Pictures of Marilyn Monroe in Korea in February, 1954

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were on their honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan in February of 1954 when Marilyn received an invitation from General John E. Hull’s Far East command to entertain the U.S. troops stationed in war torn Korea. After a little thought and discussion with her husband she said yes. It should be said though that Joe objected to her going to Korea at that time as he feared for her safety. The armistice had just been signed in July of 1953 and she was going to do some of her shows very close to the front lines which was still a very dangerous place at that time, but she said it was ”the least she could do.”

Her whirlwind tour consisted of ten shows in four days in sub-zero temperatures. Wearing nothing but a skin tight, low cut, plum colored sequined gown, she wowed the troops with her singing, dancing, and banter. Everywhere she went she was greeted with warmth and appreciation. One Army Corps of Engineers officer said of Marilyn, “Of all the performers who came to us in Korea-and there were a half a dozen or so-she was the best...

It was bitter cold, but she was in no hurry to leave. Marilyn was a great entertainer. She made thousands of GI’s feel like she really cared.” Marilyn performed with a band made up of eleven servicemen called Anything Goes. Her pianist, Albert Guastafeste was taken aback by how down to earth and modest she was. He was quoted as saying,”Someone ought to go up to her and tell her she is Marilyn Monroe. She doesn’t seem to realize it. When you make a goof she tells you she’s sorry. When she goofs, she apologizes to me!”

During her tour she also visited hospitals in Japan where wounded servicemen lay, stopping to talk, shaking hands, signing autographs, posing with all that asked for pictures. Even though she was totally exhausted from the tour and caught a mild case of pneumonia, she later told her friend Amy Greene that the Korea tour was one of the highlights of her entire career.

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The 10 Gayest Album Covers of All Time

Maybe “suggestive” would have been a better word. Now before you all grumble about your favorite Menudo album not making the cut, understand that this list is amendable. Which covers do you think should have made the lineup?

10. “Hot Streets” (Chicago, 1978)

I wonder what the guy on right was thinking…”I gotta get the f#*k out of this picture, quick.”


9. “Lovesexy” (Prince, 1988)

If this was anyone other than Prince, it would have locked up a spot in the top 3…but it is Prince.


8. “Push Push” (Herbie Mann, 1971)

What can be more gay than a sweaty, naked jazz flautist? A sweaty, naked jazz flautist naming his album “Push Push”. At least it has bonus tracks.


7. “Live It Up” (Crosby, Stills, & Nash, 1990)

WTF?


6. “Return To Pooh Corner” (Kenny Loggins, 1994)

In Kenny’s defense, this was an album for children. The unicorn put it over the edge. It sold a half-million copies, so what the hell do I know.

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Vintage Photos of “Graf Zeppelin” LZ127 From the 1930s

The “Graf Zeppelin” LZ127 was the most traveled airship in history. It flew over 1 million miles including the first circumnavigation of the globe via airship. From 1931 to 1937 it operated scheduled service between Germany and Brazil.

Landing in Friedrichshafen 22/08/1935

Many people were needed to hold down the D-LZ127

Graf Zeppelin in Helsinki, Finland

May 4, 1970: The Kent State Shootings Happened

On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired on unarmed student protesters at Kent State, killing four and seriously injuring nine others. The horrific massacre is regarded as a historic moment of public unrest during the Vietnam War.

Ohio National Guardsmen clash with students at Kent State University on May 4, 1970.

The tragedy set off a nationwide student strike participated by no fewer than eight million students that shut down hundreds of colleges and universities and came to symbolize the sharp political and social divisions of the age.

Among the most potent images to emerge from the incident is this photo of 14-year-old runaway from Florida Mary Vecchio wailing over the body of Jeffrey Miller, one of the slain students. Snapped by John Filo, an undergraduate photojournalism major, the shot appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the country and won a Pulitzer Prize.

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, taken by Kent State photojournalism student John Filo, Mary Ann Vecchio can be seen screaming as she kneels by the body of a slain student.

At the time John Filo was in the University student photography lab when the shots rang out. He quickly ran outside and below recalls what happened:

The bullets were supposed to be blanks. When I put the camera back to my eye, I noticed a particular guardsman pointing at me. I said, “I’ll get a picture of this,” and his rifle went off. And almost simultaneously, as his rifle went off, a halo of dust came off a sculpture next to me, and the bullet lodged in a tree.

I dropped my camera in the realization that it was live ammunition. I don’t know what gave me the combination of innocence and stupidity... I started to flee--run down the hill and stopped myself. “Where are you going?” I said to myself, “This is why you are here!”

And I started to take pictures again. ... I knew I was running out of film. I could see the emotion welling up inside of her. She began to sob. And it culminated in her saying an exclamation. I can't remember what she said exactly … something like, “Oh, my God!”

To take the picture John used a Nikkormat camera with Tri-X film and most of the exposures were 1/500 between 5.6 and f 8 depending on whether the sun was behind a cloud or not.

On Friday, May 1, 1970, students at Kent State stage a protest on campus, the first in a series of protests.

A night of violence in downtown Kent is followed by a student march to the campus ROTC building the next day. Some students try to burn the building down. While the protesters claim they left the building intact and in the hands of campus police when they returned to their dorms, the building is destroyed. It is still not clear who burned it down.

The burning of the ROTC building brings the Ohio National Guard to the campus. Some students described their presence as "frightening," and called it a military takeover. Others said the guardsmen were congenial and chatted with the students, with no sense or feeling that violence would soon overtake the grounds.

The Ohio National Guard is called in to disperse a rally scheduled for at noon on May 4, 1970. Shortly after the protest began, guardsmen fired tear gas at the students. Some students said they were surprised the guardsmen followed them as they ran away from the tear gas. The guardsmen were clearly armed, but many students later said they believed their weapons were not loaded with actual ammunition.

A student throws a tear gas canister back at National Guardsmen. After several standoffs, the troops headed back up a hill in the direction of the ROTC building. As they reached the top, they turned toward the demonstrators and opened fire.

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These Are The Worst Album Covers Ever Created?

Not all album covers are created equal. Some album covers are so incredible that they can’t now be explained by the people who originally conceived of them. These are the worst album covers you’ll ever see.

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