Betty's Attic
Shop Betty’s Attic.com for nostalgic collectibles. Betty's Attic offers baby boomer toys, dolls, puzzles and games plus classic television, movie and radio memorabilia… Recycle
Friday, June 30, 2017
There's more to the 4th of July than brilliant fireworks, camping trips, and cooking outdoors - just ask my uncle, a professor of American History. At every one of our annual celebrations, he manages to wow us with some fun fact we didn't know about Independence Day. This year I decided to brush up on some historical facts myself. I'm sure I won't be able to impress my uncle with anything that he doesn't know but maybe - just this once - I can wow him with what I learned on my own.

4 Fourth Facts
  • Written upside down on the back of the Declaration of Independence are the words, “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” No one knows who wrote it but it was probably a label for the rolled-up parchment.
  • “July 4, 1776,” is inscribed on the tablet held by the Statue of Liberty, America's welcoming beacon of freedom. 
  • Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were both Presidents who signed the document. Coincidentally, they both died on July 4, 1826.
  • John Adams believed that July 2nd was the best date to celebrate. He protested the July 4th holiday by turning down all invitations to the scheduled events. 
5 Dates to Remember
  • April 19, 1775: New Englanders began fighting the British for independence.
  • July 2, 1776: Congress secretly voted for America's independence from Great Britain.
  • July 4, 1776: The Declaration of Independence was first published.
  • August 2, 1776: Delegates began to sign the Declaration of Independence.
  • July 4, 1941: Independence Day became a paid holiday.
Though he preferred to hold America's celebration on the 2nd, John Adams described how we should celebrate; “…with pomp and parade, with shews (shows), games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”

Maybe he didn't get his way about the date of America's Independence Day, but in my family, John Adams' words aren't just 4th of July suggestions - they're rules!
Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, June 23, 2017
On June 26, 1997 the U.K. was introduced to a young wizard named Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling's now famous first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", was the start of a worldwide phenomenon that soon led to blockbuster movies, TV, games, and more. To date, the books have been translated into 67 languages and sold over 500 million copies worldwide. Even people who have never read the books or seen the movies (are there such people?) know who Harry Potter is.

Even so, there are a few things you might not know about the young wizard's creator:
  • Eight publishers rejected Rowling's book before Bloomsbury picked it up, one of them writing "don't quit your day job". 
  • The day before publication, Bloomsbury asked Rowling to adopt a "gender-neutral" pen name. They believed boys wouldn't a book about a boy wizard if it was written by a woman.
  •  When U.S. publisher Scholastic bought the American rights, they changed the title to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" because "philosopher" didn't sound "magical" enough.
I didn't know any of this until after I had read (and re-read) the series and seen every one of the movies. Finding out what Rowling had to go through to bring her series to life and share it with us made me love it even more. There's nothing like a good "underdog comes out on top" story - whether it's in a book, a movie, or in real life!

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, June 16, 2017
Wonder Woman Fleece ThrowI've been waiting (not so patiently) since January to see the new Wonder Woman movie. But I waited a little too long to buy my tickets so I missed the June 2nd premiere. Seems I was just one of many, many fans eager to relive childhood memories of the warrior princess. I finally secured a seat last weekend and WOW! was it worth the wait!

With a take of $450 million to date, DC's new movie crushed the box office just like its Amazonian hero flattens bad guys. The film easily overtook The Fate of the Furious and Logan, landing right behind Guardians of the Galaxy for top spot at the box.

Cash counting aside, Wonder Woman is a smash for good reason: it's movie-making at its very best. The characters are skillfully drawn, the acting is superb, and the story is both new and familiar. It's cleverly funny, action-packed, and perfectly paced. Two hours went by like twenty minutes. When the credits rolled, you could feel the collective "Awww....it's over already?" from the audience.

My friends and I left the theater dying to see Wonder Woman 2. There's no word yet on when it's coming out, but Diana will be back. With plenty of unanswered questions - Did Ares really die? Was he lying about Diana's origins? Is she a god or not? - there's enough material to make two or maybe even three sequels. I don't know when the next movie will be released, but I know one thing: I'll be watching the clock. This time I plan to be first in line to get tickets for opening night!

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, June 9, 2017
It's almost summer, which means it's my favorite reading season. Don't expect to find me with my head buried in the classics, either. I read those heavy tomes during the winter months - during the 'school year'.

Nevermind that it's been quite a few years since I've been in school. Old habits die hard.

When summer arrives, I read comic books and tell-alls. I read gossip and glamour. Inside side stories about music and movies and the people behind the scenes. At this time of year, I don't read to comprehend, underline, highlight, and remember. No way! It's summer after all. 

My summer reading list is pure 'brain candy'. If I just happen to read something historical, I can guarantee it won't be something you'll find on a classroom quiz. Unless they start teaching pop culture trivia. If they did, I might just go back to school - I'd ace that class!

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, June 2, 2017
In the summer of 1967 the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco was the place to be. Especially for hippies, beat poets, artists, dancers, musicians, or anyone who wanted to follow Timothy Leary's advice to "turn on, tune in, drop out".

It was the Summer of Love and San Francisco was its unofficial headquarters.

Over 100,000 Flower Children migrated to the city that summer, starting at the beginning of Spring Break. They studied new religions with yogis from far away shores. They protested in the streets, voicing their suspicion of (and resistance to) the "establishment" way of doing things. They created new forms of poetry, literature, music, and art. They ditched most of their clothes (remember the bra burnings?) and spent the summer listening to the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Otis Redding, and Jefferson Airplane at huge gatherings like the Monterey Pop Festival.

The country had never seen anything like it. The papers and and television news reported on the phenomenon daily as San Francisco struggled to cope with the influx of young people. Walking through "Hashbury" (as Hunter S. Thompson dubbed the neighborhood) you might run into any number of famous "drop outs", including Joplin, members of The Dead, or Leary himself.

Fifty years later, I remember that summer well. Though I wasn't able to join the hippies in the Haight, my attic is packed with old 45s, including the Mamas and the Papas' theme song for the historic summer: "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" sung by Scott McKenzie. I still have stacks of books filled with beat poetry and psychedelic art. Stored in my closet are tie-dyed t-shirts, flowing skirts, and bellbottoms. And when I visit San Francisco, I do wear flowers in my hair - because along with "peace, love & music" hippie fashion never will never go out of style in Haight Ashbury.

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
Newer›  ‹Older

© 2017 Johnson Smith Co.