Major catastophe events of the year 1952. Views of destruction on the ground in Elizabeth, New Jersey, after American Airlines flight 6780, a Convair 240, crashed into a house at Williamson and South Streets on January 22, 1952. Burned wreckage and devastation seen at the crash site in Elizabeth following the crash and subsequent explosions damaging or destroying multipole houses in the 600 block of Williamson Street. In the first few seconds of the clip, the Battin High School for Girls is seen in the background. The school was adjacent to the crash but not hit. Narrator also describes the crash of an Army transport plane in California which killed 86 soldiers, but no images of that crash are shown. Next scenes shift to England, on September 6, 1952, as a de Havilland DH.110 jet aircraft, piloted by John Derry, explodes in midair after achieving Mach 1 and then beginning a left bank and climb at 450 knots during the 1952 Farnborough Airshow. Spectators at the British air show are seen on the ground in the area below the explosion and where debris rained down on the crowd causing deaths and injuries. Engines from the blown-up DH.110 plane (prototype, ID WG236) are seen hurtling through the sky toward Observation Hill immediately after the mid-air explosion. Scenes show crowd working to tend to the wounded and shocked families and children crying.
Major sports events of the year 1958. Tommy Bolt and Gary Player, a South African, battle it out in Tulsa, Oklahoma during Golfdom's National Open. A large crowd gathers to witness the game. Tommy Bolt wins the tournament.
Night action at sea during World War 2. A massive explosion occurs as a mine detonates. Flashes in the dark as tracers are fired at night and flares fall on the surface. United States Navy heavy cruiser USS Quincy, CA-71, painted in Camouflage Measure 31-32-33 series Design 18D. Next is the battleship USS Nevada, BB-36, painted in Camouflage Measure 22. ( Note: This was likely filmed between May 1944 and September 1944 when these two ships supported both the Normandy and Southern France Invasions.)
Film begins showing map of Coast Guard Stations along the coasts of Long Island, and New Jersey to deal with storms that affect the ports of New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. Narrator notes that, accordingly, the number of Stations in this region are increased. View of Long Island South coast from low flying airplane, showing sand bars. Aerial view of Jersey shores showing a ship run aground and listing. Aerial view of the resort towns and recreational beaches on the Jersey coast. Closeup of a beach filled with people enjoying the sand and water. Aerial views of beaches teeming with visitors. Aerial view of harbor filled with small pleasure boats. A sailing regatta.
Aftermath of Pearl Harbor attack. People in Oahu, Hawaii, prepare to deal with more air attacks by Japanese. Armed U.S. soldier in sandbagged position, in Hawaii. The territorial governor of Hawaii, Joseph Poindexter, signing a declaration of Martial Law. Four thousand members of Oahu's Civil Defense Committee, dressed in dark bottoms and white tops, wearing steel helmets with "W" on them, standing at attention in formation on grounds of a stadium. Windows in all downtown shops taped to prevent flying glass. Sand bags surrounding a power substation. Huge quantities of barbed wire in a storage yard and strung along the beaches, along highways, around schools, and public buildings of Oahu. A man pushing a lawn mower between sandbagged defense positions in a residential neighborhood. Construction machinery digging defensive trenches. Bomb shelters being constructed of precast concrete. Air raid sirens installed and school children leaving their building and sheltering in deep trenches during a test. Very small children taking shelter in zig-zag trenches and donning gas masks. Huge assemblies of children, and of grownups, all donning gas masks. Little children being dressed in capsule-like "bunny mask" protective gear.One of them crying inside the covering. Crowds of women and children lined up on a veranda waiting to receive these "bunny masks." Military personnel, civilians, and school children, all carrying personal gas masks with them at all times. Innumerable old rubber tires saved in an open yard. Japanese-Americans donating blood to the American Red Cross and lined up to buy war bonds. Soldiers arresting a Japanese resident known to be an enemy agent. Boarded up shops of Japanese-Americans, who had been interned. Japanese-Americans removing all Japanese language signs from their areas. Language school buildings with closed signs. An empty and boarded-up Shinto temple. One Japanese-American replacing his cafe sign with one reading: "Keep 'Em Flying Cafe." U.S. Army troops posted on roadways. The Aloha Tower in camouflage paint. A Lurline steamship leaving port, and being replaced by warships. Prewar view of people enjoying Waikakee beach, and current view of two boys playing in sand near barbed wire barriers. City streets deserted at twilight, as blackout procedures take effect at dusk. Views of darkened homes and palm trees silhouetted against sky at dusk. The "ghost" of a sailor killed in World War II, stands in front of Arlington cemetery, Washington, DC, and converses with the ghost of a soldier killed in World War I. They discuss idealistic notions about ending wars for good. Displays of flags is seen, including: Australia; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; China; Costa Rica; Cuba; Czechoslovakia; Dominican Republic; England; Ethopia; Greece; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; India; Yugoslavia; Luxembourg; Mexico; The Netherlands; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Norway; Panama; The Philippines; Poland; Russia; El Salvador; South Africa; and the U.S.A. "V" created in the sky by a skywriting airplane.
Task force formed in Naples harbor for the invasion of Southern France during World War II. A United States destroyer underway as a United States Navy officer looks through binoculars from the bridge of a ship. LCI (Landing Craft Infantry) in Naples harbor.
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