Jamie Lee Curtis Remembers Her Late Sister, Kelly Curtis
“She was my first friend and lifelong confidant.”
Is Taylor Swift Toy Story 5’s Mysterious TS?
A billboard, a few Easter Eggs, and a dream.
Rossana Podestà: Radiant Star of Italian Cinema’s Golden Age
Rossana Podestà (1934–2013) was a beautiful Italian actress who became one of the most admired stars of European cinema during the 1950s and ’60s. With her luminous green eyes, warm smile, and graceful presence, she captured the hearts of audiences worldwide.
Podestà rose to international fame in 1956 when she portrayed the legendary Helen of Troy in the Hollywood epic Helen of Troy. Throughout her career, she starred in numerous successful films, including The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Sodom and Gomorrah (1962), and several popular Italian productions.
Known for her natural elegance and screen charisma, Podestà embodied the ideal of Mediterranean beauty and became one of the iconic faces of Italian cinema’s golden age. These captivating vintage photos showcase the luminous beauty, natural grace, and magnetic charm of Rossana Podestà, one of the most enchanting Italian actresses of the mid-20th century.
In 1951, the People of Goose Rock, Maine, Helped Bring Ashore a House That Was Relocated Over Nine Miles of Water
In 1951, the residents of Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine, pulled off an extraordinary feat of maritime engineering: they moved an entire building nine miles up the coast by letting the Atlantic Ocean do the heavy lifting.
The building was a large meeting hall in Kennebunkport that the Goose Rocks Beach Association wanted to relocate to serve as their new Community House. Moving a structure of that size by winding, narrow coastal roads was impractical and expensive. The innovative, and highly skeptical, plan to float it on the sea was engineered by a “freshwater man” from Lewiston, Maine, named J.N. Jutras, who undertook the job for $4,000 (roughly $50,000 today).
The entire operation relied completely on the massive, predictable rise and fall of the Maine tides. Jutras utilized a simple but precise four-step process:
- At high tide, large floating pontoons were maneuvered directly onto the beach alongside the house’s original location.
- As the tide receded, the pontoons settled firmly onto the sand. Workers safely jacked up the building and secured it directly over the top of the grounded pontoons.
- When the ocean rushed back in, the rising water naturally lifted the pontoons, and the house sitting on top of them, clean off the beach, transforming the building into a vessel.
- A boat towed the floating house nine miles north to Goose Rocks Beach. It was anchored overnight in the open ocean before being guided ashore during the next high tide and settled onto its new foundation as the water dropped.
The operation was widely documented by LIFE magazine photographer Yale Joel, capturing the mixture of community awe and intense local skepticism. Experienced local lobstermen were highly critical of the plan, with many predicting disaster. One lobsterman famously told LIFE: “There’ll be a lot of timber in the water before morning… You wouldn’t get me in that damned thing for all the dollars from here to Boston.”
Defying the skeptics, Dorothy Mignault, the president of the Goose Rocks Beach Association, stubbornly rode inside the house for the entire nine-mile ocean journey to ensure its safe arrival. When the house finally approached Goose Rocks Beach, the entire neighborhood turned out to help pull the lines and guide the floating structure safely onto dry land.
The engineering gamble paid off flawlessly. Not only did the building survive the ocean voyage without a scratch, but it still stands today. Decades later, the Goose Rocks Beach Community House remains a central hub for the neighborhood, hosting summer camps, community events, and activities—a lasting monument to a wild piece of Maine history.
1914 Peugeot Bébé: The Charming Pioneer of Small Cars
The 1914 Peugeot Bébé was one of the most delightful and significant small cars of the Edwardian era. Designed by the legendary Ettore Bugatti and manufactured by Peugeot, it was a tiny, lightweight automobile aimed at bringing motoring within reach of everyday people.
Powered by a modest 855cc four-cylinder engine producing around 10 horsepower, the Bébé featured a simple but charming design with cycle-style fenders, an open-top body, and an overall length of less than three meters. Despite its miniature proportions, it was surprisingly practical and fun to drive.
Often regarded as a precursor to modern city cars, the 1914 Peugeot Bébé combined French engineering ingenuity with Bugatti’s flair for elegant simplicity, making it an icon of early automotive accessibility and charm. These beautiful photos capture the irresistible charm, ingenious design, and pioneering spirit of the 1914 Peugeot Bébé, a tiny car that brought the joy of motoring to a new generation.
