Comments on: Those were the days… https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/ Sat, 11 Apr 2026 02:11:35 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: alcaray https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22341 alcaray Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:17:54 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22341 That makes more sense than the way I remembered it. That makes more sense than the way I remembered it.

]]> By: FrankC https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22340 FrankC Tue, 25 Dec 2012 14:47:30 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22340 I would hear my Mom and Dad talk about highballs when I was a kid and the word has always been curious and comical to me. I have read that in the 1890's Ball was slang for a drink of whiskey and the High referred to the tall glass in which a mixture of whiskey and a carbonated beverage was served. I can't prove that ice was required when the drink was introduced but I can't imagine a highball was ever served warm. Scotch and soda and screwdrivers are examples of Highballs and Lowballs (short glass) include the Old Fashion and the White and Black Russian. As best I can tell, Ball was short for ball of fire. Ball, as a slang term, apparently didn't last long and I have found very few instances where the term is used. The trains had several iceboxes and the dining car menus even had ice cream. This may be more than you ever wanted to know about the subject but I figure if anybody would be interested, it might be you. :) I would hear my Mom and Dad talk about highballs when I was a kid and the word has always been curious and comical to me.

I have read that in the 1890′s Ball was slang for a drink of whiskey and the High referred to the tall glass in which a mixture of whiskey and a carbonated beverage was served. I can’t prove that ice was required when the drink was introduced but I can’t imagine a highball was ever served warm.

Scotch and soda and screwdrivers are examples of Highballs and Lowballs (short glass) include the Old Fashion and the White and Black Russian.

As best I can tell, Ball was short for ball of fire. Ball, as a slang term, apparently didn’t last long and I have found very few instances where the term is used.

The trains had several iceboxes and the dining car menus even had ice cream.

This may be more than you ever wanted to know about the subject but I figure if anybody would be interested, it might be you. :)

]]> By: podrock https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22338 podrock Tue, 25 Dec 2012 06:03:54 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22338 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Tudor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Tudor

]]> By: MaryAnne https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22337 MaryAnne Tue, 25 Dec 2012 05:35:26 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22337 ...pulled by steam locomotives, once the train had gotten up to speed, which was also called highballing. Highballs, the drinks, started showing up in the Gay Nineties. How did they keep ice on the trains, or were they served -ugh- warm? …pulled by steam locomotives, once the train had gotten up to speed, which was also called highballing.

Highballs, the drinks, started showing up in the Gay Nineties. How did they keep ice on the trains, or were they served -ugh- warm?

]]> By: podrock https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22332 podrock Tue, 25 Dec 2012 04:39:36 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22332 Having spent a bit of time as a railway conductor, I've used the term thousands of times. When the dispatch has approved the train to depart the station, it is called being given the highball, and that is the code given on the radio. It originated in the pre-radio days, when a large red ball would be hoisted up a pole signaling the engineer that the track was clear, switches were set, and he was good to go. Having spent a bit of time as a railway conductor, I’ve used the term thousands of times. When the dispatch has approved the train to depart the station, it is called being given the highball, and that is the code given on the radio. It originated in the pre-radio days, when a large red ball would be hoisted up a pole signaling the engineer that the track was clear, switches were set, and he was good to go.

]]> By: Robert https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22330 Robert Tue, 25 Dec 2012 04:22:51 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22330 So of course I wikipedia'd Engineer Bill <blockquote>William "Bill" Stulla (May 24, 1911 – August 12, 2008), also known as Engineer Bill, was an award-winning host of children's television. He was born in New York City.[1] From 1951 to 1954, he hosted "Bill Stulla's Parlor Party." Later, he hosted Cartoon Express on KHJ-TV 9 (Ind) from 1954 to 1966; in this position, he won two Emmy Awards. In addition to the usual cartoons, the show included an odd game called "Red Light, Green Light" where children were given glasses of milk which they would drink when the announcer ("Freight Train" Wayne Thomas) said "green light" and stop drinking when he said "red light". If they finished their glass before the game was over, they lost and were referred to as "gulpers". <b>Also featured on the show was "Little Mo, the bad habit buster," in which a small model electric train engine attempted to push a model boxcar containing the "bad habit" of the week into a bin, located at the top of an incline. A new bad habit was named on Monday, and the effort concluded, usually successfully, on Friday.</b> Bill Stulla closed his show with his signature message to his young audience, "Happy highball, engineers!"</blockquote> Doesn't ring any bells. Maybe even then I was tuning out the nagging ;-) So of course I wikipedia’d Engineer Bill

William “Bill” Stulla (May 24, 1911 – August 12, 2008), also known as Engineer Bill, was an award-winning host of children’s television. He was born in New York City.[1]

From 1951 to 1954, he hosted “Bill Stulla’s Parlor Party.” Later, he hosted Cartoon Express on KHJ-TV 9 (Ind) from 1954 to 1966; in this position, he won two Emmy Awards. In addition to the usual cartoons, the show included an odd game called “Red Light, Green Light” where children were given glasses of milk which they would drink when the announcer (“Freight Train” Wayne Thomas) said “green light” and stop drinking when he said “red light”. If they finished their glass before the game was over, they lost and were referred to as “gulpers”. Also featured on the show was “Little Mo, the bad habit buster,” in which a small model electric train engine attempted to push a model boxcar containing the “bad habit” of the week into a bin, located at the top of an incline. A new bad habit was named on Monday, and the effort concluded, usually successfully, on Friday. Bill Stulla closed his show with his signature message to his young audience, “Happy highball, engineers!”

Doesn’t ring any bells. Maybe even then I was tuning out the nagging ;-)

]]> By: MaryAnne https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22279 MaryAnne Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:30:51 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22279 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMxJtMoTnx8" rel="nofollow">...in 1964</a>. …in 1964.

]]> By: alcaray https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22262 alcaray Sun, 23 Dec 2012 21:41:05 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22262 Do you remember that strange game (actually nowadays it would be less strange) where he had a traintrack going up a slope and falling off a "cliff". Each day he would turn the train on for a second or two so it would move a few inches towards its doom. And we tuned in breathlessly to watch the final event when it finally happened. Great way to get people to tune in. Whacky way to teach you how to treat your toys. Do you remember that strange game (actually nowadays it would be less strange) where he had a traintrack going up a slope and falling off a “cliff”. Each day he would turn the train on for a second or two so it would move a few inches towards its doom. And we tuned in breathlessly to watch the final event when it finally happened.

Great way to get people to tune in. Whacky way to teach you how to treat your toys.

]]> By: Robert https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22256 Robert Sun, 23 Dec 2012 19:34:37 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22256 When I watched the YouTube vid, it came back to me in detail. Just like an adult drinking game today: Drink whenever the announcer said "green light", don't for anything else. That was it. I think my opponent had to be...well, you know the language kids used in those politically-incorrect days. Kids today might use a lot more explicit swear words, but they don't have the vocabulary we did for slinging hateful slurs. But I digress (reminiscence will do that). So you're not really jealous that I won a game of skill. It's the loot, isn't it? Plus a little schoolyard fame. In retrospect, I think <i>that</i> was my fifteen minutes of fame. Got it out of the way before I was 9, so I guess it's been downhill ever since. Don't envy me, alcaray. My story's no different from any child star...sniff...whine. When I watched the YouTube vid, it came back to me in detail. Just like an adult drinking game today: Drink whenever the announcer said “green light”, don’t for anything else. That was it. I think my opponent had to be…well, you know the language kids used in those politically-incorrect days. Kids today might use a lot more explicit swear words, but they don’t have the vocabulary we did for slinging hateful slurs.

But I digress (reminiscence will do that). So you’re not really jealous that I won a game of skill. It’s the loot, isn’t it? Plus a little schoolyard fame. In retrospect, I think that was my fifteen minutes of fame. Got it out of the way before I was 9, so I guess it’s been downhill ever since. Don’t envy me, alcaray. My story’s no different from any child star…sniff…whine.

]]> By: alcaray https://www.habitablezone.com/2012/12/22/those-were-the-days/#comment-22218 alcaray Sun, 23 Dec 2012 04:45:23 +0000 http://habitablezone.org/?p=28921#comment-22218 I'm so jealous! I’m so jealous!

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