It was the fall of 1914 when a heady rumor began to circulate amongst the Allied troops of World War I. In August of the same year, the British Expeditionary Force made its first incursion into German-occupied Belgium, only to find itself greatly outnumbered at the city of Mons. St. George and an armed brigade of angels, the story went as it passed from man to man, had appeared on the frontline and repelled — or, in some tellings, smited — the enemy horde, allowing the English to mount a safe retreat. 
After the truth behind the erstwhile urban legend came to light, Machen’s early novels and stories — which had fallen out of favor around the turn of the century — enjoyed a brief renaissance. Initially an author of gruesome and wanton horror stories, the Welsh novelist’s critics had labeled him as an apologist of black magic — the supreme irony being that, in fact, he was. Fifteen years before his the story of the “The Bowmen” was disseminated in churches across England, he had been a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn — an occult secret society that also counted William Butler Yeats and Aleister Crowley as members. 
By May of 1937, planes, trains and automobiles were an integral part of modern life. Transatlantic communication was well on its way to becoming the global streamlined system it is today. People crossed the world’s oceans quite regularly. There were a few misadventures along the way, the worst of which would take the lives of 35 people in a matter of seconds. The Hindenburg disaster remains one of the most shocking and spellbinding pieces of film footage in media history.
1930s Germany was a prosperous time and place for many. The Nazis held tight control of every aspect of society, creating a false utopia of strong employment, increased civic engagement and cultural exploration. The desire to show all that Germany had to offer after the humiliating defeat of the Great War was a must for Hitler and his followers. None could have anticipated the violent and horrifying events that would overtake the country in just a few short years. In 1937, times were good and innovation frequent.
The invention of an international air bus was the result of the efforts of the Zeppelin Company who would soon be famous for their aircraft carriers. The Hindenburg was the second of two enormous airships manufactured by the company, both giants of lightweight metal and gas cells. The air bus or air ship was constructed in Fredrichshafen, Germany and measured over 135 feet. Taking five years to build, the aircraft was the first transportation to cross the Atlantic by air. There was no passenger basket below the airship; the Hindenburg was a contained structure.
The Hindenburg was named for the former president of the Weimar republic, Paul Von Hindenburg. Considered a national hero, President Hindenburg passed away in 1934, never knowing the grisly outcome of his namesake. It was Hindenburg who appointed Hitler to the position of chancellor; a position that would act as springboard towards his ambitions as fuehrer. Hindenburg is thus associated with two disasters: the rise of Hitler and the downfall of transatlantic airships.
Already in service for a year before disaster struck, the Hindenburg air bus has proved popular among the elite traveler that utilized its services. A library, lounge, cafeteria and promenade made the long slow flight (approximately 60 hours) from German to America’s East coast both pleasurable and relaxing. It would all come to a crashing shocking halt as the giant air bus with its four strong engines came into land at the small airport in Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6th, 1937.
Having thwarted the efforts of an earlier thunderstorm, the Hindenburg was slowly making its way in to land. 200 hundred feet above ground, and just as the first tie line descended, an ominous orange glow became visible. The massive gas filled balloon was about to burst. There were 91 people on board. 33 lost their lives jumping to the ground to avoid the flames. Another two were ravaged by flames.
People on the ground looked on in horror at the sight of flames billowing out of the airship’s fragile structure while people jumped to the ground. Sixty seconds from the sound of the explosion, the Hindenburg was gone, nothing more than ashes and burnt framing. The event was broadcast live on the radio.
The radio broadcast that is most famed by the Hindenburg disaster (with the famously haunting “oh the humanity!” cry from eye witness journalist, Herbert Morrison) was actually the first national coast to coast broadcast in the country. What was meant to be a shining day for the developing media/movie industry became a thunderous marker of what happens when dreams are marred by fate.
After the tragedy of that spring day, the growing popularity with the air bus system rapidly dissipated. No-one wanted to fly in a planed apt to seemingly spontaneous explosion. Theories abound on the cause of the Hindenburg’s combustion, from lighting storms to sabotage, but firm evidence of cause was never found.
The Hindenburg disaster marked the beginning of the end of Germany’s good times, at least for a few years anyway. Two years later, Hitler would invade Poland and the war to end all wars would become a hollow sentiment from a battlefield that paused but never ended. The time after World War I in Europe was a mixed muddle of progress and setbacks as nations recovered from conflict, dep
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The Hindenburg disaster marked the beginning of the end of Germany’s good times, at least for a few years anyway. Two years later, Hitler would invade Poland and the war to end all wars would become a hollow sentiment from a battlefield that paused but never ended. The time after World War I in Europe was a mixed muddle of progress and setbacks as nations recovered from conflict, depression and political upheaval. The Hindenburg Disaster was just one of many incidents that marked the years between the wars. | |||||||||||
Little by little, day after day, piracies dwindled as the murderous submarine was mastered and its menace strangled. On the land, the Allies, under the matchless leadership of Marshal Ferdinand Foch and the generous co-operation of Americans, British, French and Italians, under the great Generals Pershing, Haig, Petain and Diaz, wrested the initiative from von Hindenburg and Ludendorf, late in July, 1918. Then, in one hundred and fifteen days of wonderful strategy and the fiercest fighting the world has ever witnessed, Foch and the Allies closed upon the Germanic armies the jaws of a steel trap. A series of brilliant maneuvers dating from the battle of Chateau-Thierry in which the Americans checked the Teutonic rush, resulted in the defeat and rout on all the fronts of the Teutonic commands.
“These, then, are the things we must do, and do well, besides fighting–the things without which mere fighting would be fruitless: 
I particularly appeal to the farmers of the South to plant abundant foodstuffs as well as cotton. They can show their patriotism in no better or more convincing way than by resisting the great temptation of the present price of cotton and helping, helping upon a large scale, to feed the nation and the peoples everywhere who are fighting for their liberties and for our own. The variety of their crops will be the visible measure of their comprehension of their national duty.”
These functions were extended: Control over railroads: to cease within twenty-one months after the proclamation of peace. The War Finance Corporation: to cease to function six months after the war, with further time for liquidation. The Capital Issues Committee: to terminate in six months after the peace proclamation. The Aircraft Board: to end in six months after peace was proclaimed; and the government operation of ships, within five years after the war was officially ended.
Speaking to the Congress and the people of the United States, President Wilson made this declaration on November 11, 1918:
When Marshal Foch, the foremost strategist in the world, representing the governments of the Allies and the United States, delivered to the emissaries of Germany terms upon which they might surrender, he brought to an end the bloodiest, the most destructive and the most beneficent war the world has known. It is worthy of note in this connection that the three great wars in which the United States of America engaged have been wars for freedom. The Revolutionary War was for the liberty of the colonies; the Civil War was waged for the freedom of manhood and for the principle of the indissolubility of the Union; the World War, beginning 1914, was fought for the right of small nations to self-government and for the right of every country to the free use of the high seas.
More than four million American men were under arms when the conflict ended. Of these, more than two million were upon the fields of France and Italy. These were thoroughly trained in the military art. They had proved their right to be considered among the most formidable soldiers the world has known. Against the brown rock of that host in khaki, the flower of German savagery and courage had broken at Chateau-Thierry. There the high tide of Prussian militarism, after what had seemed to be an irresistible dash for the destruction of France, spent itself in the bloody froth and spume of bitter defeat. There the Prussian Guard encountered the Marines, the Iron Division and the other heroic organizations of America’s new army. There German soldiers who had been hardened and trained under German conscription before the war, and who had learned new arts in their bloody trade, through their service in the World War, met their masters in young Americans taken from the shop, the field, and the forge, youths who had been sent into battle with a scant six months’ intensive training in the art of war. Not only did these American soldiers hold the German onslaught where it was but, in a sudden, fierce, resistless counter-thrust they drove back in defeat and confusion the Prussian Guard, the Pommeranian Reserves, and smashed the morale of that German division beyond hope of resurrection.
The news of that exploit sped from the Alps to the North Sea Coast, through all the camps of the Allies, with incredible rapidity. “The Americans have held the Germans. They can fight,” ran the message. New life came into the war-weary ranks of heroic poilus and into the steel-hard armies of Great Britain. “The Americans are as good as the best. There are millions of them, and millions more are coming,” was heard on every side. The transfusion of American blood came as magic tonic, and from that glorious day there was never a doubt as to the speedy defeat of Germany. From that day the German retreat dated. The armistice signed on November 11, 1918, was merely the period finishing the death sentence of German militarism, the first word of which was uttered at Chateau-Thierry.
With the economy and banking industry in its current condition, it is a good time to look at the history of the credit card. Credit card debt has become a ubiquitous part of American life but the credit card as we know it is a recent development. In fact, credit cards didn’t get their start in the United States until just before World War I. Department stores started issuing metal plates resembling dog-tags to their best customers. By the mid-1920s gas stations began offering credit cards which could be used at their locations around the country. This was an important step because the automobile became common and the mobile lifestyle of the average American has led to the popularity of the credit card.
World War II brought the rationing of gasoline and tires so traveling and automobile use were severely cut back. In 1950, Francis McNamara operated a loan company in New York City. He met a man who would loan out department store cards to friends for a fee and then borrow money from McNamara’s loan company to pay off the balances. He made money on the difference between his interest rate and what he charged his friends for their use. Of course someone failed to pay what they owed and McNamara was saddled with the losses. McNamara was having lunch with his lawyers discussing what to do about the loss when he had the notion of a credit card that could be used at different merchant locations. He decided to start with restaurants in New York City and the Diner’s Club was born.
The initial card was made of cardboard and was issued to an individual with their name on one side and the list of 28 New York restaurants that would accept the card printed on the back. The fee for belonging to Diner’s Club was five dollars per year. He and his attorney successfully enlisted restaurants and more members so Diner’s Club became the first national credit card that wasn’t just for oil and gas. But in 1951, New York’s Franklin National Bank offered a credit card that was accepted by a wide variety of merchants and this made other banks realize what a profitable venture it could be. Bank of America launched the BankAmericard which became the Visa credit card known around the world.
