Category Archives: History

Three former Boeing CEOs at Seattle U provide insights

Posted on October 27, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Marilyn W Three former Boeing Commercial Airline CEOs kicked off the Albers Executive Speaker Series for 2018-19. Frank Shrontz, Alan Mulally, and Ray Conner collectively provided the leadership for Boeing’s work in commercial airlines for over two decades, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Essays, History, Science and Technology, Transportation | Comments Off

Clay Jenkinson as Edward S. Curtis

Posted on October 13, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From Don Philips Don’t miss award-winning scholar of history and humanities Clay Jenkinson at Seattle’s Broadway Performance Hall on Sunday, November 18 at 2 p.m. Jenkinson brings to life early 20th century photographer Edward S. Curtis through a unique blend … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Photography | Comments Off

How Rembrandt used light and motion to make a mundane commission a masterpiece

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From Aeon: The oil painting Militia Company of District II Under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq (1642), better-known as The Night Watch, is probably Rembrandt’s most famous work. Its status and critical acclaim, though, have little to do with its subject matter: … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History | Comments Off

The evolution of the universal genius – October 2nd at 3:30 PM

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From Cornelius Rosse: There is only one Weekly Update I can paste in here. With SkyOpera events coming fast one after one another, I did not have time to write a second one. The piling up of our events is due … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, History, Music, Opera | Comments Off

Food, culture and the Library of Congress – October 4th

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Constance Carter, the Head of the Science Reference Section at the Library of Congress will be speaking here this Thursday October 4th. We hope she discusses the Library’s food collection. In the Julia Child’s video above, the Library’s collection shows … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cooking, History | Comments Off

Capitol Hill’s Hugo House gets an extreme makeover and an historic designation

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From Crosscut: Washington state welcomed its first official Literary Landmark last week — a surprising statistic given Seattle’s reputation as a bookstore-loving, writer-nurturing, library-card-holding, even poetry-slam-attending city. The designation comes from national group United for Libraries, which over the last 30 years has … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Education, History, In the Neighborhood | Comments Off

Ken Burns – the Mayo Clinic: Faith – Hope – Science – tonight 9 PM on KCTS

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From Dick Dion: Take a timely look at how one institution has met the changing demands of healthcare. The Mayo Clinic: Faith – Hope – Science is a new two-hour documentary executive-produced by Ken Burns and directed by Burns, Erik Ewers … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Health, History, Science and Technology | Comments Off

Meghan McCain tribute to John McCain

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Posted in Grief, History, Obituaries, Politics, Remembrances, War | Comments Off

Fascism a Warning – by Madeleine Albright

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Ed note; We must remember Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and Milosevic in order to understand democracy and how it can be eroded. This book was given to me – one that I didn’t know about. It’s one though that I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, Politics | 1 Comment

Before modern measurement standards, finding the length of a foot took a village

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Jim deMaine

From Aeon: “The foot is a most easily accessible tool and it had a lengthy history as a means of measuring before the introduction of national and international standards. So how were earlier standards created? In this short video from … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, History, Science and Technology | 1 Comment

Happy 4th of July

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Posted in History, Music | Comments Off

Edward Curtis – photography at the SAM

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Jim deMaine

We haven’t been to SAM yet for the Curtis exhibit, but will go soon I hope. Having read the book Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis, I’m anxious to see his photographs. From … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Photography | Comments Off

Nagasaki Survivor Visits Hanford and the “Home of the Bombers”

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Jim deMaine

An 81 year old survivor of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki becomes the first visitor to Hanford. One of his wishes is to have the history of the suffering and the survivors part of the history of a new National … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, History, Military, Parks, Remembrances | Comments Off

Bringing back our historic street cars

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Jim deMaine

This project was highlighted by King 5 – thanks Tom! “A group in Seattle is working to bring back the historic streetcars to the city. ‘Friends of the Benson Trolleys’ is a new non-profit trying to raise funds so !they can … Continue reading →

Posted in History, In the Neighborhood, Transportation | Comments Off

Still cold in Philadelphia

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Jim deMaine

You’ll love this story. (from Tom Gibbs) A Norwegian Icebreaker heads up the Delaware River As you may have seen on the news it’s been very cold in Philadelphia… So cold, in fact, that the City Government has borrowed a … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, History | Comments Off

Waiting for a charge

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Two hours north of of LA we pulled into a small town to check into a motel. Right next door was this beautiful well-lighted place that looked weirdly futuristic. It was one of multiple national Tesla charging stations. In a way, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Science and Technology | 1 Comment

There was a time B.A. (before Amazon)

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Posted in Business, Finance, History, Humor | 2 Comments

A hotel from the past – “The Del”

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Jim deMaine

Have you ever been to the Hotel Del Coronado, the historic landmark which opened in 1888? Here it is all lit up last night – January 1st. We’ve never stayed here (very pricey) but one Skyline resident remembers her stay well: … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 2 Comments

Why Whitman College teams are no longer “the Missionaries”

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Jim deMaine

Have you visited Walla Walla (not sure why it needs to be more than one Walla), but then there’s others (wasn’t there an old poem about these double names where the maiden’s heart goes Hamma Hamma)? There’s more there than the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Race | Comments Off