If you happen to be in Downey, California, you can take a step back into fast food history.. This city boasts the oldest McDonald’s restaurant in existence.
The restaurant opened in 1953 and though it has been renovated, the franchise carefully retained it in its original condition. Its iconic red and white striped exterior remains, along with a 60-foot tall neon sign featuring "Speedee the Chef." It still has walk-up windows and outdoor seating.
Employees at this restaurant proudly wear the same uniforms they would have worn in the 1950s. These include white shirts and bolo ties, and paper hats. The store retained the original menu featuring hamburgers, cheeseburgers and fries. You can even order an old-fashioned milkshake. They also decided to update their menu with Big Macs, Happy Meals, and other more modern items.
The old building also boasts an addition housing a museum and gift shop, which were added during its restoration.
The Speedee McDonald’s is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, which would ensure its survival.
If you would like to stop by this piece of history, Spedee McDonald’s is located on Lakewood Avenue at the intersection with Florence Avenue. You can also visit its website here
Friday, February 22, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
The World’s Oldest Working Computer
It may be old and slow, but it has been brought back to life, and that’s no small accomplishment. The world’s oldest working computer is 64 years old. And it has reclaimed its place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Its first entry as the world’s oldest working computer in the Guinness Book of World Records ended in 1973 when it was decommissioned.
The computer is Britain’s Harwell Dekatron, also known as the WITCH computer. The 2.5-ton monster was built in 1951 at Britain’s Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Harwell, Oxfordshire. It was built to be reliable rather than fast, and it certainly lived up to expectations over its long life. It needs 10 seconds to divide a number, for example.
Volunteers spent three years restoring the giant machine and it was rebooted in 2012. The monster stands 6-1/2 feet (2 m) tall, nearly 20 feet (6 m) wide, and 39 inches deep. It contained 828 vacuum tubes with 480 relays and 7073 relay switches. One hundred ninety-nine lamps are used to interact with the machine.
The WITCH computer is now on display at the National Museum of Computing in Bletchley Park, where it serves as a teaching tool.
If nothing else, the Harwell Dekatron computer shows us how far technology has come in a few short years. You can find more information about this venerable giant here
The computer is Britain’s Harwell Dekatron, also known as the WITCH computer. The 2.5-ton monster was built in 1951 at Britain’s Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Harwell, Oxfordshire. It was built to be reliable rather than fast, and it certainly lived up to expectations over its long life. It needs 10 seconds to divide a number, for example.
Volunteers spent three years restoring the giant machine and it was rebooted in 2012. The monster stands 6-1/2 feet (2 m) tall, nearly 20 feet (6 m) wide, and 39 inches deep. It contained 828 vacuum tubes with 480 relays and 7073 relay switches. One hundred ninety-nine lamps are used to interact with the machine.
The WITCH computer is now on display at the National Museum of Computing in Bletchley Park, where it serves as a teaching tool.
If nothing else, the Harwell Dekatron computer shows us how far technology has come in a few short years. You can find more information about this venerable giant here
Friday, February 8, 2013
The World’s Oldest Running Car
A steam-powered car built in France is the oldest running car in the world at the age of 128 years. Though it is one of six of its kind still in existence of the twenty that were built, it is the only one that still runs.
The car, a De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, was originally built in 1884 especially for French Count De Dion, one of the three founders of the company that built it. It reportedly remained in one family for 81 years before being sold.
The design features three wheels, two in front and one in the rear. It is powered by coal, wood and paper, and takes about half an hour to build up enough steam to move. When it does, though, it can achieve a top speed of about 38 miles an hour, which was remarkable in its day. It can go about 20 miles on a tankful of water.
"Le Marquise," as it was nicknamed, is said to have been the only car to show up for the world’s first automobile race in 1887, averaging 16 miles per hour over the 20-mile long course.
The car was sold to an unidentified buyer for $4.6 million at an auction held in Hershey, Pennsylvania in October 2011. It literally came onto the stage under its own steam, to the delight of the audience.
If you are interested in seeing pictures of this remarkable old vehicle, go here
The car, a De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, was originally built in 1884 especially for French Count De Dion, one of the three founders of the company that built it. It reportedly remained in one family for 81 years before being sold.
The design features three wheels, two in front and one in the rear. It is powered by coal, wood and paper, and takes about half an hour to build up enough steam to move. When it does, though, it can achieve a top speed of about 38 miles an hour, which was remarkable in its day. It can go about 20 miles on a tankful of water.
"Le Marquise," as it was nicknamed, is said to have been the only car to show up for the world’s first automobile race in 1887, averaging 16 miles per hour over the 20-mile long course.
The car was sold to an unidentified buyer for $4.6 million at an auction held in Hershey, Pennsylvania in October 2011. It literally came onto the stage under its own steam, to the delight of the audience.
If you are interested in seeing pictures of this remarkable old vehicle, go here
Friday, February 1, 2013
The World’s Oldest Known Flag
This record is going to prove to be hard to beat. The metal flag, known as the Shahdad Flag, is about 5,000 years old. It was found in 1971 by a team of archaeologists working at Dasht-e Lut in the Khabis region of eastern Iran.
Mounted on a 1.09 meter (40 inches) long metal pole, the flag itself measures approximately 22 centimeters by 24 centimeters (about 9" x 9"). A perching eagle adorns one end of the pole.
The engraving on the flag feature a woman standing behind sitting goddess. Other figures include three women, two lions with a long-horned cow standing between them. There is a garden featuring two palm trees, and another palm tree was placed beneath the feet of the three women. A flower-shaped motif located between the goddess and the three women is believed to represent the sun while twisted patterns have been interpreted as flowing water. Taken all together, the designs carved into the flag seem to represent an idyllic landscape
.
The flag is surrounded by a thick metal frame with two moving metal hooks.
The flag is currently thought to be under repair. It is reported that once it is restored it will be placed on display, although there is currently no information on when or where it will be housed.
Two other brass plates were also found at the site. These plates were decorated with depictions of fish and deer. Experts point out that the techniques used in creating the flag and the brass plates were highly advanced and are fine examples of the metalwork produced in the Khabis region.
Mounted on a 1.09 meter (40 inches) long metal pole, the flag itself measures approximately 22 centimeters by 24 centimeters (about 9" x 9"). A perching eagle adorns one end of the pole.
The engraving on the flag feature a woman standing behind sitting goddess. Other figures include three women, two lions with a long-horned cow standing between them. There is a garden featuring two palm trees, and another palm tree was placed beneath the feet of the three women. A flower-shaped motif located between the goddess and the three women is believed to represent the sun while twisted patterns have been interpreted as flowing water. Taken all together, the designs carved into the flag seem to represent an idyllic landscape
.
The flag is surrounded by a thick metal frame with two moving metal hooks.
The flag is currently thought to be under repair. It is reported that once it is restored it will be placed on display, although there is currently no information on when or where it will be housed.
Two other brass plates were also found at the site. These plates were decorated with depictions of fish and deer. Experts point out that the techniques used in creating the flag and the brass plates were highly advanced and are fine examples of the metalwork produced in the Khabis region.
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