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Washington, D.C., circa 1928. "U.S. Daily." This "national newspaper of vital importance," at 22nd and M streets, reported daily on government affairs from 1926 to 1933, when it became a weekly. National Photo Co. View full size.
The small gizmo on the left rear fender is a parking lamp. These contained a low wattage bulb(to minimize overnight battery drain if you had to park in the street) and jeweled lenses, white to the front and red to the rear. DC must have had some requirement for them at one time because you can spot many cars with them in these old photos. I'd guess that once reflectors were developed that the parking lamp requirement went the way of the buggy whip. They appear occasionally for sale on eBay. Shorpy is always a fun part of my day.
The "T" didn't have drum brakes like you are used to, but a brake band in the transmission. There was also a handbrake for parking or emergency stopping.
Everything old is new again....
The car in the closeup is an electric, and the piece on the fender is a deer whistle so it's not so quiet folks wouldn't hear it coming.
Can anybody tell me if we're looking north on 22nd Street or South? I managed a convenience store at 22nd & M from 1990 to 1996 and I'm trying to get my bearings.
[North. - Dave]
Those little gizmos are obviously flux capacators.
What are these little gizmos on the rear fenders of some of the
cars pictured? And why does this one have no visible brakes?
It must have been extra tough converting a newspaper named US Daily into a weekly newspaper.
Sorry pedrocooper, but I think you're off on that... U.S. News was founded and STARTED in 1933, the same year this switched to a weekly format.
[Pedro is correct. David Lawrence, founder of the United States Daily, changed the name to United States News in 1933, when it switched to weekly publication. The transformation to magazine format came in 1940. -- Dave]
Ultra conservative (at least the website), but still around.
I wonder how many people mistook that building for a Post Office?
Lovely photograph of a time gone by.
I have to confess I really enjoy counting the Model T Fords in the photos from the Teens and Twenties.
I make three of the little guys in this picture -- they always have kind of a jaunty look about them.
In their shirt sleeves, hard at work beside an open window upstairs. Listen for the clatter of typewriter keys and the shout of "Copy!"
The nearest lamppost is discernibly off plumb.
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