NEWSLETTER | Feb. 16, 2023
THIS WEEK A historical perspective and commentary on flying objects. Chocolate advertising has heated up through the decades. Plus wisdom from Maya Angelou and other surprises from history.
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JUNE 1, 1862 The Union Army balloon Intrepid was inflated from gas generators and used to observe the Battle of Fair Oaks in Henrico County, Va. (Photo: Matthew Brady/Library of Congress)
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Aerial Objects Are in the Headlines, but They Aren't New
U.S. officials said the high-altitude balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month was a spy vehicle deployed by China to collect intelligence about U.S. military operations. The shootdown (and the downing of several other unidentified flying objects in the following days) drew worldwide attention, but it was far from the first time airborne objects were deployed for surveillance or other purposes.
Hot air balloons were first used in 1794 for airborne reconnaissance missions during the Battle of Fleurus in the French Revolution. During the Civil War, the United States military gave balloon surveillance a try. The Union Army established the Balloon Corps, led by troops who monitored battles at Yorktown, Seven Pines, Antietam and Fredericksburg.
Confederate leaders took note, but they lacked the raw materials needed to create a balloon. So Confederate Captain Langdon Cheves designed a balloon "made of ladies dress silk bought in Savannah and Charleston, in lengths of about 40 feet and of various colours.”
This gave rise to the popular notion that the balloon had been constructed from "all the silk dresses in the Confederacy," donations from women across the South. After the "Silk Dress Balloon" was flown successfully over the Battle of Gaines Mill, it was based aboard the C.S.S. Teaser, a Confederate armed tugboat stationed at sea. The Teaser was later captured by the gunboat U.S.S. Maratanza, and the balloon was dismantled; pieces of it were sent as war trophies to members of Congress.
Questions about the airborne objects observed this month prompted a classified intelligence briefing for the Senate, followed by a closed hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Both houses of Congress have officially condemned China for the episode
FURTHER READING
- Aerial espionage became a flashpoint in diplomatic relations during the Cold War, when an American spy plane was shot down in Soviet Union airspace in May 1960, resulting in the capture of its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. "U.S. authorities initially claimed the flight was to gather meteorological information, but when this cover story fell apart, the incident caused the cancellation of a planned summit between President Dwight Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.” [Florida State University News]
- After the Chinese spy balloon was seen over Montana, the United States identified several more floating bodies in its airspace. Are they proliferating, or have they been there for far longer than we realize? A podcast. [The New Yorker]
- Why the sudden concern about a technology developed in the 18th century? [The Guardian]
- Covert U.S. intrusions into Chinese airspace were common for decades. [Foreign Policy]
- History offers lessons for easing the current U.S.-China crisis. [Politico]
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Chocolate Marketers Turn Up the Heat
By VICTORIA BENEFIELD | Retro Report
Were you treated to chocolates on Valentine’s Day? While chocolate has never been proven to be an aphrodisiac, the companies that manufacture it have a long history of using sex appeal as a sales pitch.
In an 1901 ad for Lowney’s Chocolates, above, a woman in Victorian clothing considered immodest at the time stares provocatively at the viewer, offering chocolate for “a cosy evening at home.”
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By the 1960s, the message was more explicit. An ad for the Whitman’s Sampler assortment told men to expect a kiss (and perhaps more) in exchange for a gift of chocolate.
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In a 1992 ad, a woman appeared clad only in Baci kisses.
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In 1995, the manufacturer of M&M’s introduced a green female “spokescandy” to market its chocolate bits. A femme fatale with long eyelashes and high-heeled boots, she appeared in ads in several Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues over the years.
Last year, Mars Wrigley gave its M&M mascots a makeover. Ms. Green changed out of her boots and into sneakers. Backlash over the change by conservatives like Tucker Carlson generated buzz – and millions of dollars of free advertising. The company said it plans to stick with its new campaign.
VICTORIA BENEFIELD, a senior at Northwestern majoring in journalism and history, is a Retro Report intern.
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