Useful for Heavy Smokers From the 1950s

A French device from the 1950s offered a chance to get a nicotine fix from 20 cigarettes at the same time.

Model Frances Richards smokes a pack of cigarettes all on one cigarette holder, 1955. (Photo by Jacobsen/Getty Images)

30 Cool Photos Show Fabulous Styles of the ’20s Young Ladies

Western fashion in the 1920s underwent a modernization. For women, fashion had continued to change away from the extravagant and restrictive styles of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and towards looser clothing which revealed more of the arms and legs, that had begun at least a decade prior with the rising of hemlines to the ankle and the movement from the S-bend corset to the columnar silhouette of the 1910s.

The 1920s are characterized by two distinct periods of fashion: in the early part of the decade, change was slower, and there was more reluctance to wear the new, revealing popular styles. From 1925, the public more passionately embraced the styles now typically associated with the Roaring Twenties.

These styles continued to characterize fashion until the worldwide depression worsened in 1931.

A set of cool photos from Flickr’s members that shows what styles of young ladies looked like in the 1920s.

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30 Stunning Black and White Portraits of Joan Crawford in the 1930s

Joan Crawford (March 23, 1904 – May 10, 1977) is one of the few stars that successfully transitioned from the silent era to talking motion pictures. She not only appeared in an amazing 25 films but she was the top-billed star in each of those films.

Crawford showed a glimpse of what was to come in an early dramatic role in the 1930 film Paid. Joan also ‘clicked’ with the working-class Americans and was labeled “the shop-girl-who-makes-good.” She also showed that she could hang with the legends of Hollywood in the Academy Award winning movie for the Best Picture of 1932 Grand Hotel.

Joan Crawford also teamed up with a man that would ultimately become the love of her life, Clark Gable, in seven films they would make together during in the 1930s. Joan also showed that she was on the verge of branching out and not afraid to take on a different role in the film that revitalized her career in the 1939 film, The Women.

Below is a collection of 30 stunning black and white photos of Joan Crawford in the 1930s. Enjoy!

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Fascinating Vintage Snapshots of London in 1978

In 1978, Ed Sijmons and his partner Louise took a trip to London. Their grainy snapshots show a gritty look at the capital city at the time when many people were still struggling to make ends meet after the mid-1970s recessions, while the early 1980s recession was already on the horizon.

More fascinating photographs could be found at Sijmons’ brilliant Flickr site.

The Wimpy Bar at the junction of Old Compton Street and Moor Street.

Cheshire Street in E2.

St. Paul's.

Shakespeare's Head.

Hamleys at Regent Street.

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20 Fascinating Color Photos Capture Street Scenes of Vientiane in the 1960s

Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos, on the banks of the Mekong River near the border with Thailand. It became the capital in 1573, due to fears of a Burmese invasion, but was later looted, then razed to the ground in 1827 by the Siamese (Thai).

Vientiane was the administrative capital during French rule and, due to economic growth in recent times, is now the economic center of Laos.

Vientiane is noted as the home of the most significant national monuments in Laos – That Luang – which is a known symbol of Laos and an icon of Buddhism in Laos. Other significant Buddhist temples in Laos can be found there as well, such as Haw Phra Kaew, which formerly housed the Emerald Buddha.

These fascinating color photos were taken by Jack L Green that show street scenes of Vientiane in the 1960s.

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Joan Crawford’s Lifelike Mask, Created by Richard Cromwell, ca. 1930s

Joan Crawford, lovely Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer star, posing with one of her choicest possessions–a lifelike mask of herself made by the artistic hands of Richard Cromwell for his closest friend and favorite actress.

Richard Cromwell (1910–1960) was born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh in Long Beach, California, the second of five children, to his mother Fay B. (née Stocking) and his father, Ralph R. Radabaugh, who was an inventor. Among Ralph’s patented creations was the amusement-park swing ride called the “Monoflyer”, a variation of which is still in use at many carnivals today.

While enrolled as a teenager in the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles on a scholarship, young Roy helped to support his family with odd jobs. The school was the precursor of the California Institute of the Arts, and it was there where he met fellow classmate Edith Posener. Posener, later known as Edith Head, would become one of the leading costume designers in American film history.

Cromwell ran a shop in Hollywood where he sold pictures, made lampshades, and designed color schemes for houses. As Cromwell developed his talents for lifelike mask-making and oil painting, he formed friendships in the late 1920s with various film starlets who posed for him and collected his works, including Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Claire Dubrey and Ann Sothern. Actress and future Academy Award-winner Marie Dressler was also a friend; the two would later share top-billing in the early talkie film Emma.

20 Cool Photos of the 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire Convertible

The Oldsmobile Starfire is an automobile nameplate used by Oldsmobile, produced in three non-contiguous generations beginning in 1954. Oldsmobile during this time period was one of the most popular brands selling, and the company saw an opportunity to benefit from the Space Race of the 1960s.

Introduced in January 1961 as a convertible, the Starfire was separated into its own model line and shared its body and wheelbase with the Super 88 and the lower-priced Dynamic 88.

It was loaded with standard equipment including leather bucket seats, center console with tachometer and floor shifter for the Hydra-matic transmission, and was the first U.S. full-sized production car to feature an automatic transmission with a console-mounted floor shifter, brushed aluminum side panels and power steering, brakes, windows and driver’s seat.

With a base price of $4,647 in 1961, it was the most expensive Oldsmobile, even more than the larger Ninety-Eight models. The standard 394 cubic inch V-8 Skyrocket V8 engine - Oldsmobile’s most powerful in 1961 - used a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor and generated 330 hp (246 kW) at 4600 rpm.

Sales of the 1961 model were 1,500.

Here below is a set of cool photos of the 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire Convertible.

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