Sunday 30 June 2019

British Communication in 1933 and 1935

CAPE TIMES - 1933, July 11

The MARCONI TRANSMITTER was installed at the Manchester airport - the first to be installed in a municipal airport in Britain. This wireless station was controlled and operated by the Air Ministry. It was capable of both telegraph and telephone communication with aircraft in flight or other aerodromes. It was designed to operate on wavelengths of 700 to 1550 metres.
THE STAR Johannesburg – 1935, August 5

RADIO in Mimic AIR WAR over LONDON
Two soldiers listening in at a Sound Location Post manned by Royal Engineers attached to the “Northland” force versus the “Southland” at a North Kent aerodrome in the Mimic Air War over London. 


Saturday 29 June 2019

STOP signs & CONCRETE roads in JOHANNESBURG

THE STAR Johannesburg – 1935
10 & 27 July and 1 & 7 August



NEW ROAD SIGNS ON THE EAST RAND
1935, July 10

In BOKSBURG new ROAD SIGNS had been erected to mark the boundaries of the municipal area and to indicate important roads. The signs are surmounted by red and white lights, and the boundary signs bear the town’s coat of arms.



CONCRETE ROAD
1935, July 10

The CONCRETE surface of DIAGONAL STREET stood up well for 4 years, although it had one of the busiest corners in JOHANNESBURG, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. This photo must have been taken only days before STOP SIGNS were erected at busy intersections in Johannesburg. 





STOP SIGNS in Johannesburg
1935, 1 August

Johannesburg drivers were forced to obey STOP SIGNS, as 26 new inspectors joined the City Traffic Inspectors to enforce the STOP rule at “through” street intersections.

A WHITE LINE EXPERIMENT
1935, 7 August
Passers-by were puzzled by the appearance of 11 mysterious WHITE LINES among the ordinary traffic lines outside the New Library in Johannesburg. Facetious suggestions were made that, failing a futuristic traffic experiment, it was a new “hopscotch” pitch. The mystery was solved when THE STAR was informed it was a private municipal test to settle a road paint tender. Each line represents a different type of paint.


Thursday 27 June 2019

Best Gifts for Good Children

De Volkstem – 12 Oktober 1925
This post from DE VOLKSTEM (one of several South African newspapers in AFRIKAANS during the late 19th and early 20th century) intrigued me, as RAG BOOK was translated to SKEURBOEK - a book that can be torn. Long ago Grandmothers gave Gifts to Good Children. DEAN’S RAG BOOK CO., LTD. emphasized that a GIFT  should be Good, even if the CHILD was not that Good. DEAN’S offered a wide range of affordable, beautiful, durable, soft in touch and hygienic DOLLS, TOYS and RAG BOOKS. In Cape Town and Johannesburg DEAN’S TOYS were available at TORRANCE & MARCON, BPK.   
Lank gelede het Oumas hul geskenke “Vir ‘n Goeie KIND” gemerk, maar in 1925 moes die GESKENK goed wees, al was die KIND nie so goed nie. Dis baie interessant dat SKEURBOEKE hier geadverteer word, terwyl die definisie vir ‘n “RAGBOOK” die volgende is: “A book for very small children made of strong cloth that cannot be torn.”  DEAN’S RAG BOOK CO., LTD van Londen, Engeland, se POPPE & SPEELGOED is duursaam, higiënies, sag om aan te raak, baie mooi en bekostigbaar – beslis die BESTE GESKENKE vir BAIE GOEIE KINDERS. 


Wednesday 26 June 2019

FRILLS & FASHIONS at the ROYAL ASCOT

CAPE TIMES – 1933, July 3
ASCOT is known far and wide as the RACE MEETING which is also 
the FASHION FESTIVAL par excellence of LONDON’S Summer Season.  
Compare the 1933 FASHIONS with the fashion of the recent ROYAL ASCOT. 

Tuesday 25 June 2019

DE SOTO de Luxe Six 1938


THE STAR Johannesburg – 1938, January 6

The new DE SOTO cars not only retained their simplicity of line with smart flowing curves but also all the SAFETY INTERIOR features like a new frame which contributes greater strength to the entire car.  

Monday 24 June 2019

LOST TRIBE in the ANDES


THE STAR Johannesburg - 1935, July 29
In 1935 a “Lost Village” has been sighted by the pilot of a passing air liner on the northern spurs of the Andes mountains in Colombia. Capt. Hans Hoffmann, chief pilot of the “Scadta” (Colombia-German Air Transport Company) sighted eight houses while he was flying between Barranquilla and Bogota. The land in the vicinity shows no traces of cultivation and the inhabitants of the village would live either by hunting or fishing. No trace of the village can be found on any map.

In 2012 aerial surveys yielded the first photographic evidence of two uncontacted tribes in a remote Colombian rainforest was yielded by. Photos by the Amazon Conservation Team showed 5 long houses apparently belonging to the Yuri or Carabayo and Passé – some of the last isolated tribes in the Colombian Amazon.

Protection of SEALS

CAPE ARGUS - 1906, October 5


Since 1893 FUR SEALS have been protected in South Africa. The most recent legislation being the Sea Birds and Seals Protection Act of 1973 which affords complete protection but allows the government to grant permits to kill FUR SEALS at specific colonies.



Sunday 23 June 2019

“COCOA - FOOD of the GODS or the DEVIL'S TEMPTATION?”


CAPE ARGUS - 1886, March 10
“The COCOA Bean is a phenomenon which nature has never repeated. Never have so many qualities been brought together in so small a fruit.” (Alexander von Humbolt, 1769-1859)
Banting fundis might be surprised to hear that already in 1886 the Homoeopathic qualities of COCOA were known in Cape Town. COCOA Powder is made by crushing COCOA beans and removing the fat or COCOA butter. Today, COCOA is most famous for its role on chocolate production. However, modern research has revealed that it does indeed contain important compounds that can benefit your health.

Thursday 20 June 2019

Gossard Fashion Garments

THE STAR Johannesburg - July 25, 1935
In 1901 GOSSARD was established in CHICAGO as HW GOSSARD Co. During the Great Depression GOSSARD continued as as division of CORTAULDS in Great Britain.


Wednesday 12 June 2019

1935: Advice on Choosing a Career

THE STAR Johannesburg - 1935, September 19
Today, thousands of girls and boys are asking: "What shall I be? What shall I do?" It is certainly true that the first thing for a girl to do when considering a career is to form a just estimate of her own tastes and power.
In 1935 Mrs. Ray Strachey published 'CAREERS & OPENINGS FOR WOMEN' (Faber and Faber). Mrs. Strachey, a British Feminist Politician from London, had a wide experience of the market for women's work and the conditions therein. She has given a succinct survey of most of the jobs that are open for women and discusses them in detail, estimates the prospects they offer, explains how to prepare for them and, very important, how to find employment when trained.



Monday 10 June 2019

WILLYS-Overland in South Africa since 1918

CAPE ARGUS (1918, November 16)
THE STAR Johannesburg (1935, August 5)
THE STAR Johannesburg (1938, January 6)
FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES (FCA) is best known in U.S. for the company behind JEEP and RAM trucks. According to @kirstenkorosec FCA and RENAULT are discussing proposals to combine businesses - an illustration that automakers desire to consolidate to bring next-generation technologies like self-driving cars to market. 
Interesting to see that WILLYS-OVERLAND "Big Four" has been in South Africa since 1918.
According to THE STAR Johannesburg (1938, January 6) as from January 1, 1938, the WILLYS Agency for Johannesburg was transferred from GRESHAM MOTORS (Pty.) Ltd. to FORSDICK MOTORS Ltd. FORSDICK MOTORS has since 1920 operated from Durban and has also handled CHRYSLER, PLYMOUTH, DE SOTO and AUSTIN cars and FARGO trucks.




Thursday 6 June 2019

PHILIPS Home Radio and Multi-Inductance All-World Receivers

CAPE TIMES - April 4, 1933



The Philips Company was founded in Eindhoven in 1891, by Gerard Philips and his father Frederik Philips, where the company started the production of carbon-filament lamps and other electro-technical products in 1892. This first factory is used as a museum.
The family business began to expand rapidly and they laid the foundations for the later electronics multinational.

1908
- founding of Philips Metal Filament Lamp Factory Ltd. in Eindhoven
1912
- foundation of Philips Lightbulb Factories Ltd.
1920s
- the company started to manufacture other products, e.g. vacuum tubes
1930s
- the "Chapel" (a radio with built-in loudspeaker) was designed
1939
- introduced the Philishave – an electric razor


Wednesday 5 June 2019

ICE for sale in 1875?


CAPE ARGUS 
1875, January 6 & 1886, February 28
CAPE ARGUS - 1875, January 6

I’ll never take ice cubes for granted as we had a freezer for 3 years that could not freeze properly. Reading through a 1875 copy of THE CAPE ARGUS, I was amazed to see that one could buy ice in Cape Town in 1875, and I decided to learn more about the refrigeration process. 
From Antiquity WINTER ICE was stored in insulated caves, principally for cooling drinks in summer. Since ice was used for the preservation of fish, meat and dairy products, ice production became an important industry in the northern states.
Lake and river ice had been cut by horse-drawn saws and by 1880 there were about 160 large ice-houses on the Hudson River. India produced ice by putting water in porous clay dishes on straw. During the night water evaporated so rapidly that ice formed on the surface of the water. The principle of the evaporation of water from the porous lining of the food compartment was used for refrigeration. In 1834 a method of artificial ice production was patented in England. Concentrated sulfuric acid, which absorbs water, accelerated the evaporation of water in a dish to freeze the remaining water. In the 19th century several types of refrigeration machines depended on the absorption of heat by expanding gases, which had been a subject of scientific research in the previous century. The vapor compression system replaced the early designs. The principle of the modern refrigeration machine is based on the circulation of a volatile fluid while being alternately condensed (with the evolution of heat) and evaporated (with the absorption of heat). 

CAPE ARGUS - 1886, February 28



Tuesday 4 June 2019

MOHATMA GANDHI in SOUTH AFRICA

THE STAR Johannesburg - 1935, July 27 
CAPE TIMES - 1933, August 1
Reading 2 articles in the old newspapers, I was intrigued by the life story of the Indian activist Mohandas Karamchand (MOHATMA) GANDHI. Coming to South Africa in 1893, he was the first expatriate lawyer in SA. This Indian activist spent 21 years in South Africa where he developed his political views, ethics and politics, and he became the leader of the Indian Independence Movement against British Colonial Rule. Gandhi raised 1 100 Indian volunteers to form a group of stretcher bearers during the Boer War. He and 37 other Indians received the Queen's SA Medal after his corps carried wounded soldiers for miles to a field hospital during the Battle of Spioenkop. Gandi undertook several fasts unto death to stop religious violence. He was tragically assassinated on 30 Jan. 1948. His birthday, 2 October 1869, is worldwide commemorated as International Day of Nonviolence.
THE STAR Johannesburg - 1935, July 27
CAPE TIMES - 1933, August 1
Gandhi in Cape Town in 1906


Monday 3 June 2019

MANVEL - Best Imported Windmill Pump

CAPE ARGUS - May 29, 1886


At the Willowmore Show, the MANVEL Windmill Pump won the First Prize as the BEST IMPORTED WINDMILL PUMP. Charles E Geard sold these American pumps from his shop on Market Square in Graaff-Reinet.

Mrs. Tommy Cullinan - Popular Motorist in Johannesburg

THE STAR Johannesburg, 1935, August 1


MRS. TOMMY CULLINAN is an extremely popular motorist in Johannesburg. She has driven different types of cars for some years and is now using a BABY FORD. She has been driving in many parts of South Africa and also enjoyed her recent motoring experience in Scotland. This trendsetter is also partner of a small gift shop in the American style in Johannesburg. She is the daughter-in-law of Sir Thomas Cullinan, the South African diamond magnate renowned for giving his name to the Cullinan Diamond.

Sunday 2 June 2019

Famous South African Ships in 1935

 THE STAR Johannesburg - 1935, September 21


AKRON - Giant Airship wrecked in 1933

CAPE TIMES - 1933, 5 April
The USS Akron was commissioned in October 1931 and had its maiden voyage on Nov. 2, 1931. During a full-blown thunderstorm during the night of April 3-4, 1933, the ship crashed into the stormy Atlantic. Sadly of the 76 people on-board, only 3 survived. Most had died of exposure or drowning in the turbulent and freezing cold sea. Incredibly, the Akron had not been equipped with life jackets.

More interesting facts about the USS Akron
The role of the Akron was to scout for enemy ships and submarines.
It was 785 feet long - over three times longer than a Boeing 747 airliner.
Nearly seven and half million cubic feet of volume was displaced.
It had 4 starboard propellers and the engines’ water reclaiming devices appear as white strips above each propeller.
The emergency rear control cabin is visible in the lower fin.
It could carry up to five small fighter-reconnaissance aircraft.
The plane was launched and retrieved via a trapeze-style mechanism.
Bristled with 8 heavy machine guns, it had a crew of 60.
Range of nearly 7,000 miles.
With a top speed of 79 miles per hour, it was twice as fast as the latest American Lexington-class aircraft carriers.

Saturday 1 June 2019

The "STONE FOREST" of NEW YORK

THE STAR Johannesburg - 1938, 1 January 


A view from the sea of the 'Stone Pinnacles' of the Wonder City of New York. The liner passing the Statue of Liberty is the Queen Mary.






VEGETARIANISM in CAPE TOWN, 1906


CAPE ARGUS – 1906, 30 August

Already in 1906, the doctrines of VEGETARIANISM were making headway in CAPE TOWN.
Owing to the increased production of vegetables, fruit, milk and eggs the way of the would-be vegetarian or semi-vegetarian was easier than it had been in the past in this country.
According to the CAPE ARGUS, VEGETARIANISM was recognized by Medical Science as having a very direct bearing on health. One great obstacle was the lack of cooking and the skill required to turn out dishes at once nourishing and appetizing.



Cape Town’s new £22 000 Broadcasting Station at Milnerton

 CAPE TIMES - 1933, July 18 The Cape and Peninsula Broadcasting Association started Cape Town’s first Broadcasting Station on September 15, ...