Category: History

Happy 50th Birthday G.I. Joe

GI Joe Action Figure
This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of the February 1964 debut of the Hasbro action figure G.I. Joe. The toy was the first to be called an “action figure” (never call it a “doll”). The creators at Hasbro included several military veterans, so their own experiences inspired the military-themed toy.

I can still remember when my G.I. Joes shifted from plastic molded hair to “real” hair and beards, or at least what seemed like real hair. I was lucky that my toy-playing days coincided with the full-sized 12-inch Joes. In the late 1970s, as criticism of the Vietnam War grew, Hasbro played down the military aspect of the toy, rebranding the Joes as an “Adventure Team.” The worst change came later, when in 1980, the new Joe was shrunk to the size of a Star Wars action figure, 3-3/4 inches. G.I. Joes later would get a boost in popularity with cartoons and movies.

Check out this short video about the history below and also see the story in Slate.

For fans of the cartoon, Robot Chicken did a funny parody of the G.I. Joe approach to fighting the enemy in this video, “G.I. No,” as the Joes take on the Taliban instead of their usual enemy Cobra. Check it out.

What are your memories of G.I. Joe? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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A Visit to Millard Fillmore’s Home

In honor of Presidents’ Day, CBS Sunday Morning made a visit to the home of Millard Fillmore, the Thirteenth President of the United States, in East Aurora, New York (near Buffalo). In this segment, Mo Rocca asks whether President Fillmore is underrated as a president. Note that even Fillmore’s biographer does not like the former president. Check it out.


Who is the most underrated president? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    How a Bull Moose, a Bear, and a Beetle Gave Elvis a Hit Song

    Teddy Bear On February 15 in 1903, the first Teddy bears appeared in a toy store window.  The name for the bears was inspired by the man who was the president of the United States.

    Morris Michtom, who owned a toy store, had written a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt asking permission to use the name “Teddy” for his bears. The president gave his approval. Other toy makers soon followed Michtom’s lead in naming stuffed bears, leading to the popular Teddy bear.

    The Inspiration for the First Teddy Bear

    The stories of the details about the event that inspired Michtom’s letter vary somewhat.  But it is clear that Michtom got the idea from President Roosevelt’s encounter with a bear.  While hunting in Mississippi in 1902, President Roosevelt, who would later found the Bull Moose Party, showed mercy to a bear.

    Some stories today claim the bear was a cub tied to a tree, but it more likely was an old bear. Either way, the incident illustrated another side of Roosevelt. Political cartoonists portrayed the event by illustrating a cub, showing the tough Roosevelt as a softy at heart.

    “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear”

    The most famous song about Teddy bears was released more than five decades later in 1957.  That year, a rock icon showed his softer Teddy bear side.

    Elvis Presley sang “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” in the movie Loving You (1957), his second film and his first in color. The song went to number one on the charts that year.

    “Boll Weevil” And Its Connection to “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear”

    Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe wrote “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” but part of the inspiration for the song came indirectly from an insect. Wikipedia and other sources report that the song’s roots go back to a traditional blues song, “Boll Weevil.”

    In “Boll Weevil,” a boll weevil talks to a farmer, threatening the cotton crop while looking for a home. The song has been around since at least the 1920s, and it may have its origins in Roosevelt’s time.

    One of the most famous early recordings of “The Boll Weevil” was by Lead Belly in the 1930s.

    Can you hear “Teddy Bear” in Lead Belly’s song? If not, listen to singer-songwriter Brook Benton‘s version of “The Boll Weevil Song,” which became a hit in 1961.

    Now you hear it, don’t you? And now you know, how a bull moose, a bear, and a beetle helped give Elvis Presley a hit song.

    Cartoon by by Clifford Berryman via public domain. What are your favorite songs about bears and bugs? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    (Almost) Every Photo of Abraham Lincoln

    Abe Lincoln as young man

    As we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, check out this video of “Every Known Photograph of Abraham Lincoln.” While there has been a few discoveries of additional photos since this video was made — including a possible young Lincoln photo from a few years ago and another photo in 2013, it still is a cool collection of almost all of the known photographs. Check it out.

    Photo via Library of Congress.

    What is your favorite photo of Abraham Lincoln? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ira Hayes Won’t Answer Anymore

    Ira Hayes Iwo Jima On January 24, 1955, Ira Hamilton Hayes died from alcohol poisoning near where he lived in Sacaton, Arizona. Even if you do not recognize the name, you have seen a photo of Hayes, as the 22-year-old Pima Indian Marine appears in the famous historical photo by Joe Rosenthal of soldiers raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima in 1945 during World War II.

    The image was also used as a model for the 1954 Marine Corps War Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery, where Hayes is now buried. The war image and what happened to Hayes after the famous flag raising have since been immortalized in pop culture.

    Ira Hayes in Movies

    If you were not born during World War II but recognize the name of Ira Hayes, you may have seen the movie about Hayes directed by Delbert Mann and called The Outsider (1961). In that movie, Tony Curtis starred as the Native American Hayes. [September 2015 Update: Unfortunately, clips from The Outsider are no longer available on YouTube.]

    Adam Beach portrayed Hayes in Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006). The real Hayes played himself in the John Wayne film, Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Here is a video of the flag-raising in the movie, even though you cannot single out Hayes in this clip.

    Ira Hayes in Song: “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”

    But most likely those of us in a certain generation recognize the name “Ira Hayes” because of a song.  Songwriter Peter La Farge, inspired by The Outsider film, wrote the song “The Ballad of Ira Hayes.”

    Johnny Cash then recorded the song and made it famous.

    Like many others, I first learned about Ira Hayes through the Cash song. My dad used to play an 8-track with the song on it, and he explained to me the story about Ira Hayes. While the song takes some liberties about Hayes, it captures the essence of his tragic life. Because of the photo, Hayes was hailed as a hero, but he wanted to live a normal life and did not consider himself a hero after seeing so many of his comrades killed.

    Hayes probably suffered from what we now know as post-traumatic stress syndrome.  He fell on hard times and turned to alcohol, resulting in his death.

    Cash’s version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” remains the most famous version of the song.  But other artists like Kris Kristofferson have covered the tune.

    Songwriter Townes Van Zandt captured the sadness in the song when he sang “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” as part of Solo Sessions, January 17, 1995.

    While one might complain that the song oversimplifies Ira Hayes by focusing on his downfall, the song remains as a fitting tribute to the man. It helps keep him in our memories, while also reminding us of some of the downsides of war and fame. RIP Corporal Hayes.

    Photo via public domain.

    What is your favorite version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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