Random Images

Okay, what’s the word for fear of 14?

 

Yep. Timing checks out.

 

??

 

(check the time of your post ...)

 

Lol.

 

Tetraphobia for fear of #4.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia

Fear of 14 is tetrakaidekaphobia.

This sounds to me more like fear of aquarium fish.

 

Pan Am terminal, Miami, 1940

 

Was that for their seaplanes?

And look how dressed up everyone is.

 

Okay, I have figured out where this is.

I’m a bit of an armchair historian, and when I hit websites that are very unique I tend to remember them.

Last year, I was looking up some information on two seaplane locations near Annapolis, mainly with intent to kayak there. That led me down a rabbit hole that took me to a website about an airfield in Baltimore city, including its seaplane terminal.

So garrow, when you posted that photo from 1940, I suspected it was a seaplane terminal.

And thus, I share with you a fascinating website:

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Florida - Southern Miami area

Now, this is a list of abandoned airfields in the Miami vicinity, and sure enough, if you scroll down a bit, you’ll come to a section called:

Dinner Key Naval Air Facility / Coast Guard Air Station Miami, Dinner Key, FL

In that section you’ll see lots of outside photos, planes, old aerial charts, even postcards, and, yep, your photo is among those presented here.

Two other very neat facts:
1) the building today serves as the Miami City Hall.
2) the globe in your picture was at the Miami Museum of Science for 55 years, and is now at Miami Worldcenter:

Historic Pan Am Globe Finds Permanent Home at Miami Worldcenter - Frost Science

BTW, that beast weighs 6500 pounds.

Also, the main page for the abandoned airfields is:

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields

This is all fascinating to me at least. Take three clues - a photo, the 1940 date, and knowledge of what typical passenger service involved back then, and voila! Rabbit hole!

Anyway, enjoy!
VB

 

Another one from Florida involved the Disney Magic Kingdom:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/singing-runway-at-the-abandoned-disney-world-airport

This landing strip had grooves in it (similar to the warning grooves on the side of major roads today).

When a plane went down it, the tires would thump out the tune “When you wish upon a star”

Another bizarre tidbit from our past.