The Regent's Park Explosion and the Artist's Narrow Escape
A canal boat loaded with gunpowder exploded opposite Laurence Alma-Tadema's London home in 1874 at 4 o'clock. The blast shattered nearby walls and left Alma-Tadema emerges dazed in pajamas on the street. A bridge watchman named Peter Knox narrowly survived his own life as the incident unfolded.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Regent’s Park Canal
London
Laurence Alma-Tadema
Alma-Tadema
Peter Knox
Bushey Park
Thames
Peter
Chicago Record Herald
Paris Cab Names and Arguments in Street Clashes
In Paris cab wars, drivers block each other and shout a chorus of vowels and exclamations. The comic exchanges feature phrases like Sacred name and Stomach on the ground as drivers trade taunts while maneuvering around jams.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paris
Alius
Thatching Heritage on Exmoor A Dutch Descent Rumor
On Exmoor two amateur botanists search for bog moss and find a shepherd named Henry Van Torp. They discuss a thatching roof made of plaited reeds and joke about Dutch ancestry while noting the craftsman's skill and long family tradition.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Exmoor
Lorna Doone
Low Countries
Devon
Henry van Torp
England
Ereabout
Pharaoh the Oppressor in Ramses Legend Across Egypt
Robert Hichens notes in Century compare Ramses the Great to a living presence in Egypt and its people. The piece discusses enduring fame, national memory, and vanity shaping collective identity across 1,220 years, with echoes in a Hindu, a boatman, and even a modern dream of power.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rameses
Egypt
Hassan
Rameses the Great
Nile
Israel
Robert Hichens
Macsville in Nova Scotia Named for Caledonian Predominance
The London Chronicle notes Macsville in the Cobalt district of Nova Scotia as a town where Scots settlers are prominent. It highlights that while local names may not reveal this, the prevailing nationality is evident to observers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Greater Britain
Cobalt
Nova Scotia
Gay
Mac
London Chronicle
Light from deep sea animals lights sea floor like lanterns
In the depths of the sea many small animals emit enough light to illuminate sea bottoms. Some cephalopods possess reflecting structures that cast their glow downward, acting as an efficient bullseye lantern for hunting in the abysmal darkness.
Wyss Announces Market Loss at Dinner Table
Mr. Wyss says he dropped money in the market and suffered a loss, provoking Mrs. Wyss’s reproachful reaction at the dinner table. The remark appears in Judge's Library.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Wyss
Objectively Considered Horserpower Jibe
A humorous exchange notes a car’s horsepower by joking it equals the power needed to haul a broken vehicle to the repair shop after a country-road breakdown. The quip contrasts a question about horsepower with the unexpected consequence of a breakdown.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ruggles
Ramage
Chicago Tribune
Sly Sunset: Millionaire Flaunts Electric Sundial Garden
A Bohemian magazine quips about a self styled millionaire boasting the finest gardens in the region. He claims to own the most expensive sundial in the world set in the center, surrounded by electric lights, while a listener notes sundials are useless at night.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bohemian Magazine
Stones and Bricks
A humorous exchange discusses sermons in stones versus a brick. Mrs O Hoolihan questions the idea while O Hooli suggests a brick can spark strong argument, reflecting chatting at the exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sthones
Mrs Peddicord Recalled Regretful Answer
A Detroit Free Press reminiscence quotes Mrs Peddicord and her husband about a regretted remark. The husband recalls asking if she ever said something they later regretted and she answers yes, a single moment of remorse lasting since.
Home wash versus downtown laundry joke circles readers
A quip from the Atchison Globe notes a gender based joke about clean clothes, comparing a woman doing laundry at home to calling it the laundry when done downtown. The line reflects era humor about domestic chores and social settings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Aundry
Atchison Globe
The Language Puzzle of China’s Forty Thousand Signs
The Contemporary Review notes Wen li as the written backbone of classical China while Mandarin represents the spoken form. It cites over 40 000 characters and ongoing additions for new terms. literacy remains low with about one in ten people able to read or write.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Shipwreck Tales From The Saloon And Deck
An excerpt from the New Orleans Times-Democrat recounts shipwreck miseries and odd reactions aboard a vessel. A captain describes an Indian colonel drowning in a bathroom out of terror while a cast member causes injury by dropping a trunk into a lifeboat. Some survivors turn to drink, hindering rescue efforts and leaving the deck in chaos.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Orleans Times-Democrat
Cheese Crackers With Creamed Butter Spread
Simple recipe from the New York Post for cheese crackers using American grated cheese and saltine wafers. Creamed butter is rubbed with the cheese mix, spread on wafers, and baked in a moderate oven until the cheese blends, watching to avoid burning. A plain salad pairs well.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Post
No School Excerpt Sparks Morbid Boat Riddle
An old newspaper fragment recounts a teacher's exposé on culpable homicide. A child answers a question about a leaky boat causing drowning with a playful line: “4 holiday, sir.”
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tf T
An Invitation Between Fred and Freda
A fragment expresses longing under moonlight to kiss Freda. A poet’s line about yesterday shaping today is cited as a reflective aside.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fred
Freda
Science and Tears in Romantic Plight
A French chemist analyzes tears and their effects on the brain and body, suggesting that a shower of albuminoids and chemicals dulls nerve centers. The piece notes this removes romance from scenes of sorrow, though it remains a practical, if unsettling, science.
Nervous man questions contagion of baby in crowd
A fidgety young man in a public setting asks if the baby beside him is contagious. The woman with the veiled infant replies, in a clear tone, that the baby is teething, suggesting the threat mainly targets him.
Not So Funny After All On A Rockland Cruise
A Rockland cruise encounter with Castine Maine features an elderly farmer who falls into a Montana youth’s hands and recalls a ship’s wartime role. The scene evokes a surreal mock battle with ventilators as torpedo tubes and fog nets as nets while the Hartford becomes the fastest ship afloat. The retired Rear Admiral’s card underscores a stark contrast between past command and present spectacle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rockland
Castine
Montana
Hartford
Beacons Paid Ahead Subscription Comes to Light
A young Iowa newspaper founder boasts of a shoestring start funded by his father. Friends tease about his editor role while exposing a prepaid Beacon subscription marked paid a hundred years ahead on his books.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iowa
The
Beacon
Long Flights of Birds Near Bering Strait
A naturalist estimates the longest continuous flight by migratory birds occurs among shore and water birds nesting in the islands of the Bering Sea and spending the season there. The observation notes these birds undertake extensive journeys during their peregrinations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bering Strait
Bering Sea
Feet On Or Off Poultry Price Question
A very young housekeeper inquires about a spring chicken price. She notes 2s 9d at another poulterer, then asks if 3 shillings is high. The stall salesman confirms they sell chickens with feet on, not without, ending the exchange with a humorous quip.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Filibuster Early Shows Tactics of House and Senate
The piece recounts a 1805 filibuster near Samuel Chase impeachment where payment for witnesses sparked a deadlock between the House and Senate. John Randolph pressed to use the contingent fund, Federalists fled the chamber causing repeated quorum gaps, and a final enrolled bill progressed as the speaker signed it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Samuel Chase
Supreme Court
House of Representatives
Chase
Senate
John Randolph
Federalists Fail To Quorum as Congress Closes
The Baltimore American reports the Eighth Congress ended Sunday night March 3 1805 after repeated slips and a no quorum announcement, Randolph reacting with passion before restraint.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Randolph
Baltimore
White Island a New Zealand natural wonder
White Island, a 600 acre volcanic island, rises 880 feet above sea level and is noted for white steam veiling its form. The pale green water reddens any object dipped, with sulfur fumes always visible and a crescent column of rock honoring Captain Cook looming above the southern landing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
White Island
New Zealand
Rome
Cook
Ceylon Plague of Leech Attacks Camelot Colonials
The London Standard details a breed of land leech in Ceylon that climbs legs under clothing and advances to the throat. It moves rapidly from tree line to attack, affecting cattle, horses, palanquin bearers, and coolies, leaving blood trickling from ankles.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ceylon
London Standard
Conversation in dialect about smoking's harm ends in dispute
A Philadelphia Press excerpt presents a dialect exchange where Johnny asserts cigarettes hurt, Jimmy questions the claim, and a dispute over who was restrained follows, illustrating a local viewpoint on tobacco risk.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Johnny
Jimmy
Pop
Philadelphia Press
Showman Claims One Feat Left for Arm-Less Wonder
A showman boasts there is one talent the armless performer cannot perform with his feet. A spectator asks what it is, and the showman replies that he cannot put on gloves with his feet.
Mingle a Little Gayely With Your Grave Pursuits
A compact quotation attributed to Horace suggests blending light romantic wit with serious study or work. The line frames a playful approach to balancing gaiety and grave tasks. It reflects classical Roman sentiment on enjoying life alongside duty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Horace
Night caps or cognac bottles cause customs confusion
A customs officer questions a woman traveler about three bottles of cognac found in her luggage. She quips they are just her night caps, highlighting a humorous exchange from Tit-Bits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Continent
Irish Manager Cancels Show Dismisses Audience
In a peculiar scene the Irish manager tells a near-empty crowd that the performance will not be performed tonight and will be repeated tomorrow evening.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Chicago Post
Pharaoh the Oppressor
Hawaii
Fanning Island
Science
Congress
Proper 'S Furniture Store
A. J. Clark
Marshalltown
Chicago Board of Trade
Tremont Block
Ames
Nelson & Nible Meat Market
Mutual
G. A. Brugger
U.S
Land Man
Margaret M. Jones
Baker’s Jewelry Store
McWilliam
Ames, Iowa
Jo Adams
Mutual Phone
A. W. Crary, M. S
Alice
Crary
Story Streets
Boone, Iowa
Shoop
Bhoop
Dr. Shoop
Joel E. Cagwin
Clare LaCall Roman
Hagenbecks Circus
Lloyd Harkness
Pearl Terry
Terry and Lloyd
Nellie
Terry
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!