Princess Grace and Prince Rainier

Both the postcard and the stamp on the front commemorate the marriage of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. I knew that Grace Kelly was an American actress, born in Philadelphia, and that she and Prince Rainier seemed very much in love. I was surprised when I read recently that Prince Rainier wanted a substantial dowry to marry Grace. Doesn't it seem strange to have a commoner family paying a dowry to a royal family. Luckily, Grace's family was able to come up with the $2 million. 

Princess Grace and Prince Rainer had three lovely children: Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. I admired the girls very much when I was growing up. Unfortunately, they led rather tumultuous lives, marrying race car drivers, body guards, and circus acrobats, and having various out-of-wedlock children. (Well, now that I write that down, it sounds sort of fun and adventurous!) In any case, growing up in the spotlight and losing their mother in the tragic car accident in 1982 probably made for a difficult life.

The card reads:

10-18-'58

Liebe Gisela,

Here we are enjoying ourselves and thinking of you all.

Regards,

Kurt and Lonny

Kindest Regards "Grace"

Columbia Univerisity Cheerleader-1905

This 1905 card shows a young woman cheering for Columbia University. Both 1905 and 1906 were important years in football reform. In 1905, President Roosevelt met with college officials to try to curb unsportsmanlike behavior in football. In 1906, Columbia University suspended its football program due to a high number of deaths and injuries, although there had also been ethics problems. There was even talk of eliminating the football program altogether. The movement to reform college football led to the formation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA.)

Berlin-Nollendorfplatz

In the 1920's  and 30's, Nollendorfplatz was the hub of  fashionable gays and lesbians in Berlin, with many cafes, theaters, and restaurants. Nollendorfplatz now serves as the intersection of four U-bahn lines. After the Berlin Wall went up, separating the east and west parts of the City, the station was used as a flea market with little shops set up in the unused A2-U-Bahn cars. When the wall came down in 1991, the station returned to its original use.