Blogs

Who knew? Mr. Wizard. That's who knew!

In this video, Mr. Wizard shows us the future in electronics - the flat screen television. I had no idea that even back in the 1950's General Electric already predicted that there were would be flat screen TVs some day. Before that could happen, we had to go through giant floor model TVs in wooden cabinets.

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Riverdance was first introduced during the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. The video shows a performance from the next year in 1995. I remember how quickly this show became popular in America, and people couldn't get enough of this show. Little girls across America started taking Irish step dancing classes. The claddagh became popular in jewelry.  read more...

Have you ever heard of burning the ends of your hair? This video shows an original old vintage barbershop in Dublin, Ireland called "The Waldorf Barbershop" where they still practice "hair singeing". The barber holds a candle flame to the tips of the hair and burns the ends off. You can see in the video how the hair singeing is done. Hair singeing helps to prevent split ends.  

Don't try this at home. Leave it to the professionals at vintage barbershops.  read more...

Caroline was 103 years old when this video was recorded. In this video she discussed the difference between the world in her younger years and the world today. The number one issue she seemed to have is that she wished that people had more respect for each other like they used to when she was younger. I wish people would have more respect for each other too, Caroline.  read more...

The first Mercedes-Benz was also the first automobile in the world. This car was called the Benz  Motor-Wagen (first patented in 1886).  The Mercedes-Benz name didn't come around until later. As you can see, it was a convertible. ;-)

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Words cannot describe this 1882 Steinway Grand Piano, named the "Liberty Piano". Can you imagine how long it took to do all the carving? And the extraordinary carving skill involved! I can't imagine having such carving skills. I find it difficult to even carve a Halloween pumpkin. My greatest carving skill involves triangle facial features, and a half-moon mouth with a tooth or two. read more...

Watch this video to see what metal coins and pieces these men found at the old 1879 farm house with their metal detector. They find a variety of coins (among other items) from a variety of different years - from an 1883 liberty nickel coin to a 1944 quarter, and a variety in between.

How do all these coins end up in the grass anyway? One would imagine that in 1883, losing a nickel would have been a real disappointment. I wonder how long they spent searching for it. Little did they know that  it would take 130 years to find it. 

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Chippewa Lake Park was an amusement park in Chippewa Lake, Ohio (Medina County) that was open for 100 years - from 1878 through 1978. After it closed in 1978 because it was no longer as popular as it was in it's earlier days, the rides and buildings remained there, left to deteriorate over the next thirty years. As you can see in the video, it sure did deteriorate. It's always sad to see a place that once brought people so much joy left to become a place that eventually looks like the set for a horror movie. read more...

The editing in this video reminds me of the 80's even more than the rollerskating does. read more...

Where can you get an 1897 Georgian mansion with Doric columns, huge wrap-around porch, 5 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms for under $250,000? This nearly 5,000 square foot historic Georgian home is located on .5 acres in Burlington, North Carolina. If you haven't heard of Burlington before, you might be assuming that this home is located in a small town hours from any big city. But, Burlington, NC is a city with a metropolitan area population of 150,000. Plus, Burlington, NC is only a 40 minute drive from Durham, North Carolina - home to Duke University.  read more...