This Day in History – May 1st, 1863

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In a speech in Mount Vernon on May 1, 1863, Clement Laird Vallandigham declared that the Civil War was being fought to gain “the freedom of the blacks and the enslavement of the whites.”

He went on to say that President Abraham Lincoln was using the war as an excuse to squelch Constitutional rights.

Days later, federal troops broke down the door at his home on Wilkinson and First Streets in Dayton. He was arrested for violation of General Order 38, which prohibited declarations of sympathy for the Confederacy.

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Wright Library Literary Zine Reception

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As we shared back in February, Wright Memorial Public Library turned 80 this year!

To celebrate, Wright Library decided to publish an art and literary zine made up of poetry, short stories, essays, and art focusing on the Miami Valley, the Wright Brothers, and more.

We both submitted written pieces to the zine, and we were both lucky enough to be selected for publication in the zine Glide and the online zine, Glide On! We will update with the link after the online zine is released!

There is a reception and open mic tonight from 7-8:30 at Wright Library to celebrate the release of the print and online zines! If you are interested in a copy of the print edition or want to join the festivities, please stop by!

Wright Memorial Public Library
1776 Far Hills Avenue
Oakwood, Ohio 45419

Also, next weekend is the Gem City Made craft show! We went last year and had a blast!

Where:
Beavercreek Nazarene Church
1850 N Fairfield Road
Beavercreek, OH 45432

When:
Saturday, May 4th, 2019 from 9am-3pm

This Day in History – April 19, 1919

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One hundred years ago today, Leslie Leroy Irvin successfully tested the Type-A parachute by jumping from an airplane. The new chute performed without issue, but Irvin broke his ankle upon landing.

During WWI, Irvin joined the Parachute Research Team of the Army Air Service. The expanding aviation industry created a need for parachutes in the event of aircraft failure. Irvin helped develop the Airplane Free-Fall Parachute Type-A. This parachute incorporated 3 elements:

  • Parachutes needed to be stored in a pack on the user’s back
  • A ripcord, to manually deploy the parachute a safe distance away from the plane.
  • A pilot chute that would draw the main canopy out of the main pack.

Irvin was so confident in this product that he volunteered to test it himself. With pilot James Floyd Smith at the controls, Irvin jumped. As a result of his jump, the new parachute was put into production. Months later, Irvin formed the Irving Air Chute Company in Buffalo, New York.

A popular story is that the company was intended to be named the Irvin Air Chute Company, but a secretary spelled Irvin’s name wrong and he never bothered to correct it. According to the company, the earliest man to be saved by an Irving Parachute was William O’Connor at McCook Field.

Dayton Crafty Con 2019

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We went to Crafty Con on April 5th, and had a blast!

As we do every year, we absolutely loved all of the fantastic scented lotions, candles, waxes, and soaps at Tasha’s Common Scents – especially the Black Ice, Volcano, and Thunderstorm scents!

We also had an absolute blast talking to Sew Late at Night learning all of the backstories of the creatures they make.

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Crafty Con 2019 is Tonight!

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Crafty Con 2019 is tonight! This craft show features local artists and crafters and serves as a fundraiser for Sideshow. This is definitely one of our favorite events to attend every year!

When:
Today, April 5th, 2019 from 5pm to 10pm

Where:
Yellow Cab Tavern
700 East 4th Street
Dayton OH 45402

Crafty Con in years past:

Look for us there!

This Day in History – March 26, 1913

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106 years ago, the worst flood disaster in Ohio history hit Dayton. Water flowed through the Great Miami and its tributaries at ten times its capacities. The amount of water flowing through Dayton’s river channel was equivalent to the amount of water flowing through Niagara Falls in four days.

Here are a few facts about the Great Flood of 1913:

  • There were 467 deaths recorded statewide.

  • 92 deaths were recorded in Dayton, but the National Weather Service estimates between 98 and 123.

  • After the flood, teak and mahogany from Dayton that was used to make railroad cars was found as far downriver as New Orleans.

  • The Dayton Sanitation Department reported 133,600 wagon loads of debris moved, 13,991 houses and cellars cleaned, 1,420 dead horses and 2,000 other dead animals removed.

  • The Dayton Library lost 46,000 books.

  • The flood waters caused many ruptured gas lines, which in turn caused many fires.

  • Ohio Governor James Cox called the 1913 flood “The Nation’s worst tragedy since the Civil War.”

  • President Woodrow Wilson offered to come to Ohio to do what he could to help.

  • Water rushed through the streets at speeds up to 25 MPH.

  • Before surveying the land, Israel Ludlow was warned by the Natives that this area was prone to flooding, but he ignored their warnings.

    We were on Gem City Tonight!

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    Our appearance on Gem City Tonight is now live! Thanks so much to Andrew Mitakides and Gem City Tonight for having us!

    The line up for the episode was:

    Dayton Unknown
    And Lucky, Mr. Gay Ohio 2018

    And always, the musical stylings of Aimee James and the Gems!

    Check it out!

    Dayton Unknown will be on Gem City Tonight!

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    We’ve been talking about the new local late-night style talk show Gem City Tonight a lot lately, and we are pleased to say that Dayton Unknown will be appearing as guests on the show!

    We taped our appearance last night, and had such a blast doing it. The crew and audience were such a great group to be around.

    You can watch our segment during the show that will air on Saturday, March 16th at 8pm.

    According to DATV’s website, “DATV can be seen exclusively on Spectrum channel 5 in the City of Dayton, Riverside and Butler Twp. and channels 5, 6, or 23 in Dayton’s northern suburbs.” In addition, you can live-stream, and watch on YouTube.

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    “Realign” by Matt Penny

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    Releasing today! Realign is an instrumental album by local artist, Matt Penny. We talked to Matt and asked for some information about his album and honestly, he said it best:

    “Realign has been the longest project I’ve ever worked on. I started initially in late 2015. I realize now I was way too ambitious when it came to my expectations. I had released some stuff in high school, but I wanted something that sounded a little more professional. I had been in recording studios before and thought you basically just turned knobs until it sounded good. I had no idea that mixing/mastering/engineering music was a whole other level of skill. It’s an art in itself, just like song writing.

    Matt Penny

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