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Century-old sunken ship preserved in perfect condition beneath Lake Superior

These stunning images reveal the remains of a more than century-old sunken ship that has been preserved beneath freezing Lake Superior. The ship looks almost exactly the same as it did the day it sunk beneath waves all those years ago.

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                                                                                                          Image Courtesy of Earnest Archives and Library

April 7, 1866, was a cold and dreary spring day in a part of Philadelphia known as the “Neck.” Nevertheless, members of the Christopher Dearing family were excited for they were to be visited by cousin Elizabeth Dolan. In the morning, Christopher Dearing readied the family rig to go retrieve Dolan. Before he left, Dearing sent Cornelius Carey, his seventeen-year-old indentured servant, and hired-hand Anton Probst into the fields with their work assignments. Confident that his orders would be met, Dearing bade his family farewell. When he said goodbye to his wife Julia and their children, he could not have known it was the last time he would see his family alive.

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More than 100 years later, the 'great mystery' of the vanished USS Cyclops remains unsolved

One hundred years ago Wednesday morning, the USS Cyclops, a massive American World War I transport ship hailed as a "floating coal mine," should have been docked in the waters off Baltimore, fresh off a journey from Brazil.

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 Early Use of “Bug” by Edison Makes Rare Appearance

                                                                                                                     Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries

New York—Swann Galleries will offer an auction of Autographs on Thursday, March 22, featuring vestiges of history spanning the thirteenth to twentieth centuries. Revolutionary Americana makes up a significant portion of the auction’s pre-sale estimate, as do letters by scientists and some of humanity’s greatest luminaries.

Leading the sale is a 1778 letter signed by George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief, to General James Clinton. From his headquarters in Fredericksburg, Virginia, he discusses preparations for the Sullivan Expedition against Loyalists and enemy Iroquois in western New York and Pennsylvania. The letter carries an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000.

            Revolutionary Americana continues with a letter signed by Thomas Jefferson as Governor to Major-General Nathanael Greene, reporting on February 17, 1781 that he has ordered more than 1,000 riflemen to join him against the British General Cornwallis ($15,000 to $25,000), and a 1772 letter by the treacherous Benedict Arnold, at $3,000 to $4,000.

            The earliest item in the sale is a manuscript charter on vellum by William, the Bishop of Coventry, granting a church to an abbey in Cheshire in 1222, replete with the pendant Episcopal wax seal of William Cornhill, carrying an estimate of $3,500 to $5,000. Another early highlight is a 1470 document signed by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy to Johann IV of Nassau, at the height of his powers and concerning his ongoing military campaigns across Europe, valued at $3,000 to $4,000. Additional European historical autographs include a letter that mentions the burning of Whitehall in 1689, fifteenth-century vellum legal decrees and various royal missives.  

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Canoe unearthed by Hurricane Irma could be hundreds of years old

A Florida photographer on an early-morning bike ride the day after Hurricane Irma ravaged the coast stumbled upon an exciting find: a dugout canoe that may be hundreds of years old, according to officials.

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In photos: Vintage eclipse viewing

As the U.S. awaits its first total solar eclipse in a century, here are some vintage images of eclipse viewing.

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Eclipse Phase, Second Edition RPG: Imagine a transhumanist, alien vs. predator style world being a part of a post-apocalyptic scene? This is exactly what this game is. The thing that makes this game unique are the illustrations, 3D renderings, and advanced lighting effects. Also, it has a philosophical meaning and portrays scenes that question the ethics of transhumanism. Nihilism, Utilitarianism, and Deontology take part of the story and all plays into the character’s personas or abilities. That being said, it is a table-top based RPG.

Kynseed - A Whimsical Sandbox RPG Adventure: Kynseed is a retro style sandbox RPG game. The game has some reminiscence of Runescape but also has a similar feel to sandbox games such as Minecraft. The pixel style is typical retro bit graphics and has 21st-century style game mechanics. Kynseed is well designed and can provide hours of entertainment.

The Blackwood for the Savage Worlds RPG System: A robin-hood style character, German folklore, and a well-designed mapping system is what makes this game enjoyable. However, the digital variation of the game isn’t up for sale on Kickstarter.

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Researchers find unique US Declaration of Independence copy

LONDON (AP) - A unique copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence has been discovered in an unexpected place - England. The copy, similar to the one viewed by millions each year at the National Archives in Washington has been locked away in a local records office in southeastern England forgotten by historians.

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    Atari is known to have been a huge company in the past but in a way, they are still around. They just are not as active as they used to be. Today, I will be talking about 10 Retro Atari games you can play online at Atari.com that are known for its nostalgic. 

1. Space Invaders: Space invaders is known for its nostalgic value and its many variations. You can play Space Invaders online right now straight from Atari’s website, last I checked. As far as I known, the classic retro feel is still there. The difference is the speed and game physics is obviously going to be much higher, but it still gives the feeling of playing the game.

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Image courtesy of Windsor Historical Society

     Marguerite Mills (1903-1985) was a descendant of some of the oldest Windsor, Connecticut families. Windsor holds the distinction of being "Connecticut's oldest English town." At a young age, Mills developed a deep respect and love for the town's history. She lived in the same home throughout her life. The house, located on Deerfield Road, was filled with beautiful antiques. 

       In September of 1921,  Mills joined Windsor Historical Society of Connecticut at the age of 17. She was not only one of the 100 charter members of the society, but Mills injected a vital energy. The Windsor Historical Society was formed with the objective of creating awareness among the public about various places, events, and people that share a significant part of the evolving history of Windsor. The Windsor Historical Society conducts various exhibitions, sessions, research activities, programs and interaction with those interested in preserving and interpreting Windsor’s historical records. 

      In 1925, the Lt. Walter Fyler House, thought to be one of the oldest wood-framed houses in the state, was to be demolished to make way for a gasoline station. Mills and other members made every effort to preserve the historic site which now houses the Windsor Historical Society.¹ Every year Mills analyzed reports prepared by the President of the Windsor Historical Society. The data resulted in a collection of funds raised for the construction of a fireproof building so the increasing number of collections and antiques could be safely preserved. 

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1) Atari founder Nolan Bushnell had the opportunity to buy Apple Corporation for a measly $75000, which would be worth $190k after adjusting for inflation. Steve Jobs even offered to work for Bushnell during the time and use Atari computer parts for the Macintosh predecessor, of which Bushnell said no. Many believe it is because of Bushnell’s traditionalism, traditionalism in the sense Bushnell was less willing to take a risk on a disruptive tech in the market.

2) The Nintendo 2Ds: Nintendo’s 2Ds System was a terrible idea because they spent unneeded money for extra R & D, and the backlash from going backward in the release of a newer game console did not help. Essentially, Nintendo was able to save themselves, but it cost them extra hassle.

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     Women have influenced the acting and cinema sector for decades. We are well aware of many Hollywood actresses who have charmed the entire world with their beauty, elegance, and talent. Marilyn Monroe, Kate Winslet, Grace Kelly, Rita Hayworth are a few of these brilliant actresses. However, we know less about the actresses who ruled the American cinema during the early 20th century. One such beautiful and stunning actresses is Kathleen Clifford. She was an American vaudeville and Broadway stage talent and film actress during this period.

     Clifford was born on February 16. 1887 in Virginia in the United States.  Clifford’s acting career commenced on the vaudeville stages. She used to act in plays, mostly as comic relief, and was known for her impersonations of men. She was also known as “The Smartest Chap in Town” for her witty and humorous acts. Additionally, she worked in a play with a male impersonator, Bothwell Browne. Both actresses were constantly employed during those days.

     In 1907, Clifford was offered an opportunity to make her first appearance on Broadway. She accepted the offer and performed for the first time Broadway at the Lincoln Square Theatre in the J.J and Lee Schultz produced musical The Bell of London Town. Clifford was a prolific actor and as such, she appeared in many stage performances. Some of these are as follows:

• In 1911, she appeared in a musical triple bill named Hell, Temptations and Gaby at the Floies Bergere Theatre.
• During 1911-1912, she played in the original musical comedy known as Vera Violetta at the Winter Garden Theatre.
• In 1912, she performed at in the Florenz Ziengfield musical production A Winsome Window.
• In 1916, she worked in the H.H. Frazee Productions A Pair of Queens at the Longacre Theatre in which she was cast opposite the actor, Edward Abeles.

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Maria Tesch – A Woman Who Made a Difference

      Today we have mobile phones to take photos on any occasion. Moreover, we can even shoot selfies while eating a pizza, driving a car [not recommended] or even while having a row with your partner. A camera has become an essential need. If this technological advancement was told to a layman living in the 1900s, he would not believe you and thought you had become crazy.

     During those days, photos were taken only on special occasions. People living in the 18^th and 19^th centuries preserved their photos. If you have gone through the photographs of your grandparents or even great-grandparents, those photos look natural, elegant and real. These photos were preserved for ages so the next generation could see and cherish their ancestor's memories. This appears contradictory to our present scenario. These days our mobile phones are loaded with selfies and photos and we delete those as soon as it has been uploaded as a "Display Picture" or "Profile Picture" on WhatsApp and Facebook respectively.

     We don’t even have to incur substantial expenses for clicking and discarding photos, and taking a photo has become a usual task. One does not require photography skills to snap picture perfect photos, thanks to the advancements in the field.  The cameras found in today’s mobile phones are comprised of advanced and dynamic features such as auto click, zoom, clarity, special effects, etc. A person from the 19^th century could not have even imagined so many remarkable improvements in the photography industry.

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This article was sent by friends overseas. As it is International Women's Day, I am honored to share the sentiment. 

Why Celebrate Women’s Day 2017?

Today, women are dominating in every aspect of society. She is no longer secondary to a man. She has entered the fields of politics, teaching, writing, science, medicine, navy, army, air force, defense, technology, and so on. The list of work sectors is endless where women are working in alignment with men’s efforts.

Gone are the days when women were not given her basic rights and she was undermined by society. She was restricted to taking care of her family between the four walls of a house. But now the scenario is completely different. She not only cares for her family but also for the society, her school, her office, her organization and even her nation.

This does not mean that women who are shown on TV screens or whose remarkable achievements are printed in newspapers are the only successful women on this planet.

Every woman is successful.

If she is taking care of her sick parents, she is a successful daughter. 

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      Simply put, the goal of the Indedpendent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) is to "improve and elevate the character of man."¹   Its origins began when ordinary citizens in seventeenth century England joined forces and resources to aid persons in need. In America, Washington Lodge No. 1 in Baltimore, Maryland, received its charter from Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows in England on April 26, 1819.²  The members of the fraternal organization were employed to "Visit the sick, relieve the distress, bury the dead and educate the orphans" as Baltimore was suffering from an outbreak of yellow fever.³ 

      I.O.O.F. was the first national fraternity which to include both men and women when it adopted the Rebekah Degree in 1851. This degree was written by the Honorable Schuyler Colfax (1823-1885), who is perhaps better remembered for having served as the Vice President of the United States from 1869-1873. The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs continue their work today with nearly 10,000 lodges in approximately 26 countries. 

     Sarah Miles Hanna (1825-April 9, 1907)  became a Rebekah in 1854, three years after the Rebekah Degree was initiated. By the time of her death in 1907, she was one of the oldest Rebekahs. Hanna's pedigree was substantial. Her father, Solomon Stoddard Miles, was president of the Presbyterian College in Zanesville, Ohio. She was a cousin of  General Nelson A. Miles (1839-1925), a somewhat controversial figure for his eagerness to accept accolades, but unwillingness to accept blame, during the Plains Indian Wars (1854-90). 

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Andrew Kamal

     There are many nostalgic Sega Genesis games, but here are literally some of the best. These games are what made Sega one of the missed companies of our time in terms of the consoles they released or the classic gaming vibe they used to have. There are known for many classics which we will cover in this article.

1. The Sonic the Hedgehog series: The whole Sonic the Hedgehog series turned into one of the biggest gaming franchises ever to exist. It is literally Nintendo’s Mario biggest competitor. The classic sonic games are one of the reasons Sega is still considered somewhat functioning and active today. Just not as much as they used too.

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"First your country, then your rights." W.E.B. Du Bois, 1918

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                 Image Courtesy of Earnest Archives and Library                                                                                    

We recently [2013] came across notes written on blank pages of a copy of Johann Arndts’ Sechs Bücher vom Wahren Christenthum (Six Books of the True Christendom). Published in Nürnberg in 1762, the book was purchased in Philadelphia in 1783 by Peter Lex, who apparently penned the notes himself in German script. According to Lex, he was born on August 30, 1750 in “Gemein Schafftlichen Flecken Wöllstein beÿ Creutznach” (the little community [of] Flecken Wöllstein near [Bad] Kreuznach) in the Rheinland Pfalz area of today’s Germany. He bought his book in November 1783 for 1 pound, 17 shillings, and 6 pence. 

Lex’s notes are interesting for several reasons. He spoke about 1783 being the year that the republic gained its freedom from the King of England, and how the fledgling American congress would meet in December. Congress had proclaimed the end of the Revolutionary War on April 19, and it did meet, as noted by Lex, in Annapolis on December 23 to accept George Washington’s resignation as commander-in-chief. 

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By Andrew Kamal

     Game and Watch is the predecessor to modern handhelds starting in the 1980s. Some of the games that were in this series all led to the modern NIntendo games that we have today. One of them being the very well known “Donkey Kong Series”. Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Jr. as well as almost all the mini-games were originally released on the “Game & Watch” series by Nintendo, which were basically series of handhelds meant to play single low bit games in the late 1900s.

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By Benjamin Truesdale, Department Head, Freeman's 

                                            Image Courtesy of Freeman's

      For a certain tribe of collectors, there is no thrill greater than diving straight into a dusty, wrecked steamer trunk, or some other such vessel, and sifting through scraps of old paper, bond certificates, postcards, photos, and any other mixed-up fragments from an earlier age. This particular bunch finds the grittiness of excavation thrilling, as such, but even more essential is the persistent hope that something intact, something coherent, may emerge from the confused shards, rubble, and ruin. The form of the found object may even be irrelevant to manuscript collectors; it could be a ledger, a sentiment album, or a marked-up, yellowed typescript. What matters instead is the discovery of unattested documentary materials, written in human hand, which transport one directly to the lived experience of the past. Most prized of all are those documents which may expand upon, or better yet push back against, otherwise commonly accepted historical narratives.

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