Loading descriptions...
An artifact that could be a souvenir of the Hindenburg disaster; a stamp that may be connected to the Bonus Army March on Washington in 1932; and a bell that may have been ringside at Jack Dempsey’s legendary world heavyweight championship match.
Hindenburg Artifact - A Hoboken, New Jersey, man has a palm-sized,
army-green metal box that looks like an instrument panel. Beneath a
shattered plastic covering is a sliding, numbered scale; knobs on
each end move a lever across the scale. German writing indicates
the country of origin. Might this instrument have been recovered
from the crash site of the Hindenburg in Lakehurst, New Jersey?
Family lore says that a distant relative was among the many
bystanders plucking souvenirs from the wreckage of the terrifying
disaster. Chemicals from the fire or balloon envelope gas would
have evaporated 10 minutes after the explosion, but the broken
plastic can be tested for age and heat distress with forensic
analysis of the instrument. HISTORY DETECTIVES host Elyse Luray
travels to Atlanta and the New Jersey landing site of the ill-fated
zeppelin to determine if the instrument panel is in fact from the
horrifying crash.
Bonus Army Stamp - A collector in Hawaii has a postage-sized stamp
with an illustration of a World War I "doughboy" solider and the
words "PAY THE BONUS." The contributor, whose grandfather was a
World War I soldier, thinks the stamp is linked to the "Bonus Army"
veterans. A bill was passed in 1924 promising WWI veterans a
payment 21 years later - dubbed a "bonus" - in 1945. When the Great
Depression hit, veterans organized to demand early payment of the
bonus. They organized a protest march on Washington in 1932,
demanding pay for their combat, and approximately 20,000 veterans
camped out near the Capitol following the march. Weeks went by
until Herbert Hoover ordered General Douglas McArthur to force the
vets out. Two veterans were shot and killed; thousands were
tear-gassed. What role did this political stamp play in the
veterans' movement? HISTORY DETECTIVES host Wes Cowan heads to Hyde
Park, New York, and Washington, DC, to reveal the stamp's
connection to the veterans' struggle.
Dempsey Fight Bell - July 4, 1919, marks the day America found its
true calling in a national obsession. Icon Jack Dempsey became the
world's first boxing superstar, and he did it with the clang of a
bell. Now, a contributor in Reno, Nevada, wants to know: Is the
bell he's toasted many a night on the wall of his favorite bar the
one that was ringside at Dempsey's legendary world heavyweight
championship match? The question goes beyond a single fight.
Dempsey's bout ushered in the Roaring 20s, America's fascination
with celebrity and the golden age of championship sports. Tukufu
Zuberi leads the HISTORY DETECTIVES to weigh in on the case in
Reno, Nevada, and New York City, sorting truth from myth to
determine which clues ring true. (Repeat from Episode #503, OB:
7/9/07)