Americas
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More Magic Beans- This History of Chocolate
That most delicious of desserts that we all crave. It was rightly named as “food of the gods” by the ancients. However, the chocolate the pre-Olmec cultures were making was nothing like the chocolate we eat today. It was consumed as a beverage, and was quite bitter. The peoples making this drink were living in Mesoamerica prior to the cultures of the Olmecs, Mayan and Aztecs. Anthropologists from the University of Pennsylvania have found cacao residue on pottery found in Honduras from as early as 1400 BCE. Some sources place the discovery of chocolate even earlier at 1900 BCE. Anthropologists surmise native peoples found the cacao plants in the tropical…
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Don Rickles- The King of the Insult
Born May 8, 1926, Don Rickles grew into one of the country’s most famous comedians. Famous for his acidic wit, he went on from his humble Jackson Heights New York beginnings to playing the top stages both domestically and internationally. After graduating from high school, Rickles enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Cyrene in World War II. He said later in an 2015 interview with the New York times, he was the class comedian of the ship. When he returned home after being honorably discharged in 1946, Rickles studied and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Out of desperation at not getting dramatic work,…
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The Sleeping Spy
When World War I broke out in Europe, the United States was neutral. It was considered a fight in Europe, and we were better off staying out of it. Although President Wilson favored the British, the US officially took no side. However, Wilson’s preference encouraged American companies to sell to the Allies. However, not everyone was thrilled with this. German Ambassador, Count Johann von Bernstorff, protested vigorously that US companies were selling arms and materiel to Britain, France and Russia. There was a British blockade of Germany, which made it extremely difficult for Germany and Austria to import at the same rate. However, his protests fell on deaf ears as…
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Fire at the Cocoanut Grove
Boston did not technically have nightclubs, but one of the hottest places to be in 1942 was the Cocoanut Grove. It was a supper club located on near Park Square, which was built in 1927. It kind of fell out of favor after Prohibition, but with the advent of World War II it began to pick up in popularity again. Barnett Welansky, became owner of the Cocoanut Grove in February 1933 and he brought in a prominent Boston interior designer to make the club more family oriented. Palm trees, blue satin ceilings and a dance floor were added. The first floor had a dining room and a ballroom with a…
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The Death of Thomas Ince
Thomas Ince was a member of the early Hollywood elite and considered the “Father of the Western”. He was also the man who made Mary Pickford’s career, dubbing her “America’s Sweetheart”. He was the most successful producer in 1924, and worked out of a 20,000-acre studio called ‘Inceville”. However, his death is one of the biggest mysteries in old Hollywood. Ince was invited to celebrate his 42nd birthday aboard the luxury yacht of William Randolph Hearst. Hearst owned ten of the largest newspapers in the US. On the side, he cleaned up money from the gold, silver and copper mines he had inherited. The man was swimming in money. Hearst…
