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Questions and comments regarding the Alaska Digital Newspaper Project? Contact:

Anastasia Tarmann, Project Director, Editor:
anastasia.tarmann@alaska.gov

Christopher Russell, Project Coordinator, Writer:
christopher.russell2@alaska.gov

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It’s no Snoopy balloon, but New Yorkers in 1937 still got a treat from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade when an inflatable sea serpent made its way down the streets of New York City. This terrifying creation was the work of the famous puppeteer and balloonist, Tony Sarg, who had helped start the tradition of balloons in the parade. The sea serpent was first sighted in the summer of 1937 when Sarg floated it down the coast to the city of Nantucket, where he had a longtime residence. Several people in Nantucket, who knew about the approaching balloon, circulated rumors about a massive sea monster and photographed a large “footprint” in the sand as a hoax. Likely nothing could have prepared the people of Nantucket for a colossal inflatable sea serpent washing ashore, but it quickly became a hit. The balloon was returned to New York after a short time and was a star attraction in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The photos of the balloon on the second image come courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association. The top photo of the serpent’s mouth also shows Sarg with his creation, center left wearing a suit and tie.

Although Alaska witnessed massive changes in the 1940s, it also saw a large number of more subtle changes in many towns. In 1948 the city of Seward finally assigned numbers to the buildings and houses to assist people in finding the one they were looking for. As the article in the Seward Seaport Record explained it: "The number will prove a boon to cab drivers, delivery men and doctors, and all newcomers. But a bit of local color will slip away with some of the old timers who locate their friends in the third cabin behind the cabin next to the second white house on Barleycorn Boulevard."

On this day in 1890 the acclaimed mystery novelist Agatha Christie was born in England! Christie’s work and her famous detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, were massive hits across the world and Alaska was no exception to that. Libraries and bookstores always made mention of new works by Agatha Christie and films based on her works were popular hits at movie theaters across Alaska.

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