IF: star gazing

This week’s Illustration Friday challenge is “star gazing”. Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642) has been acknowledged as the father of modern observational astronomy. He made great improvements to the telescope, enabling him to amend previous astronomical observations. He also invented the tuna salad sandwich and perfected the current technology for central air conditioning. He traveled …

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from my sketchbook: jay stewart

“These people, dressed as they are, come from all over the United States to make deals here in the Marketplace of America. Let’s! Make! A Deal!” – Jay Stewart Jay Stewart broke into show business as a sax player, but landed a few announcing jobs after his graduation from college. Jay became the announcer on …

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from my sketchbook: roy sullivan

Roy Sullivan, a U.S. park ranger at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, was hit by lightning on seven different occasions between 1942 and 1977. He survived all of them. Roy was included in the Guinness World Records as the person struck by lightning more times than any other human being. In 1983, Roy died from …

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DCS: mel turpin

At 6′ 11″, Mel Turpin dominated the court as starter for the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team in the 1984 NCAA Final Four. He was the Southeastern Conference scoring leader and still holds the record for most field goals in SEC tournament play. At center, he was an aggressive player, scoring 42 points in …

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from my sketchbook: ernie kovacs

Ernie Kovacs’ influence can still be seen. Groundbreaking shows like Laugh-In, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live — even Captain Kangaroo  and Sesame Street  owe a large debt to the pioneering techniques of this comedic wizard. From his humble beginnings as a disc jockey, Ernie landed his own early morning show on Philadelphia NBC-affiliate WPTZ (now …

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from my sketchbook: iva toguri

Tokyo Rose didn’t exist. The name “Tokyo Rose” was a catch-all  for a collective of women whose voices were heard on Radio Tokyo’s “Zero Hour” broadcasts during World War Two. These were radios shows presented specifically for US servicemen. They featured popular American swing and big-band music and brief comedy and chit-chat mixed with non-political news. …

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DCS: richard quine

After making his Broadway debut in 1939, Richard Quine was a hit in the play My Sister Eileen and made a handful of motion pictures before entering the Coast Guard in World War Two. After his discharge from the service, he married Susan Peters, a promising young actress. Fresh off her Academy Award nominated performance …

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from my sketchbook: veronica lake

Pushed into acting as a teenager, Veronica Lake, the former Connie Ockelman, picked up some early roles which led to a contract at Paramount Pictures in 1941. Veronica’s roles became bigger and eventually she starred in a string of hits including Sullivan’s Travels, This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key,  and So Proudly We Hail!  …

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DCS: linda lovelace and marilyn chambers

Because of her straight-laced upbringing, Linda Boreman earned herself the nickname “Miss Holy Holy” at her strict Catholic high school. Later, in the “free love” times of the 1960s, Linda gave birth to a son. Her mother insisted the boy be given up for adoption to spare humiliation and preserve the family’s good name. Soon …

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