Smokeless Powder Cordite and Its Manufacture Explainer
A detailed account traces smokeless powders from early black powder to cordite. It covers composition nitroglycerin gun cotton and vaseline, production methods dangers of nitroglycerin, acetone solvent, and the cordite 80 12 specification used in naval guns. It notes cordite safety when not confined and its global naval adoption.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Waltham Abbey
Faversham
France
Professor Dewar
Sir Frederick Abel
Great Britain
New York San
Bill Was Fooled by a Squinting Microscope Salesman
In Dowagiac the Newberg resident Bill Sykes recalls buying a microscope and “gunk” to treat a well after a man with red whiskers claimed the water held microbes. He paid $10, learned the water appeared to contain alligators under the glass, and the man vanished after accusing the trickster’s integrity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill
Bill Sykes
Newberg
Spellan
Hanner
Effects of Imagination on a European Prank
A group of students disguised themselves and staged a deadly mock execution in a dimly lit room. They led a fellow student to kneel with his neck on a stool spindle and touched him with a cane. The victim died, causing tears instead of laughter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Europe
Fleming Demonstrates Oxygen Bubble Attractability Under Magnet
A London Graphic report describes Professor Fleming’s lecture showing a soap bubble filled with air remaining stable in a strong electromagnet. When the bubble is filled with oxygen, the magnet attracts it immediately, causing it to bob and eventually burst on a second current-on attempt, illustrating oxygen’s greater susceptibility.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fleming
London Graphic
Powder Explosion Chemistry Reported by New York Sun
The New York Sun describes gunpowder explosion chemistry noting that at 482 degrees F the sulphur ignites, saltpeter releases oxygen, and the reaction with charcoal forms carbonic acid and oxide while nitrogen is released. It states about 57 percent solid matter and 48 percent permanent gases as products.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Sun
Boy who glued soldiers to floor wins imaginary battle
A childhood tale from London Figaro recalls Mr. Chamberlain as a boy playing battle. His sister’s toy soldiers fell quickly while his regiment stood firm, earning him victory after he glued his men to the floor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Chamberlain
London
None For Him. Doctor Visit Delayed By Patient
A Yonkers Statesman item notes a maid telling a caller in the reception room that the doctor would like to see him inside, while the patient protests he cannot endure X rays. The piece also explains the expression knock the spots off as an allusion to skilled western shooters who would shoot the spots from a card held by a friend.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Yonkers Statesman
Ericsson's Ironclad Monitor Voyage to Hampton Roads
The piece recounts the Monitor under Lieutenant Worden during its March 1862 voyage to Hampton Roads. It details nearly foundering from flooding and gas hazards, the crew’s perilous efforts to mend failures, and the looming clash with the Merrimac. It frames the moment as the birth of a new naval era and the coming obsolescence of traditional ships.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hampton Roads
Monitor
Newton
Chesapeake
Merrimac
Hampton
Congress
Newport News
Minnesota
John Ericsson
American South
F. M. Bennet
Cassier’s Magazine
The Cake Walk Origins in Louisiana and Change Over Time
The cake walk began among Louisiana French and enslaved people over a century ago as a dance linked to courtship and marriage rites. It spread through the South and became a pantomime dance, losing its old social significance as Black communities adopted white weddings and refined performance, while the cake itself remained a minor prize.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louisiana
New Orleans
South
New Orleans Times- Democrat
Making Sandwiches Crustless Prep Tip
Ninety nine women plan to make sandwiches for an evening company and will crust off the bread after slicing. Start with a loaf, remove the top and sides, keep the bottom crust, square one end, spread deviled ham or sardine paste, cut a thin slice to the bottom crust, and release the slice by sliding the knife along the inner bottom crust to prevent crumbling bread or temper.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Tribune
Undying Love Quote From Philadelphia Call
A brief exchange presents a dramatic sentiment as Flo asks Will if he loves and would die for her, with Will replying no yet declaring his undying devotion. The lines frame a melodramatic, era specific tenor from a Philadelphia newspaper.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Flo
Philadelphia
Sleight of Hand In Church in Hilo
In Hawaii, Joseph Marsden displayed legerdemain during a Sunday service by palming a $10 gold piece into a silver quarter and later replacing it in the bag. After the collection, the gold piece vanished. the pastor searched the bag, floor, and cracks, and found nothing until the deceiver secretly sent the coin to the church later.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Joseph Marsden
Hawaii
Hilo
Pacific Commercial Advertiser
Any One Would Do Bishop Lawrence tells a good story
The record recounts a Boston tale of two church leaders. President Eliot of Harvard once criticized the selection of Phillips Brooks as bishop and later congratulated Lawrence when he succeeded Brooks. The exchange highlights shifting views on leadership and fit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lawrence
Massachusetts
Eliot
Harvard
Phillips Brooks
Episcopal Theological School
Cambridge
Brooks
Boston
Lawrence Iit
Get Off Easy Playwright to Actor Verdict Tale
A friend of Richard Mansfield recalls a playwright who presented a bad play to Mansfield seeking critique. The actor offered constructive criticism and the writer protested, claiming the play cost a year of hard work. Mansfield calmly replied that a harsher judge would have ruled ten years.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Richard Mansfield
Mansfield
Personal Appearance Sparks Concern in London Answers
A brief exchange shows a mother worried that Wild er will not make a good husband due to neglecting his personal appearance. Clara agrees, noting he now appears every evening instead of only twice a week, per London Answers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mamma
Wilder
Clara
London
Where Do You Carry Your Money
Two wives joke about how their husbands handle money. One admits she raids trousers pockets while her friend prefers using the waistcoat pocket. The playful exchange ends with a note on equality and method.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pearson’s Weekly
Unfortunate Beginning in Dublin Astronomy Tales
A recollection of Sir William Rowan Hamilton praising his predecessor Bishop Brinkley. He recalls meeting at 18, a silent lunch, then asking the bishop if he had been to Botany Bay. The bishop’s stern rebuke was simple, Eat your soup. The moment reflects misreading Botany Bay as transport punishment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
William Rowan Hamilton
Dublin University
Brinkley
van Diemen’s Land
Botany Bay
Straight On Woman Emerges as Rally Cry
In a vivid crowd scene from Cincinnati Enquirer reportage, an orator declares that once a woman steps onto the path of progress she will advance without looking back. The crowd's unspoken energy carries the resolve to push forward, signaling a bold impulse for women's advancement.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinonati Enquirer
Hair Theft Rumor Mentioned by Blatter Flyer
A park rest day ends in a sensational warning accusing an unknown person of cutting off hair. The note in the style of Fliegende Blatter claims Hans Adelar, a post and composer figure, issued the alert urging people to not buy hair.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hans Adelar
Fliegende Blatter
Ancient Timepieces Before Clocks and The Rushlight Era
A London Standard summary traces methods of measuring time before clocks. It notes Charlemagne era hour divisions, Alfred the Greats rushlight timing, use of water clocks and hour glasses in monasteries, and the noble idea of marked burning tapers in lantherns as a practical timing method.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scotland
Alfred the Great
Alfred
London Standard
Dangerous Odors And Poison Gases In Everyday Life
A Boston Transcript note discusses dangers from gases and smells. It cites prussic acid, hydrogen selenide, selenium and tellurium odors, and historical anecdotes about olfactory nerve effects. It mentions bad egg smells from sulfur compounds and rose scents causing rose cold as a nervous reaction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Berzelius
Boston Transcript
Portrait of John Milton from Aubrey’s Brief Lives
A compact 16th century sketch describes John Milton as fair complexioned and slender with auburn hair and gray eyes. It notes a tunable voice, skill with an organ, cheerful humor even in misfortune, strong memory aided by method, rare temperance, and a biting satirical wit in speech.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John Milton
Aubrey
Kentucky Legislator Snubs Welsh Rabbit Lunches at Capitol Hotel
A southern Kentucky former legislator recalled a Welsh rabbit lunch at the Capitol hotel that proved disappointing as he served fried cheese and light bread. He later avoided further lunches. Another tale recalls German night gatherings at the assembly halls drawing curiosity about stairs and Dutch dancing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kentucky
Capitol Hotel
Prince of Good Fellows
Tutt Burman
Tutt
Owenton
A Story of Patti on an American Excursion
Patti travels with a party of Americans and meets a banjo playing young man who sings lively “coon” songs. She unexpectedly falls in love with every tragic time melody he performs, a secret kept between them until Patti finally agrees to sing for the group.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Patti
Mamie
Ore spot to Clean and the French soldier’s quiet cheer
A vivid North American Review excerpt portrays a French soldier’s simple dignity and humor amid hardship. His insistence on justice and his cheerful conduct persist through deprivation. Scenes of care for wounded, and shared morale with officers, reveal a humane wartime vignette centered on resilience and small acts of kindness.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Max O’rell
North American Review
The Nonchalant Canton Merchant What a Canton shop is like
A vivid description from Through China With a Camera portrays the Canton shopkeeper as absorbed in study with a cook, pipe, or fan. Visitors are not greeted until they intend to trade, when the owner rises quietly, displays goods, and offers prices with a polite but careless air.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canton
China
Heating Capacity of Wood Corrects Common Supposition
A Die Staats Zeitung writer corrects the belief that hard wood heats more than soft wood. Repeated determinations show soft woods like Linden top heating power, with fir close behind, followed by elm and pine. Hard woods such as oak lag, while locust, beech, and red beech trail, proving hard wood heats least.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Die Staats Zeitung
London book thieves and a clerical looking thief
The London Correspondence relates a seller Suckling tale of bold thefts by book thieves. He recalls buying an abridged Littre Dictionary for £1 only to learn hours later it had been stolen from his stall. He recovered some volumes and challenged the handsome but nonchalant culprit who had swindled others as well.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Suckling
Cats Removed From Trajan Forum After Boyish Hostility
Rome letter recalls years when stray cats were dumped in the Forum of Trajan but faced stone threats from street boys. Authorities barred further deposits and gave each sentry box a cat, yet the animals vanished quickly. Some returned to Trajan’s column foot, were killed or moved to the Forum of Augustus, while rumors say sentries sold others to medical students for dissection subjects.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Forum
Trajan
Augustus Street
Augustus
Rome
A Successful Authoress and a World-Shaped Dial
A humorous dialogue notes a wife praising her daughter who sought publication with Heighton Magazine and reportedly married the editor. In a separate passage the largest sundial claim places Hayou Horoo as a promontory 8,000 feet high above the Angean sea, where the sun marks nearby islands as hour indicators.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hayou Horoo
Angean Sea
Also Mentioned on This Page
India
Bengal
Babu Mehendra Nath Ghose
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