Pieces: During World War II, Ronald Reagan served in the army’s motion picture unit as he narrated training films. The handsome, youthful. good-natured Ronald Reagan radiated the message that everything was going to be all right. At age 25 he was a Midwestern radio sportscaster. On a trip to California he passed a screen test by Warner Bros. and was signed at $200 weekly. He made 20 films over the next three years.
In January 1981 he became president and told the country “to believe that together with God’s help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And, after all, why shouldn’t we believe that? We are Americans.”
Bits: There is an 8,000 year old cave painting in Spain of honey harvesting. A typical hive has 50,000 bees with one queen bee. Honeybees are responsible for more than 35% of the food we eat. In the 1940s there were six million hives. Today there are about 2.5 Million hives.
Pieces: Write a letter today to a friend. The friend will be so pleased and you will be too! Recently, I received four letters from four cities. I have such pretty stationery, different stamps, and the wish to connect with the ones I care about. In 1598 Donne wrote that “Even more than kisses, letters mingle souls. Thus friends, long absent, speak.”
Bits: Certain species of birds begin singing as the sun is coming up to show that they are ready for action. In the darkness before dawn, singing and serenading potential mates may be the easiest form of social interaction. This burst of early morning communication is known as the dawn chorus.
Pieces: Archaeologists have discovered an Ancient Greek inscription bearing the phrase “Christ, born of Mary” in northern Israel. The first evidence of an early Christian settlement from 1,500 years ago in Taibe, which is in the Jezrell Valley.
Bits: Entertainment in Aurora circa 1850 involved dances and meetings. Speakers and lecturers were popular. The Aurora Turnverein Association sponsored dramatic efforts on a crude stage in one corner of Brady Hall. The Turnverein held balls and masquerades at Brady Hall for many years.
Pieces: As vaudeville faded and motion pictures gained in popularity, live performances decreased. The beginning of World War II was a factor in this decrease. The Paramount Arts Center in Aurora serves as a cultural and entertainment center. It was completely restored in 1978 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Paramount offers classical music, dance, opera, theatre, Broadway touring shows, musical events and children’s programming. COVID-19, of course, affected the 2020 offerings.
Bits: In Fall 1900, Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog, a ladies watch cost 98 cents. A Stradivarius model violin cost $7.85. A baby carriage was $4.95 complete with overhead umbrella. A rocking chair of latest design was $8.95. A parlour clock was $3.75. Some 14 karat gold filled rings began at $1.50. Richard Warren Sears was its founder and he lived 1863-1914 ”From 5 buildings we supply the careful buyers of every state and territory. The cheapest supply House on Earth.”
Pieces: Early explorers to the Land of Lincoln found lush grasslands and fertile soil. Ninety percent of the State is contained in the Till Plains. The first settlers found half of the State wooded and the surface of the land strewn with wild flowers and thick man-high grass. Lincoln’s judicial circuit-riding days covered 11,000 square miles. The Lincoln Heritage Trail traces 1,000 miles of that route and the way he moved with his large family as a boy from his birthplace in Kentucky to Indiana and into Illinois, entering the prairie land south of Danville.
Bits: Before the age of 16, George Washington had written his “Rues of Civility and Decent Behaviour.” To wit: “Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad Company.” He wrote: “Speak not injurious Words neither in Jest nor Earnest Scoff at none although they give Occasion.”