Historical Echoes

These were the pop stars of a century ago - Serge Lifar, Ukrainian-French ballett star with the famous 'Ballets Russes' (the most influential ballet company of the 20th century, from 1909-1929, Paris), Josephine Baker, American-French dancer, singer, actor, civil rights icon, Resistance fighter, and all around superstar of 1920s-1950s, and Felia Doubrovska, Russian and later American ballerina. When they travelled to the Côte d’Azur or Venice, they were often having fun dancing and showing off on the beach - these are not in any way photos of performances, but a group of friends, dancers, singers, artists, going to the beach and taking photos of each other...

A compliance workaround captured by photographer Sanford Roth in Los Angeles, 1956. Despite the prominent "No Dogs or Pets Allowed in Zoo" sign, Paul Newman decided to tour the grounds with a Siamese cat perched on his shoulder while eating an ice cream bar.

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This photograph was captured by prominent Brazilian photographer Walter Firmo in 1970. It was part of his renowned documentary series titled "Cem dias na Amazônia de ninguém" (One hundred days in no man's Amazon), which won the Esso Journalism Award (Prêmio Esso de Jornalismo). The image documents a family navigating the seasonal river floods in the Amazon region.

Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Paul Sr and Anna Heller on May 8, 1927, Paul Heller was their oldest son with two younger siblings.
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he tried to enlist locally in the Marine Corps but was rejected due to his age (14).

Undeterred, young Paul travelled to Savannah, Georgia, and with the help of a fictional Aunt’s signature on the parent/guardian consent form and lying that he was born in 1923, Paul was able to enlist in the Marine Corps on February 17, 1942.

After boot camp Paul was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
They landed at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942 and participated in the capture of the Japanese airfield under construction which would become Henderson Field.

Two months later on the afternoon of October 7th, it was observed that a group of around 150 Japanese soldiers had established a position on the US side of the Matanikau River.
The ensuing battle from October 7-9 resulted in a decisive US victory as the Marines had learned from past mistakes.

On October 8th, PVT Paul Heller was Killed in Action during the battle.
His remains were brought home in 1948 and buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - Section 2 Site 0425.

The notices of his death were sent to his fictional aunt and his father who was the recipient of his death benefits.

His parents were separated at the time, and its possible Paul’s mother never knew he had enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Martin Laurello was born Martin Emmerling in Bavaria, Germany, in 1885. In the early 20th century, he became one of the most baffling sideshow acts under the moniker "The Owl Man."

Contrary to what many assumed, Laurello was not born with a physiological anomaly. According to historical accounts, he achieved this ability through years of disciplined physical conditioning, using leather and iron straps to stretch his spine and neck muscles. Another popular legend from the vaudeville circuits suggested that this extreme flexibility originated from a severe neck trauma he suffered early in his career.

His most famous public demonstration took place in Philadelphia in 1926. He performed before roughly 300 medical professionals at an osteopathic convention hosted by Dr. Horace Flack, completely astonishing the doctors as to how a human spine could endure such a wide range of motion without fatal damage. Retiring from the stage around 1952, Laurello passed away in the mid-1950s.