Above is the cover (and title page) of Rage magazine from December 1961 with uncredited artwork of a man receiving his just desserts. We chose this because the full magazine was featured a few years ago on the website Darwin Scans, and it just so happens that after a year-and-a-half absence the site is active again. That’s good news for vintage magazine lovers, because few sites make full scans available for download (though the link for this is dead). We’ve talked here about making our many rare magazines downloadable, but frankly the effort is just too much—scanning pages of ads and mastheads and personals would make it impossible to post (nearly) every day, which is where the joy lies for us. That’s why Darwin Scans is such an important site—the sheer work requires dedication, and few have it.
1919—Pollard Breaks the Color Barrier
Fritz Pollard becomes the first African-American to play professional football for a major team, the Akron Pros. Though Pollard is forgotten today, famed sportswriter Walter Camp ranked him as “one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen.” In another barrier-breaking historical achievement, Pollard later became the co-head coach of the Pros, while still maintaining his roster position as running back.