Category: History

The Death of Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon on Earth

Last passenger pigeon
Martha

On September 1, 1914, the last passenger pigeon on earth passed away. The passenger pigeon once was the most numerous species in North America and perhaps the world.

In the mid and late 1800s, there were millions of passenger pigeons in the United States.  But the species dwindled down from hunting and other reasons, until on this date a passenger pigeon named Martha died in the Cincinnati Zoo.

According to a New Yorker book review of Joe Greenberg’s A Feathered River Across the Sky, the last pair of passenger pigeons, George and Martha, lived in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. After George died in 1910, Martha lived on four more years as a sad attraction, reminding visitors of the destruction of a once widespread species.

Although officials offered a $1000 reward for a male passenger pigeon, no more were found. And Martha passed away in 1914, ending the species. (Jonathan Rosen, “The Birds,” New Yorker 6 Jan. 2014: 62)

Below is a short video about passenger pigeons, featuring a song about Martha called “Martha (Last of the Passenger Pigeons),” written and sung by singer-songwriter John Herald.

Singer John Herald was one of the founders of the bluegrass group Greenbriar Boys, and he worked as a session guitarist for a number of artists like Bonnie Raitt and Doc Watson. He wrote the classic song about a drunk racehorse, “Stewball,” which was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. Herald passed away in 2005.

As for Martha, after her death, she was frozen in ice and sent by train to Washington, D.C.  There, she was stuffed and put on display at the Smithsonian. She is now part of a special exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Meanwhile, Project Passenger Pigeon works to educate about the loss of the species. Although Martha has died, we have kept her body to forever haunt humans and remind us that nobody — and no species — survives forever.

Photo of Martha, the last passenger pigeon, via public domain.

What species extinction do you think most about? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Trailer for Upcoming Film From Jon Stewart: “Rosewater”

    jon stewart movie

    When Jon Stewart took a break from hosting The Daily Show to work on a movie, I was not sure what to expect. But from the looks of the trailer for the new film Rosewater that he directed and for which he wrote the screenplay, it looks like he spent his vacation time well.

    The movie adapts the book Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival, a memoir by journalist Maziar Bahari. The book and film tell the story of Bahari’s work reporting on the Iranian elections in 2009 when he was accused of being a spy and imprisoned and tortured. Despite the dark subject matter, the trailer indicates that the movie promises an ultimately uplifting story. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Bahari. Check it out.

    Rosewater is scheduled to be released November 7, 2014. If you want to know more, Variety has a review.

    Will you see Rosewater? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    The Execution of Sacco and Vanzetti: Two Good Arms

    sacco vanzetti

    On August 23, 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in the electric chair. The execution of the Italian-born anarchists drew worldwide protests from people who believed the two men were innocent of the murder charges against them. Many today still debate whether or not the two were guilty of the crime, but most agree that anti-immigrant sentiment and other factors affected the fairness of their trial.

    The saga of Sacco and Vanzetti has inspired various forms of art, including songs. Chimesfreedom previously addressed the songs that Woody Guthrie wrote about the case.

    Charlie King’s “Two Good Arms”

    Additionally, folksinger Charlie King wrote an excellent song about the case called “Two Good Arms,” and I have seen him perform it on several occasions. King, who grew up in Massachusetts and has been performing for fifty years, is not as well known as he should be. But artists like Pete Seeger have recognized his talent.

    Here is King’s “Two Good Arms” below.

    For another version, here is Holly Near covering his song at the 1987 Philadelphia Folk Festival. And you may hear King’s original version on his webpage and a live performance here.

    King took much of the lyrics of “Two Good Arms” directly from the speech that Vanzetti made at his sentencing. It is interesting how he recognized the poetry in Vanzetti’s own words.

    At the sentencing, the native Italian speaker presented his plea in English: “That I am not only innocent of these two crimes, but in all my life I have never stolen and I have never killed and I have never spilled blood. . . . Not only am I innocent of these two crimes, not only in all my life I have never stolen, never killed, never spilled blood, but I have struggled all my life, since I began to reason, to eliminate crime from the earth. Everybody that knows these two arms knows very well that I did not need to go into the streets and kill a man or try to take money. I can live by my two hands and live well.”

    Legacy of Sacco and Vanzetti

    The fate of Sacco and Vanzetti remains relevant today, as many debate whether states have executed innocent people in recent years. A new book, The Wrong Carlos: Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution, recounts how Texas may have executed an innocent man when it executed Carlos DeLuna. Others claim that other executed men like Cameron Todd Willingham were innocent.

    It is difficult to prove innocence to everyone’s satisfaction after someone has been executed, but these and other cases certainly raise questions about the justice system, as any system run by humans is bound to make mistakes at some point. Thus, one may wonder whether society should execute people rather than holding them in prison. These ongoing risks make it important that we answer the opening question of Charlie King’s song with an affirmation that we all will remember past injustices and work to prevent them in the future.

    Photo of Vanzetti (left) and Sacco (right) via public domain.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    The Babe Ruth Story (and Funeral)

    Babe Ruth Funeral

    The great baseball player George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr. passed away on August 16, 1948 at the age of 53. Ruth, who was born in Baltimore on February 6, 1895, died from cancer, which had been diagnosed two years before his death.

    Ruth’s Funeral

    After Ruth’s death, his body lay in state at the entrance of Yankee Stadium (“The House That Ruth Built“) for two days.  During that time, fans lined up to pay their last respects.

    This video shows people lined up outside Yankee Stadium to Ruth one last time. It also includes scenes from Babe Ruth’s funeral, as well as some archival footage of the Sultan of Swat. Check it out.

    Ruth Movies

    In the month before Ruth’s death, Allied Artists released a bio-pic about the slugger, The Babe Ruth Story (1948), starring William Bendix as Ruth. Many critics have called the film, which includes scenes of Ruth healing sick children (a legend parodied by John Candy on SCTV), one of the worst movies of all time.

    Regarding The Babe Ruth Story, people also note that the film could not even get little things right.  For example, Bendix plays baseball as a right hander.   Ruth was a lefty.

    But if you watch The Babe Ruth Story with the right attitude and do not expect a realistic biography, you might have some fun. You can check out the trailer below.

    Perhaps Ruth was so larger than life and so well known that it is difficult to make a good film about him.  Like The Babe Ruth Story, 1992’s The Babe — with John Goodman in the title role — generally received poor reviews.

    One of my favorite Babe Ruth movies was not really about Babe Ruth. Pride of the Yankees (1942) tells the story of Lou Gehrig’s career through the discovery that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), what became known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

    In Pride of the Yankees, Gary Cooper pays Gehrig and Ruth plays himself. What I always admired about Ruth’s self-portrayal is that he took part in a scene that makes Gehrig look much better than he does.

    In the scene, Ruth visits a sick kid surrounded by reporters covering his visit. Then Gehrig visits the kid in private, showing his sincere concern and promising to hit two home runs for the child during the 1928 World Series. Reportedly, the Gehrig incident never took place and is loosely based on when Ruth promised a home run during the 1926 World Series to a hospitalized boy.

    The movie’s version of the story makes Ruth look bad in comparison to Gehrig. But his generosity in playing the scene in tribute to his former teammate says a lot about the The Bambino as a person. Unfortunately, that scene is not available on Youtube (although another scene featuring Ruth is available on the Turner Classic Movies website).

    Baseball would not be the same had Babe Ruth not come along, and there will never be another one like him. Thanks Babe.

    What is your favorite Babe Ruth story? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    How Did World War I Start?

    World War I

    World War I is often overlooked in comparison to the more recent World War II and the fascinating U.S. Civil War. Because in the U.S. the first world war seems to get less coverage, it has become more interesting to me in recent years. But another reason we may know less about World War I today is that it is so darn complicated. Yeah, we know the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand had something to do with it, but how did so many countries end up going to war?

    To address this problem and in light of the 100th anniversary of the start of the war, video and podcast producer Chris Wade put together a short video for Slate about how World War I began. Although it goes fast so you have to play close attention, your focus for less than four minutes will be rewarded. At least it takes less time than reading a book. So check out “The July Crisis: How World War I Began.”

    Photo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand via Public Domain. What do you find interesting about World War I? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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