Visiting Vintage

Monday, March 12, 2012

Girl Scouts 100th Birthday

I started as a Brownie in 3rd Grade and flew up to Girl Scouts the next year. I was in a troop through Juniors, Cadettes and Seniors - all the way through my sophomore year in high school. Memorable times include taking two vans down to National Center West in Ten Sleep, Wyoming between my 7th and 8th grade year where we met Girl Scouts from around the country and sailing and sleeping on an 101 foot schooner, The Adventuress with my troop.

My daughter joined Brownies also in third grade and went through 6th grade in her Junior troop. I was a leader for part of the time and sewed my patches from back-in-the day in the early to mid 70s along with new Girl Scout patches I acquired on my leader denim shirt

(Food Allergy friends - note FAAN's PAL Girl Scout Patch! No one in the troop had anaphylactic allergies but they still were very supportive in learning about food allergies)

Girl Scouts provided many fun and meaningful memories for both me and my daughter.

Life Magazine featured The Girl Scouts March 24th, 1952 to celebrate Girl Scout's 40th birthday. Check it out on Google Books here You'll find the start of the article on page 108 (if you're not familiar with how to navigate this site, if the "next" doesn't show up in your window in a yellow bar then select the article "Girl Scouts, 40th Birthday 108" from the drop down menu where it probably says "Front Cover".

I've come across a couple of ads featuring Girl Scouts

Dromedary Angel Food Cake mix "Inspired by the historic recipe used in the Birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, Founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America"

January 23, 1956 Life Magazine
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"The Asphalt Institute salutes the Girl Scouts of the U. S. A. who are this month celebrating their 45th birthday."

March 25th, 1957 Life Magazine

I'm proud to have been part of the Girl Scout program and wish the organization a very Happy Centennial Birthday.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Western Electric and theTelephone

March 7, 1876 - four days after his 29th birthday, Alexander Graham Bell received his telephone patent. Three days after that on March 10, 1876, Thomas A. Watson heard A.G. say, "Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you" in the first telephone transmission.

So Happy 136th Birthday to the telephone!

Western Electric was founded in 1872, a few years before this first successful transmission. Apparently one of the early partners was one of the several who filed against A. G. Bell over the telephone patent. Eventually Bell Systems (named for Alexander Graham Bell but in my quick research, he doesn't appear to have much to do with the company) acquired Western Electric in 1881 - they had become the manufacturer of Bell Systems equipment meaning (among other things) the telephone. For the telephone's birthday enjoy these ads from their early maker.

February 24, 1947 Life Magazine
The text of this reads:

“His genius gave wings to words
It was an historic moment, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone had just spoken its first words – “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you!”
That evening in Boston – March 10, 1876 – Dr. Bell’s crude instrument transmitted his voice only to the next room. But out of it was destined to come a whole new era – the era of quick, easy nation-wide telephone, of radio telephony in all its varied forms of talking pictures, voice and music reproduction systems and electrical aids for the hard of hearing. Few inventions have played a greater part in shaping the world we live in!
Since 1877 – just one year after Bell’s long experimentation was crowned with success – it has been Western Electric’s privilege to help carry forward his great idea which gave wings to words. In that year Western Electric made its first telephone. More than 45,000,000 have followed it – over 4,000,000 of them in 1946 alone.
Today, from coast to coast, in factories, offices, distributing houses and central office installation crews, there are more than 110,000 Western Electric workers. Imbued with the Bell System spirit of service, they are helping to provide equipment in record quantities to meet telephone needs far beyond any envisioned by the inventor.”

August 27, 1945 Life Magazine

February 1955 Life Magazine
What a great idea!

From Vintage Goodness

March 28, 1955 Life Magazine

February 13, 1956 Life Magazine
(a little disturbing they included a map to tell enemies where to start looking to take down Air Force communications)

March 26, 1956 Life Magazine

February 1957 Life Magazine

February 10, 1958 Life Magazine

March 24, 1958 Life Magazine

February 15, 1960 Life Magazine

March 21, 1960 Life Magazine

February 23, 1962 Life Magazine

February 22, 1963 Life Magazine

I missed this one for A. G. Bell's birthday post with the other Bell Telephone System ads; it's an awesome birthday party one so I will include it for the telephone's birthday!

March 19, 1956 Life Magazine
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Oreo Cookies

A TV commercial alerted me to the fact that Oreo cookies are celebrating their 100th birthday.

Wikipedia and Twitter indicates that their special day is today March 6th.

So Happy Centennial Birthday, Oreo!

I'm posting some 1960s vintage ads to celebrate you (because that's just how I roll).
I can't find any information why these are called "NEW OREO" The cookie imprint design changed in 1952 according to the above Wikipedia link.

January 11, 1960 Life Magazine

January 13, 1961 Life Magazine

January 4, 1963 Life Magazine

I enjoyed these vintage commercials on Youtube

Neither one of these have the jingle I remember: "A kid'll eat the middle of an Oreo first. And save the chocolate cookie outside for last!"

Personally, I appreciate that U.S. Oreos do not contain milk, egg or nuts.

So thank you and Happy Birthday!

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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Alexander Graham Bell

Happy Birthday Alexander Graham Bell

I think most of us are pretty grateful for the invention of the telephone. Since its inception, the phone has become more indispensable and ownership more accessible to everyone.

In the 1940s it appears Bell Telephone System was schooling the general public on proper telephone etiquette for their single phone. (Many of these ads are fun to read but too small in the blog - click on them and then look for the magnifying glass and + sign above the photo.)

August 1942 "The American Home" magazine

June 1943 "The American Home" magazine

In the 1950s and 1960s the ads were about staying in touch, especially peace of mind and being able to talk long-distance

January 1955 Life Magazine

March 14, 1955 Life Magazine

February 21, 1955

March 5, 1956 Life Magazine

February 1957 Life Magazine

March 18, 1957 Life Magazine

January 25, 1960 Life Magazine

March 14, 1960 Life Magazine

March 8, 1963 Life Magazine

And then there are ads to encourage having a second line for the home

March 21, 1955

February 1959 American Home Magazine

February 1961 American Home Magazine

February 1962 American Home Magazine

February 1, 1963 Life Magazine

Operators and friendly Bell Telephone Service

January 23, 1956 Life Magazine

and Mr. Bell featured on an ad, too!

February 27, 1956 Life Magazine

January 11, 1960, Life Magazine
(This is super cute!)

January 24, 1963 Life Magazine

March 19, 1963 Life Magazine

Check out these predictions and service improvements

January 24, 1959 Saturday Evening Post Magazine

Picture of Tomorrow. Will tomorrow's telephones be smaller and lighter and specially designed for each room? Will the dial, mouthpiece and receiver all be in the unit you hold in your hand? Will you be able to get your party just by pushing buttons, instead of dialing? We're working on many types and testing them at Bell Laboratories and in homes and offices.

March 7, 1960

The high frequency radio waves that carry telephone and television signals travel in straight lines and refuse to follow the earth's curvature. To overcome this, it may well be possible and practical to send them over long distances by using earth satellites as relay points.

January 18, 1963 Life Magazine

February 8, 1963 Life Magazine

March 15, 1963 Life Magazine

July/August 1976 Bicentennial Issue of Saturday Evening Post

. . . For example, even now we're starting Electronic Long Distance Switching - a computerized way to make long distance calling faster and more efficient than ever before. Further in the future, we'll have Lightwave Communications, a system that will carry phone calls on a beam of light.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone to help people communicate better. Our goal is to keep improving on his dream.

You might also like this on the Wall of Retro The Way We See It – Bell Ad from 1983

So for all the countless times I've relied on my phone, thank you and Happy Birthday Alexander Graham Bell!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Lent

I'm not quite clear on why Lent is called Lent - there are several descriptions here about Lent being derived from words from other languages meaning fortieth and March. Wikipedia has more information here. During the season of Lent, many Christians choose to abstain from a luxury or even a supposed necessity to bring them in closer relationship to God and contemplative of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Not all Christians observe Lent by sacrificing something. Some will add something positive to their daily routine during the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter to enhance their relationship with God.

I found a few ads from the 50s that market to Christians who go without meat during Lent.

Campbell's Soup