Thomas Edison with his original tin foil phonograph (recording and playing device), that was produced in December 1877. Edison stands near a NBC microphone and shows operation of his tinfoil phonograph, also referred to in press of the late 1800s as a Talking Machine. This footage was shot on the occasion of a recognition ceremony for Edison on October 20, 1928, where he was also presented the Congressional Gold Medal by President Calvin Coolidge. This original tinfoil phonograph had been given by Edison in 1880 to a representative of the English Patent Office who visited the Menlo Park lab. The machine had been exhibited in England. It was repatriated for this 1928 event by the South Kensington Museum in London. British diplomat Ronald Ian Campbell, partially visible on the left in this footage, presented the phonograph back to Edison. Today it is on display at the Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, New Jersey.
Delegates of the Pan American Highway Commission present a gift after a month-long tour of the United States in 1924. Ceremony at the Pan American Union in Washington DC. Tablet is unveiled inscribed with the title 'Highway of Friendship', and presented as a gift to the Highway Education Board. The first line of the tablet reads, "Commemorative of the Official visit of the Pan American Highway Commission to the District of Columbia and the states of North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey June 2 to July 3, 1924. The happiness and prosperity of the people of the United States have been greatly enhanced by your definite program of Highway education...." U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg accepts the tablet and speaks to those gathered.
Democratic National Convention at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. Helen Gahagan (ex Broadway star, wife of film star Melvyn Douglas and herself a candidate for Congress from California) answers media persons. Photographers take photos. Mrs. Claude Pepper of Florida, Congress-woman Mary Norton of New Jersey, Senator Jackson of Indiana, Senator Scott Lucas, old warrior James Farley and others present. Chairman Robert Hanneagan calls the Democratic National Convention into session. Mrs. Charles Tillett of North Carolina addresses the convention. Helen Gahagan gives a speech. Oklahoma's Chief Executive Robert S. Kerr delivers an address.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp near Weimar, Germany towards the end of World War II. The group includes Frances E. Walters from Pennsylvania, Eugene Worley from Texas, Carter Manasco and Albert Rains from Alabama, Henry W. Jackson from Washington, Earl Wilson from Indiana, Marion Bennet from Missouri, Gordon Canfield from New Jersey, Major General Vanier of the Canadian Army and Major Walter Mosmiller of SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces) who is in charge of the tour. The group views piles of dead bodies and crematoriums. The group poses in front of a memorial.
U.S. Senator Dwight Morrow dies in Englewood, New Jersey. Past events showing Dwight Morrow speaking. He poses with his wife, daughter Anne Morrow Lindbergh and son-in-law Charles Lindbergh in North Haven, Maine.
A U.S. military training film titled "Pro Patria Vigilans" on the wartime and peacetime activities of the U.S. Signal Corps. United States Army General Douglas MacArthur aboard the U.S. Army Battleship USS Missouri during the Japanese surrender ceremonies of World War 2 in 1945. General MacArthur speaking on board the ship at the closing of the surrender proceedings. Aircraft flying in formation overhead. Antiaircraft guns directed towards the aircraft. Signal Corps recruits train at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. The recruits dive and swim across water. The soldiers attend lecture by an officer. A sign reads: 'Field Radio Course'. Men working in the radio room are trained. Views of soldiers learning to operate radar. Various radar dishes. Closeup views of radar screens. An officer training the soldiers with the help of a model. The coastal defense training of the soldiers. The soldiers study the communication equipment. Soldiers working on communication switchboard equipment, telegraph, and teletype machines. A small messenger aircraft takes off and lands near the message center. A sign outside the building reads: 'Master Message Center'. Soldiers receive a map and clear it through the message center. Spinning equipment in the message center (possibly related to decoding or encryption). Officers seated at a desk, discussing a map.
CRITICALPAST.COM: About Us | Contact Us | FAQs - How to Order | License Agreement | My Account | My Lightboxes | Shopping Cart | Advanced Search | Featured Collections | Website Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy ©2026 CriticalPast LLC.
License Agreement |
Terms & Conditions |
Privacy Policy
©2026 CriticalPast LLC.