Women Selling “Wine Bricks" in New York, 1931

Women selling “wine bricks” (compressed grape juice) in New York in August 1931. The packages were supposed to be dissolved into grape juice, but included the warning, “Do not dissolve the concentrate in a gallon of water, add yeast, and let it sit in a dark place for 21 days, or else it will ferment into wine.”

The “grape bricks” (often branded as Vine-Glo or Vino Sano) were a crucial survival tactic for the wine industry between 1920 and 1933. While selling alcohol was banned, Section 29 allowed households to produce up to 200 gallons of “non-intoxicating” fruit juice annually for personal use.

Vineyards sold dehydrated, concentrated grape bricks (about the size of a pound of butter) that contained pulp, skins, and stems. The packaging was notoriously ironic. It usually included a set of instructions listing what not to do, which acted as a perfect recipe:

• Dissolve the brick in a gallon of water (often with added sugar).
• Do not leave the mixture in a jug in a cool cupboard (or dark place) for about 21 days, or it would turn into wine.
• Do not shake it daily, stop the bottle with a special cork/siphon, or skip preservatives like benzoate of soda (which was recommended to prevent fermentation if you truly wanted only juice).

These negative instructions effectively told buyers exactly how to ferment a roughly 13% ABV wine. Salespeople (sometimes attractive women demonstrating in stores) delivered the warnings with knowing smiles. Packages also stressed that the product was “for home use only” and “legal in your home.”

Prohibition threatened California’s wine industry, as many growers faced pressure to rip out vines. Instead, demand for grapes and concentrates soared. Prices for a ton of grapes jumped from about $9.50 pre-Prohibition to a peak of $375 by 1924. Vineyard land values also rose sharply. Companies and families that stayed in the grape business (including some that later became major post-Prohibition wineries, and figures connected to the Mondavi and Gallo families) prospered. Home wine production helped overall U.S. wine consumption rise in the early Prohibition years even as commercial winemaking was banned.

Sacramental wine for churches and synagogues was another major legal outlet that helped some producers survive.

Authorities periodically targeted the trade. In 1931, dry agents (prompted in part by the Anti-Saloon League) raided a Vino Sano sales office in New York, seized thousands of bricks, and arrested staff, setting up potential court tests of Section 29. Fruit Industries Ltd. faced similar scrutiny and legal challenges around Vine-Glo. The products largely faded with the approach of repeal.

Beer and low-alcohol wine became legal again in early 1933 under the Cullen-Harrison Act; full repeal of the 18th Amendment followed with the 21st Amendment in December 1933.

Elvis Presley Donating His Yacht to Raise Money for the Newly Created St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 1964

On February 14, 1964, Elvis Presley officially handed over the deed of the USS Potomac, the former presidential yacht of Franklin D. Roosevelt, to entertainer Danny Thomas to raise funds for the newly established St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis (Elvis’s hometown).

The USS Potomac served as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous “Floating White House” from 1936 to 1945. Elvis bought the yacht at an auction on January 30, 1964, for $55,000 (equivalent to over $500,000 today). He originally intended to donate it to the March of Dimes, but they declined the gift due to high maintenance costs. The public transfer took place on Valentine’s Day in Long Beach, California, where Elvis presented the keys and deed directly to Danny Thomas. St. Jude sold the vessel shortly thereafter for $75,000 to generate operating funds for the pediatric research facility.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Elvis Presley is making this gracious contribution,” Thomas said after the ceremony. “Elvis is a great humanitarian.”

Today, the fully restored USS Potomac is docked at Jack London Square in Oakland, California, where it serves as a US National Historic Landmark open for public tours.

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Barbara Britton: Classic Beauty of 1940s–50s Hollywood

Barbara Britton (1920–1980) was an American actress known for her wholesome beauty and graceful presence in films of the 1940s and ’50s.

Britton appeared in numerous westerns and dramas, often starring opposite leading men such as Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea in films like Captain Kidd (1945) and The Virginian (1946). Later, she gained further popularity as Pam North in the television series Mr. and Mrs. North and became a familiar face as the longtime spokesperson for Revlon cosmetics.

With her radiant smile and classic Hollywood charm, Britton remains a memorable figure of mid-century American cinema and television. These vintage photos beautifully capture the wholesome elegance and classic Hollywood charm of a young Barbara Britton.

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50 Glamorous Photos of Dolores del Río in the 1930s

Dolores del Río (August 3, 1904 – April 11, 1983), the Mexican actress who became one of Hollywood’s first major Latin American crossover stars, was a prominent figure in the 1930s as a glamorous, exotic leading lady during the transition from silent films to talkies.

She successfully moved into sound films despite a noticeable accent, which studios often framed as charming or international. Her peak Hollywood years ran roughly from the late 1920s into the early-to-mid 1930s; after that, roles became more limited and stereotyped as “exotic” or Latin types, and her box-office power declined toward the end of the decade.

She was frequently cast in romantic, musical, or exotic roles and was celebrated for her beauty (often called one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood). By the late 1930s opportunities had diminished, partly due to typecasting, changing industry tastes, and the stricter Production Code.

In 1930 she married Cedric Gibbons, the influential MGM art director (after the end of her first marriage to Jaime del Río and a professional/personal break from mentor-director Edwin Carewe). Gibbons designed an Art Deco home for them. The marriage lasted through much of the decade but was reportedly strained; del Río later had a relationship with Orson Welles (who had admired her on screen since Bird of Paradise). She also dealt with health issues (including a serious kidney infection early in the decade) and periods of depression.

The 1930s saw her as a stylish Hollywood star who navigated the talkie transition and maintained high visibility, even as her career trajectory shifted from the heights of the late silent era toward more constrained roles by decade’s end. She remained a fashion and beauty icon of the period before returning to Mexico in the early 1940s, where she became a major figure in that country’s Golden Age of cinema.

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35 Touching Mid-19th Century Portraits of Victorian Mothers and Children

In an era when photography was a rare and precious novelty, capturing a single frame required long, motionless exposure. Yet, despite the stiff poses dictated by mid-19th-century technology, these touching portraits reveal a timeless and profound warmth.

The photos offer us a quiet glimpse into the intimate bond between Victorian mothers and their children: a gentle hand resting on a small shoulder, an affectionate gaze, or a subtle smile breaking through the era’s usual formality.

Beneath the heavy silk dresses and structured tailored suits lies an enduring maternal love that feels surprisingly modern and deeply human. As you scroll through this collection, you are not just looking at historic artifacts, but at heartfelt moments frozen in time that still have the power to move us today.

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30 Candid Photographs of a Young James Hetfield of Metallica in the 1980s

James Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. During the 1980s, Hetfield established himself as the premier rhythm guitarist and frontman of thrash metal, steering Metallica through four genre-defining albums: Kill 'Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984), Master of Puppets (1986), and ...And Justice for All (1988).

Hetfield popularized an incredibly fast, precise all-downpicking technique rather than alternate picking. This gave Metallica’s rhythm section a heavier, tighter, and more aggressive attack on tracks like “Master of Puppets” and “Creeping Death.” In 1983 (Kill 'Em All), his vocals were high-pitched, raw shrieks influenced by NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal). By 1986–1988, his voice deepened into a commanding, guttural bark with melodic grit.

Alongside drummer Lars Ulrich, Hetfield composed the core structural arrangements, intricate multi-guitar harmonies, and lyrical themes spanning war, mental illness, addiction, and anti-establishment frustration. Aggressive and direct, Hetfield wore his guitar extremely low at hip level and approached the microphone with an intense, wide-legged stance.

Known for intense off-stage partying alongside bandmates Cliff Burton, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett during their early touring days. The tragic death of Burton in a September 1986 bus crash deeply impacted Hetfield and the band’s trajectory, accelerating a tougher, more intense emotional edge evident on ...And Justice for All.

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Vera Ralston: From Ice Skater to Hollywood Leading Lady

Vera Ralston (1923–2003), born Věra Helena Hrubá in Prague, was a Czech figure skater who later became a Hollywood actress. After competing in the 1936 Olympics and performing with the Ice Capades, she was signed by Republic Pictures in the early 1940s.

Known for her striking beauty and European elegance, Ralston starred in numerous films throughout the 1940s and ’50s, including Dakota and The Fighting Kentuckian opposite John Wayne. Though her acting career was mixed in critical reception, her glamorous image and unique background made her a memorable figure of classic Hollywood.

These vintage photos capture the elegant beauty and distinctive presence of a young Vera Ralston, the Czech ice skater who became a Hollywood leading lady.

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