Thomas A. Edison Birthday Tidbits

Today's the birthday of the great inventor Thomas A. Edison, who was born in Milan, Ohio on Feb. 11, 1847.

I'm not sure if his birth is even acknowledged any more in the media. The Lorain Journal used to occasionally honor the great man with front page news stories on his natal day, but not every year. The 100th anniversary of his birth in 1947 was a big deal, which I wrote about in a two-part post here and here.

Nevertheless, the seven blog posts I wrote about him have pretty much covered the big anniversaries (his 100th, and his 125th) and the restoration of his birthplace. But he still popped up in the Journal now and then, and I collected a few of these items and present them here today.

Edison was still alive on January 17, 1923 when this small item about him appeared on the editorial page as part of a series entitled, "Poor Boys Who Became Great."

Edison passed away in 1931. A mere five years later, his birthday was being commercialized to sell light bulbs! (The 'Mazda' brand here was a trademarked name used by General Electric.)

Ten years later, Ohio Edison ran this ad on Feb. 9, 1946, featuring some interesting quotes by the great man.

And ten years after that, Edison popped up in two unlikely places: the "Stranger than Science" column by Frank Edwards, and humorist Bennett Cerf's "Try And Stop Me" column!

Aug. 27, 1966

Nov. 1, 1966

I celebrated Edison's birthday by replacing not one, but two bulbs in the overhead light/fan in my bedroom. They both burned out yesterday. Weird!

Rescue of the Antinoe – Feb. 10, 2026

It's another "100 Years Ago Today" post (they're very convenient to generate when I'm stuck for a topic). But today's post features a major news story: the rescue of the sinking British cargo ship Antinoe by the S. S. President Roosevelt.

Surprisingly, it didn't even make the front page – it's at the top of page 2. But here are both pages, since they're fun to look at and packed with news items.

The photo caption reads, "The photograph shows the sinking British steamship Antinoe just after the last of her crew of 25 men had been saved in mid-Atlantic by the American liner President Roosevelt. The view is from one of the rescue ship's gangway entrances. To reach the reeling water-logged, and doomed Antinoe, the President Roosevelt fought for 84 hours a nerve-wracking battle with hurricane-like winds and mountainous seas. Two of the President Roosevelt seamen paid for the gallant victory for their lives. King George of England awarded decorations to Captain George Fried of the President Roosevelt and the other rescue heroes, and their courage was acclaimed around the world.

Press photo of Captain George Fried

To read a truly excellent account of the heroic rescue, click here to visit the Mariners' Museum and Park website. Jeanne Willow-Egnor, the Curator of Maritime History and Culture, tells the exciting story in detail, including great photos and even vintage newsreel footage of the crew of the  President Roosevelt  receiving a heroes' welcome.

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Also of interest (to me, at least) is the article on page two reporting that the plans for the Lorain Overlook Apartments were now complete. The article notes, "The 10 summer cottages now located on the site are to be moved and grouped around a small park on the lake shore.

"A large house on the site will also be moved a few hundred feet east."

Lorain Journal Front Page – 100 Years Ago Today

Let's see what the news was, 100 years ago today, on Feb. 9, 1926. Above is the front page of the Lorain Journal from that date.

Often when I do these '100 years ago today' posts, I wonder what the most interesting news item will be. In this case, there were a few contenders: the synthetic 'gin mill' story ('synthetic gin' being defined by Google AI as 'cheap, often dangerous illicit alcohol made by mixing pure alcohol with water and juniper oil, sometimes causing poisoning'); the Morgantown, West Virginia man who 'conducts a small lunch wagon' and set some kind of record for consumption of his own lunch fare; the West Dover man who was 'so anxious to see the super-highway between Lorain and Cleveland become a reality that he has offered to raise a million dollars single-handed towards the financing the project.'

I finally decided that the story of the South Amherst couple hoping to inherit part of the estate of a multimillionaire was the most interesting. 

To set up the story, this item appeared in the paper the previous year on June 22, 1925.

But then, as noted on the Feb. 9th front page, their hopes were dashed.

"An aged couple on Vivian-av have heard with sinking heart the news that a Michigan state prison convict may receive the entire estate of the late Edward B. Jennings, Chicago multimillionaire, which a court once said they would share.

"It meant to them that they may never see a penny of the $625,000 which a Chicago probate judge ruled eight months ago was to be theirs.

"Together they planned how they would build a nice home in Elyria and settle down to a life of ease and happiness for the remainder of the years.

"The couple is Mr. and Mrs. James C. Bogart. He is 72 and she is 68. They continue to toil and sacrifice as they have all their life.

"Mrs. Bogart was a relative of the Chicago recluse who died leaving an estate of $6,000,000. Like a bolt out of a clear blue sky came the announcement that she was one of the eight who would share in the money.

"Now Edward C. Koester, a convict at the Marquette, Mich., prison has filed in the Chicago court a will purporting to be that of Jennings.

"Koester alleges that his mother, now dead, was a sister of Jennings' wife."

It was a heartbreaking story – until I followed it to its conclusion.

The convict's claim fell apart fairly quickly, it would seem. The court case – Koester v. Jennings – is well documented online. The first will that Koester submitted revealed "discrepancies in the paper's production" which resulted in its denial by the pronate court. Koester then claimed that the first will was a forgery and that the original was lost. The second petition was also denied by the probate court. It dragged out in the Chicago courts until 1928.

But – justice prevailed and the Bogarts did get their money. I like a happy ending!

June 23, 1926

June 24, 1926

Mr. and Mrs. Bogart celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December 1928. Sadly, he passed away in mid-January 1929; at least he was able to enjoy a few years of wealth and medical care courtesy of his wife's inheritance. 

Mrs. Bogart (her first name was finally revealed as 'Cassie') ended up remarrying in October 1930, to Milo Moulton, a retired farmer. She lived to the age of 87 and passed away after an illness of six weeks in October 1946. Upon her passing, her husband waived his rights to the money he was entitled to, as well as his dower rights. The estate was then shared by his wife's four children by her first marriage as well as the family of a deceased son. 

Mr. Moulton celebrated his 90th birthday in Feb. 1948. He passed away in June that year.

All in all, an interesting story.

Robinson Building in Elyria Then & Now – Feb. 5, 1966

Elyria – the county seat – probably isn't represented very well on this blog, which is supposed to be about Lorain County. So when I find something interesting about Elyria, it's nice to move it to the front of the line.

Above is a vintage postcard of Broad Street in Elyria, looking east. Right in the middle of the postcard is the intersection with Washington Avenue. The building with the Ohio Public Service Sign on the roof is the Robinson Building.

Here's another vintage view of the Robinson Building. Note that the Ohio Public Service sign has been replaced with one bearing the utility's new name: Ohio Edison. Hey, if you look closely, there's a big Reddy Kilowatt on the sign! And next door is Muir's Cut Rate Drug Store.

Today, the Robinson Building is still on that corner. But it was dramatically remodeled in the early 1960s, as noted in these two photos that appeared in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 5, 1966. The actual remodeling had been done about five years before.

Here's another vintage postcard showing the remodeled building. Ohio Edison is still there too.

And here's a modern look, courtesy of Google Maps. The building still looks great, with a retro charm.

But the neighborhood's been thinned out a bit.

Atkinson & Williams Ad – Feb. 3, 1956

I couldn't resist posting this huge ad for Atkinson & Williams Ford, seeing as it features our old pal "Ed," the little clip art man who appeared in multiple newspaper ads in the 1950s and 60s. He could show up just about anywhere, in an ad for Atkinson & Williams Ford or even the competition, such as Bob Beck Chevrolet.

This ad ran in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 3, 1956.

"Ed" finally found a home at Ed Tomko ads in the Morning Journal running around 2013, which is where he picked up his name. But a couple of years ago, the Tomko family retired so I guess Ed did too.

Otherwise, I really like the ad. It does a good job capturing the excitement of the new '56 Fords with that huge car graphic. Do people still anticipate the new car models? I guess they do, judging by attendance at the annual Cleveland Auto Show.

Atkinson & Williams has been a regular topic on this blog, with these posts providing a history of the dealership and its much-heralded move to 1530 Kansas Avenue.

As some of you know, the dealership eventually transitioned to become George May Ford, the subject of many posts as well.

The deserted 1530 Kansas Ave. location circa 2008
(Courtesy Google Maps)

Ohio Furniture Fair Ad – Feb. 3, 1966

Seeing this full-page ad (love the clip art) for Ohio Furniture Fair from the Feb. 3, 1966 Journal got me wondering – do people still shop for a particular style of furniture, like Early American?

As I've noted before, French Provincial was Mom's choice for the Brady household, which I always thought was odd, since she was of German heritage. But that's what she liked, and she kept those pieces (the dining room table & chairs, end tables, and a hutch cabinet) from the 1950s her entire life. 

But in the early 1980s, Mom decided it was time for a new look in her living room and bedrooms. She and Dad made a shopping trip of sorts down to (I think) Thomasville, North Carolina. The idea was that you selected and bought the furniture directly from the manufacturer and had it shipped to you, thus eliminating the middle man. My older brother and I were conveniently living at home at the time (remember the recession?), and we unloaded the truck when it arrived. I couldn't tell you what the style was, but she liked it.

Anyway, Ohio Furniture Fair opened its doors in early June 1962. Here's the Grand Opening ad from June 9, 1962. It was located at 453 Broadway, right next door to Lorain National Bank.

June 9, 1962

Lorainites sure had a lot of choices back then for furniture shopping: besides Ohio Furniture Fair, there was Bear Furniture, Delis Bros. Furniture, Grasso Furniture & Appliance, Harmon-Nielsen, Lee Furniture, Mars Furniture, T N Molas & Sons, Reidy-Scanlan, and Stillman - Deutsch Furniture & Appliance.

Perhaps because of all of the competition, Ohio Furniture Fair ended up closing its doors in late 1971.

October 5, 1971

October 6, 1971

Dec. 21, 1971

Ice Fishing – Feb. 1966

The past few years have been a little tough for ice fishermen, what with all the mild winters and the lake not freezing like it used to. But I'm sure that's not the case this year with all the sub-zero temperatures and Lake Erie being mostly frozen now for weeks.

And February 1966 was also a great year for the 'ice anglers,' as noted in this article by the great Journal Staff Writer Hank Kozloski, which ran in the paper on Feb. 2, 1966. He provides a nice snapshot of the favorite locations for 'shanty towns,' including the islands, as well as Bay View, Crystal Rock and White's Landing. 

Near the end of the article, Kozloski provides a roll call of Lorain area fishermen "making their regular trek to the islands for their ice fishing," including the paper's outdoors news contributor Rudy Ebinger and himself.

What's neat is that the very next day on Feb. 3, 1966, this terrific full-page photo feature appeared in which Kozloski writes about his ice fishing trip with Ebinger. Great photos by Norm Bergsma help tell the story.

Groundhog Day in the Journal – 1926, 1936, 1946, 1956, 1966 and 1976

Well, it's Groundhog Day! I don't know about you, but I enjoy it more than a lot of other holidays. It's fun to watch the hoopla in Punxsutawney on TV each year. And it's a nice little break in our routine.

I mentioned to my younger co-worker that making the trip to Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day was on my bucket list, and she looked at me like I was nuts (even more than usual). She'd never seen the activity on Gobbler's Knob on TV, and in fact had never watched Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Too bad.

Anyway, as is my custom here, here's some of the Lorain Journal's coverage of Groundhog Day over the years, starting in 1926 and going forward in ten-year increments.

No mention of Punxsutawney Phil in this article from Feb. 2, 1926. But Herr Adolph Groundhog predicts an early spring.

It had been a tough, old-time winter by the time Groundhog Day 1936 came around, as indicated in this article from Feb. 3, 1936. "The groundhog" isn't mentioned until a few paragraphs from the end.

The Lorain Journal had Groundhog Fever in 1946. First, it printed an article on the eve of Groundhog Day. It mentions the upcoming event in Punxsutawney, Pa. near the end.

Then on Feb. 2, 1946 the paper mentioned the groundhog in two separate articles. In the United Press article (below), the groundhog in Punxsutawney is not yet known as Phil. "Thus Chuck (he's also a woodchuck, you see) maintained his 76-year-old tradition as weather prognosticator," it notes.

But the report made as part of a larger article about a "Zero Cold Wave" in Lorain mentions dueling groundhogs in Quarryville, Pa. and Punxsutawney, Pa. (We'll have to ask Keystone State's No. 1 son Don Hilton as to which one he endorsed over the years.)

No national coverage of Groundhog Day in the Lorain Journal for 1956. "If there were any groundhogs in Lorain and if they did come out of hibernation yesterday and if seeing their shadows had anything to do with it, Lorainites can look for spring any day now," said the article which appeared on Feb. 3, 1956. "There were no shadows to be seen in Lorain yesterday."

In 1966, the Journal created some anticipation of Groundhog Day with this cute photo of "Mr. Groundhog" that appeared on Feb. 1, 1966. But unfortunately there was no mention of the prediction that was made in the paper on Feb. 2nd. (Phil did see his shadow, though.)

Groundhog Day 1976 brought gusty winds and near-zero temperatures to the area as noted in the article below that appeared on Feb. 2, 1976. But even with the detailed account of the weather and how it affected area cities, the article still made it a priority to mention our favorite groundhog. It notes, "Speaking of Pennsylvania, February 2's favorite myth emerged in Punxsutawney from his electrically heated burrow, saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. Phil, the groundhog, thus upheld a tradition 90 years old."

The Journal Entertainment Pages – Jan. 30, 1976

Well, the weekend is finally here! Time to relax; maybe go out for dinner or stop for a drink (or snort if you prefer).

Fifty years ago today – on January 30, 1976 – you would have had an incredible amount of entertainment choices: restaurants, nightclubs, hotel lounges, delis, private social clubs, you name it. And they're all there on the two entertainment pages from the Journal that day.

There are plenty of old favorites, as you can see. I've written about many of them over the last 15+ years. Note the Big Dick's ad; this is one that reader and contributor Raleigh did the artwork for, as he explained back on this post. (I know he did the ad because he signed it.)

We also see ads for Huron's Showboat; Elberta Inn; Tropicana Restaurant; The Mark; Holiday Inn; Emerald Valley; Oberlin Inn; Dewey Road Inn; The Note; Presti's; and many others.

There are a few that I'm not familiar with: dj's country roads; Casino Lounge; Silver Dollar Restaurant & Lounge (previously known as Roman Villa)

I was only 17 at that time, so I wasn't hitting the nightclubs yet. But I recognize several places that I played at around that time as a member of The Four Links, such as Emerald Valley and Chef Henri's (although most of our gigs were for private functions, including parties for groups such as Parents Without Partners).

Perhaps you'll recognize one of your favorite nightclubs or bars. If so, be sure to leave a comment! 

The "New" Showboat Debuts – Jan. 27, 1955

Huron had its beloved Showboat nightclub; Lorain had one with the same name at 766 Broadway. Both are long gone but continue to churn the muddy waters of our memories.

I've written about Lorain's Showboat many times, with a three-part history of the place beginning here. And seventy-one years ago this week, the nightclub unveiled its brand new remodeled decor. Above is the ad that ran in the Lorain Journal back on January 26, 1955. Here's the full page (below) so you can see the ad in context (and poke around the rest of the page).

On January 27, 1955 the ad below appeared in the paper on the day of the grand re-opening.

Alas, as noted in previous posts, a pair of fires in the same year that gutted the nightclub convinced owner Gus Atthanasoff to cut bait and run. He would start a brand new business – with a new name, Colony Bar – at the corner of Colorado and Kansas Avenues.

Fortunately, although the Showboat name was abandoned, its pizza (some of the earliest pizza in Lorain) was not. It made the move over to the new location.

Sept. 18, 1958 ad