Kew Gardens - Orchid House Interior Prior to 1913. And a New Aviation Record.

            The Postcard

A postcard that was published by GP. The card was posted in Kew Gardens using a halfpenny stamp on Saturday the 2nd. August 1913. It was sent to:

Mrs. Potter,
31, Westbury Road,
Croydon,
Surrey.

The pencilled message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

"Kew Gardens.
We are having a glorious
time here.
Wish you were here.
Love from us both,
E & L."

The Conquest of Mount Olympus

So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?

Well, on the 2nd. August 1913, Swiss mountaineers Daniel Baud-Bovy and Frédéric Boissonnas, guided by Christos Kakkalos, made the first known ascent of Mount Olympus in Greece.

A New Aviation Record

Also on that day, French aviator Eugène Gilbert became the first person to fly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in a single day in order to win the semi-annually awarded Pommery Cup. 

The prize was to be given to:

"The person who makes the longest flight 
across country from sunrise to sunset on 
one day, during which he may stop as often 
as he wishes to replenish fuel."

Gilbert departed Paris at 4:45 am, flew seven hours non-stop to the Spanish town of Vittoria, departed again at 1:00 pm, and arrived at the Portuguese town of Pejabo at 8:00 pm.

Deadly Mine Explosions in Pennsylvania

Also on the 2nd. August 1913, explosions at the East Brookside Colliery of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company mine at Tower City, Pennsylvania, killed 18 people and seriously injured 20. 

Thirteen men were killed in the initial blast, and five men who volunteered to be rescuers were killed in a second explosion in the 1,800-foot (550 m) deep mine shaft.

Hal Block

The day also marked the birth of the American comedian Hal Block.

Born Harold Leonard Block in Chicago, Hal was known for his collaborations with Bob Hope, Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, Milton Berle and Burns and Allen. He was also a noted panelist on the 1950's television game show What's My Line?

Hal died in 1981. 
   

Taken on: December 6, 2024

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