Author: Steve Atkinson

It was the summer of 1973 when Paul Simon begged ‘Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away’. Mama has finally taken it away. Mama is Kodak and they did discontinued Kodachrome film.

Kodak first introduced the film, which was the first successfully mass-marketed color still film using a subtractive method, in 1935. Since it required a complex processing amateurs can not do it, but it was a favorite of many professional photographers.

Until a 1954 ruling Kodak sold the film with the cost of processing included. Before this time Kodak had the only processing center. The United States sued saying this was anticompetitive. They entered into a consent decree that allowed processing plants in the US to acquire the required chemicals to process.

Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas was the last that was able to process the film. They stopped their processing line on December 30, 2010, marking the absolute end of Kodachrome.

Paul Simon’s song Kodachrome reached the number 2 spot on the US Billboard Charts in the summer of 1973 and brought some legal troubles from Kodak. They required the record company to place a note that ‘Kodachrome is a trademark of Kodak’. A few years later beginning in late 1990s Kodak used the song in their advertising.

Because of Kodak’s trademark the song was rarely played in the UK and therefore was not a hit there. The BBC had very strict rules about commercial endorsements and stations didn’t play songs that appeared to push products.

The election of 1828 was not a pretty election. It was a rematch between the same candidates of the 1824 contest between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Jackson felt he should have been the incumbent since he had received the most popular votes as well as Electoral votes. However none of the top four candidates received enough Electoral votes to win and for the first and only time in US election history the US House of Representatives made John Quincy Adams President.

One of the issues that arose against Andrew Jackson, who won by a 56-44 percent margin, dealt with his wife Rachel. Rachel Donelson Jackson was born on June 15, 1762 and through a mistake may have married Andrew Jackson when she was still legally married to another man, Lewis Robards.

The 18 year old Rachel Donelson married 27 year old Captain Lewis Robards on March 1, 1785. Robards appeared to be the perfect economic mate for Rachel. By 1790 things had changed, some of it may have been because she had met and fell in love with Jackson

What happen between 1785 and Rachel’s marriage to Robards and 1794 when Jackson and Rachel married legally may never be truly determined. Whether Robards deserted his wife or Rachel left him for another man, which was unheard of in the 18th century, is clouded in mystery.

But it became an issue in the 1828 election. The press discovered that the couple may have married without benefit of a divorce to Rachel and accused her of adultery. The attacks were ruthless and provide much strain on the health of an already sick Rachel. She dearly love Jackson and wished to see him as President.

Rachel did see her husband elected President, but she was unable to join him as his First Lady in the White House. A few days before Christmas on December 22, 1828 she died and was buried on Christmas Eve in her white inauguration gown. Andrew Jackson for the rest of his life blamed his political enemies for his wife’s death.

It didn’t take long for Congress to start debate on Amendments to the United States Constitution. Congress first convened on March 4, 1789 and on June 8th of the same year James Madison read his thoughts regarding a Bill of Rights. During the course of debates through the ratification process of the Constitution many states express concerns that certain rights weren’t part of the Constitution.

Between June 8th and September 25, 1789, when the 12 proposed Amendments, the Bill of Rights, were submitted to the states, Congress compiled and debated the articles. First it was the house which used many of Madison’s proposals. The Senate modified them. On September 21, 1789 the House and the Senate together worked to resolved the differences, which was settled when the Senate passed them.

George Washington signed the resolution on October 2, 1789 and the proposed 12 amendments were sent to the 11 states that had already ratified the United States Constitution.

Each of the 12 articles would be voted on separately by states with an article being ratified when it received approval of three quarters of the states. Six weeks after receiving the Bill of Rights North Carolina ratified the Constitution. They had been holding out because it didn’t have individual state rights guarantee. Also during the ratification process, Vermont was admitted to the United States and Rhode Island, the last of the original thirteen states, ratified the Constitution.

Virginia became the 11th and deciding state to ratified the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution on December 15, 1791. They approved all 12 of the articles, but only Articles 3-12 were ratified. Article 1 had been rejected by Delaware while New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island had rejected Article 2.

Article 1 of the 12 original Amendment Articles will probably never be passed, it established a formula for the number of House representatives. “Article I. After the first enumeration required by the first article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor less than one Representative for every forty thousand persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to two hundred; after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall not be less than two hundred Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every fifty thousand persons”

Article 2, which simply stated, “No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.”, became the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution on May 5, 1992, over 202 years after original Congressional approval, when Missouri and Alabama became the 37th and 38th state to ratify it. Seven states ratified it after that date bringing the total to 45. New York, who rejected it in 1790, Nebraska with a 1987 rejection along with Massachusetts, Mississippi and Pennsylvania are the states who have not approved the Article.

December 7, 1941 will forever be remembered as an day of infamy. It was on that day that Japan attacked the military bases on the Hawaiian Island of O’ahu. Pearl Harbor Naval Base, where many of the United States Pacific fleet were docked on that day, and Hickham Field, which adjoins the Naval Base, were the two major points of attack.

It was a quiet Sunday morning when the Japanese launched 2 waves of attacks. The first wave reached the Island at 7:54 am local time with the second arriving about 15 minutes later. The raids lasted until 9:45 am.

The first attack targeted airfields and battleships.The second wave targeted other ships and shipyard facilities. After the dust had cleared eight battleships were damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels were lost along with 188 aircraft.

The Japanese lost 29 planes and five midget submarines which attempted to penetrate the inner harbor. The casualty list numbered 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with another 1,178 wounded. Nearly 1/2 of those killed were on the Battleship USS Arizona with 1,104 men killed. The Japanese lost 65 men.

This attack was one of multiple attacks by the Japanese. During a two day period they also launched attacks in the Pacific against Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippine Islands, Wake Island and Midway Island.

The aircraft carriers Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga, part of the Japanese targets, were not in port that day. Also escaping damage were the fuel storage, maintenance, and dry dock facilities.

On December 8, President Roosevelt delivered his famous speech to congress requesting a Declaration of War.

Yesterday, 7 December 1941-a date which will live in infamy-the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government had deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives were lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Wake Island.

This morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces-with the unbounded determination of our people-we will gain the inevitable triumph-so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, 7 December, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

When one thinks about Christmas and all of the songs and the artists who have recorded them, the one person who nearly everyone thinks about is Bing Crosby and “White Christmas”. He has even been called the Voice of Christmas.

And it’s hard not to agree with this fact. Although nearly every generation has a singer who is associated with Christmas. It could be Perry Como, who along with Crosby had a number of Christmas Special on broadcast TV during his life. Or Andy Williams, who along with his Brothers and another set of brothers, The Osmonds, enjoyed a run of Christmas shows on his variety show of the 1960’s.

But it’s still the songs of Bing Crosby that many remember hearing during the Christmas of their youth. It could be “White Christmas” which he first recorded in 1942 for the film “Holiday Inn”. But that wasn’t the only one. In 1943 he released “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, which if not for the success of “White Christmas”, would be considered his classic Christmas Song. He also had a recording of “Silent Night” that reached the top of the charts as was a duet with the Andrew Sisters, “Jingle Bells” also in 1943.

Crosby also has had a few improbable Christmas pairings. One of his last recorded performance was the duet he recorded with David Bowie, “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” for his 1977 Christmas Special. In 2012 there was an impossible duet, made possible by the wonders of modern technology, with him singing with Michael Bublé.

Bing Crosby was the biggest recording act of the 1930s and 1940s. Even though Billboard used a different method of charting, Crosby had separate charting singles in every calendar year between 1931 and 1954. He had 383 chart singles, including 41 Number 1 hits. Some of these were “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” (1938), “I’ll Be Seeing You” and “Swinging on a Star” (Both 1943).

It’s his Christmas songs that is remembered and played. And will probably still be in a hundred years from now.