Fortsas Catalogue hoax baffled European savants
The Fortsas Catalogue of 1840 fooled Europe’s bibliophiles with a list of fifty two sole surviving works. The "Count de Fortsas" library, the supposed collection, and the sale were the invention of Rene Chalons. Rumors spread as scholarsclamored for the unattainable volumes before Brussels revealed the ruse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
P. T. Barnum
Fortsas
Europe
J. N. A. de Fortsas
Binche
Belgium
Amsterdam
Princess de Ligne
William Shepard
Casteman
Tourney
Brussels
Count de Fortsas
Rene Chalons
Comte de Fortsas
Congressional Library
Washington
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune
Iron buoy drifts across Atlantic seen by St Kilda locals
The St Kilda inhabitants once found a blood red conical object in the Atlantic west of the isle. They imagined its nature before the factor identified it as a broken iron buoy from New York harbor that drifted two years in the Gulf Stream. Occasions test a man’s character, not create it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Kilda
Great Britain
New York Harbor
Gulf Stream
Atlantic
Aged usher frees seats as police escort ends church uproar
A Detroit News-Tribune item recalls an elderly usher who stood in the church center to guide worshippers. A curious boy mimicked him, prompting a policeman to intervene. The scene ends with both usher and old gentleman exiting together as the officer asks for a charge, only to learn there are no charges and all seats are free.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit News-Tribune
The Critic's Shrug Parable From Omar the Persian Poet
A Denver Republican humorous anecdote recalls Omar the Persian poet shrugging at a shah's verse. The critic says such lines deserve flogging yet the shah respects discernment, and Omar returns for another flogging after a second poem is read.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Omar
Treaven
Shah
Denver Republican
Two men with ten thousand and their divergent fates
A riddle from Puck compares two men each starting with $10,000. One buys a $4,000 house and a $3,000 business while saving the rest. the other spends all on a motor car and gains vast credit enabling a $50,000 house and a $100,000-a-year business as partner. Each has a wife and daughters, prompting the question who regrets more.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Puck
Object In His Preaching
Towne notes the joke that Burrough preaches saving money to friends while he himself borrows whenever possible. Browne and Towne debate whether he should preach thrift, and the Chicago Journal quips on his double standard and borrowing tendency.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Towne
Burrough
Browne
Chicago Journal
Noisy Banter Marks Five Year Vocabulary Feat
In a humorous exchange, Mr. Goodlie boasts that it took five years to learn all those words while correcting a boy's language. Sketch captures the playful back and forth with regional slang and character voice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Goodlie
A Dark Secret Detroit News Mystery Headline
A terse Detroit News item notes a dark secret and references a man whose actions made headlines, hinting at a notable first display of a ringing welkin with a mysterious origin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jrst
Welkin
Detroit News
University cooks experiment to reform lunch counter fare
At Brown University Women’s College Miss Bertha Buffin and Miss Eaton oversee a project to serve wholesome palatable meals to students. They replace the old watery soups with kinder options like rice pudding and simpler, more digestible dishes while adjusting the menu toward substantial, plain fare.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bertha Buffin
Women's College of Brown University
Buffin
Manure Spreader Justified by Manure Value and Corn Economics
Farmers debate holding corn over to raise prices. Ohio experiments show barnyard manure, laid out or piled, boosts yields and profits per acre, making manure spreaders a practical necessity for stock raising and dairying operations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ohio Experiment Station
Fle
Leach
Take Chamberlains Cough Remedy for Quick Relief
Do not let a cough or cold develop into chronic bronchitis or pneumonia. Take Chamberlains Cough Remedy for prompt relief. From a small beginning its sale spans the United States and many foreign countries. Sold by Evans Drug Co.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Evans Drug Co
Swiss Naval Wars on Lake Geneva
The Westminster Gazette notes that Swiss naval history includes war gulleys on Lake Geneva used by the Duke of Savoy with crews of 40 to 72 oarsmen, aiding sieges of Versoix and Geneva. Geneva and Bernese flotillas existed, with the Great Bear as their largest vessel carrying 64 oarsmen 8 guns and 150 fighters.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lake of Geneva
Duke of
Savoy
Versoix
Geneva
Chilon
Canton
Vand
Westminster Gazette
Office Hours Framed by Downtown Firm Theme
A downtown office displays a wall schedule listing hours for book and insurance agents, solicitors for charities, and callers discussing sports, with a note about handling personal business at night. The exchange adds a quip on what defines a financier, highlighting contrasts with ordinary business people.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Neous
N. B
Cleveland
To Tighten Wagon Wheel Spokes
When wheel spokes loosen or tenons wear where they fit into the jelly lift the jelly from the spoke with a lever.
Attractive Rival and Smythe Draw Adoring Circle
A vivid scene centers on Miss Smythe as admirers discuss her striking color and painting talent. The group debates whether she paints, noting her striking drawing ability and the gaze of onlookers.
Lame Shoulder Cured By Pain Balm Trial
Mrs. F H McElwee of Boistown New Brunswick reports relief from a left shoulder pain after using Chamberlain Pain Balm. The advertisement states rheumatic muscle pain responds quickly and notes Evans Drug Co sells the product.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
F. H. McElwee
Boistown
New Brunswick
Evans Drug Co
Also Mentioned on This Page
Thom
University Cooks
Iverse
Harper
Kentucky
Fred Hewett
Humboldt Saloon
South F Street
Aberdeen
Wash
Aberdeen Soda and Bottling
West Heron S
Cor, M St
Hoquiam
Otigpeie Boewlag Co
Pacific Brewis & Maling Gu
Ante User
Office
Rollo
Washington Star
Aberdeen State Bank
Cor, Heron and
H Sts
General Comercial Banking
E. J. Bradley
C.W. Siller
Prisdent
Seattle
Alaska
U.S.A
Herald Printery
the Inecessary Magazine
the Review of Reviews
Albert Shaw
Times
the Review OF Reviews CO
Astor Place
New York
Room
the Herald For
Ineyelo Ypedia
Sersch Bros
Neapolis
the Herald Printery
Herald
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!