This Memorial Day, we took a look back at how the U.S. soldier has evolved over the years. Did you know camouflage wasn’t introduced until the end of World War II?
Arlington National Cemetery
The cemetery, administered by the Department of the Army, was designated an official military cemetery in 1864. More than 300,000 veterans from all of the nation’s wars are buried there.
- View in Arlington National Cemetery, ca. 1865 by Matthew Brady
- Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 30, 1961.
Raden Ayu Kartini (1879-1904)
Per Javanese noble tradition, Kartini was secluded at home from the age of 12 until her marriage at age 24. Removed from school, Kartini read widely with a particular focus on the emancipation of women. She wrote and was published in De Hollandsche Lelie (The Dutch Lily), a Dutch magazine for young women.
At age 24, she unwillingly became the third wife of the polygamous Regent Chief of Rembang. He supported her interest in women’s education and helped her to create a female academy in the district. Less than a year after her marriage, Kartini died after giving birth to her son Soesalit.
After her death, the Minister for Culture, Religion and Industry in the East Indies collected the letters Kartini had written to her Dutch penpals. In 1911, they were published in a book entitled Door Duisternis tot Licht (Out of Dark Comes Light). Eventually translated into Malay and Javanese, these letters improved the Dutch understanding of the native Javanese and contributed to social change in Indonesia. Inspired by these letters, the Van Deventer family created the R.A. Kartini Foundation to established schools for women in Java.
Since 1964, April 21 has been Karini Day, a national holiday in Indonesia.
I am prepared to die, Nelson Mandela
One of the most memorable speeches in modern history comes from Nelson Mandela, the man who fought tirelessly against South African apartheid. His revolutionary work, however, had him wrongfully arrested in 1962 on charges of treason and for…
Among Xi’an’s Terracotta Army
On this day in 1984, President Reagan became the second U.S. President to visit the People’s Republic of China since the Communist shift of power. 4/26/84
In this photo, Ronald and Nancy Reagan stand among the terracotta figures in Xi’an China. 4/29/84
-from the Reagan Library
Obit of the Day: Dick Clark
As information about the death, and life, of Dick Clark has inundated folks on the internet and television, OOTD will not go into detail about Mr. Clark’s achievements. Instead, here are some fascinating facts about “America’s Oldest Teenager”:
- Clark’s older brother Bradley was killed in World War II. Dick was only 12 when the war broke out so he never served.
- His father was the sales manager for WRUN in Utica, NY. It is now a public radio station out of Ramsen, NY under the umbrella of WMAC, Northeast Public Radio.
- In high school, Clark was voted “Most Likely to Sell the Brooklyn Bridge.”
- Dick Clark attended Syracuse University where he majored in advertising.
- Clark was originally hired to deliver the evening news on WFIL-TV in Philadelphia. According to Clark he looked to young to be delivering serious news and was removed from the broadcast.
- Originally the radio host for the local “Bandstand” program, Clark took over the television show when the original host was arrested, and fired, for drunk driving.
- “Bandstand” featured some of the first integrated audiences on television, with black and white teenagers dancing together on set. Clark always feared a backlash from Southern TV affiliates but none ever complained.
- His “Dick Clark Show” a Saturday night variety hour received threats from the Ku Klux Klan in Atlanta because black and white teenagers would be sitting next to each other in the audience. The National Guard provided protection.
- Chuck Berry references the popularity of “Bandstand” in his song “Sweet Little Sixteen”: “Cause they’ll be rockin’ on bandstand in Philadelphia, PA”
- Clark was caught up in the 1959 “payola” scandal. DJs would literally take “pay for play.” Although Clark was never found guilty of any wrongdoing, he divested himself of all his holdings in record companies.
- Ernest Evans is better known as Chubby Checker. Dick Clark’s wife, Barbara Mallery, gave him the name. (It’s a play on Fats Domino of “Blueberry Hill” fame.) Checker would become famous for his dance hit, “The Twist.”
- Dick Clark Productions would produce not only “Bandstand” but also
“The $25,000 Pyramid” game show, “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes” (which Clark co-hosted with Ed McMahon), the “American Music Awards” (ABC had Clark create the award and the show when they lost rights to the Grammys), and the film Remo Williams:The Legend Begins (OOTD thinks the movie was underrated.)- Clark first hosted a New Year’s Eve special for ABC in 1972. The original musical guests for that year included Three Dog Night, Helen Reddy, Al Green, and Blood, Sweat, and Tears.
- It was difficult to get acts on New Year’s Eve because they would often have a high-paying booking on that night. So Clark would tape portions of the show in August in Los Angeles. In the middle of summer the studio would be filled with guests dressed for December 31.
- Beginning in 1977 through the end of the show’s run, the American Bandstand theme was “We’re Goin’ Hoppin’.” It was written and performed by Barry Manilow.
- In 2001, Clark had a cameo in Spy Kids. He was listed as a “financier.”
- He sold Dick Clark Productions for $175 million to Washington Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder.
- Clark suffered a stroke in 2004 and also dealt with Type II Diabetes. He appeared at his last “Rockin’ New Year’s Eve” on January 1, 2012 - the 40th anniversary of his iconic show.
- Oh, and he owned a home that seemed to come straight out of the Flintstones. In March he listed it for sale at $3.5 million. (Thank you internet.)
Sources: Washington Post, New York Times, Toronto Globe & Mail, London Guardian, Philadelphia Inquirer
(Image of a 60s-era Dick Clark is courtesy of boiseweekly.com)
The Internet’s Population Doubled Over the Last Five Years
Royal Pingdom susses out some interesting trends about the world’s 2.27 billion Internet users:
- Africa has gone from 34 million to 140 million, a 317% increase.
- Asia has gone from 418 million to over 1 billion, a 143% increase.
- Europe has gone from 322 million to 501 million, a 56% increase.
- The Middle East has gone from 20 to 77 million, a 294% increase.
- North America has gone from 233 to 273 million, a 17% increase.
- Latin America (South & Central America) has gone from 110 to 236 million, a 114% increase.
- Oceania (including Australia) has gone from 19 to 24 million, a 27% increase.
They also note that Asia’s Internet population is almost double the entire Internet population was in 2007.
