The Cochineal Dye Insect and Its Color Secrets
The cochineal insect native to Mexico was long obscure and first proven insect origin near the late seventeenth century. Women collect and blister the insects on the cochineeal cactus and dry or sun them. Cochineal yields crimson and scarlet dyes with carmine, and purple when used alone. a nitromuriatic acid tin solution creates a rich red. An accident sparked the discovery, leading to Leyden dyer, Paris dyehouse, and a 800 year old tale.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mexico
West India Islands
Leyden
Holland
Paris
Providence Journal
Historic Mexican War cannon used as curb fender in city
A lone cannon from a San Francisco battery of the Mexican War era was left behind at the bay edge. It later served as a curb stone when Battery Street formed, then was rolled to the curb and poked into a hole by volunteers led by a patriotic drayman, remaining there ever since.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Broadway
Sansome Street
Csmnon
Battery Street
San Francisco
The Woman in Court
A San Francisco Examiner excerpt discusses lawyers avoiding women witnesses and cross examining them. It cites Rufus Choate and Judge Barrett on limiting questions to prevent biased testimony. The piece notes women may state conclusions over facts and tend to shape narratives to help their side.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rufus Choate
Barrett
Bananas Best Nourishment in Typhoid Says Doctor
William C Ussery MD of St Louis says bananas are the best food for typhoid fever patients. He notes the small intestine lining becomes inflamed and ulcers form making solid foods risky. Bananas supply nutrition with minimal waste and are easily absorbed, unlike other foods.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
William C. Ussery
M. D
St. Louis
New York Tribune
Trials and Pardons The Presidents Writing on Mercy
The piece cites Hon. Benjamin Harrison in The Ladies' Home Journal on presidential mercy. It argues the president cannot weigh evidence as judges do and will refuse to intervene if testimony is fairly presented and the sentence not unduly harsh. It notes the hard toll of cases when a appealing wife or mother pleads for mercy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Benjamin Harrison
Ladies’ Home Journal
Parlor Shades Debate in Cleve Plain Dealer
Mrs Bangs refuses to pull down parlor shades to deter visitors while away ten days. Mr Bangs worries about social visits, but she favors not hosting. Cleve Plain Dealer notes domestic etiquette and town social dynamics.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Bangs
He Made Her Take It Off
A man sits behind a woman wearing a tall hat and asks her to remove it so he can see the stage. When she refuses, he suggests the same, then hides his own hat to trigger her demand to remove it. She blasts off in anger, and the man grins at his clever revenge in the Florida Citizen account.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Florida
How a Fox Gets Rid of Fleas
A fox tormented by fleas gathers moss from tree bark and carries it to a deepening stream. Entering the water he immerses most of his body while fleas flee to the moss. After time he releases the moss and fleas drift away, leaving the fox relieved on the bank.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Reynard
Hirsch and the Aristocracy Retold in a Paris Tale
The late Baron Hirsch mocked the European nobility during a grand Parisian entertainment. From his stairway he watched princes dukes and marquises ascend to greet him and quipped to his son that in twenty years they would be their sons in law or their torchbearers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baron Hirsch
Paris
Empress Eugenie
Hirsch
Reissue Possibility in Patents After Excess Claims
The text discusses that when a patentee mistakenly claims more than entitled, a patent reissue may be pursued, provided there was no fraudulent design or intent to mislead. It outlines corrective action rather than punishment.
Swallows Stranded Far At Sea By Storms
Swallows have been seen over 1,000 miles from land, likely driven from shore by strong storms. The sighting indicates birds ranging unusually far from their habitat as weather pushes them offshore.
Six legged trout tale from Saddleback pond in Maine
A Maine lumberman recalls catching trout with six legs at Saddleback Mountain pond, a creature described as three paired legs that fold beside the body. The fish, exhibited in Bangor, is said to be from a pond with no inlet or outlet, with a similar report tied to Mount Katahdin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ellsworth
Penobscot
North Twin Lake
Saddleback Mountain
Mount Katahdin
Ellsworth Man
Bangor
The Only Way Wesley Fugal Tale at Service
William Spark recounts in Musical Memoirs how Wesley amazed a London church with a double fugue on an organ by delaying the sermon. The vicar asked for a short voluntary while organ builder Mr Bishop bribed the blower to stop the wind, leaving Wesley exposed in the middle of his second subject.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
William Spark
Wesley
Bishop
London
Suspended in Space and Newtons Long Fall
The essay envisions a traveler rising to about 250000 miles above Earth to test gravity. A cork or marble released would not fall instantly but slow then accelerate, revealing that Earths attraction extends to great heights and drawing the marble back toward Earth across a vast arc.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sir Robert Ball
Sir Isaac Newton
Newton
Earth
Qualifications For A Merit Based Consulship
The piece argues for a nonpartisan selection of American consuls based on merit, examination, and career progression. It stresses that consuls should be educated, gentlemanly, and fluent in the host nation's language, able to read and write it, without requiring professorial depth. It calls for accountability for incompetence and rewards for merit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Department of State
Scribner’s
Fateful Exchange Reveals Family Meal Tension
Dialogue notes a father's joke about his late father dying from dyspepsia and a son's plea to spare his wife from hearing about a mother's cooking. The Kansas City Star caption frames the quip as a domestic moment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Hardlot
John
Mrs. Hardlot
Kansas City Star
Patent Office Claim for Partial Invention Protection
Any US citizen may file in the patent office a claim to a partial invention stating it is not yet completed and requesting protection until it is perfected.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Patent Office
Order of Baronets Origin and Reach
The Order of Baronets was established by James I in 1611. It exists only in British dominions and is not found in continental Europe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Order of Baronets
Dominions
Not a Sonnet If It Limps Says the Chicago Tribune
A playful request to craft a sonnet with strict rhyming and meter informs readers that a proper poem must maintain flow and cadence. The excerpt humorously guides line construction and rhymes while urging patience and careful crafting.
Transfer Ticket Tragedy On Summit Street Car
A mother aboard a Summit street trolley forgets to pay and her infant chokes on a pink transfer ticket. The conductor remains silent as the mother refuses to pay, declaring she will walk, while passengers express sympathy and the pair exit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Summit Street
Baby
Kansas City World
Tan Spots Over Dogs Eyes Explain Protective Markings
The San Francisco Chronicle notes that tan eye spots on dogs likely arose during recent domestication. These markings make sleeping dogs appear alert, helping protect them from predators and aiding survival and transmission to offspring.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco Chronicle
Drawing Room Weaving Becomes Fashion Among English Women
A new occupation and fashion in English households is drawing room weaving on light house looms. Hand woven table linen and towels are produced with or without borders. Though not essential, these fabrics are valued for artistry not found in machine woven pieces, and American women may follow English trends in a revival of a grandmotherly craft.
Horse Meat Defended In Frankfurter Zeitung
The article argues horses are the cleanest domesticated animals and as nutritious as beef. It claims prejudice by church influence blocks horseflesh consumption, compares to potatoes once feared, arguing tuberculin and trichinosis are rare in horses and that horse meat is healthier overall.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Odin
Thor
Europe
Frankfurter Zeitung
Antiseptic Dressings Show Japan Lead In Surgery
The New York Ledger notes Japanese surgeons used rice straw ashes as wound dressings during war, claiming perfect antiseptic properties from potassium carbonate. English and American surgeons explore the method, calling it a remarkable and possibly cheapest dressing advancement in antiseptic surgery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Ledger
Sour Grapes in the Fox Fable
The fox jumps at grapes in a short anecdote from the Indianapolis Journal. He sits exhausted with tongue out and rationalizes the unreachable fruit as inedible, claiming they are suitable only for table d hote wine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Indianapolis Journal
Hall's Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer Promises Grayer Hair Reversal
Bold ad copy urges readers to restore youthful hair by using Hall's Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer. Claims to renew roots and restore natural color, targeting readers seeking gray hair solutions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hall
Wooster Cured by DeWitt’s Witch Hazel Salve in Michigan
A. L. Wooster of Qssco Michigan claims relief after twenty years of hemorrhoid pain from DeWitt’s Witch Hazel Salve described as an absolute cure for skin ailments. The product is marketed by D. D. Bales and reportedly more used than any competing salve.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
A. L. Wooster
Qssco, Mich
DeWitt
D. D. Bales
Also Mentioned on This Page
San Francisco Examiner
Chicago Tribune
Ate Mamma
North Carolina
South Carolina
Arkansas Midland
Railway
Arkansas
Helena
Phillips County
Arkansas Midland Ry
G. T. Updegraff, Gen. Pass. and Freight Agt
Helena, Ark
N. J. Spencer
Main
Ames, Iowa
North-western
Union Pacific Railway
Chicago & North- Western R’y
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!