Saturday Scenes

On the 22nd of December in 1956, Colo was born in Columbus Zoo in Ohio. Colo, who was briefly called Cuddles before she received her official name, was the first gorilla to be born in a zoo. She was rejected by her mother and hand-raised by zookeepers. Since the death of 55-year-old Jenny, Colo is also the oldest living gorilla in captivity. She celebrated her 56th birthday on Saturday at Colombus Zoo with presents and cake.

‘Queen of the zoo’ is 56 | The Columbus Dispatch

A tiara cut from a honeydew melon, and a scepter made of carrot and sweet potato topped the birthday cake to honor Colo as “queen of the Zoo,” said Patty Peters, vice president of community relations.

Colo is one of 15 endangered lowland gorillas at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. She was born at the zoo on Dec. 22, 1956 – the first gorilla born in captivity.

“Colo is here because somebody decided the rules needed to be broken,” Greene said.

That “somebody” was the late Warren Thomas, an Ohio State University veterinary student and part-time gorilla keeper who put together Colo’s parents to mate, even though that was against zoo practice.

Colo wasn’t the only one having a good time on Saturday. Take a look at these fantastic photographs all taken on the 22nd:

And here are the stars of the party who took the photos:

• CallumDG
• akrabat
• 65WZ
• APGPhoto
• davey_steven
• SockYarnShop
• maidbloke
• JanetIsserlis
• ahpilot
• WadeyLady001
• JeannieKelly
• ClareRevell
• CarolineBignell
• raumsinn
• RobStormchaser
• carocat
• martin_chrisj
• sahfenn
• twasntme
• oxonlady
• FrauKulli
• AlbertsCrochet
• weeweegie
• exRAFairman
• icklemouse
• annemnicholas
• drewbenn
• dudleypj
• CliffStanford
• Jo_1067
• akaSylvia
• HeideSpruck
• mousewords
• timewind
• jamesnnb
• robdavies
• fembat

It’s hard to believe that next Saturday is the last Saturday of the year. Make sure to take a photograph so you can join us for the end of year celebration!

All you need to do is take a photograph on Saturday and tweet it to @SatScenes with a location. It’s easy and fun and a great way to end 2012.

On the 15th of December in 1861, Charles Duryea was born, who is known as the manufacturer of the first American gasoline-powered car. In 1893, Charles and his brother Frank Duryea purchased a used horse-drawn buggy for $70 and installed a 4 horse-power, single cylinder gasoline engine. The brothers agreed: one would build it and the other would race it. Two years later, their car, driven by brother Frank, won the first motor-car race in the United States. The race course was a 54-mile loop from Chicago to Waukegan and back again.

Frank Duryea wins first U.S. horseless-carriage race – History.com This Day in History – 11/28/1895

Ten hours and 23 minutes after the race began, the Duryea wagon sputtered across the finish line. Meanwhile, according to news accounts, the Mueller moto-cycle “puffed its way slowly and laboriously along, its pneumatic tires wrapped with twine to keep them from slipping, and one of its operators sanding the belt on the motor for the same reason.” It crossed the finish line an hour and a half after Duryea had–though Mueller himself, who had fainted from all the excitement, was no longer at the wheel. The Macy’s Benz was perhaps the most hapless racer of all: It collided with a streetcar on the way to Evanston and with a sleigh and then a hack on the way back, and never did finish. Neither did the De La Vergne Benz.

The race introduced Americans to the motor-car and the Duryea brothers got to work producing more. The following year, they built thirteen cars, making them the largest automobile factory in the US. The Duryea car is also world-famous, as it was involved in the world’s first known auto accident. A motorist named Henry Wells hit a cyclist with his brand new vehicle, giving the cyclist a broken leg. Wells spent the night in jail as a result.

Meanwhile on the 15th of December in 2012, our photographs included a wide range of transport options, including cars, buses, aircraft and a donkey! Take a look:

Every week, a few dozen people are driven to post Saturday scenes:

• akrabat
• martin_chrisj
• JLM1974
• FrauKulli
• oxonlady
• thermalhound
• JanetIsserlis
• icklemouse
• elibrody
• TheSilentPlanet
• Krautie
• rnout
• jamesnnb
• carocat
• ernmander
• davey_steven
• ClareRevell
• raumsinn
• Conot
• Pewari
• HeideSpruck
• twasntme
• AlbertsCrochet
• WadeyLady001
• sweeneyjf
• exRAFairman
• mousewords
• annemnicholas
• robdavies
• dndtsa
• dudleypj
• CliffStanford
• azmichelle
• drewbenn
• CallumDG
• fembat
• ingridf

You should join us next weekend! It’s easy:

1. Take a photograph on a Saturday
2. Upload the photograph
3. Send a tweet to @SatScenes with the url

I’m looking forward to seeing your Saturday Scene in the next edition!

On the 8th of December in 1660, the first actress appeared onstage in England. During the Renaissance, women were banned from performing on the English stage during the beginnings of professional English theatre. There was no legal prohibition; it was simply considered unacceptable. Female roles were generally played by pre-pubescent boys, whose high-pitched voices were thought to sound more like women. Many young actors worked in the industry by filling female roles for a few years and then making their way to male roles.

Margaret Hughes

During the Renaissance women had been almost exclusively banned from appearing as actresses on the stage, and there was a history of embarrassing incidents occurring for male actors in female roles. One famous incident occurred when a play which King Charles II was watching suddenly stopped. When he sent servants to see what the problem was it was found that the male that was supposed to play one of the female parts was still shaving. There were also concerns over this practice encouraging ‘unnatural vice’, which added to Charles’ decision to issue a royal warrant in 1662 declaring that all female roles should be played only by female actresses.

A woman finally played Desdemona in the performance of Othello on the 8th of December in 1660, marking the first time a woman appeared on an English public stage. Sadly, we aren’t quite sure which woman played the role, although it’s likely that it was Margaret Hughes.

On the 8th of December in 2012, men and women all pulled out all the stops by posting these fabulous photographs on Twitter:

And here are the excellent photographers who captured performances all over the world:

• JLM1974
• beaverbrookes23
• annemnicholas
• FrauKulli
• raumsinn
• oxonlady
• TheSilentPlanet
• exRAFairman
• davey_steven
• HughGW
• HarryMyhre
• thermalhound
• HeideSpruck
• SockYarnShop
• CallumDG
• martin_chrisj
• WadeyLady001
• rnout
• carocat
• robdavies
• akrabat
• dugghelen
• JanetIsserlis
• AlbertsCrochet
• mousewords
• Pewari
• bubletribute
• jamesnnb
• CarolineBignell
• fembat
• dndtsa
• dudleypj
• DaughterofLir
• RealCainMosni
• drewbenn

Time is running out! If you haven’t submitted a Saturday Scene yet this year then you might miss your chance to be added to our spectacular list:

Saturday Scenes 2012 on Twitter

We currently have 128 members – that’s 128 people who have submitted Saturday Scenes this year. To those of you on the list: you are all amazing! Keep it up! And for those who haven’t submitted a photograph yet: all you have to do is tweet a photograph and location to @Satscenes – so what’s stopping you?

See you next week!

On the 1st of December in 1761, Anna Maria Grosholtz was born in Strasbourg, France. Her mother worked as a housekeeper for Dr. Philippe Curtius, a physician and wax sculptor. It was he who realised that little “Marie” had a talent for wax modelling. After Dr Curtius died, he left his collections of wax figures to the now adult woman, whose wax forms were gaining recognition and respect. She married François Tussaud a year later in 1795 and changed the exhibition name to Madame Tussaud’s. When the marriage began to fail, she kept the exhibition name but took eldest son and her creations to Britain to find new fans for her work.

Madame Tussaud: and the History of Waxworks by Pamela Pilbeam

Running a touring company was extremely arduous. Madame Tussaud’s odyssey was extraordinary at the time, when almost no middle-class married women worked, and when travelling even a short distance was exhausting. Marie remained on the road for thirty-three years in total, visiting seventy-five different main towns and many smaller places. The packing and unpacking alone, without the travelling, model and costume making, would have been herculean tasks for a young person, but Marie set out when she was already middle-aged, with a tiny child, knowing no one and (when she began) speaking not a word of English. She was in her seventies when her touring days ended in 1835.

At the age of 74, Madame Tussaud set up her first permanent exhibition in Baker Street, London. Madame Tussaud’s wax museum is still one of the major tourist attractions in London.

On the 1st of December in 2012, extraordinary effort was put into taking great photographs to document the world on Saturday:

And these are the incredibly lifelike photographers who took them:

• raumsinn
• ClareRevell
• JLM1974
• martin_chrisj
• sahfenn
• exRAFairman
• akrabat
• davey_steven
• JanetIsserlis
• APGPhoto
• evilrooster
• Pewari
• JeannieKelly
• HeideSpruck
• dugghelen
• kyleorchid
• Jo_1067
• akaSylvia
• ernmander
• DyerRock
• icklemouse
• alan_kellie
• robdavies
• DaughterofLir
• mousewords
• jamesnnb
• drewbenn
• dudleypj
• FrauKulli
• dndtsa
• carocat
• RealCainMosni
• field_lucy

Next Saturday, why don’t you join us?

All you need to do is take a photograph on Saturday and tweet it to @SatScenes with your location. It’s easy and fun, so what’s stopping you?