One Was Enough Illustrious Astronomer On Government Knowledge
The American Review recounts that Professor Simon Newcomb cited a striking instance of political ignorance about science. Airy submitted a list of honored foreigners. the Admiralty secretary questioned Gauss of Gottingen, asking who he was, revealing unfamiliarity with top scientists.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Simon Newcomb
American ’Review
British Academy
Airy
Admiralty
F. Gauss
Gottingen
Gauss
Blood on the Knife Turns Out to Be Stage Prop
A New Orleans Times-Democrat report recounts a cu rio dealer in the Old Quarter finding a dagger with an imitation bronze handle. The blade bled on contact due to a hidden artificial blood reservoir and a spring valve, revealing a long-standing stage or secret society prop.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Curio
New Orleans Times-Democrat
Beds Through Ages Reflect Life's Domestic Drama
The piece recalls beds from Noah's ark to Homeric tents and Shakespearean lore, noting how furniture shaped space and mattered in legendary and literary scenes. It contrasts ancient and English beds as symbols of status and daily life, from portable furniture to ceremonial canopies.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Noah
Cowper
Homer
Troy
Odysseus
Ulysses
Shakespeare
Greece
England
Chambers’ Journal
Noses as Signs of Character Across Ancient Theories
The text describes how various nose shapes reflect traits. Indented nostrils and a protruding tip signal vulgarity or refinement, while a straight bridge indicates firm will and justice. Roman noses symbolize passion and ambition, Greek noses hint at artistry and love of beauty.
Carpenter Defers Gibbet for Lordship Until Payment
A carpenter in an English town delayed building a gibbet ordered by the hangman due to unpaid wages. When questioned by the judge visiting the circuit, he apologized and said he would have completed it immediately if he had known it was for the judge.
Mutual Sympathy
A humorous Chicago News exchange shows a collector pressing Mr. Slowpay over a tailor’s unpaid account. The collector works on commission, prompting Mr. Slowpay to express sympathy for the debt collection setup.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Slowpay
Slowpay
Chicago News
Lawyer’s Fees Spark Sharp Civil Debate
A brief quip contrasts two lawyers charging fiercely in a legal dispute. The exchange highlights courtroom rhetoric and the public’s view of legal costs.
Suits of Armor Help French Hold Fort in 1799
In 1799 a small French garrison at Aquilla in the Abruzzi faced a large peasant force. With guns left behind, the defenders planned to spike them and tried armor assisted by an artillery officer. Twelve men wearing plate armor ventured out under heavy fire to work their guns and succeed under cover.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Aquilla
Abruzzi
The Crimean War Origin From Trivial Disputes
The piece recounts how Louis Napoleon moving to give Latin monks church keys and a silver star at Bethlehem led to tensions with Nicholas I. France Austria and Prussia backed the sultan while Russia seized Danubian provinces. War followed as Britain and France joined the sultan, escalating into a costly conflict.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louis Napoleon
Bethlehem
France
Nicholas
Turkey
Austria
Prussia
England
New York Journal
Truth Not Strange Enough in Story About Apple Rage
An amateur cynic recalls a tale where a shipping employee, after a ledger fell and injured him, seeks to justify deception to his wife. A ploy using an Italian fruit vendor and an apple hits the eye due to a misdirected lie, yet the wife values truth and common sense.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Orleans Times-Democrat
Tee tee total pledge coinage spreads from Preston
In 1883 84 Dicky Turner a converted weaver at the Temperance hotel in Preston urged a tee tee total pledge. Joseph Livesey exclaimed That shall be the name and it spread across Lancashire and the United Kingdom becoming the global term for total abstainers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dicky Turner
Preston
Cockpit
Derby
Joseph Livesey
Lancashire
United Kingdom
Josep Livesey
London News
Rip Van Winkle Finds Familiar Jokes Again
The tale shows Rip Van Winkle waking after years to a changed world. He wanders into a store and hides his emotion, then bursts into tears of joy, discovering that the same old jokes remain in a comic paper.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rip van Winkle
Kansas City Independent
Har today and a pretty good judge
A joke exchanges between a father and son about a man calling the son a “Har today,” prompting the son to boast of his growing legal adeptness. The quip implies pride in early career progress and quick wit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston Courier
Dead Man's Hand Origin On A Mississippi River Trip
The piece recounts a story of a planter and cowman party on a Mississippi boat where a gambler named Smith dies of heart disease after a bluff during a poker draw. Hal pint reveals his tens and threes, giving the hand its name Dead Man's Hand. the tale notes aces and eights as the gambler's hand.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mississippi
New Orleans
Smith
Halpin
New York Sun
Out of the Caucus Recall of Vice President Wilson
A Washington correspondent recalls how Vice President Henry Wilson of Massachusetts left the Senate to become vice president and attended a Republican caucus. Senators were surprised by his presence, but he was reminded that only senators may attend caucuses. Re-election prospects deter senators from giving up their floor seat to preside.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
New York Mail and Express
Henry Wilson
Massachusetts
Senate
Wilson
Not Idle Curiosity in 19th Century Georgia Politics
In a vignette from the Atlanta Constitution the old family servant asks Marie William if she plans to run for office this year. The servant notes that there have been attempts to secure his vote and wonders whether the family will keep its influence or let machines carry on with self interest.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marie William
Atlanta Constitution
City of Glasgow Steamer Launch Marks Clyde History
In 1850 the first Glasgow to New York steamer City of Glasgow set sail. In 1851 the 1650 ton vessel struck a rock near Renfrew, prompting the Clyde trust to undertake years of work to blast the rock away.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Glasgow
New York
Renfrew
Clyde Trust
Leaping Lore From Ireland in Jest
Two old men in Lewiston recall legendary leaps in Irish lore. They trade tales of Connemara and a famed Tiperran jumper, debating a spectacular leap and the truth of the boast as they smoke and reminisce. The exchange blends myth with family memory, ending with a nod to an uncle Tim.
The Death Cup Poison and Mushroom Dangers
A Chicago Chronicle report quotes a chemist calling phallin one of the most deadly poisons. It outlines how the death cup mushroom, found in fields and swamps, can kill with a pea sized piece, its resemblance to snake venom, and risks from handling and spores. It notes symptoms from 9 to 14 hours and warns gatherers to avoid picking death cups.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Chicago Chronicle
On One Side
A crying boy explains to a preacher that he was whipped for fighting but claims he did not fight. The other boy apparently did the fighting, cited by the boy as the source of the injuries and blame. The exchange preserves a fragile, childlike defense in a tainted backyard scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ireland
Connemera
Connemara
Tipperary
Tim
Lewiston
Chicago Times- Herald
Wedding Houses in English Villages
In olden times certain towns and villages in England used a wedding house where poor couples could entertain friends after a church ceremony at a small cost. The house was supplied free of charge, with guests bringing provisions for the day.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Andillages
England
Doomed man recalls wedding march before scaffold
The doomed man fears hearing music at his execution. He recalls a wedding march and dreads its reminder, while others try to reassure him. The excerpt from the New York Press frames his final moments with haunting recollections.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Press
The Difference Between Insurance and Assurance
A wry Philadelphia Press quip explains that assurance is what the agent holds while insurance is what he tries to offer to the customer, highlighting jargon confusion in daily financial terms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Willie
Philadelphia Press
Feminine Fighters in Legend and Dahomey Warriors
The article traces myths of ancient female warriors from Homeric Amazons to Dahomey regiments formed in 1728. It describes Amazon queen Hippolyte, Greek actions, and Scythian contact, then details Dahomey women troops with three ranks, uniforms, and childrearing practices, noting their decline after 1862 and Abeokuta.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Greece
Hercules
Hippolyte
Mars
Black Sea
Herodotus
Asia Minor
Smyrna
Ephesus
Magnesia
Themiscyra
Priam
Troy
Dahomey
Abeokuta
Piety Hill Family Drama Over Dinner Picture Gesture
A Detroit Free Press tale portrays a rich Piety Hill clan where the favored daughter charms a well meaning admirer with a birthday picture. The father, moved by the gift, declares the daughter may marry whom she chooses.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George
Popsy
Detroit Free Press
Pat's Happy Wish in Courtroom Banter
A quirky courtroom exchange shows Judge McGinty questioning a prisoner who admits being struck by a brick but survived. The defendant wishes the attacker had been hanged, urging harsher punishment and highlighting grisly desires.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pat
McGinty
Chicago News
Lumberman H Availability of Hat Face Off on Train
A Maine woodsman from Greenville clashes with a commercial traveler on a train over a shiny silk hat. The lumberman offers up to 15 dollars, smashes the hat when refused, then swaps to a cap and departs. The piece portrays the woodsman as rough yet loyal, brave, and generous in intent.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Greenville
Moosehead
Maine
Landerman
Oldtown
Man of the Woods
Boston Globe
Dummy Telephone Scam by Edward Lauterbach Exposed
A Saturday Evening Post profile recounts Edward Lauterbach once leader of the New York county Republican committee devising a dummy telephone to feign action on political jobs. The rigged device enabled staged confirmations to appease hopeful applicants, exposing manipulation within party patronage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edward Lauterbach
New York County Republican Committee
Lauterbach
Mr. Jones
Jones of the Ninth
Manchester
Saturday Evening Post
Narrow Escape of U S Infantry on the Santa Fe Trail
In summer 1866, 800 soldiers of the Fifth Infantry marching to New Mexico halted on a prairie. A huge buffalo herd charged, followed by 500 pursuing Indians. The herd split and passed within 600 feet of the wagons before the savages withdrew in anger.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fifth United States Infantry
New Mexico
Santa Fe
Also Mentioned on This Page
His
Suits OF Armor
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