Natural Bridge of Virginia Called Gods Greatest Miracle in Stone
The Natural Bridge on the western slope of the Pine Mountains overlooks the James River Valley. It is a lime stone arch praised as a world drawing wonder by notable figures including Jefferson and Chief Justice Marshall who lauded it as Gods greatest miracle to stone.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
James River Valley
Pine Mountains
Niagara
Washington
Lord Fairfax
George lI
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson
Marshall
Fleury Clay
Insects Walk on Ceilings Explained by Bee Expert
Tickner Edwardes, chairman of the British Beekeepers Association, explains in The Lore of the Honeybee how insects walk on ceilings and rough and smooth surfaces. The book describes a mechanism involving claws and pads that enable these feats.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tickner Edwardes
British Beekeepers’ Association
Coles Hot Blast Range promised with low price appeal
In this ad the Coles Hot Blast Range touts economical pricing and a wide cooking range. It claims high output for broiling nine steaks at once with a smokeless, odorless operation that vents through the chimney. The copy emphasizes affordability and a rare accessory feature.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Coles
Regan
Cole
Bee foot mechanics in climbing and gripping surfaces
The passage describes a bee’s hind foot with short strong claws for gripping rough surfaces and a soft oily pad that adheres to smooth surfaces. Bees walk three pads at a time, transferring contact as they step, with each foot capable of independent attachment and detachment. Downward pressure on the claw initiates the stripping action for the next contact.
Comfort in Congress and the notional counter
A satirical look at free perks for Congress members including baths barber services and grooming paid by the government. The piece mocks the “notion counter” at the Capitol stocked with stationery tools and everyday items for politicians and families.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Congress
Congressional
Capitol
Pike County
Iowa
Sam
Monsey ’S Magazine
Discoverer of California Gold an Early Pennsylvanian
A mineralogist notes that John A. Sutter, born 1805 in Baden and later a Philadelphia resident, discovered gold in California in 1848. He died in 1880s, buried at Lititz in Lancaster County. Sutter built wealth in California, then lost it, returned to Pennsylvania and lived on a California pension. Generals Vermont and Burnside served as pallbearers. Philadelphia Record
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
California
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
John A. Sutter
Commonwealth
Lititz
Lancaster County
General Sutter
Baden
Germany
Switzerland
Rockies
John C. Vremont
Ambrose B. Burnside
Philadelphia Record
Faked Paintings and an Insult to an Artist in Paris
Paris correspondent tells of an American duped by bogus paintings bought for a fortune. M Henri Rochefort recounted the tale where Rembrandts Corots and Harpignies were claimed genuine. Harpignies later wrote to deny signing the works, calling the American’s assertion absurd at ninety two.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
M. Henri Rochefort
Paris
Kansas City Journal
Rembrandts
Corots
Harpignies
Hin
Dave
Ife
Henri Harpignies
Six Boxes of Cheap Cigars Puzzle a Pair
Mr Newed reveals six boxes of cheap cigars gifted by his wife and plans to swap them with his own Havanas to avoid hurting her feelings. Mrs Newed shares sending six boxes to Uncle Jo the sea captain in Wales, posting them at five shillings a bus.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Newed
Wales
London
Too Much Appreciation and a Lunatic Fan Letter
A biography of Hurley notes his irritation with chores while the plague had a humorous side. Huxley recalled a letter from a reader claiming to spend a month with him with seven children and his mother in law arriving by the 5 o'clock train.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hurley
Huxley
Defunct Arithmetically Riddles Dead Man Quote
A fragmented quotation recalls a morbid pun about a man nicknamed Dinny and a joke about halves to be killed. The text reads like an eccentric dialogue set near a quarry and elevator incident, with misheard phrases and dialectic humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dinny
FATTED SHEEP NEAR DAMASCUS DESCRIBED IN HISTORIC PROCESS
The article describes fattening Syrian sheep near Damascus. Families select one to three sheep, women and children feed mulberry leaves daily, keep mouths open to force feed, and wash coats. By late September the sheep are unable to stand, then killed and spiced flesh preserved for winter use as relish at festivities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Damascus
MelIntosh
Thunder Poise Explained By Steam Explosion Theory
A historical note suggests thunder’s intensity stems from rapid heating of water vapor along the discharge path, causing steam-like explosions. Experiments by Trowbridge with electric discharges through soaked cotton amplified crackling sounds, supporting the steam explosion idea over vacuum convergence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wein
Trowbridge
The Phalanx in Greek Military History
A description of the phalanx as a square, tightly ranked body with joined shields and crossed pikes. Initially four thousand strong at Gret, the formation was later doubled by Philip of Macedon, creating the double phalanx and its tactical implications.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Greece
Gret
Philip of
Macedon
Description of the Phalanx Formation and its Grand Scale
The account details a square phalanx of ten flanking and five hundred front ranks with pikes three feet beyond the front. Front rank pikes extend forward while rear ranks couch and lock to push, creating a violent assault. Each pike measures twenty three feet. a grand phalanx reportedly holds 16 384 men.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jus
Charlotte Corday and Her Noble Lineage
The New York American notes Charlotte Corday as of noble birth and well educated. It states no signs of insanity or fanaticism in her, and that she killed Jean Paul Marat to aid what she saw as the righteous settlement of France’s turmoil, describing her action as quiet and unostentatious.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charlotte Corday
Marot
Orleans
Marat
Paris
New York
Hailstorm in Pyrenees Wrecks Tents and Slays Livestock
A traveler reports a Pyrenees hailstorm that pounded tents with stones the size of tennis balls, leaving white-walled mountains, shattered shelters, and the deaths of seventy sheep along with cows and a missing child drawn to a stream. The event followed a night of darkness and violent weather, as the party sheltered under sparse trees.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Tinns
Pyrenees
About a Mile Across the World’s Miles
In a Chicago Record Herald piece, readers learn how many yards different countries call a mile. England uses 1,768 yards, Ireland 2,240, Scotland 1,076, with Swiss and Vienna miles longest. Denmark 8,244 yards. Arabs 2,143. Turks 1,826. Italians 1,766, and Americans phrase “about a mile” differently.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Huger
Highlands
Swizerland
Denmark
Chicago Record Herald
Ambassadors Bold Plea on Behalf of Death Penalty
An eastern court traps a visiting ambassador of Charlemagne with a king’s strict law. He asks a favor, seeks the eyes of all who witnessed the crime, but witnesses stay silent. The king, moved by the plea, pardons the ambassador rather than punishable proof.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charlemagne
Might Is Right in Highland Courtship
A humorous fragment depicts Effie and David, a timid Highland couple. Efe resists a kiss while David, shy about his strength, admits she is stronger after recounting a small feat with potatoes. The exchange highlights playful romance and social mood.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Highland Tower
Effie
David
London
On the Right Road
A conversation contrasts a daughter’s airs with a wish for practicality. Mr S&pilitkins notes she is aristocratic, while Mr 8 challenges the view, hoping she becomes a good cook.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. S&pilitkins
Cleveland Plain Dealer
His Usual Preference Meat Query in Trade Board Banter
A board of trade operator questions Larry the butcher about his morning meat. Larry replies with bears steak and beef described as bully. The exchange ends with a humorous mispronunciation and a playful twist.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Larry
Board of Trade
Thackeray As A Talker In Britain Classic Tale
The piece recalls Thackeray's timidity in public speaking and a Manchester trip with publisher Fields for the Free Library Institution event. He aimed to outshine Dickens and Bulwer Lytton yet faltered after two minutes, jokingly lamenting a missed perfect oration.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thackeray
General Theatrical Fund
Dickens
Soulmare
Lewis Melvilie
Differences in Bank of England and U S notes
A comparative discussion of Bank of England notes and United States notes highlights enduring design differences. English notes are longer, broader, printed on rough white paper, with no pictures and one-sided. U S notes are fully covered with designs on both sides and issued repeatedly until worn. The English system records every note issued and paid, enabling quick detection of counterfeits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bank of England
United States
Woman pays by check at department store stalls
A west side woman fills in her check stub carefully while a hurried companion urges rushing to leave. The scene shows the slower routine of check writing amid a quick shopping trip at a department store.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Side
West Ade
Stub First Law in Banking Memoranda
A New York Press anecdote recounts a woman recalling her father’s rule to write the stub first when handling checks. She says the vow to never write a check until the stub is filled helped her manage the accounts and avoid memory errors, and notes her husband fears no trouble from it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Press
A Safe Proceeding in Paris Embassy Gossip
Lord Tyens, a veteran English diplomat in Washington and Paris, is praised for tact in action and keeping counsel. At the Paris embassy Sir Edward Blount arrived to a loud journalist report. The journalist boasted of overhearing state secrets, but Lyons retorts that nothing was said and nothing remained heard.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lord Tyens
Washington
France
Sir Edward Blount
Paris
Edward
Lord Lyons
Ancient Stone Workers and Their Precise Tools
Ancient Egyptian stone workers 4000 years ago used solid and tubular drifts and straight and circular saws with remarkable precision. The tubular drifts produced flawless cuts in granite, showing no wear from cutting, while a tenth of an inch cut per revolution carved through both hard and soft rock. A hole bored through varied materials remained perfectly smooth and uniform.
Iceberg Groupings and Long Lines Formed by Currents
Icebergs cluster and align in long lines due to ocean currents and storms. Some lines run for hundreds of miles east of Newfoundland, crossing and diverging, with parallel bergs creating clear water gaps. Spring brings white ice into Atlantic steamship lanes, from Greenland and Labrador edges moving south.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlantic
Tce
Arctic
Greenland
Labrador
Baffin Tug
Atinurle
Harper's Weekly
Why Stars Twinkle and the Vikings’ Fury
The piece explains atmospheric light refraction causing star twinkle, noting temperature, density layers, and viewing through heated air. It contrasts with candlelight views and cites ancient Norse warriors as “men of the sword” and berserkers, marking their fearsome legacy. The source is the New York American.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York American
Also Mentioned on This Page
Due
Foot OF the
J. F. Tilden
Odd Fellows
M. H. Kelso
Story County
AMES
E. S. Hicks
Fine Merchant
Seventh St
Douglas Ave
D.M Ghrist
Jennie G. Ghrist
M.D
Drs. Ghrist
Ghrist Physicians & Surgeons
Glarrer
James E. Adamson, M. D
Main St
R +s
Duff Ave
S.G. Vvyer, MB
C. G. Tilden
M. D
A. Underwood, Walter Canaday
Union National
Bank Ames
Owa
Ames Hotel
Dasie. McCarthy
J. ¥. Lowe
McCarthy & Luke
Attorneys At Law
Story County Bank
Ames, Iowa
G. J. Snyder
Lambie
Mutual
Matas
Olice
Comfort IN
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!