A Chronology: 1950 – 51 (Pathfinder Magazine, 1951)
Appearing in the June 27, 1951 issue of PATHFINDER was this list of chronological events that made up the first ten months of fighting in the Korean War.
1951
Articles from 1951
John Barrymore (Coronet Magazine, 1951)
John Barrymore (né John Sidney Blyth: 1882 – 1942) is said to have been one of America’s finest actors; co-star in an ensemble cast of thespians that consisted of his brother Lionel and sister Ethel, they were known around Broadway and Hollywood as the Barrymores. Today he is primarily known as the great-grandfather of Drew Barrymore (b. 1975). Although badly plagued by alcoholism, he managed to play his parts admirably – and those who knew him best both on the stage and off, remember him in this article.
A far more revealing article about Barrymore can be read here.
A Failure to Spread the Word (Coronet Magazine, 1951)
Here is a classic story about the failures in global communication during the pre-Twitter era. This article explains how there was a fifteen hour lag between the Japanese surrender and the time in which Tokyo heard that their offer had been accepted by the Allies.
In the midst of a routine radio-teletype conference between GHQ officers in Manila and the War Department in Washington, the teletype suddenly began printing:
‘Stand by for important message **** from Marshall to MacArthur ****you are hereby notified of Japanese capitulation ****’
It all centered on one skanky, bullet-pocked, bomb-damaged Radio Operations Room in Manila.
The Fad for Felt Fashion (Quick Magazine, 1951)
The fad for skirts fashioned out of felt began with college girls when it was discovered that a flattering silhouette could be achieved when the fabric was cut on the bias; the attached article shows the color image of a felt ballet skirt as a case in point.
Sub-standard fabrics play a part in fashion’s march from time to time; in the Sixties there was a short-lived craze in some circles to wear dresses made from paper or vinyl.
An Ice Cream History (Coronet Magazine, 1951)
In this admirable effort to briefly tell the history of ice cream, the authors of this three page narrative begin in the year 62 A.D., pointing out that the Roman Emperor Nero had gone on record declaring his fondness for frozen delicacies, but, as you will read, what he was consuming was in actuality something more along the lines of a snow-cone; but it is good to know that the market was very much in place at such an early moment in time. Jumping ahead some 1,200 years, we learn that Marco Polo had returned from China with a frozen tasty treat:
People tried it out, and something like our sherbet was soon served in many parts of Europe, eventually being improved upon by the addition of milk to resemble ice cream.
The trivia truly begins to flow from that point and we learn that George Washington was really quite fond of the stuff, and how ice cream sundaes and Eskimo Pies came into the world.
A refreshing read.
The ”Actress/Models” (Quick Magazine, 1951)
The Forties and Fifties were indeed the infancy of the model/actress era; one of the first slashies, Lauren Bacall (b. 1924) was buried in 2014.
‘Don’t Count on Germany to Fight” (Collier’s Magazine, 1951)
Not too long after the end of World War II, the French, British and Americans found that they had to assemble a coalition of nations (NATO) that would be willing to fight the Soviets for what was believed to be an even bigger rumble in the future – but after losing two enormous wars, West Germany refused to join.
Where Glamour and Tennis Met: Nancy Chaffee (Quick Magazine, 1951)
This article is about Nancy Chaffee (1929 – 2002), another California-born tennis champion of the post-war era. Chaffee had once been ranked as the fourth-place women’s tennis champ in all the world, winning three consecutive national indoor championships (1950-1952). She first came to view in 1947 playing alongside the men on the U.S.C. tennis team (there was no women’s team at the time). The year before this article appeared on the newsstands, Chaffee made the semi-finals at Forrest Hills, her record at Wimbledon can be read here
Lt. Colonel Fremantle at Gettysburg (W.C. Storrick, 1951)
Lt. Colonel Frementle (1835 – 1901), a member of the Coldstream Guards, was a guest of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Gettysburg campaign. After the Battle of Gettysburg, he returned to England and published Three months in the Southern States
The position into which the enemy had been driven was evidently a strong one. His right appeared to rest on a cemetery, on the top of a high ridge to the right of Gettysburg, as we looked at it.
General Hill now came up and told me he had been very unwell all day, and in fact he looks very delicate. He said he had had two of his divisions engaged, and had driven the enemy four miles into his present position, capturing a great many prisoners, some cannon, and some colors; he said, however, that the Yankees had fought with a determination unusual to them.
U.N. Forces Turn Back Spring Offensive (Pathfinder Magazine, 1951)
Attacking across a 125 mile front, the Chinese Army launched their spring offensive on May 17, 1951; unable to make any advances, they retired two weeks later, leaving behind some 80,000 dead.
The Communist hit first on the east central front. A quick rout of two ROK divisions caught the U.S. 2nd Division, commanded by Major General Clark Ruffner, in a dangerous pocket with their east flank exposed…One officer called the Red onslaught ‘an astounding demonstration. They wade right through macine gun or artillery fire. The bodies pile up and they walk right over the bodies and the pile of bodies gets higher.’