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Somebody's Watching Me
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For the album, see Somebody's Watching Me (album).
"Somebody's Watching Me"
Side-A label of US 12-inch vinyl single
Single by Rockwell
from the album Somebody's Watching Me
B-side
"Somebody's Watching Me (Instrumental)"
Released
1984
Format
7" single
cassette single
Genre
Synth-funk[1]
Length
4:59 (Album version)
4:00 (Single version)
3:33 (Radio version)
Label
Motown M 1702
Songwriter(s)
Kennedy "Rockwell" Gordy
Producer(s)
Curtis Anthony Nolen
Rockwell
Rockwell singles chronology
"Somebody's Watching Me"
(1984) "Obscene Phone Caller"
(1984)
"Somebody's Watching Me"
(1984) "Obscene Phone Caller"
(1984)
Music video
"Somebody's Watching Me" on YouTube
"Somebody's Watching Me" is a song recorded by American singer Rockwell, released by the Motown label on January 14, 1984, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name. Rockwell's debut single release, the song features guest vocals by brothers Michael Jackson (in the chorus) and Jermaine Jackson (additional backing vocals).[2]
"Somebody's Watching Me" became a major commercial success internationally, topping the charts in Belgium, France and Spain, and reaching the Top 5 in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States (peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100). The song reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom, Rockwell's only Top 40 hit there.[3]
Contents
[hide]
1 Background and composition
2 Music video
2.1 Plot
3 Charts and certifications
3.1 Weekly charts
3.2 Year-end charts
3.3 Sales and certifications
4 DJ BoBo version: "Somebody Dance with Me"
5 Beatfreakz version
5.1 Track listing
5.2 Chart performance
6 Other cover versions
7 Sampling
8 Appearances in other media
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Background and composition[edit]
Rockwell is a son of Motown CEO Berry Gordy. At the time of the recording, Rockwell was estranged from his father and living with Ray Singleton, his father's ex-wife and the mother of his older half-brother, Kerry Gordy. Singleton served as executive producer on the project and would occasionally play some demo tracks to Berry. The elder Gordy was less than enthusiastic about Rockwell's music until he heard the single with a familiar voice featuring prominently on background vocals.[2][4]
"Somebody's Watching Me" was written in the key of C-sharp minor in 4
4 time with a tempo of 124 beats per minute. The vocals span from C4 to C5.[5]
Produced by Curtis Anthony Nolen, the song featured backing vocals by Michael and Jermaine Jackson, with Alan Murray on percussion.[2][6]
Music video[edit]
The music video to "Somebody's Watching Me" (which uses the radio edit instead of the album version) underscores the song's paranoid tone with a haunted house-inspired theme, including imagery of floating heads, ravens, graveyards, and shower scenes referencing Psycho.
Plot[edit]
The video opens with Rockwell coming home to discover that a newspaper in Chinese has been delivered to his doorstep. As he takes a quick shower, he begins to have strange visions (in a manner recalling The Dead Zone) of himself being pursued around his house by assorted ghoulish appartions, of the looming figure of a cadaverous-looking man, and of finding a tombstone engraved with his own name. His shower is interrupted when he hears something outside and goes out on his balcony to investigate. He is shocked to see the man from his visions standing at his gate, but as he struggles to get a better look in spite of the sun in his face he is greatly relieved to see that he is merely a mailman, coming to deliver the correct newspaper. As the mailman walks up the path towards the front porch, however, a brief close-up of his arm reveals that he is, in fact, a zombie. Rockwell emerges onto the porch to receive the paper, which the mailman genially hands over. As the mailman brings his other arm around to strike, Rockwell has just enough time to notice that he is not human.
Due in part to the popularity of the music video, the song is sometimes used for Halloween celebrations, with cover versions found in various collections of Halloween music.
Charts and certifications[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
Chart (1984)
Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 12
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 2
France (IFOP)[11] 1
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[13] 6
Italy (FIMI)[14] 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[18] 7
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[19] 5
Spain (AFYVE)[20] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[3] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[23] 2
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[24] 1
US Cash Box[25] 2
US Dance/Disco Top 80 (Billboard)[26] 3
US Top Tracks (Billboard)[26] 31
Year-end charts[edit]
Chart (1984)
Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[27] 13
Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles)[28] 28
France (IFOP)[29] 46
Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 46
Italy (FIMI)[14] 84
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[31] 16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[32] 46
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 26
US Cash Box[34] 21
US Top Black Singles (Billboard)[33] 12
Sales and certifications[edit]
Region
Certification
Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[35]
Gold 5,000^
France
354,000[36]
United States (RIAA)[37]
Gold 1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[37]
Gold 500,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
DJ BoBo version: "Somebody Dance with Me"[edit]
Main article: Somebody Dance with Me
DJ BoBo based his 1992 single "Somebody Dance with Me" on "Somebody's Watching Me" with new lyrics and rap. The DJ BoBo single reached No. 1 in Sweden and Switzerland, and the Top 5 in Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. In 2012, a remix of the hit was made by Remady titled "Somebody Dance With Me (Remady 2013 Mix)" by DJ BoBo featuring Manu-L. Released early in 2013, it charted on the Swiss Hitparade, reaching No. 4. The mix was made on the 20th anniversary of the initial hit by DJ BoBo in November 1992.
Beatfreakz version[edit]
"Somebody's Watching Me"
Single by Beatfreakz
Released
2006
Format
CD single
Length
2:48
Songwriter(s)
Kennedy "Rockwell" Gordy
Producer(s)
Beatfreakz
Beatfreakz singles chronology
"Somebody's Watching Me"
(2006) "Superfreak"
(2006)
"Somebody's Watching Me"
(2006) "Superfreak"
(2006)
Music video
"Somebody's Watching Me" on YouTube
In 2006, Dutch dance group Beatfreakz recorded a pseudo-cover of the song which sampled the chorus but omitted the verses. This version was a Top 10 hit in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Track listing[edit]
CD single
Somebody's Watching Me [Hi Tack Edit]
Somebody's Watching Me [Hi Tack Club Mix]
Somebody's Watching Me [E-Craig's 2006 Remix]
Somebody's Watching Me [DeNnis Christopher Remix]
Somebody's Watching Me [Ian Carey Club Mix]
Chart performance[edit]
Chart (2006)
Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[38] 38
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[39] 6
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[40] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Dance Flanders)[41] 17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Dance Wallonia)[42] 17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[43] 28
France (SNEP)[44] 18
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[45] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[46] 41
Ireland (IRMA)[47] 5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[48] 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[49] 21
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[50] 7
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[51] 28
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 65
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[53] 3
Other cover versions[edit]
Electro/hip hop artist/DJ/producers, Mysto & Pizzi, recorded a cover of the song for a series of GEICO television commercials.[54]
Sampling[edit]
TRU incorporated the lyrics and main melody of the chorus into their 1997 single "I Always Feel Like (Somebody's Watching Me)".[55]
In 2001, French hip hop group Fonky Family sampled the song in "Art de Rue".[56]
Canadian artist Virginia to Vegas sampled the chorus for his single "Lights Out".[57]
Appearances in other media[edit]
The Mysto & Pizzi cover version was featured in a series of commercials for GEICO that began airing in December 2008 and throughout 2009. The campaign, created by The Martin Agency,[58] consisted of various advertisements in which people would happen upon Kash, a stack of money with googly eyes, while the song is played in the background.
See also[edit]
List of number-one R&B singles of 1984 (U.S.)
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984
List of number-one singles of 1984 (France)
List of number-one singles of 1984 (Spain)
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Huey, Steve. "Rockwell – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 18, 2014. Son of Berry Gordy who scored a number two Hot 100 hit with the 1983 synth-funk single "Somebody's Watching Me."
^ Jump up to: a b c Somebody's Watching Me (Media notes). Rockwell. Hollywood, California: Motown Records. 1984.
^ Jump up to: a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Gordy Singleton, Raynoma (1990). "Super Three". Berry, Me and Motown (1st ed.). Chicago: Contemporary Books. pp. 297–299. ISBN 0-8092-4340-7. As they finished mixing down the record, I could barely wait to rush it over and play it for Berry.
Jump up ^ "Somebody's Watching Me By Rockwell – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
Jump up ^ Higginson, Cheryl (May 1, 1984). "Rockwell Rockets Up The Popular Charts". Luddington Daily News. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
Jump up ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
Jump up ^ "Austriancharts.at – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ultratop.be – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6316." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 80's" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
Jump up ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Somebody's Watching Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "I singoli più venduti del 1984" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Charts.org.nz – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". VG-lista. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969–1989 Acts (R)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
Jump up ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Swisscharts.com – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Rockwell Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Rockwell Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
Jump up ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MARCH 24, 1984". Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. . Cash Box.
^ Jump up to: a b "BB-1984-03-10" (PDF). Billboard. March 10, 1984. pp. 22, 57. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Top Singles – Volume 41, No. 17, January 05 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Jump up ^ "TOP – 1984" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Jahrescharts – 1984" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b "BB-1984-12-22" (PDF). Billboard. December 22, 1984. pp. 14, TA–19, TA–21. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
Jump up ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1984". Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. . Cash Box.
Jump up ^ "Canadian single certifications – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Music Canada.
Jump up ^ "Les Meilleures Ventes Tout Temps de 45 T. / Singles" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b "American single certifications – Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
Jump up ^ "Australian-charts.com – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "ultratop.be – 50 DANCE 03/06/2006" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "ultratop.be – 50 DANCE 03/06/2006" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Lescharts.com – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Beatfreakz: Somebody's Watching Me" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Somebodys Watching Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Charts.org.nz – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ (in Romanian) "Issue nr: 23/2006 (12 Iunie – 18 Iunie 2006)". Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. . see last week position. Romanian Top 100.
Jump up ^ "Swisscharts.com – Beatfreakz – Somebody's Watching Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ "GEICO – The Remake of Somebody's Watching Me..." January 27, 2009.
Jump up ^ "TRU's I Always Feel Like... sample of Rockwell feat. Michael Jackson's Somebody's Watching Me". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
Jump up ^ Jean (July 29, 2015). "Isleym : Premier album 'Où ça nous mène' en 2014". Evous (in French). Retrieved March 5, 2016.
Jump up ^ Kennedy, John R (December 29, 2016). "Virginia to Vegas Channels Rockwell In 'Lights Out'". iHeartRadio. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
Jump up ^ Parpis, Elefteria (December 25, 2008). "Kash Debuts for Geico". Adweek. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
External links[edit]
Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
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text:
Penny Black
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Penny Black (disambiguation).
Penny Black
Country of production
United Kingdom
Location of production
London
Date of production
1 May 1840 (1840-05-01)–
February 1841 (1841-02)
Perforation
None
Notability
World's first adhesive postage stamp
Face value
1 penny
Estimated value
£3–4,000 (mint)
A Penny Black, with a red cancellation that was hard to see and easily removed
A large mint block of the Penny Black
The Jacob Perkins' press, which printed the Penny Black and the 2d Blue, in the British Library Philatelic Collections
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in Great Britain on 1 May 1840, but not valid for use until 6 May. It features a profile of Queen Victoria.
In 1837, British postal rates were high, complex and anomalous. To simplify matters, Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. At the time it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance travelled. By contrast, the Penny Black allowed letters of up to 1⁄2 ounce (14 grams) to be delivered at a flat rate of one penny, regardless of distance.
Postal delivery systems using what may have been adhesive stamps existed before the Penny Black. The idea had at least been suggested earlier in the Austrian Empire, Sweden, and possibly Greece.[1]
Contents
[hide]
1 Treasury competition
2 Design
3 Issue
4 Imprimatur sheet
5 Printing
6 Rarity
7 The VR official
8 Popular culture
9 See also
10 References and sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
Treasury competition[edit]
On 13 February 1837, Sir Rowland Hill proposed to a government enquiry both the idea of a pre-paid stamp and a pre-paid envelope, a separate sheet folded to form an enclosure for carrying letters. Hill was given a two-year contract to run the new system, and together with Henry Cole he announced a competition to design the new stamps. There were some 2,600 entries, but none was considered suitable; instead a rough design endorsed by Hill was chosen, featuring an easily recognisable profile of the former Princess Victoria. Hill believed this would be difficult to forge. An envelope bearing a reproduction of a design created by the artist William Mulready was also issued.
Design[edit]
The portrait of Victoria was engraved by Charles Heath and his son Frederick, based on a sketch provided by Henry Corbould. Corbould's sketch was in turn based on the 1834 cameo-like head by William Wyon, which was used on a medal to commemorate the Queen's visit to the City of London in 1837.[2][3] This portrait of Victoria remained on British stamps until her death in 1901, although by then she was 81 years old. All British stamps still bear a portrait or silhouette of the monarch somewhere on the design. They are the only postage stamps in the world that do not indicate a country of origin; the monarch's image symbolises the United Kingdom.
Initially, Hill specified that the stamps should be 3/4 inch square,[4][5] but altered the dimensions to 3/4 inch wide by 7/8 inch tall[6] (approx 19 x 22 mm) to accommodate the writing at the bottom. The word "POSTAGE" at the top of the design distinguishes it from a revenue stamp, which had long been used in the UK; "ONE PENNY." at the bottom shows the amount pre-paid for postage of the stamped letter. The background to the portrait consists of finely engraved engine turnings.
The two upper corners hold Maltese crosses with radiant solar discs at their centres; the lower corner letters show the position of the stamp in the printed sheet, from "A A" at top left to "T L" at bottom right. The sheets, printed by Perkins Bacon, consisted of 240 stamps in 20 rows of 12 columns. One full sheet cost 240 pence or one pound; one row of 12 stamps cost a shilling. As the name suggests, the stamp was printed in black ink. A two penny stamp printed in blue and covering the double-letter rate (up to 1 oz or 28 g) was issued on 8 May 1840.
Issue[edit]
Although the stamps were not officially issued for sale until 6 May 1840, some offices such as those in Bath sold the stamps unofficially before that date. There are covers postmarked 2 May, and a single example is known on cover dated 1 May 1840.[7] All London post offices received official supplies of the new stamps but other offices throughout the United Kingdom did not, continuing to accept payments for postage in cash for a period.
The Penny Black lasted less than a year. A red cancellation was hard to see on the black design and the red ink was easy to remove; both made it possible to re-use cancelled stamps. In February 1841, the Treasury switched to the Penny Red and began using black ink for cancellations instead, which was more effective and harder to remove. However, people still reused stamps by combining the uncancelled parts of two stamps to form an unused whole, so in 1864 as a further safeguard the top corner stars on the Penny Red were replaced by the lower corner check letters in reverse order.
Imprimatur sheet[edit]
Imprimatur sheets are from among the first sheets of stamps printed from a finished printing plate. The actual imprimatur (Let it be printed) refers to the written permission of the Inland Revenue officials entered on the back of the sheet of stamps. In the 19th century, it was common for officials to remove some stamps from each sheet to present as gifts to dignitaries and other important people. Individual stamps from an Imprimatur sheet can thus be found for sale on the open market.
A complete sheet of the Penny Black without check letters is held by the British Postal Museum.[8] This unique item is in fact a plate proof, and by definition not an imprimatur sheet.
Printing[edit]
A mint block of six, plate 11
Main article: Penny Black printing plates
The Penny Black was printed from 11 plates, but as Plate 1 was completely overhauled due to excessive wear, it is generally considered to be two separate plates, 1a and 1b. Plate 11 was originally intended solely for the printing of new red stamps, but a small number were printed in black. These are scarce.
The stamps were printed in unperforated sheets, to be carefully cut with scissors for sale and use. As a result, stamps with badly cut margins, or no margins, are common and worth very little, while examples with four clear margins are rare and valuable, and fetch very high prices, especially if in mint condition.
An original printing press for the Penny Black, the "D" cylinder press invented by Jacob Perkins and patented in 1819, is on display at the British Library in London.[9]
Rarity[edit]
The total print run was 286,700 sheets, containing a total of 68,808,000 stamps.[10] Many were saved, and in used condition they remain readily available to stamp collectors.[11] The only known complete sheets of the Penny Black are owned by the British Postal Museum.[8]
The VR official[edit]
Main article: VR official
In addition to the general issue of the Penny Black, a similar stamp intended for official mail was produced, with the letters "V" and "R" replacing the crosses in the top corners. Because the general public quickly accepted the postage stamps and ridiculed the Mulready stationery produced at the same time, vast supplies of Mulready letter sheets were given for official use to government departments such as the tax office and the idea of introducing an official stamp was abandoned. Only a few postally used examples exist, which probably originate from the Post Office circulars sent out as advance notice of the new stamps. Four are known on covers; all were cut from their envelopes and then replaced. Most of the cancelled examples are from trials of cancellation types, inks, and experiments with their removal. Those trials led to the change from black to red stamps, and vice versa for the cancellations.
Popular culture[edit]
The pub sign of the Penny Black pub in Oxfordshire
Considered a British cultural icon, the Penny Black design features in the innovations section of the new British passport in 2015.[12] Also in 2015, the search engine Google marked the 175th anniversary of the postage stamp with a Google doodle of the Penny Black.[13]
See also[edit]
List of British postage stamps
List of notable postage stamps
Mauritius "Post Office"
Penny Blue
Penny Red
Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain
Stamp Centenary Exhibition 1940
Two penny blue
Uniform Penny Post
References and sources[edit]
References
Jump up ^ Lawrence, Ken (1 January 1996). "Before the Penny Black (First Series)". Toke Nørby. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
Jump up ^ Hill, H. W. (1940). The Fight for the Penny Post. London: Warne. pp. 75–79.
Jump up ^ Taylor, R. A. "Wyon City Medal – 1837". Images of the World. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
Jump up ^ Edward Denny Bacon, "The line-engraved postage stamps of Great Britain printed by Perkins, Bacon & Co.", 1920
Jump up ^ Letter from Rowland Hill, 16 December 1839, to Perkins, Baker and Petch. "The whole stamp is to occupy ¾ths of an inch square, including the lettering and engine-turned work.", in Bacon, Vol. II p. 22.
Jump up ^ Memo from Rowland Hill, 31 December 1839. "Or if practicable increase the length One eighth and insert in white letters at the bottom / ½ oz One Penny." in Bacon, Vol. II p. 22.
Jump up ^ Feldman, David (17 February 1999). The First Cover: May 1, 1840 (PDF). Geneva: David Feldman. pp. 1–17. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "Queen Victoria Stamps". The British Postal Museum & Archive. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
Jump up ^ British Library collections – Philatelic Accessed 30 April 2013.
Jump up ^ "Great Britain: Wednesday, May 6, 1840". First Issues Collectors Club. 3 November 2003. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
Jump up ^ "Penny Black stamps price guide".
Jump up ^ "Introducing the new UK passport design" (PDF). Gov.uk. 7 November 2016.
Jump up ^ "What is a Penny Black stamp? Google Doodle celebrates landmark British design". The Independent. 7 November 2016.
Sources
Golden, Catherine J. (2009). Posting It: The Victorian Revolution in Letter Writing. University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0-8130-3379-2.
Further reading[edit]
Holyoake, Alan. The World's First Postage Stamp. London: Royal Philatelic Society, London, 2013 ISBN 978-0-900631-73-3, 159p.
Jackson, Mike. May Dates: A survey of Penny Blacks, Twopenny Blues, Mulreadys and caricatures used during May 1840. Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire: Mike Jackson Publications, c1999. ISBN 0-952827-41-7.
Litchfield, Percy C. Guide Lines To The Penny Black: a detailed description of each one of the 2880 stamps and the plates from which it was printed. London: R. Lowe, 1979.
Muir, Douglas N. Postal Reform and the Penny Black: A New Appreciation. London: National Postal Museum, 1990 ISBN 0-951594-80-X
Nissen, Charles. Great Britain: The Penny Black: Its Plate Characteristics. Kent, [England]: F. Hugh Vallancey, 1948.
Nissen, Charles and Bertram McGowan. The Plating of The Penny Black Postage Stamp Of Great Britain, 1840: with a description of each individual stamp on the eleven different plates, affording a guide to collectors in the reconstruction of the sheets. London: Stanley Gibbons, 1998 ISBN 0-85259-461-5
Proud, Edward B. Penny Black Plates. Heathfield, East Sussex: Proud-Bailey, c. 1985.
Rigo de Righi, A.G. The Story of the Penny Black and Its Contemporaries. London: National Postal Museum, 1980 ISBN 0-9500018-7-2
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Penny Black.
The digitised R.M. Phillips Collection of Victorian philately
The 1840 Penny Black at the American National Postal Museum
These stamps are the legends of the hobby Linns.com Refresher Courses
The Jubilee of Penny Postage 1890
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Penny_Black&oldid=838034301"
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text:
Cut (cards)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Not to be confused with cut card
In many card games, to cut the cards (or to cut the deck) is a procedure used just prior to the cards being dealt to the players.
A common procedure is that after the cards have been shuffled, the dealer sets the cards face-down on the table near the player designated to make the cut, typically the player to the dealer's right. That player initiates a cut of the deck by taking a contiguous range of cards off the top of the deck and placing it face-down on the table closer to the dealer; the dealer completes the cut by taking the original bottom portion of the deck and placing it on top of the just-moved cards.[1] Once the cut is complete, the dealer picks up the deck, straightens or "squares" it, and deals the cards.
Rules of procedure or etiquette may vary concerning who makes the cut, the minimum or maximum number of cards which may be cut off the top, whether the dealer or the cutter restacks the cards, whether a cut card is employed, and whether a cut is mandatory.
Contents
[hide]
1 Purpose
2 Etiquette
3 Scarne's cut
4 Multiple cuts
5 False cut
6 As a game
7 As a joke
8 References
Purpose[edit]
The practice of cutting is primarily a method of reducing the likelihood of someone cheating by manipulating the order of cards to gain advantage. Even if the dealer (or the shuffler, if he is not the dealer) does not plan on cheating, cutting will prevent suspicions, thus many rules require it. Some players also consider the cut to be lucky.
Etiquette[edit]
The contiguous section may also be taken from the middle of the deck. This is called "Scarne's cut", though in some settings this is considered poor etiquette or against the rules. A cut involving a very small number of cards, such as taking only the top card (or some cards from the bottom) as a cut, is often acceptable according to rules.[citation needed] The same is true when a player takes every top card save for one on the cut.[citation needed]
During informal card games, the dealer is typically not required to offer the cut, and even if offered, the designated player can decline the request. On the other hand, any player may specifically request to cut the cards before they are dealt. If a cut is requested by a player, it must be granted by the dealer.
In formal player dealt settings, such as in a casino or during a tournament, an offer to cut the deck is mandatory and the designated player must perform the cut, generally by inserting a cut card (a plastic card about the size of a playing card, usually solid-colored) into the deck; the dealer then makes the actual cut at that point in the deck. When the dealer is not a player (i.e. a casino employee), the cut is mandatory and is usually performed by the dealer. In this instance, the deck is cut onto the aforementioned cut card, and the cut completed; this prevents players from seeing the bottom card of the deck.
A cut should always be completed with one hand to limit possibility of a false cut.
Scarne's cut[edit]
Scarne's cut was developed by John Scarne during World War II to help protect servicemen against cheating by unscrupulous dealers. First one pulls out a portion of the middle of the stack and places it back on top of the deck; one then performs a regular cut described earlier.
Multiple cuts[edit]
It can be demonstrated that multiple top-to-bottom (non-Scarne's) cuts are equivalent to some single cut. In fact, knowing the size of the deck and the size of the cuts, the formula for the composite single cut is given as the sum of the sizes of the cuts modulo the size of the deck. For example, in a 10 card deck, if a 7 card cut and a 4 card cut are made, that is, 7 cards are moved from the top of the deck to the bottom and then the resulting top 4 cards are also moved to the bottom, then those two consecutive cuts are equivalent to a cut the size of (7 + 4 = 11 (mod 10)) = 1. The deck will be in the order (2,3,...,10,1).
False cut[edit]
A false cut is a move used either in magic, or for cheating when playing card games. It appears to be a real cut, but leaves the deck in the same order as when it began. More sophisticated versions may make specific desired changes to the deck's order, while still appearing to be an innocuous normal cut.
There are many ways to accomplish a false cut, involving misdirection or using complex moves to conceal the real result.
As a game[edit]
Cutting cards is usually a prelude to a game, but it can be a game unto itself. Each player, in turn, removes a selection of cards from the top and reveals the bottom card to all the players, and then replaces the cards in the original position. Whoever has revealed the highest (or sometimes lowest) card is the winner. This is often used in an informal setting, much like flipping coins; it is also sometimes used to determine who will play first in a card game.
As a joke[edit]
The command to "cut the cards", following by someone literally chopping the deck in half with an axe, is a none-too-subtle gag that has been used many times in popular media, going back to at least the vaudeville days.[2] Examples include Harpo Marx in Horse Feathers, Curly Howard in Ants in the Pantry, and Bugs Bunny in Bugs Bunny Rides Again.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (5th ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 2002. p. 585. ISBN 0-19-860457-2.
Jump up ^ The Court Room, Scene 8. (The Marx Brothers Marxology)
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History of San Antonio
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The City of San Antonio is one of the oldest Spanish colonization of the European settlements in Texas and was, for decades, its largest city. Before Spanish colonization, the site was occupied for thousands of years by varying cultures of indigenous peoples. The historic Payaya Indians were likely those who encountered the first Europeans.
The "Villa de Bejar" was founded by Spanish explorers on May 5th, 1718, by then Governor Martin Alarcon, at the headwaters of the San Pedro Creek.[1] The mission San Antonio de Valero was established on the east bank of the creek and a presidio was 3/4 of a league downstream. Development of the Spanish colonial city followed. A trading post was also established near the presidio and the town developed as the capital of Tejas, a province of colonial Spain. It was the northernmost settlement associated with the Hispanic culture of the Valley of Mexico.
After Mexico achieved independence in 1821, Anglo-American settlers entered the region from the United States. In 1836, Anglo-Americans gained control of Texas in the fighting that gained independence for the Republic of Texas. In 1845 Texas was annexed by the United States of America, and became a state.
Contents
[hide]
1 Early history
2 Spanish settlement
3 The Texas Revolution
3.1 Battle of the Alamo
3.2 Aftermath
4 Annexation of Texas by the United States
5 The Civil War and postbellum Texas
5.1 African Americans
6 Modern times
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Early history[edit]
After thousands of years of succeeding indigenous cultures, the historic Payaya Indians coalesced as a distinct ethnic group. They lived near the San Antonio River Valley, in the San Pedro Springs area, which they called Yanaguana, meaning “refreshing waters”.
In 1536, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, a shipwrecked Spanish explorer who was enslaved by Native Americans for a period, visited the interior of what would later be called Texas. He saw and described the river later to be named the San Antonio.[2] He eventually rejoined Spanish colleagues in Mexico City.
From the Convent of Querétaro, organized several expeditions to the region of Texas, an area of great strategic importance to the Spanish crown. With that goal in 1675, an expedition formed by Fray Antonio de Olivares, Fray Francisco Hidalgo, Fray Juan Larios and Fernando Orozco Josué Hernández y hay hete suéter is Natalia Orozco, were sent to explore and recognize the country beyond the borders of Rio Grande, to test the possibilities of new settlements in the area.
In 1691, a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries came upon the river and Native American settlement (located in the area of present-day La Villita) on June 13. As it was the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua, Italy, they named the place and river San Antonio in his honor.
In 1709, the expedition headed by Pedro de Aguirre, together with Fray Antonio de Olivares and Fray Isidro de Espinosa was undertaken which consisted of exploration of the territory where the present city of San Antonio is located and extended to the Colorado River. The same year he traveled to Spain to convince the authorities to establish and maintain new missions on the bank of the San Antonio River at the present-day city of San Antonio.
In 1716, Fray Antonio de Olivares wrote to the Viceroy of New Spain, telling their hopes and plans for the future mission, and urged him to send families of settlers to found a town.[3] In the same letter he stressed that it was necessary for some of these families to be skilled in the useful arts and industries, "to teach the Indians all that should be required to be useful and capable citizens" .
Finally, perseverance of Fray Antonio was answered and the Viceroyalty gave formal approval for the mission in late 1716, and assigned responsibility for their establishment to Martín de Alarcón, the governor of Coahuila y Tejas.[3]
Spanish settlement[edit]
Misión de San Antonio de Valero San Antonio (Tejas).
Fray Antonio de Olivares was organizing the founding of the new mission, from the next Mission San Francisco Solano, turning often met with the Indians of the area (Payaya Indians), gradually earning their love and respect. It remained only at the site of the mission for some time organizing everything with the Indians, the group finally stood straw structure, branches and mud near the head of San Antonio River. This mission was called San Antonio de Valero, a name derived from "San Antonio de Padua" and Viceroy New Spain, Marquess of Valero. The mission was located near a community of Coahuiltecan and was originally inhabited by indigenous three to five converted from Mission San Francisco Solano.[3]
Unfortunately, his work was suspended for some time, suffered an accident while crossing a bridge, the foot of the animal he was riding slipped into a hole, falling violently to the ground and breaking his leg. When he could walk again, mission changed place, transferring it to the west bank of the river, where floods were less likely. On orders of his religious order, Fray Antonio de Olivares transferred the Mission San Francisco Solano to the new mission of San Antonio de Valero.[3]
He also built the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, on the west side of the San Antonio River, approximately 1 mile from the mission.[3] It was designed to protect the system of missions and civilian settlements in central Texas and to ensure the representation of Spain in the region of the aggression of French, British and Americans. The presidio consisted of an adobe building, thatched with grass, with soldiers quartered in brush huts. As settlers concentrated around the presidio complex and mission, began to form the town of Bejar or Bexar, convert it in the cornerstone of Spanish Texas. Being located in the center of several operating systems mission Bejar suffered not the needs and anxieties of other presidios. Despite occasional Indian attacks, the defense of the presidio walls were never completed or was deemed necessary, as the mission was complemented later converted into the main unit of walled defense.
The operating complex was completed with the construction of the first ditch of Texas (Acequia Madre de Valero),[4] 6 miles long, built to irrigate 400 hectares and supply of the inhabitants of the new facilities built. It was vital to the missions to be able to divert and control water from the San Antonio River, in order to grow crops and to supply water to the people in the area. This particular acequia was the beginning of a much wider acequia system. Acequia Madre de Valero ran from the area currently known as Brackenridge Park and southward to what is now Hemisfair Plaza and South Alamo Street.[5] Part of it that is not viewable by the public runs beneath the Menger Hotel. The acequia was restored in 1968 and that year was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.[6]
Presidio San Antonio de Bexar, San Antonio (Texas).
Fray Antonio de Olivares was aided by Payaya Indians to build the bridge that connected the Misión de San Antonio de Valero and Presidio San Antonio de Bexar, and the Acequia Madre de Valero.
On May 1, 1718, according to a statement certified to be preserved, Don Martin de Alarcon gave possession to Fray Antonio de Olivares of the Misión de San Antonio de Valero, later known as "The Alamo", based officially the mission.[3]
On May 5, was founded the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar, on the west side of the San Antonio River, the source of the present city of San Antonio Texas. The event was chaired by Martin de Alarcón, settling around 30 families in the surrounding area.[3]
On July 8, 1718 held at the new Mission San Antonio de Valero the first baptism, as reflected in the baptismal register of the mission.[3]
On February 14, 1719, the Marquess of San Miguel de Aguayo made a report to the king of Spain proposing that 400 families be transported from the Canary Islands, Galicia, or Habana to populate the province of Texas. In June 1730, 25 families come to Cuba, and 10 families were sent to Veracruz. Under the leadership of Juan Leal Goraz, the group marched overland to the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar, where they arrived on March 9, 1731. The group joined the military community that had existed since 1718, forming the first government of the city and taking as headquarters building Presidio of San Antonio de Béjar.
In 1719, Margil obtained permission from the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo to found a second mission at San Antonio. However, Father Olivares he opposed it. Despite of it, the Zacatecan Franciscans founded Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, next to the San Antonio River, on February 23, 1720.
San Antonio grew to become the largest Spanish settlement in Texas. After the failure of Spanish missions to the north of the city, San Antonio became the farthest northeastern extension of the Hispanic culture of the Valley of Mexico. The city was for most of its history the capital of the Spanish, later Mexican, province of Tejas. From San Antonio the Camino Real, today's Nacogdoches Road, ran to the American border at the small frontier town of Nacogdoches.
The Texas Revolution[edit]
Main article: Texas Revolution
After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, Anglo American settlers, at the invitation of the Mexican government via Empresarios such as Stephen F. Austin, began to settle in Texas in areas east and northeast of San Antonio.
When Antonio López de Santa Anna, after being elected President of Mexico in 1833, rescinded the Mexican Constitution of 1824, violence ensued in many provinces of Mexico. In Texas the Anglo settlers joined many Hispanic Texans, who called themselves Tejanos, in demanding a return to the Constitution of 1824. In a series of battles the Anglo Texans, who called themselves Texians, supported by a significant number of Tejano allies, initially succeeded in forcing the Mexican military to retreat from Texas.
Under the leadership of Ben Milam, in the Battle of Bexar, December, 1835, Texian forces captured San Antonio from forces commanded by General Martin Perfecto de Cos, Santa Anna's brother-in-law. Forces opposing Santa Anna took control of the entire province of Texas. Today Milam Park and the Cos House in San Antonio commemorate this battle.
Battle of the Alamo[edit]
Main article: Battle of the Alamo
The Alamo as it appears today.
After putting down resistance in other regions of Mexico, in the spring of 1836, Santa Anna led a Mexican army back into Texas and marched on San Antonio. He intended to avenge the defeat of Cos and end the Texan rebellion. Sam Houston, believing that San Antonio could not be defended against a determined effort by the regular Mexican army, called for the Texan forces to abandon the city.
A volunteer force under the joint command of William Barrett Travis, newly arrived in Texas, and James Bowie, and including Davy Crockett and his company of Tennesseans, and Juan Seguin's company of Hispanic Texan volunteers, occupied and fortified the deserted mission, the Alamo. They were determined to hold San Antonio against all opposition.
The defenders of the Alamo included Anglo and Hispanic Texans who fought side by side under a banner - the flag of Mexico with the numerals "1824" superimposed. This was meant to indicate that the defenders were fighting for their rights to democratic government under the Mexican constitution of that year. During their siege, the Texas Congress declared an independent Republic of Texas.
The [Battle of the Alamo] took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836. At first the battle was primarily a siege marked by artillery duels and small skirmishes. After twelve days Santa Anna, tired of waiting for his heavy artillery, determined to take the Alamo by storm.
Before dawn on March 6, he launched his troops against the walls of the Alamo in three separate attacks. The third attack overwhelmed the defenses of the weak north wall. The defenders retreated to the Long Barracks and the Chapel, where they fought to the last man. Most historians agree that a handful of the defenders were captured, but were quickly executed as rebels on the specific orders of Santa Anna. The deaths of these "Martyrs to Texas Independence" inspired greater resistance to Santa Anna's regime. The cry, "Remember the Alamo," became the rallying point of the Texas Revolution.
Aftermath[edit]
The Cenotaph in Alamo Plaza, a memorial to the Alamo defenders
Texas won its independence at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21.
Juan Seguín, who had organized the company of Tejanos who fought and died at the Alamo, was with Sam Houston when it fell. Acting as a courier from the besieged fort, he had delivered a message from Travis to Houston, who forbade his return. Seguín would later earn fame for leading a company of Tejano volunteers at the Battle of San Jacinto. After independence, he was elected to the Texas Senate. He later was elected as mayor of San Antonio. In 1842, he was forced out of that office at gunpoint by Anglo-American politicians. The next Hispanic to be elected as mayor of the city was Henry Cisneros in 1981.[7]
As the city of San Antonio has grown, the Alamo, which in 1836 was separated by the San Antonio River from downtown, has become an integral part of the modern center city. Alamo Plaza contains the Cenotaph, a monument built in celebration of the centenary of the battle. It bears the names of all known to have fought there on the Texas side. Since 2011, Alamo Trust, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been the official partner of the Texas General Land Office in managing the Alamo complex. Surrounded by many hotels and tourist attractions, it is San Antonio's best-known landmark, featured in the city's flag and seal, and the most visited tourist attraction in the state. San Antonio is nicknamed the "Alamo City." Its yearly Fiesta Week in April commemorates the Texian victory at San Jacinto.
Annexation of Texas by the United States[edit]
Lithograph of San Antonio in 1886.
In 1845 the United States annexed Texas (with its concurrence) and included it as a state in the Union. This, after some incitement by United States troops along the Mexican border, led to the Mexican War between the United States and Mexico, which concluded with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848). Under this treaty Mexico ceded to the United States not only Texas but all of what is now the American Southwest, excluding a small portion of Arizona and New Mexico. The war was devastating to San Antonio. By its end the city population had been reduced by almost two thirds, to 800 inhabitants.[8]
Peace and economic connections to the United States restored prosperity to the city, and by 1860, at the start of the Civil War, San Antonio had grown to a city of 15,000 people. From the late 1840s and the period of the German revolutions, many people immigrated to Texas from Germany. They tended to strongly oppose slavery as they had been fighting for justice and freedom. The most successful of the city's German merchants developed houses in the King William district, just south of downtown. Visitors heard German on the streets nearly as frequently as English and Spanish. The Germans created the beer and brewing industry in Texas. The Guenther Flour Mills, Gebhardt's Chili Powder, and Mahncke Park, are local institutions that recall San Antonio's German heritage.
The Civil War and postbellum Texas[edit]
During the Civil War, San Antonio was not deeply involved in the secessionist cause. Many of the city's residents, notably those of ethnic German and Mexican ancestry, supported the Union. After the war, they supported the Republican Party for decades, as well as the Populist Party, which coalesced a multiracial political base in the late nineteenth century. After regaining power in the state legislature, white Democrats passed a poll tax in 1901. It effectively disenfranchised minorities and poor whites. With ethnic minorities and the lower classes of San Antonio and Texas society unable to vote, the Republican Party lost its competitive edge in most areas of the state.
After the war, San Antonio prospered as a center of the cattle culture. Anglo Americans learned the Spanish and Mexican techniques of herding cattle on horseback, creating a new generation of cowboys. The major cattle trails for driving stock to markets and railroads, including Chisholm Trail, began in San Antonio. The business promoter "Bet a Million" Gates chose San Antonio to demonstrate the value of his barbed wire in the herding of cattle. In 1876 he fenced off Alamo Plaza with the new invention and had cowboys drive a herd of cattle into the wire. When the wire held the cattle, many of the ranchers in attendance quickly placed orders for the new product. San Antonio was crucial during both the beginning and end of the open-range period in American ranching culture.
During the postbellum period, San Antonio remained a frontier city. Its isolation and diverse array of cultures gave it the reputation of being an exotic place. When Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect who two years later designed Central Park in New York City, visited San Antonio in 1856, he described the city as having a "jumble of races, costumes, languages, and buildings," which gave it a quality, which only New Orleans could rival, of "odd and antiquated foreignness." Much of the mystique that makes San Antonio a tourist destination has its origins in the uniqueness of the city.
In 1850, San Antonio became the largest city in Texas with 8,235 people, taking the lead from Galveston. Bolstered by the construction of its first railroad in 1877, and a horrible hurricane that had struck Galveston, San Antonio reemerged as the state's largest city in 1900. It remained in the top spot until 1930, when Dallas and Houston overtook the Alamo City.[9] It connected the city to major markets and—increasingly—the mainstream of American society.
San Antonio was often frequented by gun fighters and robbers of the Old West and is particularly associated with Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid members of the Wild Bunch, who often used Fannie Porter's brothel as a hideout.
African Americans[edit]
Many African Americans in Texas remained in slavery until after the U.S. Civil War ended. There was scarce Union Army activity in Texas, preventing them from joining the Northern lines. Some escaped over the borders to areas where the Union Army was operating. The announcement of emancipation happened to be delayed until June 19, 1865, when officials announced that slavery had been formally abolished. This is celebrated in Texas as "Juneteenth.” San Antonio had a few (168) black slaves among its 3,436 people. [10] San Antonio offers a unique history of Jim Crow and its consequences within a city. Although segregation took a different path in San Antonio, the city still remained in the South and for the most part followed the laws of the state.[10] In the 1970s, the African American population in San Antonio was 7.6 percent. [10] The East Side of San Antonio has a large concentration of black residents. The African American population in San Antonio is now 6.9 percent. Ivy Taylor was also the first African American to be elected mayor of San Antonio and only the second woman in the position.[11]
Modern times[edit]
Aerial view of the city, San Antonio, December 4, 1939
At the beginning of the 20th century, the streets of Downtown, the old Spanish and Mexican city, were widened to accommodate street cars and modern traffic. In the process many historic building were destroyed. These included the Veramendi House, the home of the prominent family into which Jim Bowie had married when he came to the city. Standing on the southwest side of the intersection of Houston and Soledad Streets, this building was a massive quadrangle built of adobe around a central courtyard in the typical Mexican style. When the street was widened by 20 feet, the building was leveled.
Like many municipalities in the American Southwest, San Antonio has had steady population growth since the late twentieth century. The city's population has nearly doubled in 35 years, from just over 650,000 in the 1970 census to an estimated 1.2 million in 2005 through population growth, immigration, and land annexation (considerably enlarging the physical area of the city).
Main Plaza, Cathedral, and Court House, San Antonio, Texas
See also[edit]
Acequia Madre de Valero
San Antonio Sporting District
Isleño
Timeline of San Antonio
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Helen Simons (1996). A Guide to Hispanic Texas. University of Texas Press. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-0-292-77709-5.
Jump up ^ Web site of the San Antonio River Walk, May 26, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Adina Emilia De Zavala (December 8, 1917). "History and legends of The Alamo and others missions in and around San Antonio". History legends of de Zarichs Online. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
Jump up ^ De Zavala, Adina; Flores, Richard R (1996). History and Legends of the Alamo and Other Missions in and Around San Antonio. Arte Publico Press. pp. 3, 4. ISBN 978-1-55885-181-8.
Jump up ^ Dooley-Awbrey, Betty (2005). Why Stop?: A Guide to Texas Historical Roadside Markers. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 453. ISBN 978-1-58979-243-2.
Jump up ^ "Acequia Madre de Valero". Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
Jump up ^ Gonzalez, Juan. Harvest of Empire. New York: Penguin, 2000.
Jump up ^ Fisher, Lewis F. (1996). Saving San Antonio: the precarious preservation of a heritage. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press.
Jump up ^ "San Antonio, TX". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c African Americans." Handbook of Texas
Jump up ^ Svitek, Patrick (June 14, 2015). "Taylor's San Antonio Win a Wake-Up Call for Democrats". Texas Tribune. Austin, Texas. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
Further reading[edit]
See also: Timeline of San Antonio § Bibliography
Edward Hungerford (1913), "City of the Little Squares", The Personality of American Cities, New York: McBride, Nast & Company
External links[edit]
San Antonio Missions: Spanish Influence in Texas, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
Digital Public Library of America. Items related to San Antonio, Texas, various dates
[show]
v
t
e
City of San Antonio
Nickname: Alamo City
Attractions
The Alamo
Alamo Cenotaph
La Antorcha de la Amistad
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower
Cathedral of San Fernando
HemisFair '68
Houston Street
San Antonio Zoo
Tower of the Americas
Tower Life Building
Museums
Artpace
Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum
Briscoe Western Art Museum
Casa Navarro State Historic Site
Fort Sam Houston Museum
Gallista
Gas Gallery
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
Guinness World Records
UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures
McNay Art Museum
Museo Alameda
Museum of Aerospace Medicine
O. Henry House Museum
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
San Antonio Academy Museum
San Antonio Museum of Art
Southwest School of Art
Spanish Governor's Palace
Edward Steves Homestead
Texas Air Museum
Texas Transportation Museum
United States Army Medical Department Museum
Witte Museum
Yturri-Edmunds Historic Site
See also: List of museums in Central Texas
Entertainment
Alamodome
Alamo City Rugby
Arneson River Theater
AT&T Center
Aztec on the River
Fiesta Noche del Rio
Fiesta San Antonio
Freeman Coliseum
Majestic Theatre
Morgan's Wonderland
Nelson W. Wolff Stadium
San Antonio Missions (Baseball)
San Antonio Rampage
San Antonio Scorpions
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Stars
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
San Antonio Symphony
San Antonio Talons
Santikos Theatres
San Antonio Zoo
SeaWorld San Antonio
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Splashtown
St. Mary's Strip
Texas Folklife Festival
Toyota Field
Tobin Center for the Performing Arts (San Antonio Municipal Auditorium)
Companies
Christus Santa Rosa
iHeartMedia
Visionworks of America
Firstmark Credit Union
Frost Bank
Harte Hanks
H-E-B
M7 Aerospace
NewTek
Rackspace
San Antonio Express-News
SAS Shoemakers (SAS)
SAWS
Security Service Federal Credit Union
SWBC
Tesoro
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas
USAA
Valero
Research
and education
The Alamo Colleges
Baptist School of Health Professions
Cancer Therapy & Research Center
Children's Cancer Research Institute
Oblate School of Theology
Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio Public Library
South Texas Medical Center
Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Southwest Research Institute
St. Mary's University
Texas A&M University–San Antonio
Texas Neurosciences Institute
Trinity University
University Hospital System
University of the Incarnate Word
University of Texas Health Science Center
University of Texas at San Antonio
Military
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Brooks City-Base
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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_San_Antonio&oldid=836738099"
Categories:
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History of San Antonio
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