Think You're So Smart?

If you think you are a true Durhamite, then cowboy up and head over to the Durham Trivia Contest sponsored by Preservation Durham. Check out the link for more information: Durham Trivia Contest.

Here's a hint- watching "Bull Durham" non stop for the next week probably won't help you... at all.

Crash, Boom, Bang!

Random photo time!

Nothing brings out the neighborhood like a crashed police car. This undated photo was taken by an unknown person in front of the Big Tub laundromat, formerly located in the 2000 block of Angier Ave. The police car is a Dodge Monaco, and the uniformed officers are wearing Public Safety uniforms (worn from 1970-1985).

A near definition of irony- crashing in front of an auto parts store.

Possible lead singer of  (insert 70's rock band here) to the right

I'd like to thank, well, hardly anyone, for catching the obvious Roxette reference in the title.

Nothing Like An $80 License Tag

Apparently the cost of driving a coal truck has gone up substantially. Or, people are just crazy about cool old license tags. This one below, a coal peddler tag from 1970-1971, just sold for $80 on eBay. To my knowledge this is the most paid for a license tag of this type.

(courtesy eBay)

There was a time when Durham ran on coal- it was used for heating well into the 20th century, as evidenced by the date on the tag. I'm sure that there are still many coal firing furnaces around the Bull City, who knows how many are in use. But poke around some sheds and you're liable to find the evidence in the form of a small pile of dirty black rocks that once were the biggest power source in the world.

For more info on coal in Durham, check out Open Durham.