Showing posts with label WWI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWI. Show all posts

Nov 13, 2015

What's in a Name, Tank

WWI (1914 - 1918) military war machines were called tanks, because they were originally disguised to resemble water tanks. Tanks with cannons were called male tanks and tanks with machine guns were called female tanks.

'Little Willie' was developed in 1915 by British scientists and inventors, and it was the first World War 1 tank. The British produced over 2,600 tanks during the war, but by the end of the war British Tank Corps had only 8 tanks left.

Feb 7, 2014

Origin of the Bra

Wearing a specialized garment to support a woman’s breasts dates as far back as the 14th century BC in Greece where women wore a band of wool or linen that was wrapped across the breasts and tied or pinned in the back.

It is not clear who was the first to invent the modern bra, as numerous patents in various nations were filed in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. However, Caresse Crosby, born Mary Phelps Jacob, invented her design in 1910 and was among the first to patent her 'backless brassiere'. She got the idea for her bra when she was just 19 years old and going to a ball. Her dress for the evening was a sheer gown. She, with the help of her maid, took two handkerchiefs and some ribbon and sewed them together to make something like a modern day bra, so she could have support, but not need to wear a corset.

Frederick Mellinger, founder of Frederick’s of Hollywood, introduced a padded bra, a push-up bra, a front hook bra, and more colorful bras. The most expensive bra in history, valued at $15 million, was modeled in 2000 by Gisele Bundchen and made from red satin and hand-cut Thai rubies and diamonds.

Corsets dominated the undergarments of wealthier women in the Western world for centuries, until WWI required quite a bit of metal. In 1917, the US War Industries Board asked American women to help their 'men win the war' by not wearing or buying corsets. During the war it is estimated that they freed up around 28,000 tons of steel that could be used for other types of heavy lifting.

Jun 7, 2013

Happy Donut Day

The Salvation Army is behind the creation of this holiday. According to its website, "the first National Donut Day was celebrated in Chicago in 1938 to help raise needed funds during the Great Depression and commemorate the work of the “donut lassies” who helped make the donut what it is today by feeding the tasty confection to American soldiers during WWI." In modern times, companies like Entemann’s are donating a portion of their donut profits to the Salvation Army. Canadians eat more donuts per capita than any other country.

Apr 19, 2013

Patriot's Day


Patriots Day April 19 - America had remained neutral in the war until April 6th of 1917 when President Wilson and the U.S. Congress made a declaration of war. This poster calls for the American people to get on board with the war efforts.

Nov 6, 2010

Veterans Day

November 11 is Veterans Day. Kiss a vet. it will make you both happy.

Other countries today also still recognize November 11th as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in honor of the Armistice treaty which ended World War I. The war officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
              
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" In 1938 Armistice Day was enacted as an official American holiday. In 1954 Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all veterans. Recognized spelling is Veteran's Day, Veterans' Day, and Veterans Day. Veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old") is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field.