tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77251548066339289192024-03-17T18:23:40.039+01:00Invisible ParisAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.comBlogger611125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-22958339161025326312021-08-30T18:00:00.001+02:002021-09-29T11:44:52.823+02:00Week 35: the death of an English clown100 years ago this week: Week 35Looking back a century can sometimes take you even further into the past. The death of one of the best known clowns in France sparked nostalgia in journalists for the belle époque, a simpler time of joy, prosperity and family trips to the circus and the music hall. If France had grown more morose as the twentieth century progressed, so had Footit the (English)Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-77889376400182491782021-08-23T18:00:00.001+02:002021-09-13T17:37:31.977+02:00Week 34: Manfield-Hotspur - the first desirable sporting brand100 years ago this week: Week 34Sport was an amateur affair in France at the beginning of the 1920s, but those who participated still desired serious equipment. With more and more people taking part, players wanted to look the part and use the same gear as their semi-professional idols. On the football field, one Franco-British brand was starting to corner the market, with success stemming from Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-29283498398478334392021-08-16T18:00:00.001+02:002021-09-09T14:40:13.928+02:00Week 33: a plague on Paris100 years ago this week: Week 33The 1920s was an era of modernism and progress, but in certain respects, Paris was still a medieval city. The archaic nature of the sanitary conditions in some districts - overlooked most of the time - only became an issue when infectious diseases broke out. Was the plague about to make a comeback in 1921? Scratch your itch here.The Plague in Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-43056731834259347282021-08-09T18:00:00.001+02:002021-08-27T14:45:36.069+02:00Week 32: a scene on a bus100 years ago this week: Week 32A rapid interaction on a bus observed by a journalist - recreated in words in the form of a scene from an imaginary film - tells us more about the invisible effects of World War One that were still hanging heavily in the air in 1921. Life had returned to normal, but nothing would ever be totally normal for those that had lived through the conflict.Hop on the bus Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-35256260810265904592021-08-02T18:00:00.001+02:002021-08-20T11:14:45.559+02:00Week 31: the Bateaux-Mouches are back!100 years ago this week: Week 31World War One didn't have many direct impacts on Paris, but the indirect effects were deep and long-lasting. Beyond the terrible human suffering and financial shock, many more unexpected parts of city life were interrupted. This was the case with Paris's passenger boats, which in the summer of 2021 were finally getting back on the water.Take a trip down the Seine Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-29021960026345281592021-07-26T18:00:00.001+02:002021-08-19T12:14:30.657+02:00Week 30: a daring - and failed - robbery on the rue Chauveau-Lagarde100 years ago this week: Week 30Looking back 100 years into the past reveals how much some parts of Paris have changed in a century. An incident that took place near the Place de la Madeleine one warm July evening in 1921 is one such portal into the past.Push open the doors to a different world here.Daring robbery, rue Chauveau-LagardeYesterday evening, as they were closing their coal and wine Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-69540508717970725262021-07-19T18:00:00.078+02:002021-08-11T16:53:37.263+02:00Week 29: The best summer terrace in Paris...in 1921!100 years ago this week: Week 29Although many people left Paris for summer residences in July and August, those who remained in the city could still find plenty of places to cool down. For evening entertainment, the shaded garden of the Bal Bullier near the Jardin du Luxembourg was the place to be.Come through the entrance gates here.(Comoedia, July 21, 1921)In 1921, the Bal Bullier had already Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-59265339306282157922021-07-13T10:49:00.000+02:002021-07-13T10:49:02.405+02:00Week 28: July 14 on the beach in Paris100 years ago this week: Week 28What did Parisians do on July 14, 1921? Like every year on this national holiday, they danced in the streets and drank a little too much. With temperatures soaring though, many were also tempted to head down to the banks of the Seine and take a splash in the water!Dive in here for more details.Paris beachesThe high temperatures have given rise to a spontaneous Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-2323330160315783742021-07-06T12:10:00.000+02:002021-07-06T12:10:27.736+02:00Week 27: a strange machine in the Paris sky100 years ago this week: Week 27In the early 1920s, Parisians were becoming used to seeing strange flying machines in the sky above the city, but the passage over Paris of a gigantic air balloon one sunny July evening was still a remarkable event, As well as being physically impressive, it was also a sign of victory, and the pointer towards a future that would never really happen.Pull out your Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-14833998584575781652021-06-28T17:00:00.005+02:002021-06-28T17:04:22.928+02:00Week 26: How did Parisians get 'live' news from the Dempsey - Carpentier fight in New Jersey?100 years ago this week: Week 26One of the biggest and longest running stories of 1921 came to a dramatic conclusion in the first weekend of July. 5700km from Paris, boxer and local favourite Georges Carpentier took on American heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey, but Parisians still found ways to follow the fight almost blow by blow. How did they manage to stay up-to-date in a pre-radio era, and how Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-20933719091991993512021-06-21T17:00:00.125+02:002021-06-21T17:00:00.214+02:00Week 25: Explosion in the cocaine trade100 years ago this week: Week 25The end of World War One brought peace and a return to normality, but for the press and the medical profession, a new menace to society was on the horizon - cocaine. Traffic and consumption were growing rapidly throughout France, and the police and judicial system were seemingly completely out of step with this new reality. What was the actual situation, where was Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-85000805404098987432021-06-14T17:00:00.098+02:002021-06-14T17:00:00.194+02:00Week 24: The invention that didn't take off100 years ago this week: Week 24In the early decades of the twentieth century, pulling away from the gravitational pull of our planet and taking to the skies became an obsession. Convential aviation was developing at an incredibly rapid pace, but a number of dreamers also believed they could be at one with the birds using just their own strength and a bit of home engineering. One champion cyclistAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-4574226501317848042021-06-07T17:00:00.060+02:002021-06-07T17:00:00.208+02:00Week 23: Georges Carpentier, champion boxer and maker of pots and pans100 years ago this week: Week 23In June 1921, French World Champion boxer Georges Carpentier was preparing for the biggest fight of his life - a world title combat in the USA against local favourite Jack Dempsey. The forthcoming confrontation had given Carpentier immense star power in France, with his life story being serialised in the press, as well as some rather unexpected commercial Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-7910920892672822822021-05-31T17:00:00.133+02:002021-05-31T17:00:00.198+02:00Week 22: Paris chosen to host the 1924 Olympics - thanks to an imaginary project!100 years ago this week: Week 22In the night of June 2, 1921, the International Olympic Committee voted 16 to 4 to select Paris as the organising city for the next Olympic Games, to be held in 1924. The news was not greeted with much interest in the press, with journalists perhaps aware that the city had no actual facilities or sporting culture. That would all change though in time for the Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-88030760954216676142021-05-24T17:00:00.178+02:002021-05-24T17:00:00.216+02:00Week 21: Vive la Commune !100 years ago this week: Week 21In the history of Paris, May 21 - 28, 1871 is known as the Semaine Sanglante, the bloody week when thousands were killed as government forces took back control of the city from the Communards. We mark the 150th anniversary of these tragic events this year, but 100 years ago the commemorations were far from front-page news. Instead, the mainstream press chose to Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-77269316235078484792021-05-17T17:00:00.360+02:002021-05-17T19:18:09.350+02:00Week 20: Marie Curie arrives in New York with her two daughters100 years ago this week: Week 20In May 1921, Marie Curie crossed the Atlantic with her daughters, not to visit the new world but instead to collect a gramme of radium that had been paid for by dontations from hundreds of American women. The wonderful photo - published on the front page of Excelsior as she arrived in New York - features four remarkable women, flag bearers of a different new Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-64490155901034124092021-05-10T17:00:00.063+02:002021-05-10T17:00:00.237+02:00Week 19: The Republic of Montmartre is proclaimed100 years ago this week: Week 19A town outside of the Paris walls until 1860, Montmartre proclaimed itself to be an independant from the city once again 60 years later, following the initiative of a group of artists. The Republic is in reality an association based around charitable initiatives for children and annual festivities, but is still going strong today.Cross the border below.(Le Petit Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-36017447067269378262021-05-03T17:00:00.390+02:002021-05-11T08:47:26.344+02:00Week 18: The troublesome centenary of Napoleon's death100 years ago this week: Week 18Paris is marking the bicentenary of the death of Napoleon this year with low-key exhibitions and sober colour supplements. 100 years ago however, the centenary was far more controversial. Given ongoing tensions with Germany, was it appropriate to celebrate the life of an imperialist and one of history's biggest warmongers? If opinions differed Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-20830950344768946042021-04-26T17:00:00.353+02:002021-04-27T08:42:21.266+02:00Week 17: Baptistin Travail, a gentleman-burglar fit for the cinema100 years ago this week: Week 17When a daring, ingenious and charming French career burglar was arrested in Rio de Janeiro, the press could not help making a link to the rapidly developing film industry. His life, exploits - and arrest - seemed to make a perfect movie scenario, but little did journalists know that the most dramatic was yet to come. Get your popcorn ready and read on.Is it becauseAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-86560425785198475512021-04-19T17:00:00.521+02:002021-04-19T17:00:00.209+02:00Week 16: Red Star win the Coupe de France in an American stadium100 years ago this week: Week 16A century ago, Red Star, the football club I follow in France, won its first French Cup. I couldn't ignore that fact in this series! Beyond this simple statistic though, what struck me about the event was the stadium in which the game was played - a facility in Paris built by American soldiers after WW1.Kick off the centenary celebrations here.Excelsior, April 25, Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-15936014108420449552021-04-12T17:00:00.192+02:002021-04-26T18:18:20.235+02:00Week 15: Charlot, the criminal acrobat who fell to earth100 years ago this week: Week 15Sharing the name of the most popular movie character of the era, a daring acrobat gained his renown by putting his gymnastic skills to criminal ends. This week one hundred years ago, his life in crime came to a sticky end.Take a leap back into the past here.Charlot the acrobat who stole in stationsCharlot, an acrobat otherwise known as Jean-Marie Daudennet, Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-5813596193238611432021-04-05T17:00:00.423+02:002021-04-09T18:49:49.168+02:00Week 14: What was the population of Paris in 1921?100 years ago this week: Week 14In April 1921, the first population census of Paris and its surrounding towns for a decade was published. Although I accept this probably fascinates me much more than it might you, I encourage you to dive into the data with me. The numbers reveal a city on the cusp of major changes, and a very different Paris from the one we know today.Come and mingle with theAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-10832455880934418892021-03-29T17:00:00.114+02:002021-03-29T17:00:00.132+02:00Week 13: Cinema in the year 2021100 years ago this week: Week 13When I take my trips back into 1921 I feel like an invisible observer of another world. What I didn't expect was to find somebody heading the other way to look into my world! And I certainly didn't expect them to have predicted Netflix, personal video cameras and online dating!Take a trip into the past and back to the future.(Click on the image to see a full-size Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-47725837355339485232021-03-22T17:00:00.437+01:002021-03-22T17:00:00.232+01:00Week 12: Rue de la Paix, then and now100 years ago this week: Week 12Turning to the back page of the March 23 edition of the Excelsior newspaper, I was delighted to find a beautiful full-page promotional map highlighting a selection of establishments on the Rue de la Paix and surrounding streets. How many of these are still in place today I wondered…Take a stroll along the street with me to find out.(Click on the image to see Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7725154806633928919.post-62152412885725351802021-03-15T17:00:00.191+01:002021-03-15T17:00:00.122+01:00Week 11: the 50th anniversary of the Paris Commune100 years ago this week: Week 11This week in 2021, France is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune. How did the country and city commemorate the 50th anniversary in March 1921? If the subject was still politically charged and the date ignored by most papers, on a human level it was fascinating. 100 years ago, surviving witnesses could still be found and interviewed!Read on to Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06453626318828119830noreply@blogger.com4