35 Fascinating Photos of Rio de Janeiro in the 1980s

Rio de Janeiro is the second-most populous city in Brazil and the sixth-most populous in the Americas. Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil’s third-most populous state, after São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, Carnival, samba, bossa nova, and balneario beaches such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.

In addition to the beaches, some of the most famous landmarks include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car; the Sambódromo (Sambadrome), a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival; and Maracanã Stadium, one of the world’s largest football stadiums.

These fascinating photos were taken by Moacir de Sa Pereira that show street scenes of Rio de Janeiro in 1984.

Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, 1984

Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, 1984

Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, 1984

Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, 1984

Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, 1984

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The de Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle: A One-Man Personal Helicopter From the 1950s

The HZ-1 Aerocycle, also known as the YHO-2 and by the manufacturer’s designation DH-5 Aerocycle, was an American one-man “personal helicopter” developed by the de Lackner Helicopter Company, Mount Vernon, New York, in the mid-1950s.

Originally designated YHO-2 by the U.S. Army, then later re-designated HZ-1 and named “Aerocycle”, the prototype made its first tethered flight on 22 November 1954, with its first free flight taking place in January 1955 at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Over 160 flights totaling more than 15 hours of flight time were conducted, and the results of this early test flight program were considered promising enough that a dozen examples of the type were ordered. Predictions were made that the craft could provide transport to a modern version of the old horse cavalry, providing airborne “eyes and ears” for the Army.

In 1956, the test program was transferred to Fort Eustis, Virginia, where Captain Selmer Sundby took over test-flying duties. The HZ-1 had been designed to be very easy to fly, and early testing indicated that untrained soldiers could learn to operate the craft in less than 20 minutes, and some claiming that only five minutes of instruction were required. In addition, the HZ-1 proved to be faster than other flying platform designs evaluated by the Army. Sundby, however, quickly determined that the craft was much more difficult to fly than had been expected, and would not be safe in the hands of an inexperienced pilot. In addition, the low-mounted rotors proved to be prone to kicking up small rocks and other debris.

Over a series of tethered and free-flying test flights lasting up to 43 minutes, the HZ-1 suffered a pair of accidents. Both crashes occurred under similar conditions – the contra-rotating rotors intermeshed and collided, the blades shattering, causing an immediate loss of control resulting in a crash. Aerodynamic testing was conducted in the full-scale wind tunnel at the Langley Research Center, and it was discovered that the Aerocycle’s forwards speed was limited by an uncontrollable pitching motion, but rotor-tip clearance was always sufficient. The inability to determine the precise cause of the intermeshing, combined with the fact that the “personal lifting device” concept was failing to live up to its expectations, led to the decision to terminate the project.

Sundby was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his test-flying work with the HZ-1, going on to test-fly the H-21 and H-34 helicopters, as well as seeing combat in the Vietnam War before retiring with the rank of colonel.

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Evel Knievel New Sky-sicle and Motor-sicle Mold, 1974

A mold sold in 1974 to make ice pops in the shape of Evel Knievel’s Sky-cycle and Motor-sicle.

A new craze for spring – the Evel Knievel Sky-sicle and Motor-sicle combo enables any child to make their favorite ice pops using almost any fruit juice or soda. Just fill ’em up and pop ’em in the freezer. Packed in full color litho box Packed two dozen.

Still Life Paintings of Flowers by Jan van Huysum

Jan van Huysum, also spelled Huijsum (1682-1749), was a Dutch painter. He was the brother of Jacob van Huysum, the son of the flower painter Justus van Huysum, and the grandson of Jan van Huysum I, who is said to have been expeditious in decorating doorways, screens and vases.

Still life paintings of flower by Jan van Huysum

Though skilled as a painter of still life, believed himself to possess the genius of a landscape painter. Jan van Huysum’s daughter, Francina Margaretha van Huysum, was also a flower painter and may have assisted her father in his work.

Some of the finest of van Huysum’s fruit and flower pieces have been in English private collections: Those of 1723 in the earl of Ellesmere's gallery, others of 1730–1732 in the collections of Hope and Ashburton. One of the best examples is now in the National Gallery, London (1736–1737). No public museum has finer and more numerous specimens than the Louvre, which boasts of four landscapes and six panels with still life; then come Berlin and Amsterdam with four fruit and flower pieces; then St Petersburg, Munich, Hanover, Dresden, the Hague, Brunswick, Vienna, Carlsruhe, Boston and Copenhagen. Van Huysum had several followers, such as Jan van Os and Johannes de Bosch.

Here below is a beautiful collection of still life paintings of flowers by Jan van Huysum in the early 18th century.

Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn, 1724

Flower Still Life, circa 1734

Flowers in a Basket on a Marble Ledge

Flowers in a Stone Vase

Flowers, Fruits and Insects, 1735

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Fascinating Black and White Photos of Detroit, Michigan in 1973

These pictures were taken by Don Hudson, an experienced amateur photographer born on December 29, 1950 in Detroit, Michigan, during his student days at the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, now called College for Creative Studies. 

“After dithering around in liberal arts at a university, in 1972 I decided to commit myself to what I really loved, photography.” Said Hudson. “As it turned out, I only stayed two years, but probably the most important thing I learned during that time was the ability to imagine a lifetime engagement with the photographic experience.”

Take a look back at life in Detroit in 1973 through these fascinating black and white pictures. For more photographs, visit Hudson's brilliant Flickr site.

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Beautiful Portrait Photos of Jane Seymour During the Filming of ‘Somewhere in Time’ (1980)

Somewhere in Time is a 1980 American romantic fantasy drama film from Universal Pictures, directed by Jeannot Szwarc, and starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer. It is a film adaptation of the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay.

Reeve plays Richard Collier, a playwright who becomes obsessed with a photograph of a young woman at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Through self-hypnosis, he wishes himself back in time to the year 1912 to find love with actress Elise McKenna (portrayed by Seymour), but comes into conflict with Elise’s manager, William Fawcett Robinson (portrayed by Plummer), who fears that romance will derail her career, and resolves to stop him.

The film is known for its musical score composed by John Barry, featuring pianist Roger Williams. The 18th variation of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini also appears several times.

These vintage photos captured beautiful portraits of Jane Seymour during the filming of Somewhere in Time.

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January 22, 1970: The Boeing 747 Takes Off on Its First Scheduled Flight From New York to London

Longer than the Wright brothers’ first flight, wider than a boulevard, and with a tail height as tall as a six-story building, the 747 was a revolution in aviation technology and the passenger experience when it entered service on January 22, 1970. With the first flight from New York to London, Pan Am’s Clipper Young America ushered in the jet age’s second phase: the era of wide body aircraft.

Developed by Boeing to maximize seat-mile and ton-mile revenues, the aircraft also extended the golden age of air travel as the 1960s came to a close. With increased capacity and lowered costs, the 747 helped make the air travel experience accessible to middle-class travelers.

Spacious interiors with luxury appointments and enhanced in-flight dining and entertainment experiences, available to first-class and economy passengers alike, served as marketing tools for the airlines that operated the 747. The jumbo jet came to occupy a permanent place in the popular imagination around the world and remains, decades later, a symbol that represents the glamour of air travel in a bygone age.

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