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Not the folks at Coney Island USA. They offer a class on the techniques of vintage burlesque as well as offer live performances every Friday evening in the summer months at their popular Burlesque on the Beach shows. The shows are a combination of the best vintage Coney Island burlesque combined with all the tricks, effects and atristry available to the modern Burlesque performer designed to bring togehter all the elements in a classy fashion.

In addition to the Burlesque Master Class, they also offer one on sideshow skills where one can learn snake charming, fire eating, sword swallowing, magic and much more.

It just goes to show that what was old often becomes new again.

NAZI Concentration & Death Camps Film Collection

No sane person can argue that the facts about the Holocaust. It did happen. And while the NAZIs killed many people, the largest segment of people killed were Jewish. These are just simple facts about the holocaust. In fact, the total number of Jews murdered in concentration
camps during this genocide has been estimated to be nearly 6 million. Besides European Jews, there were many other groups targeted for destruction. They included the handicapped, mentally ill, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals and political dissidents.

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Coney Island was famous throughout the world as a place to play. In its heyday, it was a very exciting and in place to visit and have fun. It attracted millions of people throughout the world.

It is currently going through a revival and restoration in an attempt to recapture its former glory. Will it succeed? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, lets look at a few memorable events from its colorful past.

Coney Island first became a place to go to in the 1830s where it evolved into a seaside result for many decades until in the 1890s, it really started expanding and the first of its attractions, the “Sea Lion Park” created by Captain Paul Boyton opened. (As an aside, Captain Boyton is credited with creating the idea of an amusement park.)

In 1897, George Tilyou opened Steeplechase Park. This theme park is best noted for its signature ride – a massive eight land steel track with wooden horses that people could ride on – really one of the very first roller coasters.

From that point on, roller coasters were off to the races so to speak. In fact, Coney Island was often the first place to semonstrate new roller coaster technologies. Throughout the years, they have had the Flip Flap Railway, the Loop-the-Loop – the first loop roller coaster which was interestingly a flop as not too many people were daring enough to ride on it, the Giant Racer and the world famous Coney Island Cyclone.

All in all, Coney Island had over 30 different roller coasters built from 1884 to the 1930s including the Thunderbolt in 1925 and the Tornado in 1926.

Coney Island has certainly been a memorable part of the United States and continues to have a great influence on modern amusement park designs. It will be long remembered.

To relive Coney Island for yourself, you might want to check out this DVD.

Image of England in the Geographic Fun Atlas

Geographical Fun: Being Humourous Outlines of Various Countries, published by Hodder and Stoughton in London in 1869, was a singlularly unique atlas undertaking. The atlas is comprised of twelve maps – one for each of twelve European countries. The maps were designed as stereotypical images of each country at the time based on the outline and the shape of the country – similiar to how caricature artists work at modern fairs and festivals. Each map has a verse written about the creation.

In the introduction to the atlas, the author, William Harvey, described his intention in creating the atlas: “It is believed that illustrations of Geography may be rendered educational, and prove of service to young Scholars who commonly think Globes and Maps but wearisome aids to knowledge. If these geographical puzzles excite the mirth of children, the amusement of the moment may lead to the profitable curiosity of youthful students and embue the mind with a healthful taste for foreign lands.”

You will find a variety of countries and images represented in the Geographic
Fun Atlas, including:

• Egnland in the shape of Queen Victoria
• Scotland as a poper travelling through the Scottish bogs
• Ireland as a happy peasant
• France as an empress of the arts – cooking, fashions and dance
• Italy as a revolutionary figure
• Russia as a classic Russian bear
• Denmark as a female figure skater
• and several more fascinating images.

Horseless buggy made by Charles and Frank Duryea, 1893.

This is a question that does not have a simple and definitive answer. It all depends on what you want to define as a car. The history of the automobile actually dates back to the 15th century when Leonardo da Vinci was creating a wide variety of designs and mock-up models for various transport vehicles.

Many different types of cars were created in the early days – steam, electric, and gasoline – as well as countless styles from hardtops to convertibles to pickup trucks to open roadsters. Exactly who invented the automobile is a matter of opinion and great debate. If we had to give credit to any single inventor, it would probably be Karl Benz from Germany. Many suggest that he created the first true automobile in 1885/1886 – making the Benz part of Mercedes Benz the oldest continuous maker of automobiles in the world.

Here are some interesting historical tidbits that show how complex it is to really define when the first horseless buggy was considered an automobile.