Genesis of the American baggage trunk trade in Chicago
A lively Chicago station panorama by E. Nixon traces the birth and growth of trunks from Norse and travel gear to modern durable cases. It notes Chicago as the world’s trunk center, with millions in transit, evolving designs, materials, and features from 1850s to the era, including famed makers, travel habits, and the arc of trunk fashion. Local industry, imports, and the Shanghai of trunks are highlighted, along with comparisons to European practices and the rise of American innovations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Europe
America
Blessed Baye
Norty
Gageman
Bells
New York
Chicago
Kansas City
Baggage Department of the Union
Talwart
Twick
Ak Parmelee
Les
Asia
Africa
Australia
Ameripublic
England
Ster
Saratoga
Equatorial
France
Brazil
Grand truNk Center
Caoas
E. Nixon
No Chance in That Profession Revealed in Tale
A lawyer father learns his son admits breaking a meerschaum pipe. The scene shifts from anger about the vandalized item to a deeper shock: the father realizes his lifelong ambition to raise his son as a lawyer may be dashed by the boy’s confession. The comic twist exposes the strained irony in parental dream versus personal outcome.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Shellicks
George
Mr. Shellicks
M. Shollicks
Trade Figures Show Southern Exports Rise Sharply
Official report for the year ended June 30, 1894 records exports from Southern ports at 296,156,694 dollars, up from 271,715,014 the prior year. The rise of over 24,000,000 dollars reflects industrial growth and broader business expansion in the South.
Marvelous Industry of South American Ants
South American ants are said to build a tunnel three miles long, a task comparable to tunneling under the Atlantic from New York to London, showcasing remarkable industriousness and cooperative labor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlantic
New York
London
Children's Column of Quaint Actions and Bright Sayings
A juvenile page offers quirky rhymes and short tales about a robin, a Jolly Carpenter fashioned from simple household items, and a loving moment from a child to his grandmother. Read through playful verses and a few humorous lines that capture childlike wit and affection.
The Carpenter At Work A Wooden Toy
A wooden toy uses a wire counter balanced by an apple to keep the figure upright and lively. It explains the mechanism for motion and how spectators are deceived, with variations possible for different puppets.
Education in Growing Things Teaches Early Brain Power
A 19th century piece urges mothers to provide intelligent occupations for preschoolers using simple “rubbish” items. It highlights hands on experiments with acorns, pine cones, mosses, and seeds to spark curiosity, growth, and mental development, arguing mothers should nourish both body and brain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
New York Tribune
Berkshires
Martha
Beefsteak as guide to Continental taverns and signs
A traveler notes how English beef appetites shape tavern menus across Europe. He cites spelling variations on beefsteak signs in hotels and cafes from Antwerp and beyond, showing how language reveals culinary preferences from Flemish to French influenced eateries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Europe
Antwerp
Beaufsteeake
Beavesteik
Beifsteck
Bafesteck
Biifsteake
Truly Comic Opera With Minimal Stage Realism
A Chinese company creates a 3000 year old comic opera in Sydney. A local paper calls the Chinese opera unmatched, aside from a fantasy of two million iron tanks in a cat filled gully with trombones. No scenery, the orchestra in shirt sleeves on the back row. players fix back-hair and continue. The ensemble blends wood chopping, a bull horn, and a crying stringed instrument, all amid intense devotion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sydney
Unique Club Opens For People With Extra Digits
The Six Finger Club celebrates members with extra digits. A secretary’s report lists 2,173 people with six fingers on one hand, 431 with seven, and one person with eight fingers on one hand worldwide.
So Do Poor Ones Here. Model Tenement Houses In London
A vivid note on tenement housing in London reveals lavish dividends for model dwellings despite widespread poverty. The piece contrasts hopeful vision with exigent urban squalor, highlighting investors and officials backing reform efforts amid crowded streets.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Africa to Lead World in Gold Production Soon
Mining engineer Walter R. Ingalls published an instructional paper detailing world gold output trends. He notes 1893 production at 155,521,700 dollars, the highest on record, with Africa rising to prominence via the Witwatersrand district and five-country totals, forecasting Africa’s lead and continued gains in coming years.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Walter R. Ingalls
Ingalls
United States Mint
Hector Hay
California
Australia
Ipgalis
Colombia
Africa
Russia
China
Mr. Ingalls
Witwatersrand
A Profitable Reconciliation Tale of Disraeli and Father
A biographer recounts a witty scene where Disraeli reconciles with his father after a quarrel. He presents his father to Mrs. Blackwood, offering to introduce him and to settle his debts as conditions for the meeting. The anecdote showcases political and social maneuvering in a past era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lord Dufferin
Disraeli
A Railway Bicycle for Imperial Gendarmes
A railway bicycle used by Russian gendarmes to patrol state railways for obstructions and danger to the czar’s train. The design omits steering gear, using two hand levers plus foot pedals for propulsion, allowing full use of the legs. An olive oil substitute from beech nut oil is discussed, noting limited production and yearly nut scarcity. An empty purse is full of fran.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Germany
Fran
Also Mentioned on This Page
Ljwth
Es E. Nixon
Ned
Boston
Jeau Trunk
Robb
Kitty
Nell
Greenland
Jack
Tom Webb
Papa
Boy
Johnny
Sauth
Frank
Ripa
Colorado
New Mexico
Rocky Mountain
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!