Mental speed of nerve impulses and thought limits
The piece analyzes nerve conduction speeds and mental processing times. It cites Helmholts on impulse rates, Hirsch and Donders on simple recognition and volition, and estimates that a midlife mind performs about 24,000 simple acts per minute, with younger people slightly faster, challenging popular notions of rapid thought and memory.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Helmholts
New York
Albany
Hudson River Road
Hirsch
Donders
Alchemists and the nature of metal alloys in history
The text explains alloying practices among ancient alchemists, naming metals respectively as noble and base, detailing how mixtures form new materials, and noting examples such as bell metals bronze brass German silver pewter type metal and coin alloys. It discusses melting and precipitation behaviors and mentions a Napoleon era cannon cast gun metal and the expansion of alloys as they solidify to fill molds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Place Vendome
Paria
Napoleon
Germany
Endorsements Warn Against Debt Suretyship
A collection of antique adages on lending and acting as a surety. Lord Burleigh cautions against surety for a friend and advises lending with strong bonds. Sir Walter Raleigh and F. Osborn echo warnings about becoming liable for others debts, warning that suretyship harms personal liberty and finances. Bible lines reinforce the caution.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Burleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh
F. Osborn
Marys Little Lamb Variant Narrative
A muddled Chinese rendition of a nursery rhyme about Moll and her lamb. The text references a girl Moll, a lamb, fleas, and white snow with garbled phrases about actions and a blustery scene. It resembles a playful but nonsensical adaptation rather than a coherent story.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary
Erin
Inventor Paterson's Mechanical Loom Comes Alive Again
A inventor named Paterson toiled through war and peace seeking to perfect a machine that would weave nets. After dire setbacks a mechanic corrected a misaligned part and the machine produced countless meshes at a rate no hand loom could match.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Egypt
Peninsula
Waterloo
Poliavet
Severn
Paterson
Fond. Cine
Bees and Deaths Head Moths Trick Hive Honey
The death's head moth, with a skull-marked back, sneaks into beehives at dusk to steal honey. Bees defend by blocking the hive entrance with wax walls, trapping the moth when it takes honey. If inside, the moth is often left alone unless it steals, then a wax barrier is formed to imprison it.
Destroying the Idols and Tumbling Temples Anew
In Nepaul the old gods are swept away and temples become dwellings. Prince Ram Bahadur laments a beloved woman’s disfigurement from smallpox and accuses the gods of misfortune. He orders violence and heavy artillery against the divine symbols as he curses the kingdom.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nepaul
Ram Bahadur
Man life length compared to animal growth in ancient physiology
A fragment discusses a physiological law linking life spans to growth periods across animals. It notes horses live five years to adulthood, others fifteen to twenty, lions around twenty, dogs ten to twelve, rabbits eight, with humans expected to reach a century yet generally far shorter. It reflects on labor and mental strain reducing lifespan.
Hunter Kills Rare Nine Foot Puma in Canada
A hunter near Trout Lake, Madawaska River area, Jacob F., shot a rare nine foot puma after a violent encounter. The animal charged, the hunter was wounded in the struggle, and Farquarson delivered the finishing knife thrusts. The puma, noted as one of the largest on record, lay dead after the clash.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ottawa
Canada
Jacob
Trout Lake
Madawaska River
Farquarson
Photographing a Heart Beat
A description of an early heart imaging device explains how a thin rubber tube and glass apparatus measure heart motion. The system records the heart beat by filling a tube and tracing the corresponding mechanical motion, highlighting inventive skill in medical photography.
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!