1930: Real Streamliner

The Burney Streamline Car was an aerodynamic vehicle that was designed for the road by Sir Charles Dennistoun Burney in 1929.

The car's revolutionary design was inspired by the principles of the Airship Guarantee Company in Howden, where Burney was managing director and responsible for constructing the R100 Airship.
"Burney saw the design emerging for the Airship, which was intended to have a maximum speed of 70 mph through air," said Dr Bernard Nield of Howden Civic Society, a vintage car enthusiast who has authored a book about the Streamline Car. "He concluded that if the Streamline shape of the Airship was good for the Airship, then it would be good for a motor car and reduce aerodynamic drag that cars of that period were all experiencing."

The prototype of the Streamline was built in Howden out of scrap materials including aluminium and balloon fabric, all taken from the airship station. The vehicle had caused quite a stir in the town when it was road tested.

In September 1930, Burney could drive one of his streamliners to Cardington where the R106 was preparing for her North American flight.
Info: BBC

Demotivational Surrender

Original image:

On May 7, 1945, the European conflict of World War II ended when Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France.
In this photo, Colonel General Gustaf Jodl, German Chief of Staff signs the documents of unconditional surrender, under which all remaining forces of German Army are bound to lay down their arms.
On Jodl’s left is General Admiral von Friedeburg of the German Navy, on his right is Major Wilhelm Oxenius of the German General Staff.

(from the FDR Library)

1930: Cardington Revisited

Paul Catherall. R100 & R101: Airships at Cardington

 

Image copyright of the artist and Cecil Higgins Art Gallery & Bedford Museum, 2010.

Source: The Higgins Bedford

Wine of the Century

The 1961 Bordeaux, aka Claret, mentioned in our Chapter 36 as "wine of the century", reached a legendary status as early as in the Sixties.
Here's a short quote from a NYT article (1995):

The 1961 Bordeaux vintage is probably the most famous of the 20th century. Whether it will prove to have been the best will be argued for years to come. The vintages of 1929, 1945, 1947 and 1959 all have their champions; 1982 and 1990 may yet prove to be exceptional and, of course, there are five harvests to go.

Early on May 29, 1961, a severe frost destroyed almost 75 percent of the expected Bordeaux harvest. But the summer that followed was almost textbook perfect, pouring its energy into the few surviving vines. The result was wines of intense concentration and staying power.

Château La Mission Haut Brion 1961

Лаконичные рекомендации метрдотеля внушали куда больше доверия, чем многостраничное меню. Дора одобрительно кивнула. Просмотрев винную карту, я выбрал кларет 1961 года. Метрдотель хмыкнул, тоже одобрительно – еще бы, урожай века!

AND BY THE WAY, IT'S THE 4th ANNIVERSARY OF OUR BLOG

YES, THE STRANGERS ARE ONLINE SINCE MAY 6, 2009

CELEBRATE!

Image: Finest & Rarest

1930: More Hats!

Hollywood fashion show, 1930

(LA Public Library)

 

Summer hat

 

Hats by Germaine Page and Marcelle Lély,

Les Chapeaux de la femme chic, 1930

 

See also: 1930. Real Hats!

Real 1972: Hamburg Revisited

Class 01 steam loco at the Central Station (Hamburger Hauptbahnhof)

 

Springer publishing house building after a RAF bomb explosion

 

Rocker movie (dir. Klaus Lemke), filmed in Hamburg

 

Fashion photo by F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg, 1972

 

Images: Bahnhofsbilder (1), Die Welt (2), Artnews (3), Pleasurephoto (4) 

 

1930: Real Music

A Bench In The Park

(Yellen - Agger)

Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. With Vocal Chorus by The Brox Sisters.

Columbia CB 86.

From the 1930 Hollywood musical picture "King Of Jazz"

starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.

Poster-in-Poster

His Blue Bus

During his college years, Mark made a living as a driver, taking Electric Company employees to the power station and back home. The bus was blue and not too large, its make unknown. What did it look like? Let's guess - and don't forget that in the 1950s, bicolor paintjob was all but 'a must' for the buses, so there should be an additional color.

1952 DKW Schnellaster Kleinbus

too small...

1951 Magirus Deutz O3500

too large and luxurious

1938 Opel Blitz (1948 body)

compact and modest.

Bingo?

We browsed through various websites - only to found some wonderful and obviously 'overqualified' coaches. Like these:

1952 Saurer

1950s Setra S-Series

OK. Let it be an Opel.

Три раза в неделю я выходил из дома в полпятого утра, в пять ровно выводил из гаража небольшой синий автобус и начинал объезжать город по списку адресов, который мне вечером передавали по телефону. Иногда у меня было десять пассажиров, порой только три. Я привозил их к главному входу на городскую электростанцию – обычно без десяти шесть. Потом десять-пятнадцать минут ждал, пока появятся инженеры и техники, закончившие смену. Публика попроще сразу сворачивала от ворот направо – ждать первого трамвая. А ценных специалистов я доставлял домой. И будил, доставив, потому что в автобусе они немедленно засыпали.

Images: My Transport Net (1), En Cars Globe (2), Showbus (3, 4) Setra (5)

1930: Real Currency

Austrian commemorative 2 Schilling, silver

German 50 Reichspfennig, nickel

U.S. Quarter Dollar, silver

British Penny, copper

Real 1972 Hit

The Electric Light Orchestra - 10538 Overture
(recorded in 1971)

Introducing the Baron

Gottfried Freiherr (Baron) von Banfield, known as the 'Eagle of Trieste', being probably the only flying ace who flew a flying boat fighter to nine or more victories. Banfield's 9 confirmed and 11 unconfirmed air-kills make him the most successful Austro-Hungarian naval airplane fighter, and he holds a place among the best flying aces of Austria-Hungary. In 1917, he received the Dual Monarchy's most honorable military award, the Order of Maria Theresa.

After the First World War, the city of Trieste was annexed by Italy, and Gottfried was for a time imprisoned by the occupation police. In 1920 he emigrated to England and became a British subject. He married Countess Maria Tripcovich of Trieste. They settled in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where their son Raphael Douglas, known to the world as the composer Raffaello de Banfield Tripcovich, was born in 1922. In 1926, Gottfried took Italian nationality and returned to Trieste to become Director of the Diodato Tripcovich and Co. Trieste Shipping-Company, which he took over from his father-in-law. Trieste Company ships then sailed under the Italian flag. Banfield became a celebrity of the city, usually called 'Our Baron', 'Il nostro Barone'.

You can read more about Banfield here. In our next book, the Baron will make a brief but very important appearance.

A portrait of Gottfried von Banfield by Karl Sterrer (Military History Museum, Vienna) via Wikimedia Commons