Today’s post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty.
Call him John. Call him Mr. Poppins. But do not call him neglectful of his strict skin-care regime. Or so says this week’s winner, Janis!
So what was the story with our parasoled paratrooper? This photo is from the Records of the United States Coast Guard (RG 26) and was taken about 1943. But despite our best efforts, we’ve found no explanation as to what the heck our fair-skinned friend is doing. Maybe he lost at whatever game is being played behind him. Or maybe he really did just have a strict skin-care regime. Until we hear differently, we’ve filed this photo away with some of history’s other great mysteries like the lost colony of Roanoke, the Loch Ness monster, and the global success of Chia Pets.
This week, we’re taking a jaunt out west thanks to the folks at the National Archives at Riverside, California. You may recognize this image from the cover of one of our newest publications, Your Land, Our Land, which highlights the treasures at our regional archives. The book is on sale at the National Archives e-Store, and if you win this week’s contest, you can put that 30% discount toward an autographed copy!
Fittingly, it’s our very own David Drake, Regional Administrator for the National Archives Pacific Region, who has accepted the glorious burden of judging this week’s photo contest. So if you’re in California, drop by his office, tell him he’s looking particularly nice today, or buy him a nice latte, then casually mention that you’ve submitted a caption for this week’s contest.
Happy captioning!
Here’s one to get you started:
A river runs through it.
While the aqua-car wasn’t perfect, the inventors knew they were headed in the right direction.
Thinking it was only a myth, the kids were surprised to find the world did actually end at the edge of town.
The dealer said it was a Crossover vehicle, so I naturally assumed that it could “cross over” this sinkhole!
“Just keep smiling and looking cool, and maybe no one will notice that I left the hose running.”
They were nevertheless proud of young Evel pursuing his dreams…
“It’s just a little puddle” she says. “You can go right through it” she says.
It isn’t quite like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, but for a photoshoot it would have to do.
Henry swore that the Model A’s brakes were a vast improvement over the Model T, so I took him at his word!
So, what time are the CCC camp workers going to be here?
Prototype Toyota test run.
Dad is going to kill you.
The horseless carriage looked thirsty, so we stopped to give it a drink.
The climax to the ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ prequel wasn’t nearly as dramatic
A bridge too far…
You may:
1. Attempt to ford the river
2. Caulk wagon and float it across
3. Wait to see if conditions improve
What is your choice? 1
Early GPS devices were not always accurate.
A day at the submarine races.
How Walt conceived the “E” Ticket ride.
Ah-oooga-derchi.
Re (gurgle, gurgle, cough) calibrating.
An early form of the car-port