Tiny Circuses Come to Town in Miniature Shows
Old-time traveling circuses fail to draw crowds while miniature circuses thrive. Bill Brinley of Meriden Connecticut builds a Cole Brothers scaled circus with five rings from over half a million hand carved pieces, starting at age nine after seeing a real show. Ernie Palmquist of Chicago maintains a $50,000 replica spanning 208 square feet modeled after Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey. These hobby circuses imitate full sized acts and props, yet reflect a present and future trend as more people pursue the craft to delight children and adults each spring.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill Brinley
Meriden
Conn
Cole Brothers Circus
Raymond Brinley
Bill
Ernie Palmquist
Chicago
Ilinois
Ringling Brothers
Barnum and Bailey Circus
Beware of Quicksand in Hiking Across Plains and Moorlands
Henry H. Graham warns hikers to be wary of quicksand in streams and moors. A lone hiker narrowly escaped by grabbing willow branches, illustrating the danger of traveling alone. The piece describes quicksand as rounded sand particles that trap those who struggle, cites historic incidents in Nebraska’s Platte River, English moors, and mountain trains, and offers a improvised crossing method using boards as a last resort. It concludes with a caution to hike with a companion and stay alert.
Answering Kids Questions Dear Mr Info Column Highlights
A reader asks if pro basketball players earn as much as baseball players. The response notes top basketball salaries can reach 35 000 or more annually. Another reader wonders how many friends to invite to a party with 30 options. advice suggests 12 to 20 depending on space and supervision. A third query about snubbing a classmate for not paying a movie ticket is deemed right and explained that the classmate may misinterpret expectations but will move on.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dennis P
Allan R
Mud fishes climb trees and walk on land across regions
Outdoor Life describes mud fishes with gills and lungs, enabling life in and out of water. Tree climbing perch in India crawl up trees after rains or at night, while mud skippers in West Africa and East India can live on dry land and climb logs in search of insects.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
India
West
Africa
Strange Fish Tales From the Water and Mud
Erma Reynolds describes peculiar aquatic creatures. A tadpole with independently rolling eyes can watch above water while surveying below. The lungfish of Africa, South America, and Australia survives drought by forming a mucus cocoon, hibernating for one to five years on its stored fat.
Puzzle Pete's rebus reveals hidden travel words
Puzzle Pete hides four travel means in his rebus by arranging letters and pictures. Clues point to phrases within sentences and a word diamond centered on a BICYCLE, with references to a chest bone, speed tests, Tom Sawyer's girl, and crafty, inviting solvers to complete the diamond.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pete
Cal
How to Make A Bouncy Newspaper Ball
Crumble a sheet of newspaper into a fist sized mass and wrap it with many rubber bands to form a round ball. Use colored bands if available to create a colorful toy that bounces high.
Go Fly a Kite Across the World in Youthful Flight
Weldon Woodson notes that children in many nations fly kites in festivals and compete to cut opponents’ strings. Chinese and Japanese kites feature bamboo frames with rice paper or silk, often birds dragons or beasts. Bermuda adds noisemakers for drumlike wind songs while Asian kites use reeds that howl with wind. The old New Zealand tribe used kites in religious rites as prayers rose with the wind.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Japan
Hamamatsu
Korea
New Zealand
Bermuda
Mark Twain’s Mississippi Steamboat Years Shaped His Books
Mark Twain served as a pilot on a Mississippi River steamboat for several years, drawing on those river experiences to inform plots and settings in multiple works. His time aboard the steamers influenced character voices and regional detail later woven into his literary canon.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mark Twain
Reproduction Notice Jumps From Newspaper Enterprise Association
A brief notice states no reproduction in whole or part is permitted except by permission of the Newspaper Enterprise Association. The item appears as a standard disclaimer tied to syndication and editorial use.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Newspaper Enterprise Association
Oregon Territory original area stood at 286541 square miles
The article notes that the Oregon Territory encompassed 286 541 square miles in its original boundaries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Oregon Territory
Bounce
A short nostalgic verse by Frances Gorman Risser about a bouncing ball and echoes of a cheerful mood. The speaker notes how a simple game lifts sad faces to happiness and returns smiles in kind.
Windy Night by R Eunice Stickland
Poem about a windy night with the speaker tucked in bed listening to the wind and hoping birds are safe indoors on a breezy evening. The piece centers on a cozy, protective calm during darkness and the wind’s sound.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Windy Night
R. Eunice Stickland
Gold Plating Shields Scout Rocket Skin From Heat
Gold coating lines the inner skin of the Scout rocket to protect scientific instruments from atmospheric heat. Chance Vought Aircraft supplies over 100 square feet of gold plating, enabling the fourth stage to endure nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. This thin protective layer demonstrates a new use for gold in space exploration.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chance Vought
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Also Mentioned on This Page
Josephine Brinley
Gad
Weldon D. Woodson
Platte
Nebraska
Great West
England
Mister
Sandy
South America
Australia
Nature
Erma Reynolds
Southeast Asia
The
United States
Ssissippi River
Pacific Ocean
Rae
Vas
ATS Andi
Qtoadia sazoVva Alu
Ulios
Sutei
Aduyomssoud
Idrys ‘Ures
I Will
Frances Gorman Risser
Rocket
Terry Kay
Workman
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!