User:BobC/Sandbox

Genealogy Contest

2017

Contest Summary Page

NEWLY UPDATED CHALLENGE!

As many around the world celebrate Christmas and enjoy the festive holiday spirit this month (December), we highlight two actors, who in many people's eyes, portrayed Santa Claus best in their cinematic roles, Mr. Edmund Gwenn and Sir Richard Attenborough. Both actors played the part in versions of the same movie, Miracle on 34th Street, Gwenn in the original 1947 screenplay and Attenborough in the 1994 remake almost 50 years later.

Read more about the WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge.

Good luck!

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January

JANUARY'S CHALLENGE!

Inauguration Day has taken place on January 20th following each United States presidential election since 1937. The term of a President commences at noon on that day, when the Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court administers the oath of office to the President.

As we witness the presidential inauguration this month, January's Genealogy Crowdsourcing Challenge puts the spotlight on two Supreme Court Chief Justices who have played that important role in the inauguration of past presidents: The Honorable Edward White (served 1910-1921) and The Honorable Warren Burger (served 1969-1986).

You can join this month's challenge and help bring their WeRelate pages to life. Best of luck. And have fun.

You can read more about the new WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge if you are unfamiliar with the game.

Congratulations to User:Cos1776 and User:jrm03063, players and winners of last month's Christmas Challenge.

Need more of a challenge? Try WeRelate Brick Walls!

February

FEBRUARY'S SUMMARY! Summary: Exactly 100 years ago this month the U.S. freighter pictured here, filled with grain, was sunk by a German submarine, an action which led to the United States entering World War I. February's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights the two individuals who played key roles in that attack, Thomas Ensor and Hans Rose.

FEBRUARY'S CHALLENGE! Full Text: 100 years ago (on 3 February 1917), the SS Housatonic (formerly SS Georgia), a United States merchant transport ship, was sunk by German submarine U-53. This action was one that pulled the United States into entering World War I three months later. Here's the rest of the interesting story. Carrying a full cargo of wheat from the United States, the Housatonic set sail from Galveston, Texas via Newport News, Virginia for Liverpool, England on 16 January 1917. Captain Thomas Ensor, captain of the Housatonic, reported that about twenty miles off the Isles of Scully (off the southwestern tip of Britain) his cargo ship was stopped by the German submarine U-53, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose. An officer and two seamen from U-53 boarded the ship, and sent Captain Ensor over to the submarine, where he was questioned by Captain Rose, who spoke fluent English. After examining the Housatonic's papers Rose told Ensor to return and order his crew to abandon ship. Rose explained that he was sorry, but the ship was "carrying food supplies to the enemy of my country." After the crew launched two lifeboats the German submarine then delivered a single torpedo and the Housatonic sank. Interestingly, Rose was one of the most respected and courageous U-boat commanders of World War I, famous for his humanity and fairness in battle. Sometimes after torpedoing a ship he would wait until all the lifeboats were filled, then throw tow lines, give the victims food, and keep all the survivors together until a rescuing ship appeared on the horizon when he would release the lines towing the lifeboats and submerge. There exist many other accounts of him caring for survivors even when putting his own life at risk. You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages on these two people to life.

Sources:

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April

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Six years ago this month, the United Nations passed a resolution celebrating the beginning of the space era for mankind. The UN General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared April 12th as the International Day of Human Space Flight “to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”

12 April 1961 was the date of the first human space flight, carried out by Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. On 20 February 1962, Astronaut John Glenn flew the Friendship 7 mission as the first American to orbit the Earth. He was the fifth person in space.

In the UN resolution, the General Assembly expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from.

The photo to the right shows the John Glenn panel and Yuri Gagarin statue at the former NASA office on Wayside Drive in Houston.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages on these two people to life.

Ref:

• UN: International Day of Human Space Flight 12 April
• Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP)
• Wikipedia: John Glenn

Congratulations to User:GayelKnott and User:Btomp, players and winners of last month's Hollywood Challenge.

Summary:

The United Nations General Assembly adapted a resolution in 2011 declaring April 12th as the International Day of Human Space Flight celebrating the beginning of the space era for mankind. Two key individuals who played an important part of the beginning of space flight were Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen, who was the first human in space on 12 April 1961, and Astronaut John Glenn who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the fifth person in space.

The emblem shown here depicts the Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) conducted in July 1975, the first joint US–Soviet space flight, as a symbol of the policy of détente that the two superpowers were pursuing at the time.

You can join this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and help bring their WeRelate pages to life. Have fun.

Need more of a challenge? Try WeRelate Brick Walls!

May

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Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. It was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead.

It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11: “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle.

In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina Michael conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. In 1948 the U.S. Post Office honored Ms. Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.

In 1968, President Johnson signed the Uniform Holiday Bill, permanently assigning the celebration of Memorial Day on the last Monday in May. The National Holiday Act of 1971 legally observed a three-day holiday commemoration for Memorial Day weekend. The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed in 2000 which pronounced 3 p.m. (local time) on each Memorial Day as a time for all Americans, “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps'.”

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages on these two people to life.

Summary:

June

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People across the United States celebrate Flag Day on June 14 each year to honor the United States flag and to commemorate the flag’s adoption.

On June 14, 1777, the U.S. Continental Congress replaced the British symbols of the Grand Union flag with a new design featuring 13 white stars in a circle on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes, one for each state. Although no longer certain based on recent analysis of evidence, the creation of this flag has historically been credited to the Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross, who was an official flag maker for the Pennsylvania Navy. In 1952, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor the 200th Anniversary/Bicentennial of her birth.

In June 1886, Bernard Cigrand, a Wisconsin native attending dental school in Chicago, made his first public proposal for the annual observance of the birth of the flag when he wrote an article titled “The Fourteenth of June” in the old Chicago Argus newspaper. Cigrand’s effort to ensure national observance of Flag Day finally came when President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling for a nationwide observance of the event on June 14, 1916. However, Flag Day did not become official until August 1949, when President Harry Truman signed the legislation and proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. In 1966, Congress also requested that the President issue annually a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as National Flag Week. Cigrand is credited with being the "Father of Flag Day," with the Chicago Tribune noting that he "almost singlehandedly" established the holiday.

The American flag, also nicknamed as “Old Glory” or “star-spangled banner,” has changed designs over the past two centuries. It consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars. Each of the 50 stars represents one of the 50 states in the United States and the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies that became the first states in the Union.

Sources:

1. https://freefromthefire.com/tag/the-fourteenth-of-june/
2. https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/flag-day

Summary:

240 years ago this month, on June 14, 1777, “Old Glory” was adopted by the Continental Congress to replace the British-inspired Grand Union flag as the flag of the newly independent United States. Philadelphia seamstress, Betsy Ross, has been credited with making the first flag. In June 1886, Chicago dentist, Bernard Cigrand, proposed an annual observance of the birth of the flag. Many consider him the "Father of Flag Day" because of his tireless 30-year advocacy.

You can read more about this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and collaborate in bringing the WeRelate pages on these two patriots to life. Have fun.

Need more of a challenge? Try WeRelate Brick Walls or assist with Data Quality Improvement projects!

July

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Olivia de Havilland is a retired American actress who celebrated her 101st birthday this month. She was born on July 1, 1916. Her acting career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films, and was one of the leading movie stars during the golden age of Classical Hollywood. She is best known for her early screen performances in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Gone with the Wind (1939), and her later award-winning performances in To Each His Own (1946), The Snake Pit (1948), and The Heiress (1949).

While she might be the key link to this month's genealogy challenge, four of her leading men in the movies are the subject of it.

1. The first is James Cagney with whom Olivia de Havilland played the sweet and charming love interest‍ in the comedy, The Irish in Us (1935).
2. The second is Errol Flynn, the Australian-born actor who played the swashbuckling pirate in Captain Blood (1935) and the leading role in The Adventures of Robin Hood.
3. The third is Fredric March with whom Olivia appeared in Mervyn LeRoy's historical drama, Anthony Adverse (1936).
4. The fourth is Leslie Howard, English stage and film actor, with whom she was married in their famous roles in the acclaimed Gone With The Wind.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages on these four famous actors to life.

Sources:

Summary:

American actress and centenarian Olivia de Havilland celebrated her 101st birthday on July 1st this year. But she is not the subject of this month's genealogy challenge - four of her movie co-stars and leading men in the movies of the 1930s are: James Cagney, from the The Irish in Us in 1935; Errol Flynn, from Captain Blood in 1935 and The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938; Fredric March, from Anthony Adverse in 1936; and Leslie Howard, from Gone With The Wind in 1939.

You can read more about this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and collaborate in bringing the WeRelate pages on these four actors to life. Have fun.

Need more of a challenge? Try WeRelate Brick Walls or assist with Data Quality Improvement projects!

August

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The famous Anheuser-Busch label began in 1852, when Eberhard Anheuser, a prosperous German-born soap manufacturer, purchased the little Bavarian Brewery on the banks of the Mississippi in South St. Louis. Adolphus Busch, a wholesaler who had immigrated to St. Louis from Germany in 1857, married Eberhard Anheuser's daughter in 1861. Following his service in the American Civil War, Busch began working as a salesman for the Anheuser brewery. In 1865, Eberhard was joined, as a partner in business by his son-in-law, Adolphus Busch. Together they set a struggling brewery on its feet.

During the 1870s, Adolphus Busch toured Europe and studied the changes in brewing methods which were taking place at the time, particularly the success of pilsner beer, which included a locally popular example brewed in Budweis. In 1876, Busch introduced Budweiser, with the ambition of transcending regional tastes. As demand for Budweiser grew, he looked for ways to expand its distribution. One for which he is especially remembered was the invention of the refrigerated railroad car. By 1877, the company owned a fleet of 40 refrigerated railroad cars to transport beer. His company's ability to transport bottled beer made Budweiser the first national beer brand in the United States, and it was marketed as a "premium" beer. The company was renamed Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association in 1879; in 1880, Adolphus Busch became company president upon Anheuser's death.

Adolphus Busch was the first American brewer to use pasteurization to keep beer fresh; and the first to bottle beer extensively. Expanding the company's distribution range led to increased demand for Anheuser products, and the company substantially expanded its facilities in St. Louis during the 1870s. To streamline the company's refrigerator car operations and achieve vertical integration, Busch established the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company in 1878, which was charged with building, selling, and leasing refrigerator cars. The expansions led production to increase from 31,500 barrels in 1875 to more than 200,000 in 1881. By 1883, the company owned 200 refrigerator cars, and by 1888 it owned 850. To serve these cars and switch them in and out of their St. Louis brewery, Anheuser-Busch founded the Manufacturers Railway Company in 1887. The shortline operated until 2011 when Anheuser-Busch sought to shut down operations.

The Busch family fully controlled the company through the generations until Anheuser-Busch's sale to InBev in 2008.

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Almost everyone recognizes this famous logo. It is the historic symbol of Anheuser-Busch, a company with its origins in 1852, when Eberhard Anheuser purchased a little brewery in St. Louis, Missouri. Adolphus Busch, a German immigrant who fought in the American Civil War, began working as a salesman for the Anheuser brewery in 1865. Together, Anheuser and Busch set a struggling brewery on its feet to become a world-wide recognized and respected business entity. The Busch family fully controlled the Anheuser-Busch Company until it's sale to InBev in 2008.

September

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Labor Day, a national U.S. holiday observed on the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States.

Credit for the holiday was almost always given to the New York carpenter Peter McGuire, one of the founders of the American Federation of Labor and general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. He suggested naming a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." But his place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged.

The other side of the story is that New Jersey machinist Matthew Maguire, head of the Central Labor Union in New York and the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, was the name everyone knew for having organized the very first time the annual holiday honored the nation’s skilled and manual laborers.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, following the plans of the Central Labor Union. The second Labor Day holiday a year later on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Summary Text:

The Labor Day Holiday in the United States is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers and is a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States. Two 19th century labor union leaders have been credited for founding and organizing the first Labor Day celebration, Peter McGuire of New York state, and Matthew Maguire of the state of New Jersey.

Regardless of who can be credited with fathering the Labor Day holiday, it was first celebrated on September 5, 1882, in New York City, with the second celebration held a year later on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the annual holiday observance for the years to come.

October

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The music scene has lost a number of successful, talented and influential musicians this year. Two of them are spotlighted for the Challenge this month here.

Singer Tom Petty died on October 2nd after going into massive cardiac arrest. He was 66. With two other musicians, Petty formed a banged called Mudcrutch, and when the band dissolved, Petty went off to start a solo career. He reunited with his two old friends, who were performing under the band name, the Heartbreakers, and became Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1976. The group released several albums and hits before briefly disbanding again in 1988 to work on solo projects. Petty played with George Harrison's band the Traveling Wilburys - which also featured Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison - and released several solo albums, most notably "Free Fallin'" and "I Won't Back Down." The band reformed and continued recording and touring right until Petty's death.

Singer Glen Campbell, also known as the Rhinestone Cowboy, died on August 8th. He was 81. Campbell was a country music sensation who came onto the music scene in the late 1950s. He formed a band with his uncle before moving to Los Angeles, where he found a daytime job as a session musician for the label American Music. He played with greats like Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Nancy Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Phil Spector. In 1962 he got his own record deal, and released several unsuccessful singles. Then, in 1967, he released "Gentle On My Mind" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," two bona fide hits at the time. He received a short-lived CBS series, starred in several TV movies, and even was nominated for an Academy Award for his song "True Grit." His biggest hit, though, came in 1974 with "Rhinestone Cowboy," which some say bridged the gap between pop and country. He had a steady career throughout the 1980s and '90s, and in 2005 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2011 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and announced his retirement. Shortly before his death in 2017, he released a final album titled Adios.

Summary

The music scene has lost a number of successful and influential this year. Two of the more recognizable names are rock singer and songwriter Tom Petty who died early this month, and well-known country singer Glen Campbell who passed away in August.

November

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This month's genealogical challenge revolves around two women known best for being parents and grandparents of famous people: Jolie Gabor was a Hungarian-born American socialite known as the mother of three famous actresses and socialites. Georgianna Drew Barrymore was an American stage actress and comedian and a member of the Barrymore acting family. She debutted in "The Ladies' Battle" at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia in 1872. She subsequently appeared in "As You Like It," "Frou-Frou," "The School for Scandal," "The Senator". In 1876 she married her famous actor husband.

Summary

This month's genealogical challenge revolves around two women known best for being parents and grandparents of famous people: Jolie Gabor, jewelry entrepreneur and socialite, and Georgianna Drew Barrymore, stage actress and comedienne.

December

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This month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights the theme of Christmas and two music-makers connected with the holiday 50 years ago.

The album My Kind of Christmas is a 1967 release of Christmas standards sung by Mike Douglas, released the year after his only Top 40 single and during the peak of popularity of The Mike Douglas Show. Mike Douglas, was an American "Big Band" era singer, entertainer, television talk show host and actor. The album included the following seasonal favorites: "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," "The First Noel," "Do You Hear What I Hear?," "O Holy Night," "The First Christmas Carol," "White Christmas," "Silent Night, Holy Night," "Silver Bells," "Ave Maria," and "Touch Hands on Christmas Morning." He died when he was 86 years old.

Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas is a 1967 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, an American jazz singer often referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz and Lady Ella. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. This album was her second and last Christmas album. Unlike her previous Christmas album (which was much more secular), this album consisted of only religious Christmas songs, and charted at #27 on Billboard's Holiday Albums chart. It included the following songs: "O Holy Night," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Away in a Manger," "Joy to the World," "The First Noel," "Silent Night," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Sleep, My Little Jesus," "Angels We Have Heard on High," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "We Three Kings," and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." She died when she was 79 years old.

Summary

This month's seasonal challenge highlights the theme of Christmas and two music-makers connected with the holiday 50 years ago with Christmas-themed musical albums. In December 1967 Mike Douglas released the My Kind of Christmas album, and Ella Fitzgerald released Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas album.

2018

January

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This month the WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights two "supercentenarians" who passed away last year. A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is someone who has reached the age of 110 years or more, something achieved by only one in a thousand centenarians. Only 2% of supercentenarians live to be 115.

Juliette Lamoureaux Hammond was an American supercentenarian who died in Connecticut. Annie Topp Rideout was a British supercentenarian who died in Hampshire, England. Both women were 110 years old at the time of their death this past October.

Summary

February

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In recognition of Black History Month in February, this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights two black activists who dedicated their lives in fighting racism and supporting civil rights in their respective countries.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement in the United States. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using the tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs and methods inspired by the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi. His civil rights activism began early in his career, as he led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King led an unsuccessful 1962 struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, helped organize the 1963 nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama, and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39. President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday in his name to honor King, observed for the first time in 1986.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, jailed for 27 years because of his activism against his country's racism, became a legitimate political leader and philanthropist after his release, and served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalized racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress from 1991 to 1997. He died in 2013 at the age of 95.

Summary

In recognition of Black History Month, this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights two activists who dedicated their lives in fighting racism and supporting civil rights in their respective countries. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement. He was assassinated in 1968. Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He died in 2013.

March

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Due to the unavoidably shortened challenge period this month, the WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights only one individual in March.

Internationally renown Christian evangelist Billy Graham passed away in February at the age of 99. He was a spiritual adviser to U.S. presidents and other world leaders, providing spiritual counsel for every president since Harry Truman in the 1940s. Many feel that God used the life and ministry of Billy Graham to impact the lives of millions around the world. He was inspired to journey 80 years ago from his family's North Carolina farm to share the Biblical Gospel in the largest arenas and stadiums in the world, and was one of the first evangelists to use the power of media to reach his audience. One Time reporter referred to him as "the Pope of Protestant America," and he has been rated by the Gallup organization as "One of the Ten Most Admired Men in the World" a staggering 51 times.

Summary

Internationally renown Christian evangelist Billy Graham passed away in February at the age of 99. He was a spiritual adviser to U.S. presidents and provided spiritual counsel for every president since Truman in the 1940s.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages related to this impactful spiritual leader to life.

Need more of a challenge? Try WeRelate Brick Walls or assist with Data Quality Improvement projects!

April

Summary

100 years ago, on 20 Apr 1918, World War I German Fighter Ace Captain Manfred von Richthofen (aka "The Red Baron"), shot down his 79th and 80th victims, marking his final victories before his death the following day. Canadian pilot and Royal Air Force officer, Captain Arthur Roy Brown, was credited for shooting down the Red Baron. Modern historical consensus suggests that Australian anti-aircraft gunner Sergeant Cedric Popkin was the person most likely to have been responsible for the shot that actually downed the Baron.

You can read more about this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and help in bringing the WeRelate pages on these three World War I fighters and their families to life. Have fun.

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100 years ago, Prussian Captain Manfred von Richthofen (aka "The Red Baron") was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Due to his combat success, he was given command of his own four-squadron fighter wing. The unit was soon dubbed the “Flying Circus” for its brightly colored aircraft and constant travels across the battlefront. On 21 April 1918, The Red Baron and the Flying Circus engaged a group of British fighter planes over Vaux-sur-Somme in northern France. As he gave chase to a Sopwith Camel, Richthofen zigzagged over enemy territory and passed a series of Allied infantry emplacements. Australian ground troops immediately spotted his red airplane and unleashed a storm of machine gun fire. At the same time, Canadian pilot Captain Arthur Roy Brown, zeroed in on Richthofen’s tail and fired a burst from his guns. One of the bullets, either from Captain Brown or from one of the anti-aircraft (AA) machine gunners with the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), identified as Sergeant Cedric Popkin, struck Richthofen in the torso, seriously wounding him. The 25-year-old crash-landed in a beet field and died moments later, still strapped into his cockpit. The following day, The Red Baron was given a full military funeral that included a guard of honor and six Royal Flying Corps pallbearers. As a sign of respect for the war’s most lethal pilot, a wreath was placed on his grave that read: “To Our Gallant and Worthy Foe.”

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages related to these three World War I fighters to life.

Links

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen Wikipedia: Manfred_von_Richthofen
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Popkin Wikipedia: Cedric Popkin
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Brown_(RAF_officer) Wikipedia: Roy Brown (RAF officer)
• https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/arthur-brown.html Famous Birthdays: Arthur Roy Brown
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8759974 Find A Grave: Capt Arthur Roy Brown
• https://www.onthisday.com/people/the-red-baron On This Day: Historical Events in the Life of The Red Baron
• https://www.history.com/news/ace-of-aces-how-the-red-baron-became-wwis-most-legendary-fighter-pilot History: Ace of Aces - How the Red Baron Became WWI’s Most Legendary Fighter Pilot
• https://www.ancient-code.com/the-red-barron-shot-down-a-ufo-during-world-war-i/ Ancient Code: The Red Barron shot down a UFO during World War I?
• http://www.signal-watch.com/2012/05/happy-birthday-manfred-red-baron.html The Signal Watch Blog: "Happy Birthday, Manfred! (The Red Baron)"
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Zu1e7NtwU YouTube: Who Shot The Red Baron? | The Latest Evidence

May

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Due to the unavoidably shortened challenge period this month, the WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights only one individual in May.

Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for "Fifth of May," is an annual celebration held in Latin America and the United States to commemorate the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza, a Mexican politician and military leader. When the forces of Napoleon III invaded in the French intervention in Mexico, Zaragoza's forces fought them at Acultzingo on 28 Apr 1862, where he was forced to withdraw. Zaragoza understood the favorable defensive positions outside of the city of Puebla, and with a force that was smaller and not as well equipped as his opponent, beat back repeated French assaults upon the Mexican positions at Forts Loreto and Guadalupe. The French were forced to retreat to Orizaba. The victory represented a significant morale boost to the Mexican army and the Mexican people at large, and helped establish a sense of national unity and patriotism within the country. Shortly after his famous victory, Zaragoza was struck with typhoid fever which caused his death at the age of 33.

Cinco de Mayo is more widely observed across the United States than it is in Mexico. Although military parades, reenactments of the battle and other festivities do take place in Mexico, they do so mainly in the state of Puebla where the battle occurred. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not in honor of Mexico’s independence.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages related to this Mexican hero to life.

Summary

~MAY~

Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for "Fifth of May," is an annual celebration, now observed primarily in United States by Mexican-Americans, to commemorate the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on 5 May 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza. The battle was more symbolic rather than strategic, but under pressure by the United States, the French were forced to finally withdraw from Mexico in 1867. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not in honor of Mexico’s independence which actually occurred in 1821.

You can read more about this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and help in bringing the WeRelate pages on this Mexican hero and his family to life. Have fun.

June

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Touted as America's favorite pastime, baseball is considered the national sport in the U.S. by a significant number of people. Its start can be traced back to 1791. This easily recognizable Major League Baseball logo was created 50 years ago to celebrate that patriotic reputation, notoriety and longevity. That year, in 1968, two of its legendary pitching stars, Don Drysdale with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dave McNally with the Baltimore Orioles, were among baseball's greatest talent. This month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights these two players.

Don Drysdale set Major League records with six consecutive shutouts and over 58 consecutive scoreless innings in 1968. He ended his career the following year due to a chronically sore shoulder with 209 wins, 2486 strikeouts, 167 complete games, and 49 shutouts. At the time of his retirement, Drysdale was the last remaining player on the Dodgers who had played for Brooklyn. After his playing career ended, he became a radio and television broadcaster. Drysdale was 56 when he died.

Dave McNally, a personal baseball idol of mine when I was in high school, won more than 20 games in the 1968 season, and repeated that achievement for the three consecutive seasons following that year. After winning the last two decisions of the 1968 season, he opened 1969 with a 15–0 record; his first loss of the season came in early August, and he ended the regular season at 20–7. He is the only pitcher in major league history to hit a grand slam in a World Series (in 1970). He was one of four 20-game winners for the 1971 Orioles. After gracefully retiring in 1975, he returned to live in his hometown of Billings, Montana, where he opened and operated a car dealership. McNally died at age 60.

The impact that Don Drysdale and Dave McNally had on the game was memorable and lasting, both on and off the field. In 1966, both pitchers faced each other in the fourth game of the World Series, and became part of baseball history pitching against each other. In a dramatic pitching duel, they matched four-hitters, but a fourth-inning home run by Frank Robinson gave the Orioles all they needed for a 1–0 victory, and they swept the defending champion Dodgers by winning the World Series championship in four games. Both players left their mark off the field as well. Drysdale took part in a famous salary holdout in the spring of 1966, signing his contract just before the season opened, and the resulting contract made him one the first pitchers to earn more than $100,000 a year. That holdout was the beginning of collective bargaining in baseball. Nine years later, McNally too impacted management and player contracts. He played a key role in the historic 1975 Seitz decision which led to the downfall of major league baseball's reserve clause and ushered in the current era of free agency. McNally and Andy Messersmith were the only two players in 1975 playing on the one-year reserve clause in effect at the time. Neither had signed a contract but both were held with their team under the rule. The two challenged the rule and won their free agency.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages related to these two famous baseball players to life.

Summary

~JUNE~

Baseball is considered the national sport in the United States. This Major League Baseball logo was created in 1968 to celebrate that patriotic reputation. That same year, 50 years ago, two of its legendary pitching stars were Don Drysdale with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dave McNally with the Baltimore Orioles, and they showcased their enormous talent, highlighted the sport's national appeal, and separately made lasting impact on contract negotiations for all baseball players.

You can read more about this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and help in bringing the WeRelate pages on these two remarkable baseball players and their families to life. Have fun.

July

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On July 14, 1868, the design of a spring measuring tape in a circular case was patented by a man named, Alvin Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut. Although this was the first United States patent for a spring tape measure, Fellows’ patent was actually an improvement to an earlier design. The invention was originally patented in Sheffield, England by a man named James Chesterman in 1829.

Chesterman was in the business of making “flat wire” for the fashion industry. Dressmakers used loops of it to hold the shape of the crinoline hoop skirts that were trending at the time. A fluffed-out, layered hoop skirt could use as much as 180 feet of the wire. Chesterman had developed a heat-treating process that made the flat wire stronger and easier to produce in continuous, unbroken lengths. But as fashion trends change, the hoop skirts were soon out of style, which left the Chesterman with a large surplus of metal tape. Chesterman decided to put graduated marks on very long steel tapes so he could market them to surveyors as a lightweight “Steel Band Measuring Chain.” In contrast to heavy, bulky surveyors’ chains, he said that his product “has equal strength, greater correctness, is easier to clean, and to coil and uncoil, and is very much lighter and more compact.” Lightweight or not, Chesterman’s tapes had a hefty price. They sold in the United States for $17 — about $300 in today’s money.

Fellows’ improvement to it was a new way to attach the spring clip, allowing the tape to be locked in any position until the clip was released. Because it was expensive, this type of measuring tape did not immediately replace folding wooden rulers but it was the basis for the locking steel tape measures used today. Even so, the click-spring, steel tape measure did not attain immediate widespread use. The carpenter's folding wooden ruler remained the most popular collapsible measuring device in the United States until at least the 1940s.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages related to these two little known inventors to life.

Summary

~JULY~

150 years ago this month, Alvin Fellows of the State of Connecticut patented the design of a spring measuring tape with the United States Patent Office. His patent was actually an improvement to an earlier tape measure design originally patented in England by a man named James Chesterman in 1829. These inventions are the basis for the locking steel tape measures, like the one pictured above, used today.

You can read more about this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and help in bringing details of the lives of these two little known inventors and their families to WeRelate pages. Have fun.

Sources

• https://todayinsci.com/F/Fellows_Alvin/FellowsTapeMeasurePatent.htm
• http://blogs.toolbarn.com/2014/06/tbt-the-history-of-the-measuring-tape/
• https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/chesterman/27/
• https://patents.google.com/patent/US79965
• https://www.wired.com/2009/07/dayintech-0714/
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjsmIK3mabcAhVwdt8KHdckDgEQjxx6BAgBEAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fs10probus.co.uk%2Fjames-chesterman-and-their-measuring-tools-jim-nicholson-2%2F&psig=AOvVaw0QHvVgjalO6ZTrEFTp3v8_&ust=1531919031523405
• http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;y03301&pos=2&action=zoom
• http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s09782&pos=1&action=zoom&id=12877

August

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August is known as American Art Appreciation Month. But I thought we would extend the borders of this month's Challenge to celebrate the interesting lives and creative artistic accomplishments of two international artists that have made me look at art in a new light and inspired me to wonder at their own inspiration for such unique works.

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. He is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. He is still remembered as one of the greatest decorative painters of the 20th century, while also producing one of the century's most significant bodies of erotic art. Although known to be extremely discrete about his personal life, he apparently led a fascinating life away from his art. See if you can find glimpses and details of that private life. He died 100 years ago.

Widely regarded as the most influential Mexican artist of the twentieth century, Diego Rivera was truly a larger-than-life figure who spent significant periods of his career in Europe and the U.S., in addition to his native Mexico. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican mural movement in Mexican art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted murals in Mexico City, Chapingo, Cuernavaca, San Francisco, Detroit, and New York City. In 1931, a retrospective exhibition of his works was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Rivera had a volatile relationship with a fellow Mexican artist, which was reproduced and represented in many forms in his own art. He died 60 years ago.

Summary Although American Art Appreciation Month is celebrated in August, this month's Challenge reaches beyond the U.S. borders to celebrate the lives and art of two unique international artists. Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement, and is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Influential Mexican artist Diego Rivera was truly a larger-than-life figure whose large frescoes helped establish the Mexican mural movement in Mexican art.

September

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An American music legend's recent death and touching memorial service today (31 Aug 2018), and the acclaim for which she earned during her lifetime, reminds us of another soul singer, a peer of hers during the 1960s and 70s, who together have been honored by being referred to as THE KING OF SOUL and THE QUEEN OF SOUL: Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. Born within a year of each other, their powerful voices continue to be the standard by which all other soul singers are measured. But they also share another bond through “Respect.” Redding originally wrote and recorded the song in 1965 and two years later Franklin’s cover version transformed it into a female-empowerment anthem known around the world.

Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She began her career as a child singing gospel at baptist church in Michigan where her father was minister. She embarked on a secular career in 1960 at age 18, recording for Columbia Records but achieving only modest success. She achieved commercial success and acclaim after signing to Atlantic Records in 1966, with songs such as "Respect", "Chain of Fools", "Think", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", and "I Say a Little Prayer". By the end of the 1960s, she was being called "The Queen of Soul". She died last month at the age of 76.

Otis Redding Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s. During his lifetime, his recordings were produced by Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Redding's iconic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. He died 50 years ago at the age of 26.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages related to these two well known American musicians to life.

James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. A progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul". In a career that lasted 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres.

Summary This month we use this Challenge to memorialize an American music legend's life and celebrate the acclaim for which she earned during her lifetime. Her death reminds us of another soul singer, a peer of hers during the 1960s and 70s, who together have been honored by being referred to as THE KING OF SOUL and THE QUEEN OF SOUL: Otis Redding Jr. and Aretha Franklin. They were born within a year of each other. Their powerful voices continue to be the standard by which all other soul singers are measured.

Sources:

• http://media.rhino.com/press-release/king-soul-and-queen-soul
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Redding
• https://www.songhall.org/profile/Otis_Redding

November

Narrative:

100 years ago, on 11 November 1918, an armistice came into effect ending the World War I in Western Europe. The armistice was effectively a German surrender, as its conditions ended any possibility of Germany continuing the war. But this did not mean the return of peace. Fighting continued in many regions, as armed groups pursued nationalist, revolutionary or counter-revolutionary aims. Russia was torn apart by a civil war, which claimed more Russian lives than had the world war. Peace was definitively signed on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Unfortunately the armistice and peace settlements were imposed by the victors, rather than negotiated, and have since been criticized as laying the foundations of future conflicts later in the 20th century.

The end of the war though would become a memorable date for the nations on the winning side. In France, where a staggering 3.2 million of its soldiers lost their lives, it was named the “Armistice de la Premiere Guerre Mondiale” and is still celebrated as a national holiday on Nov 11. In Great Britain, where 4.2 million men died, it was called Remembrance Day. In the U.S., where 323,000 died, it was called Armistice Day and for years was celebrated on Nov 11. (In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill into law replacing "Armistice" with "Veterans" in recognition of veterans of all wars not just those who served in World War I, and it has been known as Veterans Day in the United States since then.)

This month's Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights the two European military leaders who played key roles in the Armistice which marked the end of the "Great War."

During the Spring before the end of the war, as the Americans were slowly being shipped from the United States into Western Europe ports to support the Allied war effort, German Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff strategically decided to break the long trench warfare stalemate and take the offensive before the American forces became effectively deployed. He decisively pushed his German armies through Allied lines on the Western Front, quickly opening a fifty-mile-wide gap in the defensive lines, and were pouring into open country where they seemed ready to split the French and British armies asunder. But the German forces failed to sever the connection between the Allied armies and the general's efforts stalled because of heavy German losses and inadequate logistical support.

Marsal Ferdinand Foch, a key French military commander during World War I, had been relegated to commanding a small ineffective command in northern France and as an adviser to the War Minister’s general staff until May 1918. As a result of the German offensive, he was appointed as a Marshal of France and commander of Allied forces during the closing months of the war. In two decisive offensives in July and August, Foch took advantage of the German stall and drove Gen. Ludendorff back into a defensive position. He commanded his forces to repel the German attack and by his success is generally considered the leader most responsible for the Allied victory. On November 8-11, 1918, in a railway carriage at a forest siding at Rethondes, he personally dictated armistice terms to a German delegation.

General John J. Pershing, commander of the AEF, found himself testifying on the efficiency of the war’s prosecution before the House of Representatives Committee on Military Affairs. Fuller had Pershing’s answer within the week, and it was categorical. By allowing the fighting to go forward, Pershing reiterated that he was simply following the orders of his superior, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, commander in chief of Allied forces in France, issued on November 9, to keep up the pressure against the retreating enemy until the cease-fire went into effect. Consequently, he had not ordered his army to stop fighting even after the signing of the armistice, of which, "I had no knowledge before 6 a.m. November 11."

Summary:

100 years ago, on 11 November 1918, an Armistice came into effect ending the World War I in Western Europe. Two European military leaders on opposite sides of the battle played key roles in the Armistice which marked the end of the "Great War." In the Spring of 1918, German Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff strategically decided to break the long trench warfare stalemate between the forces by attacking weaknesses in the Allied lines on the Western Front. It was a short-lived offensive and weakened his own German forces to such an extent that French and British forces, under the command of French Marsal Ferdinand Foch, could consolidate their own forces and pursue the attack. He planned and led the counter attack which forced a German surrender three months later.

Sources:

• https://www.armytimes.com/veterans/salute-veterans/2017/11/10/nov-11-1918-wasted-lives-on-armistice-day/
• https://www.armytimes.com/veterans/salute-veterans/2017/11/10/nov-11-1918-wasted-lives-on-armistice-day/
• https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/ferdinand-foch
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ferdinand-Foch
• https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/ludendorff-offensive
• http://elcondefr.blogspot.com/2015/11/11-novembre-armistice-1918.html

December

Narrative:

Since 1941, the USO (United Service Organizations, Inc.), a congressionally-chartered nonprofit organization, has provided live entertainment and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families. Working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, it relies heavily on private contributions and on funds, goods, and services from various corporate and individual donors to support their mission. During World War II, the USO became the GI's "home away from home" and began a tradition of entertaining the troops that continues today. Involvement in the USO was one of the many ways in which the nation came together to support the war effort, with nearly 1.5 million people having volunteered their services in some way. Today they have more than 200 locations around the world, most noticeably offering rest and relaxation lounges for traveling military servicemen, women and their families at many international airports.

The USO became particularly famous for its live performances, called camp shows, through which the entertainment industry helped boost the morale of its servicemen and women. During World War II and the Korean War, Hollywood was eager to show its patriotism, and many famous celebrities joined the ranks of USO entertainers. They entertained in military bases at home and overseas, sometimes placing their own lives in danger, by traveling or performing under hazardous conditions. During the Vietnam War, USOs were sometimes even located in combat zones.

50 years ago this month, as United States was deeply involved in the war in Vietnam, the USO organized a group of entertainers to bring a taste of the holiday spirit to American service men and women stationed there. The photo to the right shows entertainers Joey Bishop, Jennie and Terrie Frankel (Doublemint Twins), Sig Sakowitz, Tony Diamond, Sara Sue, Tippi Hedren and Mel Bishop who posed for this shot after performing for the U.S. military in Saigon, Vietnam during December 1968. Throughout their 36-show tour of Vietnam they were well protected and had an escort officer and armed servicemen to assure their safety wherever they were taken. This month's Crowdsourcing Challenge highlights two of these celebrities who entertained troops during that visit.

Joey Bishop (shown center of group in photo with the microphone), was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a talk/variety show host. He later hosted a late night talk show with Regis Philbin as his young sidekick on ABC. He was a member of the so-called "Rat Pack" (which included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Peter Lawford), made famous for their Hollywood movies and Las Vegas stage appearances.

Jennie Frankel (far right in the photo with the accordion), who, with her identical twin sister, Terrie, were both instantly recognizable to American troops at the time as the Doublemint Twins (part of an ad campaign by the Wrigley Company for their Doublemint brand of chewing gum). They were both musically gifted, and as teenagers often accompanied their father to the Great Lakes Naval Hospital to perform for the patients there. Shortly after the two turned 18, they toured Vietnam with The Sig Sakowitz Show, performing more than 36 USO shows during that 2-month visit. Jennie later became a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, a member of the Academy of Country Music, and wrote music and theme songs for the major television networks.

You can join this month's challenge and help bring the WeRelate pages related to these two patriotic American performers to life.

Summary

~DECEMBER~

The USO has provided live entertainment and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces since 1941. In December 1968, 50 years ago this month, at the height of American's fight in the Vietnam War, the USO brought celebrities, musicians and actors to help boost the morale of U.S. servicemen and women serving there. Two of these entertainers were Joey Bishop, famous for his "Rat Pack" Vegas shows and Hollywood movies, and Jennie Frankel, one of the Wrigley Doublemint Twins of the late 1960s.

You can read more about this month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge and help in bringing details of the lives of these two patriotic performers and their families to WeRelate pages. Have fun.

Sources:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USO_Vietnam_1968_Troop_-_Jennie_Frankel,_Tony_Diamond,_Sara_Sue,_Sig_Sakowitz,_Joey_Bishop,_Tippi_Hedren,_Mel_Bishop,_Jennie_Frankel.jpg Wikimedia: USO Photo
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Bishop Wikipedia: Joey Bishop
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqW7ka2st7Y YouTube: "Live While You Can" Song
• http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.78282/ Veterans History Project: Terri Frankel
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USO_Vietnam_1968_Terrie_%26_Jennie_Frankel_-_Go_Go_Boots_%26_Guitar_1.8MB.jpg Terrie & Jennir Frankel in Go-Go Boots
• http://historydaily.org/seeing-double-a-look-back-at-wrigleys-doublemint-twins History of Doublemint Twins
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tippi_Hedren Wikipedia: Tippi Hedren (Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren)

2019

April

Narrative: Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly 30 A.D. The resurrection of Jesus is essentially the foundation upon which the Christian religions are built. Hence, Easter is a very significant date on the Christian calendar. Easter is also associated with the Jewish holiday of Passover, as well as the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, as described in the Old Testament. These links are clearly seen in the Last Supper, essentially a Passover feast, which occurred the night before Jesus’ arrest and the sufferings Jesus endured following his arrest.

Many people—mostly children—also participate in Easter egg “hunts,” in which decorated eggs are hidden. In some households, a character known as the Easter Bunny delivers candy and chocolate eggs to children on Easter Sunday morning. These candies often arrive in an Easter basket. The exact origins of the Easter Bunny tradition are unknown, although some historians believe it arrived in America with German immigrants in the 1700s. Rabbits are, in many cultures, known as enthusiastic procreators, so the arrival of baby bunnies in springtime meadows became associated with birth and renewal. Today, Easter is a commercial event as well as a religious holiday, marked by high sales for greeting cards, candies (such as Peeps, chocolate eggs and chocolate Easter bunnies) and other gifts.

Whether you celebrate Easter as a religious tradition or as a time to celebrate the coming Spring with family and friends who have stuck with you over the years, the annual long weekend has been marked by some pretty significant deaths in recent times.

This month's WeRelate Crowdsourcing Challenge looks at two actors from different eras and film genres who died on an Easter weekend. Sadly, neither of the two were to resurrect (although their lives do continue in part through their work in movies and television). Greta Garbo was a multi-talented Swedish actress who received three Oscar nominations on the way to becoming one of the pioneering stars of early cinema. She lead the movie industry into the “talkie” era and was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women of her time. She died on Easter Sunday in 1990. Benny Hill was a British comedian who cemented his legacy with silly chase sequences and comical music and is perhaps one of the most famous funnymen to have ever existed. Whether his name is recognizable to you or not, you’ve certainly heard his television show's theme (linked below). He died on the Monday following Easter in 1992.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbgHkTNeWR4 Greta Garbo - From Baby to 84 Year Old

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ls2SDeqltk Benny Hill Theme Tune

Summary:

Sources:

• https://www.thesouthafrican.com/deaths-over-easter-weekend/
• https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter

June

Sources: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/hell-on-earth-irish-men-recount-their-father-s-experiences-on-d-day-1.3917416

Design Elements

Badge Placement

Awarded for the December 2016 Challenge

Awarded for the December 2016 Challenge

Awarded for the December 2016 Challenge

Awarded for the December 2016 Challenge

Awarded for the December 2016 Challenge

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