Rug purchase tale from Cairo becomes a buyer’s spree
A rich American party visits Cairo and is spun by a crafty dealer who staged a mystical carpet display. The ruse yields a 60,000 francs sale and a belief the salesman is a wizard of the East, as seven more carpets are bought in dramatic fashion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John Kimberly Mumford
America
Constantinople
Smyrna
Cairo
Tiflis
East
New York
Europe
Cuxico
Moneybags
Price
Alexandria
The American Woman and Her Northern Hemisphere Impact
A reflection on the American woman as a modern feminist icon shaping both sides of the Atlantic. The essay lauds her perceived blend of independence and femininity, highlighting her influence in literature and social life across Europe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Northorn
New World
Swift and the Printer Faulkner Impostor Tale
George Faulkner, Dublin printer for many of Dean Swift’s works, visited Swift in London and dressed in lace and a bagwig. Swift mistook him for an impudent impostor, sent him away, then welcomed the real Faulkner back after his dress change.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George Faulkner
Dean Swift
Parliament Street
Dublin
Wilmot Harrison
London
House of Correction
George
Swift
Treatment of British Jack Tars in Nelsons Day
A Pearson's Weekly excerpt condemns brutal naval discipline in Nelsons era with midshipmen abusing juniors and flogging varying from three to twelve dozen lashes. It contrasts harsh punishments with modern navy restraint and courtesy, noting life aboard bluejackets improved but faulting self-responsibility.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pearson’s Weekly
Louis the Magnificent in Blue Coat and Red Velvet Boots
In this excerpt from The Return of Louis XVIII by Gilbert Stenger, Louis rises to be dressed by his valet in a blue cloth coat with gold epaulets, a white waistcoat, and satin breeches tucked into red velvet boots. He values the boots as a military image, despite his fatness and infirmity. He uses powder to mask his age white hair, creating a youthful look.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louis the Magnificent
Louis XVIII
Gilbert Stenger
Telling the Time by the Blacksmith
A Somerset blacksmith tells a puzzled visitor how he can tell time from a horse hoof. He asks, then shows the man to look through a hole in a pollard ash to see the church clock and reveals the hour as half past eleven.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Somerset
Coleridge
Grapes Question Puzzles Cost for Four Bunches
A new teacher asks a shopper's math riddle about four bunches of grapes priced at nine pence per bunch. The problem tests simple multiplication and totals the expense.
Bargain Talks Ignite Classroom Banter
A classroom exchange quotes Tom my praising his mother as a skilled bargainer. The line highlights a humorous family dynamic and a nod to maternal savvy.
Of Vitali importance in Benham exchange
A dramatic exchange quoted from the New York Press where Mrs. Benham debates with a doctor who predicts the mother will not live until morning. The doctor questions whether his statement is a promise or a mere forecast.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Vitali
Benham
New York Press
Satirical Note Sparks Local Gossip in London
In a brief London Tit-Bits snippet, Tomkins confesses to proposing to Miss Parne after a tale from Dawkins claimed she was engaged to him. He now seeks Dawkins to settle the hoax turning into a comic tangle of rumors.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tomkins
Miss Parne
Dawkins
London
BELLA COOLA SKY WORLDS AND SUN WORSHIP BELLA COOLA BELIEFS
An account of the Bella Coola tribe of British Columbia describing five-tiered cosmology with two heavens and two underworlds, a female supreme deity, sun worship, clan traditions, and the sensitivity to outsiders misappropriating stories.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bella Coola
British Columbia
Heaven
Senex
House of Gods
Smokeless Powder Behind Long Range Guns
The text explains that smokeless powder emerged from trials to improve explosive power for long range guns. It notes smokelessness was accidental, not planned, and that black powder smoke came from coal char. While praised for sports use, its battlefield value mainly lies in reduced smoke which later aided troop movements.
Saved by Fireflies in Santo Domingo Buccaneer Escape
In the West Indian island city of Santo Domingo a buccaneer flotilla led by Thomas Cavendish planned a massacre and treasure theft. They spotted countless fireflies lighting the forests, mistook them for sentries, and turned away to retreat to their ships.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Indian Islands
Santo Domingo
Thomas Cavendish
The Wonderful Banana Explains Its Curious Nature
The banana is described as a herbaceous plant with tree status, not a true woody tree. It can reach thirty feet, has no woody fiber, and bears heavy bunches. It yields more food per acre than most crops, with high weight yields mentioned.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Garden of Eden
Immune Plant Promises Disease Free Harvest
A description claims a potato variety with extraordinary yields being 133 times the wheat output, resistant to insects and immune to all diseases. The passage asserts unbeatable resilience and abundant production.
College education helps in business humor
A Chicago Record-Herald quip notes a business owner who fears firing two college educated workers because they might criticize his grammar. The joke hinges on the value of formal schooling versus practical skill in management.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Record-Herald
Following Orders in a Humorous Cartoon Dialogue
In a comic panel Charlie questions Percy about shaving his face. Percy explains that the doctor advised more exercise, prompting a quip about his morning routine from the illustrated strip.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charlie
Percy
Swiss reserve horses funded by state ownership plan
Switzerland uses state owned remounts for reserves. Soldiers pay half the horse cost and difference to auction price, with annual 1/10 refunds and full ownership after ten years. Average troop horse costs about £45, buys at £4 10s yearly, total including depots rises to about £8 12s.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Switzerland
Baily
Ireland
North Germany
Great Britain
Roads in China and the crooked path to progress
The passage describes China's roads as private land grabs that strip farmers of use and taxes. Narrow routes force passers to trespass and dig roadside ditches, creating channels that erode surfaces into drainage. Crooked roads force long detours, a curiosity for travelers.
Thames and Brooklyn Magistrate Jokes Over Gambling Raid
A Brooklyn magistrate humorously handles four African American gamblers caught in a raid. The first prisoner with a comical black face says he is a locksmiff, claiming he was pursuing his profession when police interrupted. The magistrate quips lock smith up, drawing merry reaction in court.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brooklyn
Smiff
Darky
New York Tribune
The Costly Ledger of Life and the Buyback of Joy
A London Spectator passage argues that some pleasures justify their price and past costs should be ignored. It advises dropping the receipt and burning the ticket to avoid perpetual balance checks. The tone treats cost-benefit as a philosophical restraint on enjoyment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Spectator
How She Rules Him Card Narrative
A humorous pair of dialogue lines depict Skinphlint’s wife wielding influence over him. He refrains from denying her wants to avoid costly divorce and alimony and to keep the peace at home.
Ice Form Differences Between Arctic and Antarctic Bergs
The piece explains that sea and salt water freeze lower than pure water, producing fresher meltwater. It notes Arctic icebergs are irregular with pinnacles and towers, while Antarctic bergs are flat topped and solid. Arctic bergs enter sea via narrow fiords. southern bergs move through wide routes and resist grinding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pittsburg Press
A Real Cute Dog Story At An English Inn
A visitor at a market day inn claims a dog saved six missing ewes. He used a telescope to spot the flock on the moor two miles away, then the dog retrieved the sheep in under two hours, wagging its tail as if understanding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bob
No Misunderstanding with Old Political Friends
The Washington Star quotes Senator Sorghum noting that the issue is not a simple misunderstanding but the impossibility of one. He says they have expressed opinions of each other that are 80 explicit to be unmistakable.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sorghum
Washington Star
Papa's Plan Prevents Proposal
Dialogue excerpt shows a debtor father anxious to offload a potential engagement while the daughter seeks independence and counsels her suitor. The exchange highlights family pressure and intergenerational conflict.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Papa
Ancient Eyeglasses in Roman Times
A New York Post brief quotes a schoolgirl noting ancient glasses and a claim from history that Romans were fond of spectacles. The item highlights early use of eyewear and a playful historical remark.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Post
Yardyard Cigars Referenced In Quip
A playful quip comparing cigars to a yard prompts the line Myer asks which yard the graveyard references in a Chicago News item. The exchange signals a humorous aside rather than a full report.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Myer
Chicago News
Circulars from Japan Trade Letters Offer Cheap Meat
A Boston transcript presents a Japanese English example where a meat market founder writes to a buyer claiming vast slaughterhouse operations. He promises cheap meat, daily reductions, and asks for orders by letter, offering a creditor pass-book and postage savings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Japan
P. S
Boston Transcript
The Deluge and the Frog Laughs It Floods the World
Aboriginal legends describe a time when no waiter existed except inside a giant frog. To end the drought, creatures danced but failed to move the frog until the writhing eel made it laugh, causing a global flood. Pelican saves survivors with a large canoe across rising islands.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Australia
Curiosities of Superstition in Ancient Egypt
A study notes Egypt at the height of its power and civilization, highlighting beliefs and practices that shaped its image as mistress of the land. It hints at the culture's devotion to superstition amid royal grandeur and historical prominence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Egypt
Sacred Black Bull and the White Forehead Mark
The passage recounts a tradition where a bull born with a circular white spot on its forehead is revered across regions from the Mediterranean to the Libyan desert. It notes how such animals were honored from ancient times, including Cleopatra’s era, with gold shoes and horn tips. Herodotus mentions a man driven to grief after selling a cow whose offspring bore the sacred mark.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mediterranean
Lybian
Cleopatra
Nile
Herodotus
Lead Pencil Word Count Experiments Across Nations
An English statistician copied Scott's Ivanhoe word by word until the pencil wore down after 95 608 words. A German statistician aimed higher using a holder to copy a long German novel, reportedly reaching 400 000 words, though pencil quality or length may have influenced the result.
Funeral for Wm. McCoy Set at U B Church Sunday
Funeral for the late Wm. McCoy will be held at the United Brethren church on Sunday at 2:00 p m with interment to follow at a local cemetery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wm. McCoy
U. B. Church
Ames City adopts street renaming ordinance
Ordinance No. 244 changes numerous Ames streets to numbered designations from Grant to South 2nd, Jackson to South 3rd, Cleveland to 2nd, and others through Templeton to Sixteenth. Repeals conflicting ordinances, effective on publication per city law. City Clerk Maxwell and Mayor Tilden sign.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
City
Ames
Iowa
Grant Street
South 2Nd Street
Jackson Street
South 3Rd Street
Cleveland Street
2Nd Street
Stevens Street
3Rd Street
Grand Boulevard
4Th Street
Lincoln Street
Hanover Street
Fifth Street
Iowa Street
Sixth Street
College Street
Seventh Street
State Street
Ray
Eighth Street
Sycamore Street
Ninth Street
Pearl Street
Tenth Street
Fayette Street
Eleventh Street
Agate
Fifteenth Street
Templeton Street
Sixteenth Street
Also Mentioned on This Page
Cairg
North America
Gina Lombroso Ferrero
Putnam’s Magazine
Faulkner
OLD Time Navy
Tommy
China
A. B. Maxwell
Galen Tilden
Cagwin’s Drug Store
Adams Furniture
Nelson & Moore
Bell
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