Colossus of Rhodes and its bronze origins
A compact note recounts the Colossus of Rhodes as a bronze statue of Phoebus begun by Chares and completed by Lysippus pupil, over 100 feet tall, cast on plates, with a spiral interior staircase and a harbor panorama. It stood 64 years before an earthquake toppled it, and its remains rested 923 years before sale in A D 672.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rhodes
Phoebus
Chares
Lysippus
Pliny
Syria
Egypt
London Theaters and the Watchful Night Entry
In London the theater staff treat ticket buyers as necessary evils and an old man with failing sight checks tickets while a silent Scotland Yard looker-on in evening dress scans patrons. The system aims to deter any careless or dangerous behavior at the entrance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
New York
Scotland Yard
Collier’s
Bashful Stanley and the Livingstone Cap at Dinner
William H. Rideing notes in Mc Clure's Magazine a Papyrus club dinner in Boston honoring Henry M. Stanley. The explorer, shy and terse, fumbles for his notes and places a cap once worn by Livingstone on his head, amid applause. The piece also contrasts long daylight hours in Stockholm, Wardbury, St. Petersburg, Tornea, London, Bremen, Hamburg, Dantzig, and Washington.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
William H. Rideing
McClure
Papyrus Club
Boston
Henry M. Stanley
Stanley
Livingstone
Stockholm
Wardbury
Norway
St. Petersburg
Torena
Finland
London
Bremen
Hamburg
Dantzig
Washington
Exchange
Flies and Butterflies Plague Sea Voyage
A traveller reports a ship thirty miles offshore plagued by numerous flies and large green species. The cabin darkens with flies as hundreds are swept away, while dragonflies cross the ocean and a dark butterfly heads toward land thirty miles distant without alighting.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tropics
London Globe
Parable in Wit How Spurgeon and Swift Comment
The piece seats two satirical vignettes. Spurgeon jokes about Essex after an earthquake, praising movement of his county. Swift, watching workers, quips on a man departing the roof quickly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Spurgeon
Dean Swift
Spurgeon
Essex
St. Patrick’s
Dublin
Egotism of Genius in Memoir Fragments
A literary quip collection recalls Wordsworth and Coleridge debating a perfect day for poets and Wordsworth’s wry joke about “three poets” with two unknowns. Disraeli’s youthful boast about Macauley Sheil and Grant and his self view on authorship are noted as sharp witticisms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wordsworth
Southe Coleridge
Coleridge
Disraeli
Macau- Sheil
Grant
Robert Louis and Fanny Stevenson Wedding Birthday Exchange
An inquisitive guest asks about a birthday and Robert Louis answers May 10, 1880. The moment coincides with the couple’s wedding day as Robert Louis and Fanny Steven son share a glance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Robert Louis
Fanny Stevenson
Foot Rule at the House
A joke from Comic Cuts shows a house rule about wiping feet on a mat before entering. Workman and housekeeper clash humorously over the etiquette in a domestic scene.
Mystery Island That Rises and Sinks in Lake Orion
The Boston Herald reports a Michigan mystery the seasonal island in Lake Orion appears mid August and sinks around February 15 each year. Attempts to weigh or chain it failed as the island resurfaced ligero with no load and no chains recovered. Skeptics attribute it to vegetation gathering and decay in currents.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Michigan
Lake Orion
Boston Herald
What is eaten for breakfast and drunk at dinner
In a Confederate era dinner party, Mr Alexander H Stephens asks a conundrum. Colonel Johnson responds by writing a riddle answer on a hostess’s Commonplace Book: the thing eaten for breakfast and drunk at dinner is bread when toast. The exchange appears in the Atlanta Constitution.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alexander H. Stephens
Colonel Johnson
Window Leaves found by Marloth in South Africa
Dr. R. Marloth discovered six species with window leaves, stemless succulents buried in the soil with only apexes showing. The exposed leaf part is flat or convex and colorless to allow light to reach the green interior. First species identified is a bulbine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
South Africa
R. Marloth
London Graphic
The Manly Man in Youth's Companion Dialogue
Mrs. Gregg remarks on preferring a man who helps with housework yet appears his wife. She contrasts two weeks with inept handy men who micromanage chores with biblical humor. The exchange highlights gendered expectations and domestic roles from a past period.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sim
How Long Is A Day In Spitzbergen And Finland
A curious comparison notes that a day lasts three and a half months in Spitzbergen and under three hours on Christmas in Torena Finland. The piece ponders appetite and daily work pay tied to location and time.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Spitzbergen
Finland
Torena
Blackburns Eloquence Move Senate Hearts
Vice President Stevenson recalls senator Proctor of Vermont claiming he was paired with Blackburn on prayers. Upon Rev Dr Butler leaving senate chaplaincy Blackburn’s ardent farewell moved even stoic veterans to tears. whispers say Ghent era senators sobbed. West whispered Joe never saw him as adjournment followed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Blackburn
Proctor
Vermont
Stevenson
Senate
Butler
Legislative Assembly
Ghent
West
Joe
Washington Herald
One Pot Walloper in England in 1896
The parliamentary register notes only one pot walloper in England. The term, though sounding like a creature from old times, refers to a voter who boiled a pot, applied to borough voters before the 1882 reform bill when suffrage required polling one’s own pot in the parish for six months.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Wonderful Musical Memory of Sir John Stainer
The London Standard recalls Sir John Stainer’s exceptional memory as he played the organ for the Messiah at Crystal Palace from memory after a folio score failed. The conductor despaired until Stainer performed the entire part flawlessly without page turns.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sir John Stainer
Crystal Palace
Sir John
London Standard
Paris coin talk in Louisville family exchange
A nephew returns from abroad with a franc piece and mentions Latin quarters. Aunt Hopsy responds that she wishes he had brought home one of those widely discussed Latin quarters.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paris
Hopsy
Louisville Courier-Journal
A Braggart Reflected In A Father Son Exchange
A Boston Transcript quote frames a braggart as a man unafraid to express his real opinion of himself in a candid father son exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston Transcript
Rapid Transit Laughs From A Child's Chair Tale
A Success Magazine anecdote recalls an author who, seeking space in his hometown, borrowed his father's high chair and hauled it home by hand. He waited for a car long enough to grow into the chair, the conductor quipping about his size. The author Webster confessed he grew up waiting for the car.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Webster
Success Magazine
Notable Fox Creek Family Sparks 19th Century Debate
In a Washington Star exchange the outspoken lady claims ancestral ties to the Mayflower while Mrs. Cumrox counters with a candid remark about her family’s lack of interest in celebrated pilgrimages. The playful quarrel reflects social attitudes of the era.
Hair and Genius Reflections Prompt Gendered Style
A writer in Flie gende Blatter questions why male genius is signaled by long hair while female genius prompts a short cut. The remark probes social expectations of appearance and intellect across genders.
The Early Stage of Female Theatrical Roles in England
A compact survey traces London stage history from Shakespearean times to restoration. It notes that Ophelia was once portrayed by a boy and that women first appeared on English stages around 1661, with performers like Mrs Davenport, Mrs Knipp, and Mrs Davies cited. The piece blends diary references and literary commentary to map early female acting on stage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ophelia
London
Pepys
Kynaston
Marose
Stevenson’s Years of Pain and Perseverance
In an 1893 letter quoted by George Meredith Stevenson describes fourteen years of ill health yet steadfast work. He recalls writing through illness and hemorrhages while praising the Pacific for his improvement and lamenting a bed bound battlefield. He views himself as made for contest and wishes for trumpetings and open air over a bed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Stevenson
R. L. Stevenson
George Meredith
Pacific
Four Brothers Debate Fire Loss Over Cat Inheritance
In Philadelphia Record style a warehouse owned equally by four brothers is damaged by a fire sparked when a cat bound with a greased rag in the eldest brother’s front right quarter catches a falling coal. The three younger brothers blame the eldest, while he argues the other paws caused the damage. The dispute ends unresolved.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Doe’s Stratagem in Escape Drama of a Doe and Fawn
A French anecdote describes a doe fleeing two dogs in the Aigle woods near Chantilly. The mother cushions her exhausted fawn by tossing it into brambles and drawing the hounds away two kilometers toward Canardiere peat bogs. The dogs later return exhausted while the fawn is hidden safe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
M. X. Raspail
Forest of
Chantilly
Canardiere
Vindictive Knife Haunts Kipling Memoir in London
Robert Barr recalls a sinister serpentine knife displayed in a second floor room on Vil liers Street near Embankment Gardens. The weapon, described as vicious with a needle sharp downward point, allegedly targeted Barr and nearly impaled Kipling as it quivered on the floor a breath from his boot.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Villiers Street
Embankment Gardens
Thames
Kipling
India
Robert Barr
Converting Skeptic Becomes Occult Believer in Seance
A suburban man recounts a dramatic shift from skepticism to belief after attending a seance with his friend Buggins. He describes a complete alteration of heart and openness to occult phenomena previously dismissed as fake or explainable.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buggins
How to Know the Twins
The Beverly twins Fred and Frank are exact opposites in looks and dress, making them nearly indistinguishable to neighbors and even their mother. To tell them apart the mother uses a clue from pantry noises when one answers, indicating which twin is present and likely up to mischief.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Beverly
Fred
Frank
Wonderful Cactuses From Mexico
The largest cactuses in the world grow in parts of Mexico. Bristling plants in greenhouses and collections pale beside their size and beauty. Some specimens reach eight to ten feet and weigh several hundred pounds. Cactus forms and colors are diverse and blossoms are equally large and varied.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mexico
Is Your Town Improving
Broncho Bob claims Crimson Gulch shows improvement with an 80 percent population drop in the last year. He adds he knows nobody whose absence would not be a benefit. Washington Star contrasts his cynicism with the town’s reduced population.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Broncho
Crimson Gulch
Washington Star
Impostor Trick Destroys Persian Envoy to Louis XIV
In 1667 an envoy claiming to be Riza Bey from Persia fooled Louis XIV and the French court. The impostor received honors and gifts, then vanished, leaving only cheap glass gems worth a few cents. The episode highlights the king’s triumphal reception turning to a startling disappearance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louis XIV
Louis le Grand
Persia
Marseilles
Paris
Tuileries
Louis
Duc de Richelieu
Versailles
Hall of Mirrors
Riza Bey
Louis le Trand
Caspian Sea
France
New York Tribune
The Jury Disagreed On Equity For An Old Case
An old time story centers on a fine point of law and equity that never reached a decision. The tale recalls how jurors failed to resolve a disputed equity issue in a bygone case.
What Should She Say
A husband complains of loneliness and business demands while praising his wife and his need to stay in, to please her. He mentions Brown of Brown Kalibo and Co as a key customer in town and contemplates social obligations at the club. The Chicago Journal quotes the earnest exchange as a domestic scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Littl
Drigg
Brown of
Brown, Kalibo & Co
Chicago Journal
Unpleasant to Have Around
A brief social fragment recalls a broken engagement to Mr. Briggs. The woman explains fear of marriage, noting he knew too much, and recalls gifting ribbon that he used to buy at a discount, implying a light, domestic scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Briggs
The Barrier Exchange Dialogue
A brief comic exchange shows Blobbs denying marriage and admitting affection for women as he jokes about talking in his sleep. The gag contrasts Blobbs’s aloof stance with his evident fondness for the fair sex.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Blobbs
Instantaneous Light by Mr. Walker of Stockton-on-Tees
The Atlas of January 10, 1830 notes Mr. Walker chemist Stockton-on-Tees supplies matches in boxes with glass paper folded inside. A blow or rubbing does not ignite them. only a pinch between the folded glass paper and rapid withdrawal causes instant ignition. He makes them for local small demand.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlas
London
Walker
Stockton-on-Tees
Destruction of the Parthenon in 1687 during Athens siege
The Parthenon, held by Turks during the 1687 Venetian siege, served as a powder magazine. A Venetian bomb dropped into the temple, causing a blast that badly shattered the structure. Since then it has stood roofless and exposed, a ruin after over two millennia.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Athens
New York American
Peculiar Taxes in Holland Chronicle
The article notes unusual Dutch levies from 1791 a passenger tax in Holland and in 1874 a 2 shilling duty on early tavern entry entertainment visits marriages and deaths and double tax if buried outside the home district.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Holland
Sea Captain Recounts Shipwreck At Swiss Coast
A beggar detailing a shipwreck narrative claims his vessel foundered off the coast of Switzerland. He presents his tale as a straightforward account of loss and survival, noting personal ruin after the disaster.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Switzerland
Higher Criticism Clergyman and Motorcyclist Exchange Oaths
A fragment captures a humorous exchange where a clergyman questions the use of abominable oaths and a motorcyclist retorts with a sharper alternative. The brief dialogue showcases a clash of voice in a Harper publication snippet.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harper
Also Mentioned on This Page
Colossus
Bashful Stanley
Island
Atlanta Constitution
Boys
New York Times
Doe
Parthenon
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