Friday, March 15, 2024

Monday, February 19, 2024

Presidents Day 2024 - January 19, Monday webinar from 10:30 am to 11:30 am

Seating is limited, so RSVP today.

Presidential visits include Grover and First Lady Folsom Cleveland in 1888, Teddy Roosevelt 1905 Flordia visits. President Warren Harding fishing and golfing trips of the 1920's, JFK 1962 and more. Other topics include a sneak preview to upcoming local history seminars like notable women for Womens History Month, Patriots theme with the Final Naval Battle of the American Revolution, Native Indian Cultures, Treasure Tales, local history of Natural History, Celebrity visits to Florida and more. Consider joining my History Buffs Roundtable.

Monday, January 29, 2024

Our Last Moon Landing.

Considered one of the most memorable Apollo launches, the Apollo 17 blasted off from Launch Pad 39 at Kennedy Space Center on December 7, 1972. This was the first nighttime launch and it made a spectacular sight. The crew was made up by Command Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans, civilian geologist Jack Schmitt and the Spacecraft Commander Eugene Cernan they were lifted up from the Cape by a Saturn V Rocket. As usual, the CBS Newscaster Walter Cronkite was reporting live. But he made one of the most embarrassing gaffes of his career when he said that the night launch would "light up the sky like a firecracker. (There was a brief pause.) Uh, excuse me, Wally," Cronkite continued to guest commentator and former Astronaut Wally Schirra, "I should day, perhaps, like a roman candle." 

 Gathered at the launch viewing were hundreds of VIP’s and celebrities, the local paper reported that celebrities were dime a dozen. Pictures in the press showed celebrities, Eva Gabor, pointing to the fiery liftoff and Franks Sinatra staring and Jonathan Winter puffing a stogey, all captioned with “everyone was bedazzled.” There was confusion all around. Assigned seating in the bleaches was not observed by some as some people got it wrong. Former Florida Gov. Kirk got kicked out of a VIP stand for sitting in a taken seat, he had to leave as he didn't have a pass. Stumbling around the crowds looking confused was an Asian military man, his uniform draped with braiding, his shoulder festooned with stars, he wandered around the bleachers lost, unable to communicate. An elderly woman, not a big shot, steered the general back to his seat. 

  Meanwhile, in space, the Saturn rocket headed off on a journey to the moon. The lunar module made a soft landing in the Taurus-Littrow region of the moon. The headlines reported, “Landing Smoother Than Any” The newspaper dated December 12, 1972, reported astronaut Cernan as saying, 'It is Beautiful Out Here’. During the mission a mishap caused the fender on the Moon Rover to break and thus driving was difficult with lunar dust flying up at the moon rover riders. "I got to make a fender tonight," Astronaut Gene Cernan said. "Man I hate this dust." Radio communications with Houston Control resulted in a solution where a map was folded in such a way and duck taped to make a temporary fender, and it worked. Traveling along the moon surface an interesting discovery was made, orange soil in a crater. Astronaut Jack Smitt hesitantly suggested the strange appearing soil might have originated from a volcanic type vent, but added "But I hate to even suggest it." After all the experiments had been performed it was time to return to Earth. A short ceremony was held to end this final Apollo mission to the Moon. Astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt unveiled a plaque commemorating all six Apollo landings on the moon and acknowledging all the ground crews that made this scientific achievement possible. "This valley of history has seen mankind completes his first evolutionary steps into the universe," geologist Schmitt said, "leaving the planet earth and going forth into the universe. Cernan recognized the support of the ground crews and workers. He concluded his farewell, “God willing, We'll Return”. 

 A letter from NASA director Kurt H. Debus on December 19, 1972, congratulated everyone. ‘I think it was entirely appropriate as Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt positioned the American Flag on the moon that it was dedicated to all those people who made the Apollo lunar landings possible. It was quite a tribute and well deserved one for all of you. Sincerely, Kurt H.Debus’ 

 

Sunday, January 14, 2024

History Buffs Unite: January 24th.

Gold and Silver Found - July disaster




It will have been 297 years to this date that a treasure fleet disaster of epic proportions occurred off the Central Florida coast.

In 1715 a fleet of ships carrying treasure from the New World to Spain was destroyed in a huge hurricane. It was in the evening of July 30, 1715 , seven days after departing from Havana, Cuba, eleven of the twelve ships of this fleet were sunk dumping their precious cargo of gold, silver and other expensive commodities along Florida’s East Coast. Most of the ships went down in the Fort Pierce and Wabasso beach ares but many experts agree that there is evidence that some wrecked further North. Nearly 700 sailors perished while a small number survived by drifting ashore on wreckage and lifeboats.


Spain immediately sent their salvage ships, employed local Indians for salvage work, and then
came the pirates that helped themselves. The British governor of Jamaica sent out his left-hand man Henry Jennings but the sight of all treasure turned him into a privateer,and later a full pirate. This event launched the dawning of the “Golden Age of Piracy on the Caribbean. Decades later the legend faded away only to leave evidence in oral stories and a map notation by Englishman Bernard Romans.

Rumors abound and perhaps some private discoveries were made but it wasn't till the early 1960's that a retired building contractor by the name of Kip Wagner made the find of a lifetime. It all started when he found some little flat black stones that he would skip along the water until somebody told him that that was Spanish silver coins he was throwing. Kip did some investigating and bought a metal detector and found more.  One thing led to another and the right eight people with the right skills got together and formed a company called the Real Eight Company. The word was out and gold and silver were on a lot of people's minds. Even the state of Florida got involved and proper salvage operations began.



To be continued; The Treasure Map which marked the spot, the National Geographic Society get involved, a Treasure Exhibit and more.

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Celebrity Visits to the Space Coast.

Barbara Eden's Visits Numerous celebrity visits to the Space Coast of Florida are reported in the national and local press. Popular entertainer visits include singers; Frank Sinatra and Tammy Wynette, funny men; Jack Benny and Don Knotts, movie stars; Gregory Peck and Eva Gabor. and TV icon, Barbara Eden. This first of a series on VIP and celebrity visits begins with Cocoa Beach’s most beloved actress, Barbara Eden. A preview of the local press reveals the Space Coast's love affair with this blond Jeannie from Hollywood. “Your Wish is Your Command, Master” those words and many similar dialogues were first heard across the nation in the early nineteen sixty’s on prime time TV. This popular sitcom about an astronaut finding a Jeannie Bottle on a deserted island made Cocoa Beach a household name. Due to the show’s success Barbara Eden and the cast paid a few visits to the local area. Ms Eden's made her first visit in 1969 making it 40 years ago on June 2009 will. The local papers reported, “The Festivities started with Miss Eden arriving at Merritt Island Airport in county commissioner Lee Wenner's plane. The activities of the day dubbed "Jeannie Day" started early." Opening the day the blond actress was given a tour of Kennedy Space Center and the US Air Force Museum. The newspapers reported a number of highlights of her visit including when she pressed a button to launch a rocket carrying a weather satellite at Complex 43. Accompanying Barbara was her husband Micheal Ansara. Later in the day a Chamber of Commerce luncheon was held at the Sheraton, followed by a motorcade parade to downtown Cocoa Beach and a key-to-the-city ceremony at city hall. This opportunity gave Miss Eden a chance to greet her many fans and sign autographs. Dressed in a blue mini-dress she wowed them all reported the press. It was a typical hot day here in Central Florida and Mayor Robert Murkshe wiped the sweat off his face and stated it was hot and everything seemed to be wet. He jokingly said to the blonde star, "I wish you would snap your fingers or something Barbara and make it snow out here.” Next it was dinner at Bernard’s Surf in Cocoa Beach. Local restaurateur, Rusty Fischer, recalls the occasion with the cast at his popular eatery. He tells to this day how he received a call from Sidney Sheldon the creator of the show to get an agreement in letting the name Bernard’s Surf be used. "They did and every now and then you would hear, "Well let's make a reservation at the Surf." Said Fischer. Rusty recalls even in recent times that patrons would come into the restaurant and ask to sit where Barbara Eden sat. Lee Caron was Miss Eden's official host during her 1969 visit and concluded with an awards presentation at his Carnival Club. It was reported that here she received the Commodore's award.(1) The newspaper snapped a memorable picture of her kissing astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the cheek in this Cocoa Beach lounge. The caption read, Aldrin performs successful docking maneuver. Barbara Eden and some cast members returned 27 years later for the Space Day at Kennedy Space Center. Cocoa Beach city officials created a special Jeannie Day which included renaming Primrose Ave to “I Dream Of Jeannie Lane.“ An official document indicates it was officially dedicated on July 12, 1996 by the City of Cocoa Beach, to commemorate the role of the “I Dream of Jeannie" show on Cocoa Beach. Although she could not make it to the actual ceremony of the new street name, a road sign bearing the name “I Dream of Jeannie Lane” was carried and presented to her at the Kennedy Space Center by Cocoa Beach Mayor Joe Morgan . The final report of this event was published by Florida Today reporter Milt Salamon, along with a humorous story including his interview with Barbara Eden. Milt wrote, "Barbra's reaction to the million faces we saw yelling her name is typical of show biz fortitude. Salamon: "How about being inextricably tied to a character named Jeannie for 31 years? Would you just soon lose her for a while?" Eden: " I like Jeannie, I guess," she smiled. "I don't feel that she's gotten in my way, because I've done so much other work, so many different things. It's fine with me and it's never been off the air, so.." Salamon: We asked about her memorable costume, following an interviewing tradition begun more that three decades ago. Did she like it? Did she have a hand in it? Eden: "I love my costume, I really did," she told us. "The only influence I had was the color. I chose the color. I'm trying to remember the woman's name who designed it, because she did win an award for it." Milt closed his interview asking her if she remember her two visits in 1969, whereupon she said, "Oh yes!" she said. "Oh my, it was amazing to all of us, just mind-boggling, and it still is to me. The Space program is very exciting. The people? Oh, yes I do remember them. And it's good to be here, good to see you all again." Jeannie Day was born-again in September of 2005 with a “Jeannie Look A-Like contest marking the 40th anniversary of “I Dream Of Jeannie” TV show. Winners were 12 year old Jessica Stavrakas and 24 year old Crystal Louthan, both of Merritt Island, who won the Teenie Jeannie and Jeannie categories. The legend continues, Visit Ray Osborne' weekly History on Wednesdays from 5 pm to 6 pm at the Resort of Cocoa Beach where this and other local tales are told. Look> Enter drawing and get a chance to win a custom designed “Jeannie Bottle by Mario" by sending email with your address to rko153@gmail.com with the word 'Jeannie Bottle' in Topic Heading of email message.

30th Anniversary of an amazing discovery in Titusville


30 years ago - an amazing archaeological discovery was made by accident. A backhoe operator whose plan was to continue with a building project in Titusville Florida uncovered a 7,000 year old graveyard. The artifacts found rocked the academic world on archaeology and anthropology. 

Among the remains and relics found were weaved fabrics that were used to wrap the dead, seeds of what their people ate, tools made from animal teeth, and most amazing of all - brain tissue found in the skulls.  Even a child’s bones were found that had her favorite toys in her arms.


The reason for the astounding preservation is that this burial was in a peat bog which was covered by water which helped preserve the remains for thousands of years. "The pond has proved to be one of the most important and productive "wet" archaeological site in the history of the nation. Scientists from around the world have taken part in the study, preservation, and analysis of materials taken from the pond.” said the The NBBD website.http://www.nbbd.com/godo/history/windover/


This Friday May 18th, readers can learn more by enjoying a  a guided tour through the museum and a talk by noted archaeologist Dr. Rachel Wentz, author of "Life and Death at Windover: Excavations of a 7,000-year-old Pond Cemetery".  Funds raised from this event will be used to support the museum containing the Windover exhibit.

Don't miss it May 18, 2012
6:pm to 8:pm
Prices $30 Includes: Lecture & Guided Tour of Museum
$45 includes all of the above plus Dr. Wentz's new book.

Brevard Museum of History and Natural Science
2201 Michigan Avenue
Cocoa, FL 32926
"Where history comes alive"
For more information call 321-632-1830


Credits:
Joe Richardson
NBBD website