Various oddities and curiosities in a 19th century miscellany
A sweeping array of notes covers oddities from a train engine’s water use and horse slaughter in Antwerp to a Reno incident with a dog derailing a hand car. It reports experiments on watermelons, a stamp collection valued at $100,000, and a married couple deaf and dumb at a Langley wedding. Also noted: ivory prices, horseflesh in Belgium, France monuments, and Thackeray’s stamp-art drawing sold for over $150.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Reno
Kan
C. P. Carter
St. Augustine
Fla
Frank F. Olney
Providence
R. I
American Philatelic Association
Olney
Antwerp
France
Langley
New York
England
Ethan Allen
Ticonderoga
Continental Congress
Col. Allen
Baltimore
Niondike
Thackeray
London
Lady Knighton
Victoria
Prince Albert
Windsor
Old North Carolina Soldier Escape Tale From Libby Prison
A Colonel Richardson told a war anecdote in the Chicago Times-Herald recounting a Pennsylvanian prisoner in Libby Prison who adopted a North Carolina dialect. The man, nicknamed Old North Carolina, escaped after Turner ordered him out, leaving a humorous image of a genteel bow as he left.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
Chicago Times-Herald
Colonel Richardson
Libby
North Carolina
Andéall
Turner
Richmond
Major ‘Furner
Capps
Cupps
The Great Seal and Odd Tales of Its Custody
The Lord Chancellor alone may not leave Britain with the Great Seal. A New York Tribune piece recalls Wolsey’s France visit with the Seal, a halted rise to power. It notes the Seal’s double silver die and wax impression use, and tells of Brougham in 1833 at Hothiemurchan when ladies hid the Seal and later used it to make pancakes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Great Britain
New York Tribune
Cardinal Wolsey
France
Brougham
Hothiemurchun
Duchess of Bedford
Ulud
Tax assessor challenges claims of wealth disparity
A Detroit Free Press excerpt notes a tax assessor boasting he has figures showing citizens are not getting richer, inviting a challenge. The scene includes chatter about a wife at a baseball game and a remark about Canada’s September trade returns, comparing with 1806 data.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Frese
Canada
The Sun Our Helper in Weather and Flood Control
A Sions City Journal reflection extols the sun as the driver of evaporation and water cycle. It notes the Missouri River floods, ice jams, and snowmelt, arguing solar heat powers weather, river flow, and rainfall, and saved communities from floods. It cites Mediterranean evaporation and Iowa rainfall figures.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Missouri
Gulf of Mexico
Mediterranean Sea
Lowa
Missouri River Valley
Ylad
Sions City
Knowledge and curiosity among the Smithsonian circles
A Washington Star item tells of a scientist from the Smithsonian who hurries out with his coat on and is interrupted by his young son asking for a quick lesson. The boy presses for how fricoles work and condensed milk is made, while the clerk and widow discuss gears and self-interest in brief vignettes from various periods.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Passmore Edwards
London
Humphrey Ward
Robert Besmaere
Maine
Germany
Berkshire County Historical Society
Susan B. Anthony
Adams
Mass
Russia
Lavrakin
Melbourne
London Lancet
Washington Star
Smithsonian Institution
Imperial Pawnshop of Austria and its harsh loan system
A historical note on Austria's Imperial Pawnshop founded in Vienna 1707 to aid the poor. It offered very low rates and high valuations, becoming a public institution under the Interior Ministry. In 1894 it pledged 806015 articles, redeemed 848502, with auctions handling unredeemed items and balances repayable within three years. Also discusses umbrella care and dye overloading in silk affecting durability.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Austria
Vienna
London Standard
The Finished Product and Old Sayings in Odd Exchange
A fragment mentions the Reverend Goode scolding a boy for an oath overheard, and the boy retorts about years of study in a single word. The piece also cites proverbs about drunkenness, health, happiness, honesty, and minding one's own business attributed to Franklin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Goode
St. Louia
Franklin
Sugar Trust Magnate Ponders Klondike Wealth Influx
A sugar trust magnate laments the Klondike gold rush bringing millions into the country. The exchange reveals how new money could prompt higher sugar taxes, reflecting prewar economic anxieties.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Klondike
Washington Star
Reading habit shifts from Bible to newspaper
A brief anecdote recalls Old Job, taught by a minister's wife, who becomes an apt pupil. Upon return from a long absence, the lady asks if he can read the Bible comfortably. He replies with humor that he has moved from Bible reading to newspapers, reflecting daily life changes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Job Wes
Job
Also Mentioned on This Page
Africa
Congressional Libra
Pian Apofford
the Sun
Cluctunath Enquirer
Widowbud
Brooklyn Life
Lavoe
Sacramento
Napa Valleye
California
Ada Thaw
Ath
Geis
Ae Ee
Kate
Cali
Leer
Noes
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!