Jungle Yachts, 1938

On: By: Romeyn

Attilio Gatti, an Italian, World War I army officer, author, film-maker and explorer first set out to explore Africa in 1924. By the time he set out for his “final expedition” in 1938 he had already led 9 previous expeditions, one of those resulting in the 1927 film Siliva the Zulu. It was because of these films, plus his adventure writings in magazines like the Saturday Evening Post that he was able to obtain financing to further his travels. Exploits if his 10th expedition were later published in 1945 as South of the Sahara. Continue reading “Jungle Yachts, 1938” →

Dick Tracy meets the Green Hornet

On: By: Romeyn

Read the strip here: https://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2018/04/09

Born as an adventuresome radio drama in 1936, masked crime fighter, The Green Hornet has a rise to fame very similar to Tracy himself. From “birth” the Hornet franchise branched out from radio to comic books, serials, movies and television. While the various incarnations of the Green Hornet change in details, in most versions the Green Hornet is the alter ego of Britt Reid, wealthy young publisher of the Daily Sentinel newspaper by day. But by night, clad in a long green overcoat, gloves, green fedora hat and green mask, Reid fights crime as the a mysterious vigilante and is often accompanied by his masked partner and confidant, Kato, who drives their technologically advanced car, the “Black Beauty”.

Guatemala City, 1930s

On: By: Romeyn

Guatemala was ruled by General Jorge Ubico from 1931 to 1944. During his reign, Ubico created a widespread network of spies and informants and had large numbers of political opponents tortured and put to death. Ubico implemented a system of debt slavery and forced labor to make sure that there was enough labor available for the coffee plantations, which was their primary export.

The dictator gave away hundreds of thousands of hectares to the United Fruit Company (an American corporation that traded in tropical fruit, primarily bananas), exempted them from taxes in the municipality of Tiquisate, and allowed the U.S. military to establish bases in Guatemala.

Continue reading “Guatemala City, 1930s” →