Demonic Plastering
but then you'll have guessed
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Post reblogged from Aficionado of the Underrated and Unconventional
A mystery of the Titanic that has always puzzled researchers could finally have been solved with the discovery of an old photograph.
Experts have never really understood why millionaire playboy Ben Guggenheim and his valet Victor Guglio decided not to attempt to board a lifeboat.
Instead the pair dressed for dinner and sat smoking cigars to await their fate as the liner sank.
But a lost photo shows that Victor Guglio was dark-skinned and that has given rise to speculation that the pair knew that the mixed-race valet would be cruelly refused entry to lifeboats.
And it is thought that Guggenheim chose to die with his devoted companion rather than be rescued and leave Guglio behind.This story brought to you by my google search on racism on the Titanic after this week’s episode of the ITV Titanic series showed the Italian crew members locked up during the sinking. Apparently as it really happened, the Italian and French staff of the onboard restaurant were locked in their rooms until all the lifeboats had gone, because others feared they would ‘storm the boats’. Flipping heck. That didn’t make it into the James Cameron film.
Britain is having a massive circlejerk about the Titanic this month and I’m really trying to avoid it because it pisses me off
It’s just… disaster porn. “We’re going on a cruise to see where hundreds of people died! How exciting and romantic!” Jesus, no. It was tragic and, as the reblogged post above shows, an example of some of the worst parts of human nature brought to bear in a crisis.
The only time it needs to be “remembered” or “celebrated” (yes I’ve heard it as a celebration of the anniversary of the sinking…) is as an example to students of the safety of structural engineering.
How about we mourn the anniversary rather than celebrating it? Or, like all the other ship disasters, just… get over it, in the public consciousness?
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Photo reblogged from quaint and formal and splendid by turns
Nightwitches
Die NachtHexen
Ночные ведьмы
for those not in the know, night witches were russian lady bombers who bombed the shit out of german lines in WW2. Thing is though, they had the oldest, noisiest, crappest planes in the entire world. The engines used to conk out halfway through their missions, so they had to climb out on the wings mid flight to restart the props. to stop germans from hearing them coming and starting up their anti aircraft guns, they’d climb up to a certain height, coast down to german positions, drop their bombs, restart their engines in midair, and get the fuck out of dodge.
their leader flew over 200 missions and was never captured.
Reblogging because these women are beyond badass.
(Source: sovietico)
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Photo reblogged from quaint and formal and splendid by turns
“I am very cold”
“The parchment is very hairy.”
“Oh, my hand.”
—Notes from medieval monks and scribes in the margins of their work
Our latest issue “Means of Communication” is now online. Take a break from the scriptorium to check it out!
This is awesome.
Yup.
Now I’ve written the whole thing; for Christ’s sake, give me a drink.
I move that this replace “Finis” as the standard closing phrase for a story.
oh deeeeeear
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Chinese Aviatrix Receives Gift Of New Plane From Colonel Roscoe Turner, Washington, D.C., 1939
Here’s what you need to know: Hilda Yen was awesome. Born into a highly influential Chinese family, she earned degrees from both Smith College AND Yale. Yen was spoken of in the same breath with the likes of her contemporary, Amelia Earhart. She took her flying skill to China to instruct others on how to fly. In the picture above, she accepts a gift of an airplane, on behalf of the “Friends Of New China,” from American military officer, Colonel Roscoe Turner.
A month later the plane nearly killed her when she crashed into a field, but she bounced back, advocating for China the rest of her life.
This is really awesome, but what really stands out for me is the word “aviatrix”. What an awesome word for an awesome woman!
