Lufthansa

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Lufthansa logo 1926
by Otto Firle 1918

Names:
--- "Deutsche Luft Hansa" (1926)
--- "Deutsche Lufthansa" (1933)
--- "DLH" (abbreviated, 1933)
--- "Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf" (1953)
--- "Luftag" (abbreviated, 1953)
--- "Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft" (1954)
--- "Lufthansa" (abbreviated, 1954)

Category: Transportation

Subcategory: Airlines

Founded: January 6, 1926 - Berlin, Germany - as "Deutsche Luft Hansa".

Founders: Merger between Deutscher Aero Lloyd (an airline formed in 1923 as a co-operation between the shipping companies Norddeutscher Lloyd and Hamburg America Line) and Junkers Luftverkehr, the in-house airline of Junkers.

Operations start: April 6, 1926, with the first scheduled flight from Berlin to Zürich via Halle, Erfurt and Stuttgart, operated by a Fokker-Grulich F II. The fleet consisted of 162 aircraft, of 18 different types. A flying expedition to China was the event of the year.

Operations end: April 1945 (Company formally dissolved on January 1, 1951).

Refounded (not as legal successor): January 6, 1953 - Cologne, Germany - as "Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf", abbrev. "Luftag"; renamed "Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft", abbrev. "Lufthansa", on August 6, 1954, when the company acquired the name and logo of the liquidated Deutsche Lufthansa thus continuing the tradition of a German flag carrier of that name.

Refounders: Luftag stems directly from the Bureau Bongers, formed in 1951 to prepare "the first rough sketches". Hans M. Bongers, traffic manager of the old Lufthansa, was appointed aviation adviser to the Minister of Transport and set up the Bureau Bongers in two rooms in the Cologne University building. This was followed, in January 1953, by the creation of a company with a capital of which major shareholders are the Federal German Government (74%), the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Federal German Railways, together with 125 smaller holdings, mainly in travel and transport. Dr. Kurt Weigelt, deputy chairman of the old Lufthansa, became the president.

Operations restart: 1955. Domestic services began on April 1, with two Convairs which took off almost simultaneously in Hamburg and Munich for a day of regular scheduled services. International flights started on May 15 to Madrid, on May 16 to London, and on May 17 to Paris. The first scheduled North Atlantic flight took place on June 8. These initial services were operated with a fleet consisting of four Lockheed 1049G Super Constellations and four Convair 340s, which by the end of the year had carried just over 74,000 passengers on an unduplicated route network of a little over 8,000 miles.

Interesting facts: The winged crest, by graphic designer Otto Firle, originated in 1918 with Deutsche Luft-Reederei, German airline established in December 1917, first company to merge with Junkers Luftverkehr to form Deutsche Luft Hansa.
"Luft Hansa", first name of the company, was a composite of "Luft" ("Air" in German), and "Hansa" (after the Hanseatic League, a powerful mediaeval trading group). The word was designed by F.A. Fischer von Poturzyn, who had written a book of the same name. "Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf", name of the refounded company in 1953, also abbreviated "Luftag", can be translated as Corporation for Air Transport Requirements.

Slogan (1926): «Fliegt in die Bäder» ("Fly to the beaches")

Property: Deutsche Lufthansa AG

Official website: http://www.lufthansa.com

Luft Hansa, the origins of the name (1925). F.A. Fischer von Puturzyn published this book entitled "Luft-Hansa", which examined the options open to aviation policymakers at the time.

Luft Hansa, newspaper announcement (Evening star, Washington, D.C., February 21, 1926). «42 AIR LINES PLANNED. Huge Projects to Be Launched in Germany Soon. BERLIN, February 20 - The German Aerial Combine, the Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft - a fusion of the Aero Lloyd and Junker Companies - plans to begin its activities by opening 42 aerial lines extending all over Germany and to many foreign countries. One-day flights are scheduled from Berlin to Moscow. Negotiations are contemplated with the Czechoslovakian government for the organization of an air service to Dresden, Prague and Vienna».

Luft Hansa, the first ever scheduled flight (April 6, 1926), from Berlin to Zürich via Halle, Erfurt and Stuttgart, Fokker-Grulich F II aircraft.

Luft Hansa, Fokker-Grulich F II aircraft (1926)

Luft Hansa poster "Fliegt in die Bäder" ("Fly to the beaches", 1926  by Hans Vogel)

Luft Hansa poster "Fliegt in die Bäder!" ("Fly to the beaches!", 1927 by Hans Vogel)

Luft Hansa, passengers and airfreight had to be weighed (photo 1928)

Luft Hansa poster (1932 by Otto Arpke)

Luftag refounders on the company's first day (January 6, 1953): from left, Chairman Hans M. Bongers, Federal German Minister of Transport Hans-Christoph Seebohm, Technical Director Gerhard Höltje, and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Dr. Kurt Weigelt.

Lufthansa, the first cabin crew members (February 1955) were ready for flight operations; they started work with route proving flights in March.

Lufthansa, four commemorative stamps (March 31, 1955) issued to mark the post-war re-establishment of Lufthansa Airlines and the resumption of domestic and international flights.

Lufthansa, first timetable (April 1, 1955)

Lufthansa, the first two flights operated by the new company (April 1, 1955): two Convairs CV-340 took off almost simultaneously in Hamburg (photo above) and Munich (below), for a day of regular scheduled services.

Lufthansa celebrate 60 years (april 1955-2015). To honor their 60th Anniversary, Lufthansa had "Yankee Tango" (Boeing 747-8 D-ABYT, above) painted in a livery that resembled what the 747 fleet looked like in the 1970s when Lufthansa began flying 747-100 and -200 variants.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company

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MSC logo

Names:
--- "Aponte Shipping Company S.A." (1970)
--- "Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A." (MSC)

Category: Transportation

Subcategory: Shipping

Founded: 1970 - Naples, Italy

Founder / First president: Gianluigi Aponte

Features: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) was founded as Aponte Shipping Company by Gianluigi Aponte, a young Italian seaman and former bank teller, who purchased his first ship, Patricia, in 1970. He acquired an even bigger vessel in 1971 which he named after his wife, Rafaela. The carrier, Ilse, was bought in 1973. These three cargo ships represented the pioneering beginnings of the shipping line, which initially started operating between Mediterranean and East Africa via Cape Town. Headquartered for eight years in Brussels, Belgium, and finally in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC has remained a family business despite its incredible growth. In 1988 MSC entered cruise business, purchasing the iconic liner Monterey.

Interesting facts: In 1971, the carrier's first vessel, the Patricia, loaded about 120 camels and 150 oxen in Mogadishu, Somalia, for delivery to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Property: Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.

Official website: http://www.msc.com

MSC "Patricia", the first ship of the company, photographed passing Portishead inbound for Avonmouth on May 27, 1970. German vessel, general cargo built in Papenburg 1955 under the name Korbach, purchased by Mediterranean Shipping Co. in 1970, demolished in Pakistan 1986.

MSC "Rafaela", the second ship of the company. German vessel, general cargo built in Lübeck 1951 under the name Magdeburg, purchased by Mediterranean Shipping Co. in early 1971, demolished in Belgium 1978.

MSC "Ilse", the third ship of the company. German vessel, general cargo built in Kiel 1952 under the name Pazifik, purchased by Mediterranean Shipping Co. in late 1972, demolished in Bangladesh 1982.

Captain Gianluigi Aponte (Sant'Agnello, Naples, Italy - June 27, 1940), founder, owner and first president of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. On October 2, 2014, he has retired from the position of CEO and president in favour of his son, Diego Aponte.

MSC "Meraviglia". When it debuted in June 2017, it was the 4th largest cruise ship in the world.

Amtrak

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Amtrak logo 1971

Names:
--- "Railpax" (original brand, unofficial, 1970)
--- "National Railroad Passenger Corporation" (NRPC, official, 1971)
--- "Amtrak" (brand, 1971)

Category: Transportation

Subcategory: Railroad

Founded: May 1, 1971 - Union Station, Washington D.C., USA

First president: Roger Lewis (Los Angeles, January 11, 1912 - Washington, D.C., November 12, 1987)

Operations start: May 1, 1971 at 12.05 am, the first Amtrak train Philadelpia - New York City left Penn Station.

Features: In 1968, a young attorney named Anthony Haswell founded the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), a Washington lobby group whose purpose was to save the passenger trains. After much effort the NARP lobbying worked, and from that success came the Railroad Passenger Service Act, which Congress passed on October 14, 1970. On October 30, 1970, President Nixon signed Public Law 91-518, and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (NRPC) - brand name Amtrak - was created. Of the 26 railroads still offering intercity passenger service in 1970, only six declined to join Amtrak. The company began service on May 1, 1971 serving 43 states with a total of 21 routes. The first train operated by Amtrak was a "Clocker" (No. 235), regular passenger train Philadelphia - New York City, that left Penn Station at 12:05 AM on May 1, 1971. Amtrak's first Reservations Sales Office opened in Chicago on October 1, 1971.

Interesting facts: The name "Amtrak" is a contraction and a blending of the concepts "American" and "track". Previously, the corporation had been known informally as "Railpax", derived from the telegraphers code name for "railroad passenger".

Slogan (1971): «We're making the trains worth traveling again»

Property: National Railroad Passenger Corporation

Official website: https://www.amtrak.com

Amtrak formally announces intended routes (March 22, 1971). U.S. Secretary of Transportation John Volpe, Amtrak President Roger Lewis and Amtrak Board of Incorporation Chairman David W. Kendall, unveil the Amtrak route map.

Amtrak, first timetable: cover, Chairman's letter, index (May 1, 1971)

Amtrak Clocker (1971). One of these passenger trains (No. 235) was the first operated by the company.

Amtrak Penn Central E8A - 4316 (May 1, 1971). This train was selected to wear a one-of-a-kind paint scheme for Amtrak's first day of operations.

Amtrak Silver Solarium (1971). This train was built by the Budd Company in 1948 as one of the original six vista dome observation sleeping cars for the famed California Zephyr, which was inaugurated on March 20, 1949. Ownership was transferred to Amtrak in 1971.

Amtrak TurboTrain (1971). The TurboTrain was an articulated, lightweight trainset with gas-turbine propulsion. Funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of a program to explore the future of high-speed rail service in the 1960s, the TurboTrains were designed by United Aircraft and built by Pullman-Standard.

Amtrak advertising (1971). Updating the existing fleet of passenger cars and locomotives was one of Amtrak’s biggest challenges. In preparation for the start of service in May 1971, Amtrak handpicked approximately 1,200 cars from a total pool of 3,000 held by the two dozen railroads that had been relieved of their passenger service obligations.

Amtrak advertising (1971, by Ted Bates agency, N.Y.C.)

Amtrak posters (1973, by illustrator David Klein)

Amtrak’s 50th anniversary (1971-2021). President Joe Biden (above), Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn and Amtrak Conductor Blake Weaver spoke at Amtrak’s 50th anniversary virtual event in Philadelphia on April 30, 2021.

The Times of India

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The Times of India, first header: "The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce"
(Saturday, November 3, 1838)

Names:
--- "The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce" (November 3, 1838)
--- "Bombay Times and Standard" (1860-1861)
--- "The Times of India" (since September 28, 1861)

Category: Newspapers

Founder: Raobahadur Narayan Dinanath Velkar

First issue: November 3, 1838 - Mumbai (then Bombay), Maharashtra, India

First editor: J.E. Brennan

First format: Broadsheet

First price: 1 year = 30 Rupees

Overview: Originally called "The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce", the paper was founded in 1838 in Mumbai (then Bombay), during the British Raj, to serve the British residents of western India, following Lord Metcalfe's Act of 1835 which removed restrictions on the liberty of the Indian press. Its first editor J.E. Brennan, a retired Irish doctor, was also secretary of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce. In the first issue, he wrote on the need of education for the people of India "whose capacity for improvement is inferior to that of no one elsewhere but were victims of ignorance and delusion". At first, the paper published twice weekly, Wednesdays and Saturdays, under the direction of Raobahadur Narayan Dinanath Velkar, a Maharashtrian Reformist, and contained news from Britain and the world. In 1840, the newspaper changes hands and George Buist becomes the editor. The paper became a daily in 1850.

Robert Knight (1825 - 1892),
the editor who reinvented
the newspaper under the name
"The Times of India" (1861)

In 1859, new editor Robert Knight merged "The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce" with two more popular newspapers – "Bombay Standard" and "Chronicle of Western India", and founded "Bombay Times and Standard".
Two years later, on Sept. 28, 1861, Knight merged "Bombay Times and Standard" with "Bombay Telegraph & Courier", and renamed "The Bombay Times and Standard" to "The Times of India".
Knight fought for a press free of prior restraint or intimidation, frequently resisting the attempts by governments, business interests, and cultural spokesmen and led the paper to national prominence.
In 1880, The Times of India Weekly Edition was launched.
In 1890, the newspaper printed 3,000 copies daily.
The Times of India saw its ownership change several times until 1892, when Thomas Bennett and Frank Morris Coleman acquired the newspaper through their new company: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

Property: The Times Group - Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd

Official website: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The Times of India, front page of the first issue (November 3, 1838). The front page is taken up solely by classified advertisements, a practice that continues up to 1939.

The Times of India, employees at Mumbai during the newspaper's Diamond Jubilee (60th Anniversary, November 1898)

The Times of India, when India lost the father of the nation (January 31, 1948)

The Times of India, commemorative stamp featuring "Common Man" - a character by cartoonist R.K. Laxman, issued by Indian Post to mark 175 years (November 13, 2013)

The Times of India in its advanced version (June 25, 2016 - Brexit)

Michael Jackson

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Michael Joseph Jackson
Gary, Aug. 29, 1958 -
Los Angeles, June 25, 2009,
American singer, songwriter,
dancer, and actor
(photo: 1972, when
his solo career began)

Artist: "Michael Jackson"

Band:
--- "The Jackson Brothers" (1964)
--- "The Jackson Five" (1965)
--- "Michael Jackson" (solo since October 1971)

First song: "Big Boy"

Genre: Soul

Musicians:
--- Jackie Jackson - vocals
--- Tito Jackson - vocals, guitar
--- Marlon Jackson - vocals
--- Michael Jackson - lead vocals
--- Jermaine Jackson - lead vocals, bass guitar

Writer: Eddie Silvers

DEMO VERSION
--- Title: "I'm a Big Boy Now"
--- Recorded: July 13, 1967
--- Producer: Gordon Keith
--- Studio: Tone Studios, 1827 South Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, USA
--- Label: One-derful Records
--- Format: Audiotape
--- Lenght: 2:56

RELEASE VERSION
--- Title: "Big Boy"
--- Recorded: November 1967 - Chicago, Illinois, USA
--- Released: January 1968 - Gary, Lake, Indiana, USA
--- Producers: Ben Brown, Gordon Keith
--- Studio: Morrison Sound Studio, West 69th Street, South Chicago, Illinois, USA
--- Label: Steeltown Records
--- Format: Vinyl 7", 45 rpm. On B-side: "You've Changed", written by Jesse Reese
--- Lenght: 2:30

Overview: "Big Boy" was the first song sung by Michael Jackson, performed and recorded with his brothers as "The Jackson Five" band. They began their career performing at talent contests, which they would often win. In 1967 Gordon Keith, owner of Steeltown Records, signed the band to six-month contract with him; in November of that year, at the Sunny Sawyer's Morrison Sound Studio in South Chicago, The Jackson Five - Jackie (16), Tito (14), Jermaine (12), Marlon (10) and Michael (9) - recorded "Big Boy", a song written by saxophonist Eddie Silvers, who at the time was playing in a group called the Soul Merchants and working as music director for Chicago R&B label One-derful Records. On B-side: "You've Changed", written by Jesse Reese. In the same session, the group recorded also "We Don't Have to Be Over 21", by Sherman Nesbary, and "Some Girls Want Me for Their Lover", authorship unclear.
The very first recording of "Big Boy" dates back to July 13, 1967, under the title "I'm a Big Boy Now". The Jackson Five had cut the track for Chicago's One-derful Records, playing all of their own instruments at the label's Tone Studios. This session had been all but forgotten until 2009, when guitarist Larry Blasingaine brought it to the attention of Jake Austen, a Chicago Reader writer who was researching a story about the Steeltown release.
"Big Boy" was released in January 1968, initially hand-sold by Michael and his brothers during their performances; two months later it was picked up for national ditribution by Atco, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records: sold well locally, it failed to register on any of Billboard's charts.
Michael Jackson made his debut as solo in later 1971, with "Got to Be There", a single released on October 7 under Motown Records label; on January 24, 1972, under the same name and the same label, his first solo studio album was released. It sold about 900,000 copies in the USA and over 3.2 million copies worldwide.

Quote (Michael Jackson): «A star can never die. It just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life».

Property: One-derful Records - Steeltown Records

Artist website: http://www.michaeljackson.com

The Jackson Five, announcement (1965). On Michael's 7th birthday, Aug. 29, 1965, the brothers perform "Doin' the Jerk" (by The Larks) at a fashion show in Gary, Indiana's Big Top Department Store: Tiny Tots' Back-to-School "Jamboree". This is the first time they have played under the name "The Jackson Five".

The Jackson Five, article on Gary Post Tribune (1966). The Jackson Five won the Annual Talent Search at the Gilroy Stadium in Gary. During this performance Michael impressed the audience and his brothers by his dance improvisation for the song Barefootin’, a hit of Robert Parker, on which Michael sang lead.

The Jackson Five with Johnny on drums (1967). Marlon, Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, and Michael, with Johnny Jackson (no relation) on drums.

"I'm a Big Boy Now" (July 13, 1967), reel and studio worksheet of the earliest known studio recording, from One-derful Records.

"Big Boy" (November 1967), master reel of the Steeltown Records demo version.

"Big Boy" (January 1968), Steeltown Records first release (Steeltown 681). On B-side: "You've Changed", written by Jesse Reese. The single will be distributed locally and the Jackson brothers will sell during their performances.

"Big Boy" (March 5, 1968), Steeltown Records second release, distributed nationally by Atco, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, about 10,000 copies.

"Big Boy" original audio from the single (1968)

BIG BOY

Fairy tales, fairy tales
I don't enjoy
Fairy tales and wishful dreams
Are broken toys

'Cause I'm a big boy now (Big boy)
That's looking for (Big boy)
Someone to love, oh yeah
Someone, someone to share my dreams,
oh yeah

Mother goose, oh mother goose
Oh, won't you join
All I need is an ol' lovely girl
Holding my arm

'Cause I'm a big boy now (Big boy)
That's looking for (Big boy)
Someone to love, oh yeah
Someone, someone to share my dreams,
oh yeah

Skating boards
And kiddie cars
Have had their day
Dating at the picture show with you
Is here to stay

'Cause I'm a big boy now (Big boy)
That's looking for (Big boy)
Someone to love, oh yeah
Someone, someone to share my dreams,
oh yeah

Come on, baby
Come on, baby, ooh

"Big Boy" lyrics

"Got to Be There" single (October 7, 1971). Written by Elliot Willensky and released as Michael Jackson's first solo single. On B-side: "Maria (You Were the Only One)", written and composed by Larry Brown, Shadee, George Gordy and Linda Glover. Producer Hal Davison, label Motown Records.

"Got to Be There" album (January 24, 1972). Michael Jackson's debut studio album which includes the song of the same name, fifth track of ten, debut solo single. Producers: Hal Davis, The Corporation, Willie Hutch; label Motown Records. It sold about 900,000 copies in the United States and over 3.2 million copies worldwide.