Strange and Unusual Election Bets Across America
The article surveys inventive wagers after elections, from wheelbarrow rides through Broadway to hair challenges and odd burdens. It highlights a famed Austin flour sack bet that raised over thirteen thousand dollars for the Western Sanitary Commission, later displayed and sold to fund aid.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Louis
America
H. Clay Sexton
Broadway
Francis
Carondelet
Henry 5. Geyer
Main Street
Vine
Hestnut Street
Jackson
New Haven
Conn
Bluegrass
Kentucky
Vilages
Baden
Real Gridley
Austin
New
Gridley
Upper Austin
Upper
Western Sanitary
Nevada
Irgima City
Sen
Virginia City
Goldhill
Dayton
Viginia City
Godfill
Gold Hill
Gricley
Pibla Square
Virginia Ciy
Mds
Virgina City
Sanitary Commission
Carson City
San
Ridley
Western Sanitary Commission
Seashore Fads and the Allure of White Legs
A Philadelphia Times piece lampoons seaside fashion as women wade nearly to the knees in search of beauty. It recalls a tale of royal white legs inspiring reverence and a toast, reflecting era attitudes toward gender and display.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Times
West Side water resort near canal offers urban surf bathing
A cool retreat amid tall buildings along a canal provides a 100 foot by one foot water stretch with varying depths, plus trapeze rings and launch boards. On two days weekly the facility opens to ladies, drawing many in fancy swimsuits, as the reporter notes the scene and crowds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Mr Vere de Vere Makes a Mistake
A Chicago Tribune excerpt features Harold Vere de Vere wooing Victoria Canagy with grand declarations and moral tests. She learns he detests cigarettes but reveals she works in a cigarette factory, ending their romance with a humorous twist. The period dialogue parodies earnest suitor tropes and brandished ideals.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Tribune
Vere de Vere
Victoria Canagey
Harold Vere de Vere
Janaggy
Pawnbroking Abroad The History Of Money Lending
A Fortnightly Review overview traces money lending from Jewish and Lombard roots through Mont de Piete institutions in France. It details the rise of pawnshops, their legal framework, interest rates, pledge valuations, and Paris Mont de Piete practices, comparing volumes with London and noting urban variations and social impacts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
France
Italy
Peugia
Bernabo de Terni
Holland
Amsterdam
Avignon
Paris
Rue Des Blancs Monteaux
Rue du Paradis
Paris Mont de Piete
Monts de Piete
Republic
Bank of Dunkerque
Wuich
Mont de Piete
State Department
London
Mont de Tiete
Experiments in Mesmerism and the Seven-Headed Cow
W A Croffut describes mesmerism experiments showing subjects insensitive to pain and able to perceive imaginary objects. A girl refuses to play cards due to strict parental beliefs, while others tally voices and tunes as a seven headed cow dances and sings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
W. A. Croffut
Paris
Ute
Annie Laurie
Courting in the Country Love Rituals Described
A World description outlines rustic courting customs where young men polish harness and clean buggies for Saturday outings. They visit homes, meet the daughter, enjoy tea, then retreat to a parlor with affectionate greetings. After lengthy and intimate conversation they depart at daybreak.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Daphnis
Chloe
New York World
Sansatory
How Diamonds are Cut in the Diamond Polishing Process
The article outlines diamond preparation from cleaving rough stone to polishing. It explains cleaving to diamond dust, two-hand rubbing, mounting in a wood jig, and a steel wheel with diamond dust for facets. It notes common cuts: brilliant, rose, and table, with emphasis on the bezel and upper facet arrangement.
Birds and beasts named in collective nouns from cottage lore
The piece lists curious collective nouns for animals such as a flock of partridges a troop of monkeys a pride of lions and a shoal of herrings. It includes terms like a siege of herons a murder of crows and a plump of wildfowl in a playful traditional catalog.
Mickey and the Brook Bass Tale of a Boy and Fish
In Jacob's Valley Mickey Finn and his father Mr Finn go fishing along Old Point road. Mickey bags a brook bass after patient baiting with worms grasshoppers and a quick rescue from a tree. They return home with a small eel a mud turtle and the tale ends with the fish devoured by mischief and a billy goat stealing the catch.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Evening Sun
Mickey
Mr. Finn
Sonny
Jacob’s Valley
Little Mike
Mike
Old Point
Arm & Tyree
Brock
Old Point Road
Lalmost
Agia
Dreamland
Mikey
Pisgribs
Novety in Women's Dress in Cincinnati Enquirer
Describes Swish skirts as the latest drapery trend, favored by tennis and croquet players. Notes the girl should be shapely and willowy, with the body encased in a lattice corset of crossed tapes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinnati Enquirer
Marvellous Memories of Great Memory Aces
The article recalls storied memory feats from 19th century figures like Stanton Sumner Macaulay and Dundas. It highlights extraordinary recall from childhood, rapid verbatim repetition, and feats by Jedediah Buxton and others, plus notes on possible mechanical memory limits and dangers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Stanton
United States
Dickens
Charles Sumner
Stanton
Pickwick
Prince Lee
Manchester
Ivanhoe
Lord Macaulay
Scott
British Museum
Macaulay
Cambridge
Trevelyan
David Dundas
Bute
Canterbury
Archbishop Bancroft
Bancroft
David
Cranmer
Robert Dillon Brown
Mayo
Woodfall
Morning Chronicle
Jan‘us’ Rabtiener
London
Jedediah Buxton
Garrick
Richard II
Drury Lane
Zerah Coburn
Lord Maaulay
Summer Hotel Piazza Gossip at a Glance
A lively overheard salon at a summer hotel reveals a mosaic of hotel guests and staff banter. The dialogue touches on travel, marriages, fashion, health fads, and social rumors among Mrs Fatty-No Miss Airy Mr Guy Mrs Grumbler Mrs Cash and other fictional names, portraying a snapshot of society chatter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Mail
Fatty
Airy
Fiddiers
Bar Harbor
Guy
Mitch Jones
Vorry
Grumbler
Cash
Domesticus
Laura
Tommy
Boston
Atlantic Monthly
Prizzle
Magnzie Smith
Miss Jones
Mrs. Gold
Baby Sweet
Odd Patents and Perpetual Motion Theories in Patent Office
A croffatt column catalogs humorous and failed patent ideas from the era. From perpetual motion fantasies to cow tail weights and beehive moth barriers, many devices are described with wry commentary on their impracticality and historical precedents, including a ship propeller tied to a water wheel and railway gadget concepts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
CW. A. Croffatt
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Patent Office
Hall
French Academy
Kentucky
Spain
Sancho Panza
Don Quixote
Orne
Iventor
Connecticut
Ijana
Louisiana
Harriet Hosmer
Veiled Vault Security Questioned by Sub Treas
In a St Paul Globe article United States Sub Treas Sutton discusses vault defenses. He claims no thief can enter the vault and that even if someone breached the door the maximum possible booty would be 25,000 in double eagle bags. He notes the bags weigh heavy and the vault is highly concentrated and safe against burglars.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Paul Globe
United States
Sutton
Burgars
Able to Take Care of Himself in Omaha Herald Opinion
An esteemed contemporary hails a well known citizen as capable and pleasant yet notes suspicions linger about his independence. The piece portrays admiration tempered by doubt, focusing on character and reputation within the community.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Omaha Herald
Quiet Ways Are Best Poem Resting in New York Ledger
Josephine Pollard’s verse urges calm over haste and noise. It argues that self mastery and serene conduct bring blessings, even amid storms. The poem frames restraint as virtue, praising quiet ways as best and rain as blessing for patient flowers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Josephine Pollard
New York Ledger
Dream Kiss Poem From Baltimore American
A lyrical fragment from the Baltimore American recalls a nocturnal kiss that lingers on the lips and haunts waking thoughts. The speaker describes a dream altered by time and longing, where a single kiss dominates memory and shadows reality.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore
Also Mentioned on This Page
Seashore
Charles 1
Cromwel
Getlemen
Cromwell
Grandmamaia
Indianapolis Journal
Mr Vere de Vere
Vere de Vee
Pawnbroking Abroad
Monts de Piste
Mickey's Brook
Jacob's Valley
Chicago News
Tiger
Edith Sessions
C.J. C
Albany Journal
Amelie Rivesa
Chicago Mall
Chickalee, Tollo
Pitapat
Woman's
John
Amelie Rives
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!