d-4578-b04d-c007e0c87d1b.html

 is an incredibly cool article to read, it's well written from that point of view of WHAT a time capsule is supposed to do, and that's something about hopes, about a thing - time capsules - that we rarely see opened in the lifetime of the people that added to it. 

Plus, the guy who made this, and his daughter, were instrumental in it's carrying out it's mission, and now the daughter must choose if she'll put a new 50 year time capsule in it's place after this summer. 

Seriously, that's explained in the article as a very heavy duty responsibility in the long term life of a person. Very intriguing.

After the contents have been distributed, Harold Davisson’s goal was for the crypt to be refilled for another 50 years. As the sole owner of the time capsule, and the only family member living in Nebraska, it’s up to Johnson to decide, and she doesn’t have plans to repeat the process.

“I have one granddaughter. She is 4 and a half. I would not obligate her to what I’ve experienced,” Johnson said.

Traci Prochaska hopes this isn’t the end of the time capsule legacy in Seward.

“It’s amazing how technology and things like cars have changed over 50 years,” Traci Prochaska said. “I’m sure back then people probably imagined flying cars by the year 2025, which hasn’t actually happened yet. It would be cool if they had a plan to create another time capsule with new stuff so people could witness it again in 50 years.”

Skip to minute 26 of this video for the capsule to be the story, up to that, it's another story for the podcaster

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064751614264 for the facebook page of the time capsule!

https://www.sewardindependent.com/stories/steps-back-in-time,150860 

https://www.klkntv.com/seward-set-to-open-worlds-largest-time-capsule-after-50-years/

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1541428423574524&set=pcb.1541428676907832

in the pyramid, on top of the time capsule, a Toyota Corolla was placed, with some other stuff... it didn't survive as well as the Vega:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=954353243399721&set=a.551234420378274

Stephen tipped me off to something cool, in bridges! George Stephenson (the famous Rocket train engine of 1829) had a son, that designed bridges, for trains to cross rivers! That's cool!

 

It was built by the Hawks family from 5,050 tons of iron. George Hawks, Mayor of Gateshead, drove in the last key of the structure on 7 June 1849, and the bridge was officially opened by Queen Victoria later that year.

It was designed by Robert Stephenson to form a rail link towards Scotland for the developing English railway network; a carriageway for road vehicles and pedestrians was incorporated to generate additional revenue. The main structural elements are tied cast-iron arches.

 an all-masonry structure was ruled out because of the poor ground conditions in the river, so cast iron or wrought iron was inevitable for the superstructure

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Level_Bridge,_River_Tyne

in 1718, king Charles XII of Sweden figured out how to get a dozen 30 ton (each) war galleys 25 KM overland, to launch in a secret attack on a Swedish port - something similar to a logging plank road

 ground penetrating radar project found these traces of log tracks used to stabilize the heavy loads, in the Blomsholm area of Sweden

Imagine the sheer amount of WORK it took horses and men, to lay out the log rollers, and hoists, blocks, and grease for 25 kilometers

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2025/01/archaeologists-discover-charles-xiis-secret-galarvegen/154251

two former Caltrain employees built apartments inside two of the railway’s stations, were charged with felony theft of public funds to build the secret apartments. (run the video at 1.5x speed... the guy talks slower than hell)

Worden, a Caltrain station manager employed by the agency’s rail service provider, was directed by Navarro to hire contractors to remodel former office space and kept invoices below the $3,000 threshold he could approve, prosecutors said. The upgrades, costing $42,000 total, included a kitchen shower, heating, plumbing and security cameras.

Navarro then used it as his primary residence until he was caught in 2022 and fired, according to prosecutors. The same tactic was used to remodel part of the Millbrae station in 2019, costing $8,000. Caltrain employees discovered the Millbrae home in 2020.

Caltrain was told to leave the spaces as-is while the cases were going on and does not yet have any immediate plans for the converted residences, agency spokesperson Dan Lieberman told SFGATE. They are not up to code and are in historic buildings that require careful consideration of changes, he added.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/caltrain-secret-homes-embezzlement-20372638.php

The Burlingame Station opened on October 10, 1864. It was built at the request of the Burlingame Country Club’s membership, which wanted to replace the flag stop shelter and Oak Grove with a proper station

The Southern Pacific agreed to put up the cost of an “ordinary” depot if the country club paid the difference for something more elaborate and the result was “a very picturesque Spanish Structure,” in the news of the day. The hipped-roof building featured a square tower, Moorish decoration on the main arch, and authentic California mission tiles on the roof. Burlingame’s was the country’s first permanent Mission Revival style depot.

https://www.caltrain.com/about-caltrain/caltrain-history/historic-stations/burlingame-1978 

Still digging into my family tree to see if I'm related (extremely distantly) to people with famous last names... and just now, established that I'm related to the namesake of Prescott Arizona, William Hickering Prescott, a guy who wrote a book " The History of the Conquest of Mexico " so damn well that the founders of the city of Prescott named their city for him, and named streets for characters in his book

Prescott is the county seat of Yavapai County, it was named in honor of historian William Hickling Prescott. 

Richard McCormick was secretary of the territory at the time (and second governor), possessed an extremely popular history book, “The History of the Conquest of Mexico,” published in 1843. The author’s name was William Hickling Prescott (May 4, 1796, to January 29, 1859). 

It was McCormick who suggested the name Prescott for the new town and territorial capital. The new name was agreed because Harvard-educated Prescott was known as one of the first great American historians and a true patriot with unquestioned character. His father was a lawyer, and his grandfather fought for America, as a colonel, during the Revolutionary War.

Arizona was officially declared a US territory in February 1863. Just one year later, Fort Whipple was moved from Chino Valley to a new, more mountainous locale that was declared "Prescott" on May 30, 1864,  at the behest of Congress and President Abraham Lincoln in an effort to secure the area's mineral riches for the Union forces during the Civil War

Fort Whipple was originally a tactical base for the cavalry and later the headquarters for the Arizona Volunteers (Rough Riders).

Fort Whipple was converted to a tuberculosis sanatorium during WW I and was transferred to the Public Health Service in 1920 for continued use as a hospital for disabled Veterans. In the early 1930s, the facility was transferred to the newly created Veterans Administration as a general medical / surgical hospital.

William H. Prescott is considered one of the most distinguished historians of the 19th century, being instrumental in the development of history as an academic subject.

He was left partially blind following a food fight during his freshman year at Harvard when he was struck in the eye with a slice of bread

He has a statue and an entire building named after him in Boston, plus a street is named in his honor near Harvard, his bread-tossing alma mater across the river in Cambridge.

https://azdot.gov/adot-blog/behind-place-name-prescott

https://www.prescott.com/history

Both Virgil Earp (brother of Wyatt Earp) and Doc Holliday lived in Prescott before their now infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Virgil Earp lived in Prescott starting in 1878 as a constable/watchman. Doc Holliday was there for a while in the summer of 1880 and even appears in the 1880 census records.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescott,_Arizona

Movies were filmed at the Palace in Prescott, Arizona: 

 The bar has been featured in several films, including Junior Bonner, starring Steve McQueen; 

Billy Jack, starring Tom Laughlin; 

and Wanda Nevada, starring Peter Fonda and Brooke Shields.

https://www.prescott.org/welcome.html#:~:text=We%20are%20Everybody's%20Hometown,not%2C%20regular%20visitors%20become%20residents

Street Names Inspired by Prescott's Book: 

Cortez, Montezuma, and Marina Streets: These streets were named after characters in Prescott's book, particularly Cortez, the Spanish conquistador, and Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. 

Alarcon: Another street named after a character in Prescott's book. 

Aztec Street: This street, located west of downtown, reflects a continued interest in Prescott's book and its focus on the pre-conquest people of Mexico. 

Coronado (now Pleasant): A street name also inspired by Prescott's book

https://www.dcourier.com/archives/prescott-street-names-have-varied-background/article_d6427a41-114d-5b23-9ebb-f8efd777e9a6.html

still doing some family tree research, and found I'm distantly related to the co-founder of the Eaton Corporation

In 1896 he was in the Williams College yearbook

In 1898, he was a volunteer in the New York infantry for the Spanish American War, signed up as a private for a 2 year enlistment, age 24. Disbanded by wars early end in Oct 1898 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/27160/images/dvm_LocHist011438-00287-0?pId=552

In 1911 Joseph O Eaton (father was a famous painter) invested in a new idea -- the very first gear-driven truck axle. 

Transportation was on the verge of dramatic change, automobile and truck use was starting to become widespread, and the world was on the brink of its First World War. 

A small company was started when patented gear-driven truck axle inventor Viggo Torbensen teamed up with Joseph Oriel (J.O.) Eaton, an aspiring young businessman, to found Torbensen Gear and Axle Company, the precursor of today’s Eaton.

When J.O. Eaton helped start the new company in Newark, NJ, he provided an acute business sense, but lacked practical automotive experience. Having left the men’s clothing business to provide the financing for the original truck axle business, Eaton never learned to drive during his long career with the automotive industry. He allegedly got into an electric car once, pulled the lever, and ran into the garage. He got out and never attempted to drive again.

This lack of knowledge was not enough to deter Eaton from pursuing a career in the automotive business. Even though the company only sold seven axles in the first year, Eaton soon moved operations to Cleveland, OH, to be closer to the fast-growing automobile industry in the Midwest and maintains a presence there today. By 1916, the company produced more than 10,000 axles – many of which were installed on the U.S. Military trucks shipped to Japan during World War I.

https://library.automationdirect.com/eaton-a-company-history/

https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/company/about-us/our-heritage.html

https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/support/eaton-me-reference-brochure-update-brochure-br090014-en-gb.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Oriel_Eaton_II

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/75234499/person/230164918634/facts

If you're wondering where you've heard of the company Eaton's name from, it could be from Eaton superchargers, transmissions, Eaton Detroit Spring (helped restore Gen Patton's WW1 tank https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/01/pattons-tanka-world-war-i-era-ford.html )

and it's a town in Ohio named for a general in the Barbary coast war

Happy 100th birthday to the Goodyear Blimp! (one tire company became the restaurant critic, this other, became the live aerial coverage at major events in sports arenas and race tracks, proof that companies can become celebrated outside their genre)

The first non-military airship, Pilgrim, debuted in 1925 as the first helium-filled, non-rigid airship, marking the start of the Goodyear Blimp program.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158368321844061&set=p.10158368321844061&type=3

the portable mooring mast built on a bus wasn't a short lived operation, it was maintained over decades, above, 1969, and below in back and white, debuting the messaging lighting system, was 1949. Both busses are labeled "Airship operations"

In 1946 and 47, Goodyear ordered 3 Clipper busses from Flxible. 

https://www.popsci.com/technology/19-vintage-goodyear-blimp-photos-on-its-100th-anniversary/

https://58flx.wordpress.com/1947-flxible-2/

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/395342260392

Goodyear hired Lingenfelter to restore the bus

https://www.instagram.com/p/C--yGizNBX6/?img_index=1

http://libertyaviationmuseum.org/collection/vehicles.html#:~:text=Goodyear%20had%20three%20buses%20built,into%20a%20private%20motor%20home.

as long as I'm posting about Goodyear, it turns out, they also own 10 other brands of tires, including Cooper, Dunlop, Mickey Thompson, and Avon, of the ones I've heard of  

https://www.slashgear.com/1870435/goodyear-group-tire-brands/