Curiosity Hunting and Ancient Gems
A collector recounts stories of gem finds and curiosities. A farmer’s ring turned gold and sold for £20, later valued much higher, with a gem in a Roman style circle. The piece notes buying tactics, handling loose stones, and a personal anecdote about family misadventure and a forgery scare.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Adily
Chambers’ Journal
Amce
Leo
Mle
Ashmolean Museum
England
Eubles
Origin of the Bureau Name in Furniture History
A discussion traces the origin of the word bureau to woolen cloth covering used on writing tables called bure. It notes Louis XIV popularized writing and dressing tables, and explains a bureau as a desk or secretary, with modern bedroom bureaus a combination of dressing table and chest of drawers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bureau
Louis XIV
Algol the Mystery of the Skies
Algol or the variable star of Perseus is seen as a major astronomical puzzle. It remains bright for about forty eight to sixty hours then fades to a faint point within four hours. After a period of semi obscuration lasting fifteen to thirty minutes it returns to full brightness. Astronomers speculate a large dark world may orbit between us and Algol, though the explanation remains disputed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Perseus
Algol
Early Roots of Medicinal Plants and Coin Minting Advances
The article traces medicinal plant cultivation from ancient Rome to Benedictine and Salerno efforts, noting early gardens and the Civitas Hippocratica. It then shifts to minting technology, describing dies producing coin blanks and milling machines ensuring precise coin weight and edge quality.
The Wishbone Dinner Promise
A couple dining on fowl discuss making wishes with a wishbone. He urges both to wish, she hesitates about what to wish for, and she playfully accepts his offer to wish for her, ending with the lighthearted exchange about commitment.
Alpine climbers provoke Swiss ire over reckless tourists
A Swiss valley tale portrays a dangerous mountain encounter. A guide rescues a novice climber who ignored advice while an avalanche looms as ice axes and rope save a life. The incident highlights dangers and public scorn for reckless mountaineers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alpine Vilages
London Express
Pickpocket Angst Sparks Train Car Confrontation
A crowded carriage erupts when a small man grabs a passenger’s money from an outer coat pocket. The fat commuter protests, labeling him a pickpocket, while a tall bystander announces he is getting off at the next stop and tells them to remove their hands from his pocket.
The Sleep of Horses and a Novelist's Aside
A Pall Mall Gazette remark notes a novelist who dictations his work to his secretary and asks if she ever lost a leg. It also cites a English Mechanic writer speculating on why a horse sleeps with one ear forward as a vigilance survival trait observed in stable conditions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Clarke
Pall Mall Gazette
Also Mentioned on This Page
Curiosity
Perlin Journal
Pliny
Phiny
Antonius Castor
Rome
Italy
Alps
Standard Oi Co. Incorporated
R. D. Crawford
M. B. Byrd
Crawford & Byrd
Dothan, Ala
Dothans Blood
Potuay
Dothans
H. Brock
Jim Henderson
A. C. L. Depot
Acme Billiard Parlor
T. J. Steffan
Insurance
A. W. Hawke
Dothan
ALA
City Hack Line
Will Griffin
Mgr
Wood
Pir Wood
Treckow
Eam
T. W. Wood & Seedsmea
Carolina
Caroline Forties
Sophia
Tenn
Hun
Atlantic Coast Line
Montgomery
Troy
Ozark
Newton
Elba
Thomasville
Valdosta
Waycross
Abbeville
Savannah
Charleston
Richmond
Washington
Altimore
Hassee
Bainbridge
Georgia, Florida, and
Alabama
BY. North
D. P
A. Thos. B. Myers
Mor
W. J. Craig
P. T. M. T. C. White
Wilmington
N.C
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!