Images of more than 7,000 advertisements printed primarily in newspapers and magazines in the United States from 1911 to 1955 appear on this well-developed site. The material is drawn from a collection of one of the oldest and largest advertising agencies, the J. Walter Thompson Company.
Advertisements are divided into five main subjects areas: Radio (including radios, radio parts, and programs); television (including television sets and programs); transportation (including airlines, rental cars, buses, trains, and ships); beauty and hygiene (including cosmetics, soaps, and shaving supplies); and World War II (U.S. Government-related, such as V-mail and bond drives). Ads are searchable by keyword, type of illustration, and special features. A timeline from 1915 to 1955 provides general context. "About Ad Access" furnishes an overview of advertising history, as well as a bibliography and list of advertising repositories.
This photograph archive contains more than 900 images made by American photographer William Henry Jackson (18431942) during his tour of North Africa, Asia, Russia, Australia, and Oceania from 1894 to 1896. The World's Transportation Commission, an organization formed to aid American business interests abroad, commissioned Jackson for this trip.
The photographs, originally exhibited in Chicago's Field Columbian Museum, focus on transportation systems, especially railroads, as well as tourist sites, indigenous life, wildlife, and locations of natural beauty. Nearly 687 of the images are from lantern slides, many of which were hand-colored. Many of the photographs appeared in Harper's Weekly. This collection is valuable for those interested in late 19th-century photography, colonialism, and industrialization.
From the PBS Video website:
"What happened to a WWII POW who sketched portraits at the German camp Stalag 17B? What's the story behind photographs of the Seadrome project? Was an old artillery shell involved in an attack on Black Tom Island?"
In each episode of PBS' History Detectives series, a team of professionals examines "mystery" artifacts, attempting to track down the stories behind each object. For more History Detectives episodes, search "History Detectives" in History in Multimedia.
The 184.5mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park preserves the history of this canal, which shipped coal, lumber, grain, and other agricultural products along the Potomac River. The canal's story intertwines with those of western expansion, transportation, engineering, the Civil War, immigration, industry, and commerce. Rangers provide a mid19thcentury living history experience, and the park also offers an option of staying overnight in one of several historic lockhouseseach with interpretive media and furnishings which simulate the living conditions of the lock keeper's family during the 1830s, Civil War, the early 1900s, or the 1950s.
The park offers two replica canal boats, drawn by mule; docents in period dress; rangerled hikes, walks, lift lock demonstrations, power point presentations, and mule programs; canal boat tours; Junior Ranger activities; and a period room overnight experience. The website offers lesson plans, photo galleries, and a coloring page.
The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park celebrates the history and accomplishments of Wilber Wright (1867-1912), Orville Wright (1871-1948), and Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906). Other topics addressed include changes in Air Force aviation technology. Sights include two interpretive centers; the Wright brothers' printing office, styled to period; a Wright brothers' bicycle shop; the brothers' third airplane, built in 1905; the Huffman Prairie Flying Field; and Dunbar's final residence. The Wright brothers are best known for creating the world's first successful airplane, while Dunbar was an African American poet celebrated for his 1896 poem "Lyrics of a Lowly Life."
The park offers two introductory films; exhibits; period rooms; guided tours of the Wright Cycle Company building, Wright-Dunbar Village, and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field; guided bicycle tours; children's programs; curriculum-based educational programs; and Junior Ranger activities. Tours of the Wright Cycle Company building are available on request only, and reservations are required for groups. Reservations are required for all school programs. The website offers an interactive timeline.
The Golden Spike National Historic Site commemorates the 1869 joining of the Union and Central Pacific railway companies to create the nation's first transcontinental railroad. The Golden Spike itself was ceremonial, and was not embedded in the tracks.
The site offers five films, two auto tours, a 1.5 mile walking trail, and Junior Ranger activities. During the summer, the site also offers steam demonstrations and re-enactments of the May 10, 1869 Last Spike Ceremony.
New England Victorian Society president Ed Gordon explores the history of Charlestown in the Victorian era, looking at the many Victorian structures that remain today. The presentation includes slides.
The lecture audio can be downloaded separately.
Professor Raymond Arsenault discusses the Freedom Rides of 1961, in which participants rode public buses into the South to protest transportation segregation. He focuses on the personal stories of the Freedom Riders.
Tom Crouch, Chairman of Aeronautics at the National Air and Space Museum, discusses the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane, placing it in the context of the centuries-long study of flight and of the enormous impact airplanes have had on human life.
Preservation Wayne seeks to promote awareness of Detroit's past and current achievements through tours, lectures, publications, and full-time accessibility to the media. Their areas of architectural focus include the works of Louis Kamper (18611953), architect of Book Tower and the Book Cadillac Hotel, and Albert Kahn (18691952), a major American industrial architect and designer of the General Motors Building and Detroit Police Headquarters. Other topics include the history of sculpture, residential structures, automobiles, skyscrapers, and theater in Detroit.
The organization offers a variety of tours and a lecture series.