Enjoyable book: Superman: The High-Flying History by Larry Tye /PLUS: Why I Read it

I've been a Superman fan since the 1960s, and recently I read a book that was published around 2013 that covered the history of Superman in Comics, newspapers, radio shows, television and films. The book "Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero" by Larry Tye did a good job of covering the character's history, and the struggle of the co-creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

You'll learn that Siegel and Shuster from Cleveland, Ohio regrettably sold the rights to the character for several hundreds of dollars (in 1939) to 2 slick businessmen named Jack Liebowitz and Harry Donenfeld who knew they had a success and they raked in millions. Siegel and Shuster and their families fought for decades to recover ownership rights from National Comics (now DC Comics) and they finally were able to claim creator credit again, and receive funds (Although Joe Shuster, the artist and co-creator of Superman, lost most of his slight and died nearly broke in 1992). I also learned that different religions tried to claim Superman belonged to their beliefs- which is just ridiculous. You'll learn a lot from this book and why I read it.

WHY I READ IT - I really loved Superman comics from the mid-1970s to 1986 when DC Comics decided to reboot Superman's comic book and the Superman character (which irritated the hell out of me). I also loved George Reeves TV Superman from the 1952-1958 show (which I saw in re-runs) and Christopher Reeves 1978-1987 films. - SIde note about the Comics - WhenDC Comics rebooted Superman in 1986, they did away with stories of Superman as Superboy, erased Krypto the Superdog and many other things I loved about the character. At least now in 2024 they brought back "a Superboy" - although not Superman when he was young, it's his clone. Superman and Lois also married and had a son, named Jon, who is also called a "Superman" although that's confusing. And I was very happy DC brought back Krypto, too. - But all that aside. following is the summary of the book, and why any Superman fan may want to read it.

(Photo: This is Joe Shuster's boyhood home in Cleveland, Ohio. I took this pic when I visited the city. The house is privately owned, but they put up Shuster's artwork outside for fans.  For the story of my visit CLICK HERE.   Credit: R.G.)  

 

TITLE: Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero  

by Larry Tye

ABOUT THE BOOK: The first full-fledged history not just of the Man of Steel but of the creators, designers, owners, and performers who made him the icon he is today, from the New York Times bestselling author of Satchel and Bobby Kennedy 

(Photo: Jerry Siegel's (Superman co-creator) boyhood home in Cleveland, OH. Also privately owned, but has a plaque outside commemorating Jerry. CLICK HERE for the story of my visit. Credit: R.G.) 

Legions of fans from Boston to Buenos Aires can recite the story of the child born Kal-El, scion of the doomed planet Krypton, who was rocketed to Earth as an infant, raised by humble Kansas farmers, and rechristened Clark Kent. Known to law-abiders and evildoers alike as Superman, he was destined to become the invincible champion of all that is good and just—and a star in every medium from comic books and comic strips to radio, TV, and film.

But behind the high-flying legend lies a true-to-life saga every bit as compelling, one that begins not in the far reaches of outer space but in the middle of America’s heartland. During the depths of the Great Depression, Jerry Siegel was a shy, awkward teenager in Cleveland. Raised on adventure tales and robbed of his father at a young age, Jerry dreamed of a hero for a boy and a world that desperately needed one. Together with neighborhood chum and kindred spirit Joe Shuster, young Siegel conjured a human-sized god who was everything his creators yearned to be: handsome, stalwart, and brave, able to protect the innocent, punish the wicked, save the day, and win the girl. It was on Superman’s muscle-bound back that the comic book and the very idea of the superhero took flight.

(Photo: All of the actors who played Superman on television or in films since 1948 (left) to 2023 (far right). CLICK HERE FOR LIST.)

Tye chronicles the adventures of the men and women who kept Siegel and Shuster’s “Man of Tomorrow” aloft and vitally alive through seven decades and counting. Here are the savvy publishers and visionary writers and artists of comics’ Golden Age who ushered the red-and-blue-clad titan through changing eras and evolving incarnations; and the actors—including George Reeves and Christopher Reeve—who brought the Man of Steel to life on screen, only to succumb themselves to all-too-human tragedy in the mortal world. Here too is the poignant and compelling history of Siegel and Shuster’s lifelong struggle for the recognition and rewards rightly due to the architects of a genuine cultural phenomenon.

From two-fisted crimebuster to über-patriot, social crusader to spiritual savior, Superman—perhaps like no other mythical character before or since—has evolved in a way that offers a Rorschach test of his times and our aspirations. In this deftly realized appreciation, Larry Tye reveals a portrait of America over seventy years through the lens of that otherworldly hero who continues to embody our best selves.

This Super El Nino- a Coastal Super-Soaker

El Nino and La Nina events in the eastern Pacific affect weather around the world, and the 2023-early 2024 super El Nino really Super-Soaked the U.S. West and East coasts. In today's blog you'll read about it from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Last Summer, all the New England states experienced the rainiest June on record. I've also added some effects in southern Maine, where it's been cloudy about 4 out of every 7 days. 

(Fig1_Mar24_ENSOBlog (left to right) The precipitation difference from average for this past winter (Dec-Feb 2023-24) and the geographic pattern of precipitation we'd expect for this past winter based on past El Niño winters from 1952-2022. The precipitation pattern for this past winter is a reasonably good match to the El Niño pattern. NOAA Climate.gov image, based on analysis by Nat Johnson.)

How much did El Niño influence precipitation over the United States this past winter? 

By Nat Johnson, NOAA, March 28, 2024

Last November, I wrote about how a strong El Niño might shape precipitation over the U.S. this winter (December – February). So, what happened? With crocuses now starting to bloom and the chirps of spring peepers in full chorus, we’re ready to investigate!

An El Niño-ish big picture 

First, let’s acknowledge that a strong El Niño occurred this winter, as NOAA had been forecasting since issuing an El Niño Watch in April 2023. (If we couldn’t check that box, this would be a very short post!) We unofficially consider El Niño to be “strong” when the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) exceeds 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), and the ONI value for this past December – February was well above that threshold at 1.8 °C.

 What happened with precipitation around the contiguous U.S.? 

Winter was wetter than normal overall, and as the map above and to the left indicates, wetter conditions were most pronounced across coastal areas, especially the West and Gulf Coasts and from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast. Wetter conditions also prevailed over most of the Central and Northern Plains. Drier-than-average conditions were much less expansive, but below-normal precipitation occurred around the Northern Rockies and portions of the south-central U.S. and extending southward into northern Mexico.

(Photo: On Dec. 18, 2023, Maine was hit by a Nor'easter that brought severe flooding along the coast and north central areas of the state. This is a picture of woods in southern Maine that were flooded. Credit: R.G.)

What about the differences?

Of course, we shouldn’t just sweep the mismatches under the rug. There were many backyards this winter that did not experience the typical precipitation impacts for an El Niño of this strength. In particular, the Pacific Northwest and Northeast were considerably wetter than the expected El Niño pattern, while portions of the southern tier from southern Texas to the Southeast were notably drier.

(Photo: Officials in Lewiston have issued a flood evacuation order for certain areas of the city along the Androscoggin River until Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023 at noon. (Jamie Soper, WGME-TV_)

In December 2023: A Nor'Easter Flooded most of Maine

  (Source: ENR New England, By Johanna Knapschaefer: https://www.enr.com/articles/57914-maine-hardest-hit-by-powerful-east-coast-storm) 

A coastal storm Dec. 18 that brought flooding, downed power lines and damaged infrastructure in many Northeastern states, delivered its most powerful punch to Maine, causing significant infrastructure damage. The fierce storm that stretched from Florida to Maine blew into Atlantic Canada Dec. 19, leaving more than 400,000 in Maine without power. 

In a Dec. 20 press conference, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) said, “As of this morning, MaineDOT has reopened more roads and bridges as flood waters have receded.” There were 68 state road closures on Dec. 20, down from nearly 100 the prior day “as a result of downed trees and power lines, flooding, and significant infrastructure damage,” Mills said. While all Maine counties have been affected by the storm, more than half of the road closures are in Oxford, Franklin and Kennebec counties. 

Source for NOAA article: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/how-much-did-el-nino-influence-precipitation-over-united-states-past

Video Blog: This is How They Made Superman Fly in 1978 + More

 I recently came across this video about how the movie producers of Superman starring the incredible Christopher Reeve in 1978 (truly one of my favorite superhero movies). I didn't know about all of these film techniques, though. This video was educational and fascinating! 

***VIDEO: https://youtu.be/07H0CWyZ3vY?si=kqTmyZBJJL6hACos

This is How They Made Superman Fly + More Surprising Tricks

Back in 1978, making the audience believe that a man could fly was a bold statement to make and a complex and seemingly impossible feat to accomplish. The special effects team began the process by testing numerous techniques. The first was shooting a model Superman out of an air cannon, but this method lacked controllability and natural movement. next, they tried a radio-controlled flying model. This gave them control, but again, it lacked natural movement. Another technique was to have the model fly using wires but this too had the same unnatural movement. so they tried out animation. This gave them the control and the movement they wanted, but they couldn't get a photoreal look and so it always appeared cartoonlike. This test was just a stuntman in front of a projected image and although it allowed them to composite any background image they wanted with the actor himself, the actor's movements and those of his cape were very limited. To try to solve the cape movement problem they did tests using a model on wires and a large fan. These then evolved into stunt people lying on fiberglass trays that were either attached to a hydraulic gimbal or just a long arm with a counterweight in front of black velvet. In the end, the special effects teams actually used a combination of all these effects, and some new ones to achieve the illusion of flight. For the majority of "In-flight" shots, Front Projection was used. Superman, or anyone who was supposed to be flying, was mounted on a fiberglass mold of their body and attached to a rig with a counterweighted arm. Behind them was a projection screen made from 3M Scotchlite, this material is capable of reflecting light back at close to 1000 times its original intensity. In front of the camera was a two-way mirror set at 45 degrees. A projector, set at 90 degrees from the camera would project the background footage onto the mirror which in turn would reflect it onto the Scotchlite screen. The camera could then film both the actors and the background through the transparent side of the two-way mirror. Unfortunately, this method meant that little or no movement could be given to the actors themselves and so, any movement they wanted in the shot, had to be done by moving the camera around the actors, or the footage on the background behind them. In order to achieve this the filmmakers developed a lightweight front projection rig. The projector, camera, and mirror are all mounted on one highly maneuverable rig. This meant that Christopher Reeve could remain horizontal whilst the background moved and revolved around him. In order to achieve this effect here, of Superman racing toward the camera, Zoran Perisic placed synchronized zoom lenses in front of the projector and the camera. As the camera zooms in, both Christopher and the background image on the screen become larger. But as the lens on the projector zooms in, the background image becomes smaller, canceling out the camera zoom and effectively leaving the background plate unchanged. Zoran named this process, Zoran's Zoom Optic flying rig, or Zoptic flying rig for short. Now I know what you're thinking, "If he's lying on a stationary rig, how come his cape is moving?" well, this movement was achieved with a bit of wind from some fans and this clever device. A radio-controlled motor drives a camshaft that moves these wires that are attached to the cape, making it appear to flutter

SCIENCE: Sperm whales drop giant poop bombs to save themselves

Recent science findings show how effective poop is to keep predators away, and for that matter, anyone!  Here's a study about whales who use "poop bombs" to save themselves from attacks. I know there's a bathroom joke in there somewhere, but I'll just focus on the science!

(Photo; In a rarely witnessed event, sperm whales drove away a pod of orcas by releasing huge plumes of poo. (Image credit: Martin Procházka via Alamy Stock Photo)

Sperm whales drop giant poop bombs to save themselves from orca attack

  LIVE SCIENCE, March 22, 2024 By Jennifer Nalewicki

Sperm whales blasted a "big dark bubble" of poop to prevent an impending orca attack off the southern coast of Western Australia.

Scientists witnessed the clever defense strategy unfold Tuesday (March 19) during a tourist excursion in Bremer Canyon, a whale-watching hotspot off the coast between Albany and Hopetoun. They described seeing a "cloud of diarrhea" permeate the water, and this rarely seen defense mechanism seemed to help the sperm whale pod escape what could have been a fatal attack by at least 30 killer whales, ABC News Australia reported.

"It's called defense defecation," Jennah Tucker, a marine biologist with Oceans Blueprint, a marine and environmental sciences research organization, who was on the charter boat, told ABC. When the animals defecate, she said, they pass their huge tails through their poop to drive away or confuse attackers.

As the event unfolded, onlookers noticed a large, "dark bubble" pop up to the water's surface. At first, they thought it was blood from one of the sperm whales, potentially a small calf. But when the team later reviewed footage of the plume, they realized it was actually whale poop.

"Because [a] sperm whale's diet consists mostly of squid, they actually have this really reddish colored poo," she said.

In this demonstration of defense defecation, the pod formed a circle with their heads together, and the whales fanned their tails in unison — forcing their excrement toward the unsuspecting orcas. "This is called a rosette, another defensive mechanism they use when they're under attack," Tucker said.

Our Backyard Eclipse View and Stacey Visits

 There was a great benefit in moving to southern Maine. On April 8th, 2024, we experienced 95% totality of the Total Solar Eclipse! All we had to do was walk outside onto our deck, armed with official Eclipse glasses. The timing was perfect as our friend Stacey was in New England at a conference (up from our former home town in Maryland), so she stayed with us for the big event! 

(Photo: 95% Totality from of the Eclipse at 3:30pm ET from our backyard / Rob, Stacey, Tom, Traci and Matt prepping for the eclipse.)

 

AMAZING! It was so amazing to see the moon move across the face of the Sun. It took about 1 hour to reach 95% Totality from of the Eclipse at 3:30pm ET. It took another hour for the sun's disk to be fully visible again. We also invited our neighbors over to see the eclipse. I bought a bunch of glasses to ensure we were covered.

CONDITIONS WE NOTICED - The sky darkened of course, and the temperature dropped from 67 degrees Fahrenheit to about 60F. Then the mosquitoes came out!!  It all only lasted about 25 minutes, (10 before and 4 minutes of eclipse, and 10 minutes afterward). 

(Photo right: The sky darkens as the eclipse nears 95% totality on April 8, 2024. Credit: R.G.) 

 

WHAT IS A SOLAR ECLIPSE? When the Earth, Moon, and Sun line up in space, we can see an eclipse. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse crossed North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

(Animation from NOAA-20 satellite of what the eclipse shadow looked like on April 8, 2024 crossing the U.S. from Texas to Maine. Credit: NOAA)

 ECLIPSE GLASSES - You must never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection, such as safe solar viewing glasses (eclipse glasses). Eclipse glasses are NOT the same as regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the Sun. During a total solar eclipse, you must wear your eclipse glasses (or use other solar filters) to view the Sun directly during the partial eclipse phase.

(Photo: WGME-TV captured this image of the total solar eclipse 1 hour north of us in Houlton, Maine. Credit: WGME) 

1 HOUR NORTH- A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE- Had we fought traffic and crazy crowds, we could've tried to see the total eclipse, but it was much more fun from our backyard.  

STACEY'S VISIT- Stacey was only visiting for 2 nights and 1 1/2 days, but we took her to downtown Dover, NH to see the river and waterfalls, a lunch at the Breakfast #319 restaurant in an historic train station in Somersworth, NH and of course, a Mexican restaurant! :) 

For many years back in Maryland, Stacey would let our dogs out and take care of them for us. They immediately remembered their Aunt Stacey and were so excited to see her.

In fact, Tyler crawled up on the couch one night and fell asleep on her lap!  It was a short, but wonderful visit, PLUS an eclipse!

 Tyler, Dash and Cody were excited to see their aunt Stacey visit from MD during the weekend of the eclipse. 

Visit someone and make their day, as Stacey made ours.

Idiot of the Week: Man accused of posing as doctor, stealing money meant to aid veterans at risk of suicide

This week's idiot of the week is another piece of human trash. He stole thousands of dollars from a fund to help veterans at risk of suicide, so he could go on a cruise and buy other things. I will never understand the mindset of these selfish idiots. Here's the story.

Mass. man accused of posing as doctor, stealing money meant to aid veterans at risk of suicide

David Duren used the grant money for personal expenses, including on a cruise and OnlyFans.com.

By Emily Spatz, March 5, 2024, Boston. com

A Massachusetts man was indicted in New Hampshire after allegedly posing as a doctor to obtain funds from a federal grant meant for reducing suicide rates among veterans.

David Duren, also known as Dawud Hakiem Duren, 48, is charged with wire fraud and federal program fraud after allegedly scamming a nonprofit healthcare provider and fabricating a company that was supposed to provide services using grant money given by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Duren billed patients for services that were not provided and used grant funding for personal spending, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young’s office said in a press release Tuesday.

Duren was a program manager for a health provider in Nashua, N.H. and in charge of overseeing a program that used funds from a $750,000 Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant, Young’s office said. The grant was awarded by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to provide treatment and services to veterans at risk of suicide.

Duren allegedly recommended that the health care provider he was working for hire a company called “E3 Foundation” to provide services funded by the grant. The foundation was reportedly led by a “Dr. Michael Rapp,” according to changing documents.

“However, unbeknownst to the health care provider, Duren controlled E3 Foundation and was pretending to be ‘Dr. Michael Rapp’ on emails and calls,” Young’s office said in the release.

Throughout the duration of the crime, Duren was allegedly able to obtain almost $50,000 in program funds and tried to obtain an additional $25,000. He allegedly used a website to create fake invoices and did not provide the services and products E3 Foundation billed clients for, Young’s office said.

“Instead, Duren misused the Staff Sergeant Fox program funds on personal purchases, including landscaping, a Royal Caribbean cruise, and payments to models on OnlyFans.com,” the press release read.

If convicted, Duren could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine for the wire fraud charge and 10 years in prison and a fine for the federal program fraud charge.

Duren appeared in federal court in Concord on Tuesday, Young’s office said.

NH Firefighters Save pets in garage fire

Firefighters are once again the heroes of the week. This time they saved a dog and three cats, while putting out the fire! Here's the story.

Credit: Deb Cram

House, pets saved in garage fire at Rollinsford home 

Karen Dandurant, Foster's Daily Democrat (click for link)

Feb 22, 2024 

ROLLINSFORD — A two-alarm structure fire early Thursday afternoon, Feb 22, 2024  was contained to the garage it started in as pets were rescued and the home was saved.

Fire Chief Mark Rutherford said the fire at 406 3rd St. began in the basement of the garage and was caused by improper disposal of material from a wood stove.

The department received the report at 12:34 p.m.

"We managed to keep the fire isolated to that building," said Rutherford. "It was a large garage. The fire started in the basement, spread to the first floor and minimally impacted the second floor."

The garage is attached to a large two-story house, divided into two rental units. Rutherford said no one was injured.

"We rescued three cats from one side and a dog from the other side," said the chief. "We had good mutual aid and with our attack we brought it down."

The fire was declared under control at 3:20 p.m. Mutual aid came from Dover, South Berwick, Eliot, Rochester, and Sanford provided station coverage. Lee responded with its air van and Durham provided the Rapid Intervention Team.

The chief explained a RIT team is a requirement now for all departments. He said the team stands by in case there is an emergency with any personnel.

"They get geared up and they stand there," said Rutherford. "We did not need to use them, but they are there in case anyone gets in trouble, and they need to go in and get them."

Infamous Royal Scandals: Part 4: Juan Carlos I & Queen Elizabeth II "Annus Horribilis"

 Royal scandals are nothing new. Recently the History Channel put together a list of 8 Royal Scandals. Since you may be unfamiliar with them, this is the final of 4 blogs on them! 

8 Infamous Royal Scandals (PART 4) 

These scandals drew public fascination and scrutiny, compromising the mystique of monarchies across Europe.

  BY: JESSICA PEARCE ROTONDI, HISTORY COM PUBLISHED: MARCH 15, 2024

7. Juan Carlos I of Spain Shoots His 14-Year-Old Brother Dead, 1956 

On March 29, 1956, the 14-year-old Infante [Prince] Alfonso of Spain was shot in the forehead with a .22-caliber revolver. Several accounts of what happened that night exist, but one thing is clear: The shooter was the prince’s own brother, 18-year-old Juan Carlos. The boys’ father, Infante Juan, rushed into the room and attempted to revive his son, but the teenager died in his arms. The death was ruled accidental and no autopsy was performed. After his burial, the exiled king threw the pistol that had fired the fatal shot into the ocean.

This was far from the last controversy to plague Juan Carlos. He abdicated the throne in 2014 and left Spain in 2020 following a series of financial scandals.

8. Queen Elizabeth’s 'Annus Horribilis,' 1992 

Queen Elizabeth II called 1992 her “Annus Horribilis” after a series of misfortunes plagued the royal family. Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Charles announced their divorces; Windsor Castle caught fire; and leaked phone calls and an explosive book intensified the “War of the Waleses” between heir to the throne Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Andrew Morton’s Diana: Her True Story named Camilla Parker Bowles as Prince Charles’s lover and divulged details about Princess Diana’s mental health struggles. “Morton’s book effectively shattered the mystique of the monarchy,” says Carly Ledbetter, a senior reporter at HuffPost who covers the royal family. “One could easily conclude that The Firm was messy, it was human, and it wasn’t as impenetrable as everyone thought.”

Scrutiny intensified when phone conversations between Diana and her lover, James Gilbey, were released, followed by a private conversation between Charles and Camilla. The media had a field day, nicknaming the scandals “Squidgeygate” and Tampongate” based on intimate details from the calls. “Tampongate and Squidgeygate had an enormous impact on the credibility of the royal family,” says Ledbetter. “The recorded phone calls greatly impacted the public perception of the heir to the throne and called into question Charles’ ability to one day be king.”

Infamous Royal Scandals: Part 3: The Kotze Scandal & Edward VIII's Abdication

Royal scandals are nothing new. Recently the History Channel put together a list of 8 Royal Scandals. Since you may be unfamiliar with them, the next couple of blogs will share 2 each!

(Image: Edward VIII’s Abdication, 1936. Credit: History.com) 

8 Infamous Royal Scandals (PART 3) 

These scandals drew public fascination and scrutiny, compromising the mystique of monarchies across Europe.

  BY: JESSICA PEARCE ROTONDI, HISTORY COM PUBLISHED: MARCH 15, 2024

5. The Kotze Scandal, 1891 Within two years, another royal hunting lodge became the scene of a sex scandal that would make even the fictional Lady Whistledown blush. The court of the last German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, was rocked in 1891 when the Kaiser’s sister, Princess Charlotte, invited members of the aristocracy to Jagdschloss Grunewald to indulge in orgies. Private details about partygoers and the sex acts they performed were made public in a series of anonymous letters that included graphic drawings. Outed individuals subject to this blackmail included the king’s own master of ceremonies, Leberecht von Kotze.

Kotze was briefly imprisoned by the emperor. Upon his release, he began to challenge the men who had been at the private parties to duels, hoping to root out who had betrayed him to the public. He eventually died in one of the duels. Historians point to Princess Charlotte as the likely whistleblower, though the true author has never been confirmed.

6. Edward VIII’s Abdication, 1936 Edward VIII was the first English monarch to abdicate the throne voluntarily. He gave up the crown in 1936 after his choice of bride-to-be caused a national scandal.

Wallis Simpson, an American heiress, had been divorced twice and was technically still married to her second husband when she began her affair with the heir to the British throne. The Church of England condemned remarriage after divorce, and when Edward became king in January of 1936, he also became the Head of the Church of England, prompting then-Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin to threaten to have his cabinet resign if Edward married Simpson.

The King’s choice of partner was debated in Parliament and made front page news across Britain. Edward VIII abdicated the British throne on December 10, 1936. In a radio broadcast a day later, he explained his choice to his subjects: “I have found it impossible to carry on the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge the duties of king, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love.”

Some scholars have contested that the marriage scandal was a front for a more troubling trait in the king: His Nazi sympathies. After marrying Simpson on June 3, 1937, the former king spent part of his honeymoon in Nazi Germany, where he met with Gestapo founder Hermann Göring, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, and even Hitler himself.

Infamous Royal Scandals: Part 2: Diamond Necklace Affair & The Mayerling Incident

Royal scandals are nothing new. Recently the History Channel put together a list of 8 Royal Scandals. Since you may be unfamiliar with them, the next couple of blogs will share 2 each!

8 Infamous Royal Scandals (PART 2) 

These scandals drew public fascination and scrutiny, compromising the mystique of monarchies across Europe.

  BY: JESSICA PEARCE ROTONDI, HISTORY COM PUBLISHED: MARCH 15, 2024

3. The Diamond Necklace Affair, 1784-5 

 A missing necklace cost Marie Antoinette of France her head. The 2,000,000-livres necklace was designed for Madame du Barry, mistress of former king Louis XV. The king died before it was paid for, sending the jewelers into debt.

Enter Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy, a social climber who called herself the “Comtesse de la Motte” and claimed to be descended from the royal Valois family. She became mistress to Cardinal de Rohan, who had fallen out of Marie-Antoinette’s favor and desperately wanted to regain it. La Motte pretended to be close with the queen and offered to pass letters between the cardinal and her majesty. The “replies” she passed to the cardinal were forgeries. In them, she asked the cardinal to lend her the money to buy the infamous necklace. She even arranged a late-night meeting between the cardinal and the queen at Versailles, hiring a prostitute to pose as Marie Antoinette.

When the cardinal bought the necklace on an installment plan, La Motte had her husband sell the diamonds in London. After a missing payment, the jewelers complained to Marie Antoinette, who revealed she had no knowledge of the purchase.

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette prosecuted La Motte and her conspirators, but La Motte escaped from prison and spread rumors that Marie Antoinette was to blame. It would be the final grievance in a long list that led Marie Antoinette to the guillotine in 1793.

4. The Mayerling Incident, 1889 

On January 30, 1889, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire was found dead in his hunting lodge in Mayerling alongside the body of his teenage lover. Crown Prince Rudolf had shot Baroness Maria Vetsera before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide. Rudolf’s father, Emperor Franz Joseph I, concealed documents related to the case, though Rudolf’s wife, Crown Princess Stephanie, published Rudolf’s alleged last letter to her: “You are relieved of my presence and vexations; be happy in your own way…I go calmly to my death.”

Infamous Royal Scandals : Part 1: Amy Robsart & Count Philipp Christoph von Königsmark

Royal scandals are nothing new. Recently the History Channel put together a list of 8 Royal Scandals. Since you may be unfamiliar with them, the next couple of blogs will share 2 each!

A crown does not buy immunity from trials of love, loss, and infidelity, though in many cases, it bought immunity from consequences. Most of the kings and queens of Europe claimed rule by divine right, but their very human faults cracked the mystique surrounding the monarchy… while giving their subjects something to talk about. Below are eight royal scandals that undermined the credibility of monarchies across Europe.

(Philipp Christoph von Königsmarck. Credit: Wikipedia) 

8 Infamous Royal Scandals (PART 1) 

These scandals drew public fascination and scrutiny, compromising the mystique of monarchies across Europe.

  BY: JESSICA PEARCE ROTONDI, HISTORY COM PUBLISHED: MARCH 15, 2024

1. The Suspicious Death of Amy Robsart, 1560 Queen Elizabeth I of England never married, though she did have a favorite at court: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, her Master of Horse... and a married man. “Robert Dudley’s fame in Europe rested on his power and influence with the Queen of England,” says Christine Hartweg, author of Amy Robsart: A Life and its End.

Rumors of their alleged affair intensified when Dudley’s wife, Amy Robsart, was found dead on September 8, 1560 at the foot of the stairs in her mansion with a broken neck. She was just 28 years old. The coroner’s report ruled her cause of death to be “misadventure.” Dudley did not attend his wife’s funeral, fanning speculation of foul play, especially after the Spanish ambassador to the English court claimed that in a conversation just months before his wife’s death, Dudley had said he would be “in a new position” in a year—a claim that seemed to substantiate rumors that he killed his wife to free himself to marry Queen Elizabeth. If this was his plan, it backfired. “It is often argued that the scandal surrounding Amy's death prevented Elizabeth from marrying Robert Dudley,” says Hartweg. “Dudley himself seems to have hoped for many, many years that she would eventually marry him.”

2. Count Philipp Christoph von Königsmark Disappears After Royal Affair, 1694

Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle married her cousin, King George I of England, in 1682. Their marriage was not a happy one, and she soon ran afoul of her powerful mother-in-law and husband. Princess Sophia took a lover, Swedish Count Philipp Christoph von Königsmark, and made plans to run away with him. But on the scheduled day, the count disappeared and was never seen again. George divorced Sophia and she lived out the rest of her days in prison. The count’s body was never found and rumors persist that King George had his wife’s lover executed.

A Late March Northern New England Snow and Ice Storm & Big April Follow-up Storm

Today's blog is about an early Spring Snow and Ice storm we received here in Southern Maine, and some of the beautiful pictures from it. We also had the BIGGEST storm of the winter 2023-2024 in Springtime -on April 4th. All of that in today's blog.

(Photo: Ice coated trees in our backyard forest! Credit: R.G.) 

    

 Here in northern New England, Winter likes to remind us that it's still around, even though we moved into meteorological springtime back on March 1st. 

(Photo: Reflection of sunlight through the forest the day after the storm, highlighting some of the ice covered branches. Credit: R.G.)

The 2024 March equinox happened on March 20 at 3:06 UTC. So many parts of the world saw the equinox arrive on March 19.

There are several climate zones in the eastern U.S. and if you were in the Mid-Atlantic you saw temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and the Cherry Blossoms bloomed on a record early date around the Washington, D.C. tidal basin. But here in southern Maine and the other New England States, we were above the climate zone "line" where winter kept its grip. Granted, in March we saw temperatures reach into the low 50s, and even 60 F, but the average high is 47F during mid-March, and the average low is around 28F.

(Photo: Rob took this when we went out for lunch and thought it was artistic. Credit: R.G.)

During the weekend of March 22-23rd, we were cold enough for snow on Saturday, March 22nd and we received about 3 to 4 inches of snow. Meanwhile, central and northern Maine was walloped with snow totals between 6 and 18 inches (most in the northwestern part of the state where the mountains lie). 

(Photos right: A row of iced trees in a retail parking lot that were just beautiful. Credit: R.G.) 

The coastal areas got the heaviest winds (we were spared being 25 miles from the coast) and had the most power outages as freezing rain and gusty winds to 25 mph took down trees and weighted power lines.

Maine is a state that knows how to take care of its roads. All roads were treated, and the next day, all main roads were clear and dry (the winds helped with the drying. What a pleasure to live in a state that knows how to handle snow!

AFTERMATH - By Monday, March 25, all the ice was a memory and there was only about 1 to 1 1/2" of snow on the grassy areas.

 (Photos: Our backyard forest on March 24, with 4 inches of snow remaining after the .10 of an inch of ice melted and fell off the trees! Credit: R.G.) 

WINTER COUGHS OUT A LAST STORM IN APRIL! 

On Thursday, April 8th, a low pressure area moved north along the Atlantic U.S. Coast, bringing soaking rainfall from the Carolinas to Massachusetts. But here in southern Maine, it was 1" of SLEET followed by 8" of SNOW making for the heaviest snow ever. 

We were hoping it would remain a mix at worst, but that didn't happen. Further north and west of us, snow totals topped 18" and more in the western Maine mountains. Over 300,000 people lost power, and 5 days later there were still about 9,000 people without power. On Monday, April 8th, the low pressure area that sat in the Gulf of Maine for 5 days moved east and away from the state. That brought Clear Skies and Sunshine for today, April 8th- perfect timing for the total eclipse of the Sun which happens this afternoon.