Meme Scholar with Madness (PhD)

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Feb 19, 1878: Thomas Edison was granted the patent for Phonograph or Speaking Machine (U.S. Patent No. 200,521). The object of this invention is to record in permanent characters the human voice and other sounds, from which characters such sounds may be reproduced and rendered audible again at a future time. Sound was captured on tin-foil-covered cylinders. The December 22, 1877, issue of Scientific American reported that “Mr. Thomas A. Edison recently came into this office, placed a little machine on our desk, turned a crank, and the machine inquired as to our health, asked how we liked the phonograph, informed us that it was very well, and bid us a cordial good night.” In hindsight, sort of the early rustic origin of A.I. aka Siri.




Twentieth Century Twins-"Have we not lost our way?" by cartoonist Clifford Berryman, which appeared in the Washington Post on February 18, 1900, show Lady Peace and Lady Civilization, as war rages with the Boer Wars in South Africa and the American - Philippine War, worried and standing on a rock as they wonder if all is lost and if peace and civilization can really exist through colonialism.




February 19, 1937: Terry Gene Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He was an American science fiction fan, author, editor, and writing instructor. Died April 7, 1987 of congestive heart failure. Here are some of the covers to his original anthology series Universe 1 through 17 from 1971 to his death.




Feb 19, 1942: the Clemson-class destroyer USS Peary (DD-226) was sunk by Japanese aircraft at Darwin, Australia. A nearby seaman in the British Merchant Service reported witnessing a U.S. sailor perform one of the bravest acts that he had seen or read in all his life.




Feb 19, 1945: U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima. The Marines initally faced light resistance because the Japanese waited until the beaches were crowded with men and machinery before laying down heavy fire. A war correspondent described the landing as "a nightmare in hell."
My snowmaggedon nightmare of the last 3 days now seems not so bad, but every bone & muscle aches. I know Marines went through a lot of boots and today my right snowmobile boot near the sole blew a hole. Probably because I hadn't worn them in over 10 years and they're suffering boot rot. I was wondering why my right foot was feeling cold yet my left was toasty warm. On a positive note, I found my mailbox.




February 19, 1951: Robert H. Wood, "Saucers, Secrecy, and Security," Aviation Week 54 - praises the upcoming article in LOOK magazine identifying UFOs as balloons.


Article reprinted by Project 1947


February 19, 1957: UFO History - In testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics officials Hugh Latimer Dryden and Jimmy Doolittle are asked about UFOs. They "flatly denied the existence of such space vehicles." When asked why they don’t speak out more often, they remark that they "cannot compete with the science-fiction people."


Source: US House Appropriations Committee, Hearings, Independent Offices Appropriations for 1958, National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, February 19, 1957, pp. 1417–1419.



FOIA from FBI on Samantha Smith [1972-1985], the child peace activist who became famous for writing a letter to Russian leader Yuri Andropov. In this doc, the FBI is fixated on Katerina "Soviet Sam" Lycheva who met Reagan in 1986. On page 2, the FBI is fixated on a picture of Andropov and Samantha Smith possibly photobombing Reagan in Geneva. And on third page the FBI is fixated on a guide once assigned to Samantha Smith.




Trump trolls & kills NYC's congestion pricing program, and of course the NY witch had to respond.


U.S. Department of Transportation


Trump calls Zelensky a "dictator" and warns that he "better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left" while echoing several Kremlin talking points about Ukraine, in a deepening rift between the two leaders. It's been nearly 3 years to the day and lil Zelensky apparently still doesn't get it. Been played by the foreign policy deep staters and now Trump is pouring salt on his wounds. Poor bastard.


Financial Times (Original)  |  FT Updated

So, all of Euro + Britain gonna get pulled into the war while the US slides out to the slidelines and focuses more on China. Well, that's according to Sec of Defense if you listen in between his words. Also, Nobody cares about what Kier Starmer has to say.


What Are You Waiting for?