The Gambling Instinet and Ancient Betting Traditions
A compact survey traces gambling from ancient Mesopotamia to Rome, noting bookmakers in Nineveh and Babylon and Homer’s references to sports bets. Tacitus describes Britons and Germans betting liberty, while Roman nobles wagered on chariot and gladiator games and even fortunes were risked on single combats.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nineveh
Babylon
Homer
Tacitus
Nome
Anthony
Cleopatra
Lovace
Rome
Canudd
Debt Drama in Japan Ends in Ashes and Desperation
A Japanese peasant borrowed 15 yen secured by a small lease for payment. The usurer demanded eviction and the house. In despair the debtor displayed ten large bags of ashes at the door, claiming he would burn down the house himself to satisfy the debt, though it seemed immaterial to the creditor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Faytni
Japan
Lin
Uberty
Chinese jurisport and Chinatown justice in New York
A Youth's Companion excerpt notes that a Chinese plaintiff in New York can pursue a civil case in regular courts, but a Chinese plaintiff suing a fellow Chinese is largely shielded from public litigation. It cites Chinatown’s mayor as an enforcer of local judgments, though lacking formal legal power, and frames the issue as a matter of extraterritoriality under which foreigners in China may settle disputes in their own consular courts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York City
Chinatown
China
Death of Bishop of Brisbane Misread By Punctuation
A London Chronicle error misinterpreted a report about the bishop of Brisbane being found dead. The correction clarified the phrase described as death rumors and the actual meaning was a mispunctuation incident in a cable.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Brisbane
Columus
An Jodian Superstition and a Bird's Burden
Among Sene ca Indians beliefs a mourning ritual held that after a maiden dies a prisoner bird is kept until it first sings. Then it is loaded with caresses and messages and released above the grave to carry affection to the spirit land and deliver a burden to the lost one.
Not Meoke and Riggs Speak of a Hundred Dollars
A dialog-like exchange features Meoke, Harduppe, Marduppe, Carduppe, and Riggs discussing a hundred dollars. Riggs chides the others as joking and notes they are not broke, calling the speaker cracked. The tone resembles a staged or humorous skit with exaggerated speech.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carduppe
Riggs
Gossip and a Young Man’s Proposal In Los Angeles
In a brisk exchange between Naggsby Waggsby and Viola, Jennie recounts Tody’s friend Wood proposing to a young woman last night. Viola questions Wood’s prominence, while Tody confirms the proposer’s status and the girl’s refusal.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Waggsby
Los Angeles
In and Brown Study
The text muses on a brown study as a realm of great thinkers. It notes that the study should be brown and references a person termed Quickrich in a brief, reflective line. The fragment suggests a turn of phrase rather than a news event or report.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
In & Brown
Architect
Air
Quickrich
Brown
P Will Work Wonders When Properly Applied
A cryptic note explains that applying P transforms words and phrases. It claims to fix spelling quirks, convert phrases like allow this town into tallow this town, and alters bough bought into recognizable variants. The text reads as a linguistic curiosity.
The Seven Golden Cities Legend Explored
A historic account recounts the Seven Golden Cities legend as a western island rich in gold with grand temples, tied to Moorish conquest era tales. Bishops and followers allegedly sailed to an unknown land mid ocean where the famed cities later arose, drawing early navigators and legends of those who vanished seeking it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Spain
Portugal
Tyland
Spontini Decorated Beyond Measure
Spontini, the composer, dressed in a white silk gown with gold border and a white silk sash, surrounded by medals. During a grand reunion in Lulea an elder musitian noted Spontini’s many decorations while Mozart had none. Spontini replied that Mozart does not need them.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Spontini
Casparo Spontini
Spontin
Lule
Mozart
Moeurt
Palmistry and a family tale in Brooklyn Eagle
In a Brooklyn Eagle excerpt a girl explains that a man has been studying palmistry reading the story of her life. Her younger brother scolds him and quips about the length of the tale while the family reacts to the moment with curiosity and humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nou
Ela
Tommy
Brooklyn Eagle
Faith Rewarded Boy Pleads For Water Help
A young boy named Bobbie, forbidden to use the bathroom water, turned on the taps. A nurse arrived to find him kneeling by a rapidly filling tub, hands clasped, praying to God to turn off the water or send someone who can.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bobbie
New York Commercial Advertiser
Cannibal King Considers Vegetarian Missionaries Thought
A humorous tale from the Baltimore American where the cannibal king, urged by his head physician, contemplates widening his meat diet. He recalls last missionaries visiting the island who claimed they were vegetarians, sparking a new, if macabre, plan.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore
French visitor in foggy Hyde Park argues over sun and dominion
A Frenchman and an English companion stroll Hyde Park amid London's fog. The visitor declares in broken English that the sun never rises over his homeland and questions the other’s grasp of power and empire.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Hyde Park
A Connoisseur and Papa Exchange on Ads
A boy asks what connoisseurs mean in ads. The great manufacturer explains a connoisseur is an eminent authority who admits their goods are the best.
The Mouse's Ride Dialog Sparks Laughs
In a playful exchange from the Bosaton Tran script panel, First Mouse jokes about fear of women while Second Mouse counters that women’s screaming unsettles him. The light banter showcases quirky character dynamics.
A Pessimist Unmasked In Rural Snippet
A dialect anecdote notes a grumbling pessimist tired of the world’s hollowness and a neighbor, Squer Hickory, who sets a spring around a chicken coop, as recounted by the New York World.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jimson
Squer
New York World
Why She Quit Chicago Record excerpt
A fragmentary line from the Chicago Record quotes a stuttering man’s remark on why a couple failed to get along, suggesting ongoing friction and a rushed parting without closure. The brief item centers on interpersonal conflict and the difficulty in reconciliation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Rorald
Tigh and Low. A Woman’s Quiet Plea for Favor
A fragmentary dialogue notes a woman who lowers her voice to ask two favors and pauses if she does not receive them, reflecting a cautious social exchange in a brief, theatrical tone.
Inoculation History From Ancient Practice to Jenner
The text traces early inoculation methods by the Chinese using material from a pustule, mentions ancient English physicians Gilbertus Angelicus and John of Gaeddesden, and notes pre Jenner work by Benjamin Jesty in 1774 on cowpox. It questions why Jesty is less known and highlights Jenner’s fame in vaccination history.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gilbertus Angelicus
John of
Gaeddesden
Alexandria
Jenner
Benjamin Jesty
Atd
Sly Fishermen and Their Caddice Worm Nets
The text describes caddice worm fishermen using silk nets tucked between rocks or on a waterfall brink. Nets resemble spider webs, funnel shaped with the larger end upstream, catching tiny prey and sometimes small fish. Each net anchors to stones and silk threads bind pebbles near the worm’s ellk tube home, secured to prevent drift.
Napoleon's secrecy test speaks through a dead soldier
Kindred Mads General Thiebault recalls Napoleon in a secrecy operation. A soldier privately proposed the exact plan Napoleon himself had devised. Napoleon challenges the soldier to stay silent, then learns after the battle the man is dead.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thiebault
Napoleon
Paith
Inphteto
Rascal
Profit in Ancient History
A London Standard joke quotes a visitor asking what profit lies in ancient history. A pupil replies that study costs him about 18p and 4 pulllings per book to the teacher, who makes a clear profit of 18p per book, illustrating a school book-buying scheme.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Standard
Dialogue of mistaken identity in a social exchange
A short exchange unfolds as he compliments her face and stumbles over her plain name. She corrects him gently, while he tries to recall her surname, remarking on aristocratic features and a refined tone in their banter.
What She Woe Meant Tor A Lady Of Irish Praise
A witty exchange at a social gathering centers on a woman described as irish in bearing and charm. A humor-loving son of Beth responds to her compliment with a playful remark about her being meant for an Irish man, eliciting light amusement among attendees.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tor
Ireland
Tata
Wntadac
Ebeth
The Knot Tella
An Irish couple faced a homely dispute as a spiritual adviser lectured on their quarrels. The adviser remarked that a dog and cat quarrel better than the couple, prompting a reply about their willingness to change their ways if invincible humor can bear them together.
Love In Not Blind Theme Quotation From Chicago Journal
A brief exchange on love and its illusions. Mr Meekton concedes love’s mysteries while his wife argues the opposite, noting how a girl in love over time discerns qualities that family cannot see and that may fade or sharpen within a year.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Meekton
Lim
Chicago Journal
Fat French Lady Finds Hope in Uncertain Diet
A humorous vent in French expresses despair over dieting setbacks. The speaker laments gaining weight despite prayers for a thin future, noting joy at thinness yet immediate weight gain once the prospect arrives.
Powder to curb urge to reveal secrets idea voiced
An Atebison Globe note suggests inventing a powder for those who feel the urge to spill a secret confided to them. The quirky remark highlights a humorous take on self-control and discretion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atebison Globe
Delhi Calls Itself A Longstanding Indian Capital
The historic City of Delhi in India is described as the most delatoric city with a middle age dating to 1000 B C Emperors ruled there almost continuously through various eras Shah Jahan helped form modern Delhi The city saw repeated Muslim and Hindu rule until British control began in 1203 under General Loke The piece notes Delhi houses India’s largest mosque and the noble tomb of the Emperor Uraayan as symbols of its shifting creeds and ancient grandeur
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
India
Delhi
Old Delhi
Imperial Delhi
Shah Jehan
Elizabeth
Loke
Uraayan
Singh
Why He Didnt Vote A tale of intimidation at a polling place
An Alabama man recalls an electionday encounter with a county undertaker who refused him a vote. The official angrily claimed decades earlier a burial had occurred, ejecting the man from the scene as others joined in the harassment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Conehmad
Zack
Zoek
Taylor
Waitress Turns Orders Into Humble Rhyme
A waiter girl at a dinner table playfully mishears requests and delivers each guest’s soup as they ask for it. The scene shows her careful service and the diners’ satisfaction as she repeats the orders in a whimsical, linguistically tangled way.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sne
Plum Stones Reveal Mischievous Maid
A mistress hires a girl to help with housework and teaches her to stone plums for a pudding. The maid returns to the drawing room later and admits to eating the plums, leaving only the plum stones on the plate. The hostess asks where the fruit went, and the maid retorts that she was shown how to stone them and ate them instead.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ble
Jane
A Questionable Pedigree in Three Children
Three little children debate social status and ancestry, each eager to claim a superior lineage. Eve asserts Mary Queen of Scots as Sam’s ancestor, Wille counters, while a third child points out Willie is a boy, adding to the playful confusion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lttle
Stother
Sam
Mary
Wille
Willie
New York Times
Valuable Prediction and a Despondent Friend
A New York Herald excerpt recalls a doctor asked about a passive prediction of death in six weeks. The doctor replies with a request to tell a despondent friend there is no hope, highlighting a grim exchange about despair and mortality.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Herald
Anaxagoras of Clazomenae Lights Early Astronomy
Anaxagoras of Tonia, born around 500 B C, first taught the causes of solar and lunar eclipses and set rules to distinguish planets from fixed stars. He faced punishment for challenging prevailing beliefs and declaring that the sun was not a fire.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Anaxagoras of
Tonia
The Bee Line: Direct Flight Of A Bee Explained
A bee’s flight path is described as the shortest distance between two points. Observers note the insect’s immense eyes may aid its arrow like, straight passage through the air, though the exact cause is debated.
A Striking Similarity Hadley and Genedict Exchange
A terse exchange notes a recurring theme in comedy where a woman captures a man, with Hadley suggesting she reveals all, while Genedict argues the opposite, highlighting a playful gender dynamic in a dated joke exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Badhley
Genedict
Hadley
Also Mentioned on This Page
Jennie
Woodby
Viola
DR. Turbin
Berlin
Germany
Marshfield
Blodgett Hotel
Turhin
Business Med
Jig Bass
Esa
Orburn
Tremont
Turbin
Bern
Andolph St
Chicago, Ill
Wenzel
Geo. W. Upham
Henry Icke
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