Old Colorized Black and White Photographs

It can be amazing to see dull grey photographs transformed into color. In recent days, I discovered a thread on Reddit and Imgur. This thread shows views of iconic blank and white photographs colored by the digital hand. My favorites are below:

Albert Einstein, 1921:





klassixx posted the colored versions.






















Hindenburg, 1937:















See more colorful pictures at the link above and here.

Fun Fact:

Did you know that J.R. Tolkien would write letters to his children every Christmas?
Yeah, he would write to them as Santa Claus and tell them of what wonderful adventures were happening each year at the North Pole.

I hope you had a great time over the holidays!

Announcement!

You probably noticed I have been blogging less and less frequently. Well, though I plan to blog once in a while, I plan to commence more frequent posts during breaks. I hope to post something new soon.

Interesting Picture: Albert Einstein Posing

I had to start a new segment when I saw this picture.

Albert Einstein Getting his Portrait PaintedFrom Sciencegeek100 at Imgur.com

Check out 

Einstein: His Life and Universe

by Walter Isaacson

A Portrait Lives: Mary, Queen of Scots

I really haven't been consistent with my Portrait Lives, but I'll just do them whenever for now because I have been occupied, but I haven't forgotten!

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots had a tragic life. She was imprisoned. One time by her own people and she fled to England where she was imprisoned, found to have plotted against Queen Elizabeth I and executed. These are just a few of the facts that make her such a tragic figure.

aged about 6

aged  about 13

aged about 15

aged about 17

aged about 17-18

in her early twenties

aged about 36

aged about 33

Her execution at aged 45

Sources: 

Cathlolic Encloypedia, Mary Queen of Scots: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09764a.htm

Van Gogh's Ear and it's Resurrection

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is very famous especially for his painting Starry Night. The story of van Gogh's madness is of a dire nature to understanding him, more importantly (to this post) is the story of how he cut off his own ear.
It is said that van Gogh cut off his ear in one of his common fits of possibly bipolar madness, which came and went in storms of depression:
On December 23 1888, van Gogh was savagely angry at his friend Gauguin, regarding a Madame and he stood in front of a mirror. He cut part of his ear, taking off a part, he put it in an envelope and personally delivered to the said Madame who was at the local "house of ill repute." He told her to "Take it, it will be useful."  The prostitute fainted. She called the police the next day who found van Gogh at his home. He was admitted to the hospital, and soon recovered.

His Bandaged Ear and a Hat.

The Resurrection: 

A German museum grew living cells of van Gogh with a 3D printer and DNA from his descendants. It says on the website:

You can talk to the ear. The input sound is processed by a computer using software that converts it to simulate nerve impulses in real time. 

Quote from
May 30-July 4 2014: Diemut Strebe: Sugababe: http://on1.zkm.de/zkm/stories/storyReader%248887

Sources:
German artist 'regrows' severed Van Gogh ear: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/06/german-artist-regrows-severed-van-gogh-ear-20146316242869877.html
Van Gogh's own words after cutting his ear recorded in Paris newspaper: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Van-Goghs-own-words-after-cutting-his-ear-recorded-in-Paris-newspaper/30392
A tale of two ears by Ben Cohen from the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539517/?report=classic

Check out

The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh 

by Vincent van Gogh and Arnold Pomerans

Click the link and see the madness of van Gogh.

You Should Know These Facts About P.T. Barnum

If you don't know who P.T. Barnum is, I'll tell you. He was an moderate hoaxer and showman, meaning that he didn't always display hoaxes but frequently he would.  Like his first fascinating object of exhibition to curious viewers was the 'nurse of George Washington.' She was an African American woman named Joyce

Phineas Taylor Barnum. 

Heth, whom he said was actually over 160 years old.  He would make money displaying Joyce in tours (that way he would make more money; classic businessman's move) from 1835-6. In 1836 Joyce died at her true age...70 years old.

Today hoaxes are frequently defrauded because contemporary people know that they shouldn't always trust everything they hear, which is a hard subject to write about without sounding paranoid, some doubt is just healthy. Anyways, people were more gullible in the 1800's, and Barnum knew how to use that to his advantage.

After a brief failure after Joyce died, he purchased a museum in New York and became the Father of Sideshow, commonly called the 'freaks' of the day.

Now that you know who he is, let me tell you all the interesting things about him.

1.  He is widely thought to have coined 'There's a Sucker Born Every Minute," even though it is likely he never said it.
2. He is the maker of the Feejee Mermaid Hoax, which at the time was advertised as a beautiful mermaid when actually it was a dead monkey and fish sown together (that's gross and unhealthy)

How you might imagine mermaids

What this mermaid looked like

3. He also exhibited a dwarf as General Tom Thumb.

The General Insurance Guy in Real Life
actually no it's Tom Thumb

Sources:
Phineas Taylor Barnum on the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannia: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Barnum,_Phineas_Taylor
The Hoaxes of P.T. Barnum: http://hoaxes.org/archive/display/category/p.t._barnum

Bobby Leach and his Death.

Here's a meme:

Totally True.

For those who use Google Translate,
it reads Bobby Leach went across Niagara Falls in a Barrel, he died after he slipped on an orange peel.

Made free from Imgur.
Sources;
Find a Grave Memorial.

Portrait Lives: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, was one of a kind. He believed in peace and only entered war when necessary. He did what was necessary for Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Never the less, he was his ideal view of a Catholic emperor, which meant spreading Catholicism. He wanted to protect the religion, it was his primary goal and was show as such when it was unanimous he would be elected to the emperor position.

Now a Portrait Lives:

He was Born in 1500.

aged about 7

aged about 2

aged same

aged about 19

aged about 30

Aged

About 33

aged about 37

aged about 48

aged about 50

aged 50s

He died in 1558 at 58.
His last words were "Ay Jesus (!)" He was probably hoping heaven would receive him.

Sources:
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor: http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/charles5.htm
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/DocumentToolsPortletWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&jsid=73b339808e43d9133d3f7d01e6b6b599&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK3404900201&u=dist214&zid=b25b1ff5bf4088b84760dea566efa922, a long url.

Check out

The Reign of Charles V.

You might notice his chin, that's because of his families' years of inbreeding.

King James I of England and his Lover George Villiers: Quotable.

George Villiers

James I

King James nicknamed George fondly 'Steenie' because he had a handsome visage like angel-faced St. Stephen.  It was no wonder that contemporary people said that they were lovers, they lovingly stroked each other in public (among other things).  In the 17th century, homosexuality was taboo especially among kings. George Villiers was a favorite of King James I of England, who succeeded Elizabeth I as the first of the Stuart Dynasty in 1603. The King made George Earl of Buckingham, while other Scottish people hated him.
Scots attacked the Earl's house. Villiers had somehow caused Brits to damage Scottish homes so the Scots took it upon themselves to make damages on his home in St. Martin's Fields. His home was called the Glass House and it looked similar to Hardwicke Hall. The people did a very good job on damaging his Glass House, and the Earl complained to King James. King James then said to George Villiers, the Earl of Buckingham:

Hardwicke Hall

"Steenie, Steenie, those who live in a glass house should be careful how they fling stones." 

Check out

King James VI of Scotland, I of England

by Antonia Fraser

James I by the sister of Jane Austen
Click the link and see what your missing!

Quote Source
1. Paraphrased from Familiar Short Sayings of Great Men by S. A. Bent
Other Sources:
-Thy Dear Dad and Husband, The Gay Love Letters of King James I & IV, Excerpts from My Dear Boy: Gay Love Letters Through the Centuries (1998), Edited by Rictor Norton; http://rictornorton.co.uk/kingjame.htm
 -Fuel Magazine: the Coal Operators National Weekly Volume 7, page 583; http://books.google.com/books?id=ZsgcAQAAMAAJ&dq=fuel%20Magazine%20volume%207&source=gbs_book_other_versions 
-King James IV; http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/monarchs/jamesvi.html

5 Facts You Didn't Know About Pocahontas.

She is commonly referred to as a Disney character who saved John Smith (in the movie, not exactly in real life). She was much more than that. She was a real historical person who faced hardships.

1. She was baptized with the name 'Rebecca.'

2. There is a portrait of her (right)

3. She died at about 22.

4. She was married two times.
5. When she died she left her husband John Rolfe a widow, he may have died after an Indian attack. 

Links/Sources/More Information:
John Rolfe (1585-1622): http://www.virtualjamestown.org/jrolfe.html
Pocahontas: http://www.powhatanmuseum.com/Pocahontas.html

Portrait Lives: Queen Victoria Part 2

It continues...

aged about 41

aged about 50.

aged about 64

aged about 68

aged about 70

aged 81

She died at 81 on 22 January 1901, she had the longest reign in English History (Elizabeth II should keep on living just to beat Victoria's record).

Check out more about

Queen Victoria: A Personal History

by Christopher Hibbert

Vicky is not amused, either you click the link or 

she will attack you with her fan.

The picture has inaccurate colors.

Source:
Timeline of the life Queen Victoria: https://www.royal.gov.uk/List%20Images/QV%20Education%20project/Timeline%20of%20the%20life%20of%20Queen%20Victoria%202.pdf
http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon58.html
Victoria: http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon58.html

Portrait Lives: Queen Victoria Part 1

If you gotta know something about me you gotta know I post late in the day. Yep, one of the bad things.

Frankly, many people know of Queen Victoria, but nothing about her (like me an hour ago). The only thing I really knew about her is that she loved her husband and was very powerful. Probably both true but that doesn't demonstrate a significant of an understanding of Victoria. She was actively involved in politics and extended over foreign and domestic innovations with her long reign of influence. She was a great monarch of her time.

Born on 24 May 1819.

aged 9

aged 4

aged 14

aged about 23

aged about 25

aged about 35

aged about 35

aged  about 40.

aged about 41

Part 2 tomorrow!