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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
From the Farm: Monon train trail links memories of San Pierre, Greta Garbo and French Lick resort
In the past 16 years of my journalism career traveling throughout Lake and Porter counties, I've always been fascinated by a nod to our farm railroad roots, a 'hidden in plain sight' gem which seems to draw very little attention near the state lines of Indiana and Illinois, where the towns of Lansing and Munster meet. The Monon Trailhead is a beautiful, small plaza featuring a glorious large park fountain, a few benches and maps which recall the days of the vital Monon Railway system which linked Chicago to southern Indiana and beyond. This landscape monument marker was unveiled in 2012 to herald the opening of the adjacent bike and walking path connecting Hammond and Munster to the adjoining communities and beyond. The Monon Railroad and parallel New York Central tracks began transporting people, produce and other precious cargo through our small town of San Pierre in the mid-1800s. San Pierre was a stop on the route for President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train and also a 'whistle stop' along the railroad campaign trail for the Presidential campaign of Harry S. Truman. Just a few towns farther down U.S. Highway 421, which splits through San Pierre, is the town of Monon, named for the two creeks along the rural fields that surround the town. The Potawatomi Tribe named these creeks 'Monong,' a term which means 'swift running.' Since the heart of the town happened to be the junction where the various Monon train lines merged, Lafayette to Louisville, Kentucky and then a line from Indianapolis to serve the eastern part of the Hoosier state and yet another line directly north to Michigan City, the president of the future Monon Railways Company James Brooks opted to use the vast available land for two train yards and corporate headquarters. The Monon Railroad is also credited for the number of notable celebrities and famous guests who opted to seek luxury seclusion and respite in remote southern Indiana after the turn of the century at the internationally famous French Lick Hotel and Resort, located two hours south of Indianapolis. Thomas Taggart, the former mayor of Indianapolis from 1895 to 1901, purchased the hotel and resort property with other investors, such as William McDoel, the new president of the Monon Railroad. The business partners arranged for railways to be laid directly to a drop-off landing at the French Lick resort with daily passenger service from Chicago. French Lick Hotel and Resort became famous for a few specialties, including the invention of 'tomato juice' served by Chef Louis Perrin as a result of a lack of shipment of fresh oranges in 1917, forcing him to serve guests the squeezed fresh tangy juice from plump tomatoes as his alternative, which soon shot to preference popularity both near and far as a favorite new menu trend. The French Link property, rich with limestone under the landscape, was also world-renowned for its 'healthy natural spring' and a bottled elixir branded as 'Pluto Water' that was hailed for its healthy properties. Lastly, a hidden casino was a favorite secret draw for the rich, famous and infamous during the decades when drinking and gambling were shunned as vices. Those who stayed at the French Lick resort included the Vanderbilt family, actor John Barrymore, billionaire Howard Hughes, movie stars Greta Garbo, Lana Turner, Abbott and Costello, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, along with musical icons Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin and Louis Armstrong, and noted politicians such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Enigmatic Greta Garbo, who had successfully made the transition from silent films to 'talking pictures,' shocked Hollywood when she retired from movies in 1941 at age 36. Her one visit to French Lick likely came around 1938 when the famously reclusive film star wanted to avoid newspaper reporters during her train's Chicago layover. She dodged the press by switching trains and taking the Monon to French Lick for an unplanned getaway. Though the Monon Rail System is long gone, some associated train traditions with the railway company are alive and well. Wabash College in Crawfordsville has a 300-pound locomotive bell, compliments of the old Monon, which serves as the campus 'victory bell.' During the football season, while playing rival DePauw University in Greencastle, the victor takes temporary ownership of the bell prize. (The DePauw Tigers are currently in possession of the bell.) Swedish star Garbo, who once famously uttered 'I just want to be alone' on the big screen in the 1932 film 'Grand Hotel,' lived out those very words until she died at her New York apartment at age 84 in 1990. She had made her film fortune (and invested it wisely) during a time before there were any payroll taxes, a law that changed in 1935 courtesy of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She lived alone without maids, a secretary or personal assistants, and refused to sign autographs, respond to fan mail or grant press interviews. She had her groceries delivered and dined simply, such as the following recipe shared years later by her apartment neighbor and one of the few people she associated with at her New York City high-rise. 1 can (14 ounces) Campbell's condensed tomato soup 1 can water 1 bay leaf Freshly ground pepper (Greta didn't state how much) 1 scant teaspoon sugar 1 ripe tomato, finely chopped 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup watercress, chopped (leaves and stems) Directions: Put soup and water in an enamel or stainless-steel saucepan. Heat briefly, add the bay leaf, pepper and sugar and stir to blend. Bring to boil and add chopped tomato and simmer until tomato is cooked, about 10 minutes. Add cream and heat briefly, do not boil. Remove bay leaf and serve in heated soup plates; garnish with watercress.
Chicago Tribune
17-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Disneyland opens
Today is Thursday, July 17, the 198th day of 2025. There are 167 days left in the year. Today in History: On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, after its $17 million, yearlong construction; the park drew a million visitors in its first 10 weeks. Also on this date: In 1862, during the Civil War, Congress approved the Second Confiscation Act, which declared that all slaves taking refuge behind Union lines were to be set free. In 1902, Willis Carrier produced a set of designs for what would become the world's first modern air-conditioning system. In 1918, Russia's Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks. In 1936, the Spanish Civil War began as right-wing army generals launched a coup attempt against the Second Spanish Republic. In 1944, during World War II, 320 men, two-thirds of them African-Americans, were killed when a pair of ammunition ships exploded at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in California. In 1945, following Nazi Germany's surrender, President Harry S. Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill began meeting at Potsdam in the final Allied summit of World War II. In 1975, an Apollo spaceship docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit in the first superpower link-up of its kind. In 1981, 114 people were killed when a pair of suspended walkways above the lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed during a tea dance. In 1996, TWA Flight 800, a Europe-bound Boeing 747, exploded and crashed off Long Island, New York, shortly after departing John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 230 people on board. In 2014, all 298 passengers and crew aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 were killed when the Boeing 777 was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine; both Ukraine's government and pro-Russian separatists denied responsibility. In 2020, civil rights icon John Lewis, whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, died at age 80. In 2022, a report said nearly 400 law enforcement officials rushed to a mass shooting that left 21 people dead at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, but 'egregiously poor decision-making' resulted in a chaotic scene that lasted more than an hour before the gunman was finally confronted and killed. Today's Birthdays: Former sportscaster Verne Lundquist is 85. Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom is 78. Rock musician Terry 'Geezer' Butler is 76. Actor Lucie Arnaz is 74. Actor David Hasselhoff is 73. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is 71. Film director Wong Kar-wai is 67. Television producer Mark Burnett is 65. Singer Regina Belle is 62. Country music artist Craig Morgan is 61. Rock musician Lou Barlow is 59. Actor Bitty Schram (TV: 'Monk') is 57. Actor Jason Clarke is 56. Movie director F. Gary Gray is 56. Country singer Luke Bryan is 49. Film director/screenwriter Justine Triet is 47. R&B singer Jeremih is 38. Actor Billie Lourd is 33. NHL center Connor Bedard is 20.
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Today in History: Disneyland's opening day
In 1902, Willis Carrier produced a set of designs for what would become the world's first modern air-conditioning system. Advertisement In 1918, Russia's Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks. In 1936, the Spanish Civil War began as right-wing army generals launched a coup attempt against the Second Spanish Republic. In 1944, during World War II, 320 men, two-thirds of them African-Americans, were killed when a pair of ammunition ships exploded at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in California. In 1945, following Nazi Germany's surrender, President Harry S. Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin, and British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill began meeting at Potsdam in the final Allied summit of World War II. Advertisement In 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, after its $17 million, yearlong construction; the park drew a million visitors in its first 10 weeks. In 1975, an Apollo spaceship docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit in the first superpower link-up of its kind. In 1981, 114 people were killed when a pair of suspended walkways above the lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed during a tea dance. In 1996, TWA Flight 800, a Europe-bound Boeing 747, exploded and crashed off Long Island, New York, shortly after departing John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 230 people on board. In 2014, all 298 passengers and crew aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 were killed when the Boeing 777 was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine; both Ukraine's government and pro-Russian separatists denied responsibility. In 2020, civil rights icon John Lewis, whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, In 2022, a report said nearly 400 law enforcement officials rushed to a mass shooting that left 21 people dead at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, but 'egregiously poor decision-making' resulted in a chaotic scene that lasted more than an hour before the gunman was finally confronted and killed.
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First Post
26-06-2025
- General
- First Post
History Today: How the United Nations was formed 80 years ago
The United Nations Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, by nearly 50 nations in California. Signed at the historic Veterans' War Memorial Building in San Francisco, it established major organs of the UN, including the General Assembly, Security Council and International Court of Justice, among others. On this day in 1948, the Berlin Airlift, considered to be the biggest airlift during the Cold War years, took place in West Berlin read more President Harry S. Truman and the entire American delegation look on as Sen. Tom Connally signs the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, June 26, 1945. File image/AP The United Nations is the biggest intergovernmental organisation today that helps to maintain peace, foster cooperation and address global challenges across the world. But, following the end of World War II, several nations realised the need for an organisation to maintain peace within the world. So, on June 26, 1945, 50 nations came together to sign the United Nations Charter, often considered to be the founding treaty of the United Nations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. One of the biggest airlifts during the Cold War - the Berlin Airlift - began on this day in 1948 after the Soviet Union imposed a complete land, rail and water blockade on all access to West Berlin. In 1997, the first book in the Harry Potter series namely Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone debuted in the United Kingdom. Here is all that happened on this day. The United Nations Charter was signed The United Nations Charter was signed at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California, on June 26, 1945. The signing came in the aftermath of World War II, with the goal of preventing future global conflicts and fostering international cooperation. The conference, officially known as the United Nations Conference on International Organization, began on April 25, that brought together delegates who drafted and debated the founding principles of a new world body that would replace the ineffective League of Nations. The Charter was based on proposals put forward by China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944. President Harry Truman (left) signs the UN charter to complete its ratification, with Secretary of State James Byrnes watching. File image/AP Signed at the historic Veterans' War Memorial Building in San Francisco, the UN Charter consists of a preamble and 111 articles grouped into chapters. It outlines the purposes of the UN which are to maintain international peace and security, promote social progress and better standards of life, uphold human rights and foster international cooperation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Charter also established major organs of the UN, including the General Assembly, Security Council, International Court of Justice, Economic and Social Council, and the Secretariat. A major innovation was the Security Council's power to take binding action to address threats to peace. Now, it is observed as the United Nations Day. The Berlin Airlift began One of the biggest humanitarian and logistical operations during the Cold War began on this day in 1948 when the United States began airlifting people from West Berlin following the Soviet Union's blockade. After World War II , Germany had been divided into four occupation zones, controlled by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union. Berlin, although located within the Soviet-controlled zone, was similarly divided among the four powers. Tensions rapidly escalated when the Western Allies introduced a new currency, the Deutschmark, into West Berlin without Soviet approval. In retaliation, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered the blockade, intending to starve West Berlin into submission and force the Western powers to abandon the city. With limited ground forces in West Berlin , the Allies had a stark choice - abandon West Berlin or attempt to supply it by air. They chose the latter, launching 'Operation Vittles' (US) and 'Operation Plainfare' (UK). The first flights, primarily C-47s, delivered essential supplies like food, medicine and coal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The initial days were challenging, but the airlift quickly ramped up. Pilots flew round-the-clock, landing planes at Tempelhof, Gatow and the newly constructed Tegel Airport, sometimes as frequently as every 30 to 45 seconds. Despite Soviet harassment attempts and the harsh winter conditions, the Allies demonstrated unwavering resolve. The Berlin Airlift lasted for 11 months, successfully supplying over two million West Berliners with more than 2.3 million tons of cargo. The Soviets finally lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949, acknowledging its failure. First Harry Potter book released The literary world changed forever with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , the first book in JK Rowling's now-legendary Harry Potter series, on June 26, 1997. The story follows Harry Potter, an orphaned boy who discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard. Taken from a life of neglect with his cruel relatives, the Dursleys, Harry is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he finds friendship, courage, and the first hints of the dark past that connects him to the sinister Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone debuted in the United Kingdom. File image/Reuters Rowling, a struggling single mother at the time, wrote much of the book in cafes around Edinburgh, famously penning early drafts on napkins. Her manuscript was rejected by a dozen publishers before Bloomsbury took a chance on it, largely thanks to the enthusiastic response of the chairman's young daughter, who read the first chapter and demanded more. The book quickly garnered critical acclaim for its imaginative storytelling, rich characters and themes of friendship, courage and the timeless battle between good and evil. It laid the foundation for an epic seven-book series that would define a generation's childhood and inspire a massive media franchise, including blockbuster films, theme parks and spin-off works. The book was later released in the United States under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in September 1998. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This Day, That Year In 1979, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali announced his retirement from boxing. Elvis Presley performed in public for the last time on this day in 1977. On this day in 1963, During the Cold War, US President John F Kennedy delivered his famous Ich bin ein Berliner speech in West Berlin.
The Hill
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Senator Fulbright had a vision. His successors must see it through.
Last week, 11 of the 12 members of the Fulbright Board of Directors resigned, citing political interference in awarding Fulbright Scholar awards for the upcoming year. This comes less than two weeks after ten students and six researchers left Sweden after nine months away from home, returning to America to continue their educational and professional paths. Unless something changes, this year's Fulbright research grantees to Sweden, and those to other countries around the world, may be the last to make the trip, as the entire international cultural exchange program budget faces elimination in the budget bill. Since it was founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enjoyed bipartisan support because it has always been aligned first and foremost with our national interests. In the words of Sen. J. William Fulbright (D-Ark.), the American politician and statesman who served in the U.S. Senate between 1945 and 1974, Fulbright was designed to be 'a modest program with an immodest aim — the achievement in international affairs of a regime more civilized, rational and humane than the empty systems of power of the past,' as he said when the program was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In order to continue this work, Fulbright's successors today must act to restore this important program that has been paying huge dividends for nearly 80 years. The Fulbright scholars in Sweden, including myself, hail from institutions across the country. After a rigorous selection process over the course of a year, they were chosen to represent our country abroad, facing long winter days, to study critical issues such as immunities in malaria infections, potential treatments for chronic kidney disease, root causes of autoimmune disorders, fair uses of artificial intelligence, strengthened safety regulations in long-range rescue operations, long-term sustainability of oceanic food sources, and enhanced access to medical services. The Fulbright Program runs on a tight annual budget of $288 million, representing a minuscule share of America's international relations budget. Scholars and students are deployed to 165 countries around the world. Stipends to grantees are exceedingly modest, covering only room, board and incidental expenses. Limited financial support encourages grantees to explore local resources and even share accommodations. To survive the Nordic winter when the sun appeared only two or three hours each day, the 15 researchers in Sweden spent their free time participating in local sports teams and volunteering at health clinics and community service organizations. Their presence in community activities helped forge lifelong relationships and spread goodwill at a time when America's hard power is frequently questioned abroad. Since the program's inception, Fulbright recipients have gone on to win 62 Nobel prizes, 96 Pulitzer prizes and 17 Presidential Medals of Freedom. Eighty-two have been named MacArthur geniuses and 44 have become heads of state. The list of Fulbrighters is long, distinguished and bipartisan. Fulbrighter Linus Pauling, one of the founders of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology, won both the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the Nobel Peace Prize. Authors John Steinbeck, Edward Albee and John Updike were Fulbrighters, as is American soprano Renée Fleming. In the eyes of Fulbright, who himself received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993, the Fulbright Program was meant to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason and a little more compassion into world affairs, thereby increasing the chance that nations will learn to live in peace and friendship. The 2025 Swedish Fulbright researchers, representing the best and brightest our country has to offer, have done their part to contribute to this goal. I wish our senators could have seen them in action as I have. At a time when governmental funding priorities are scrutinized for fiscal efficiency, the Fulbright Program stands as a proven investment in education and diplomacy while promoting American values worldwide and shaping future leaders. Fulbright helps build a stronger, smarter, more prosperous United States. Eliminating its funding would be a poor investment in America's future, making the world a more dangerous place in the process. Christie S. Warren, the 2024-2025 Fulbright-Lund Distinguished Chair in Public International Law, is Professor of the Practice of International and Comparative Law and director of the Center for Comparative Legal Studies at William and Mary Law School.
