The Life of Balzac and His Reckless Schemes
The Kansas City Independent recounts Balzac’s lifelong debt and bold schemes to fund his work, from glass-house pineapples to importing oak leaves. It chronicles his obsessive pursuit of Mme Transka, their secret courtship, marrying late in life, and his sudden death at fifty-one in Paris. It notes the brutal end as creditors plundered his estate at auction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Honore de Balzac
Balzac
Andre Chenier
Napoleon
Ife
Champs Elysees
Arc de l'Etoile
Odeon
Lineux
Ibalzae
Lussia
France
Mme. Transka
la Peau de Chagrin.” Balzac
Tle
Neufchatel
Transka
Mme. Honore de Balzac
Trinska
Balzane
Francois
Trom Balzac
Paris
de Balzac
Mme de Balzac
Mme
Georges Minizech
Veotel Drouot
Order of Justice of Balvac
Mercer Balane
Kansas City Independent
Curious Pleasures and Fatal Passions Across Lives
The article recounts notable English figures who pursued extreme pleasures. Curtis Donnythorpe, an invalid stage impresario, built a private troupe for daily performances and died of heart disease. Theodore Botley obsessively ate, dying from starvation. Charles P. Cashel, with extraordinary scent, lost his sense of smell from overindulgence and perished. The narrative ends with the Russian Count Ivanovitch of the...
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ludwig of
Bavaria
Curtis Donnythorpe
Donnythorpe
Kelley
Theodore Botley
Lie
Ife
Charles P. Cashel
Count Ivanovitch
Emperor Nicholas Dies of Fright After Visit Declined
A New York Herald report recalls that the first emperor died from fright when told Emperor Hud would not visit or exile him to salt mines unless he rose from bed. The aged ruler had long remained bedridden and avoided duties, preferring quiet amusements.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nicholas
Hud
New York
Ilerald
Italian Bride and Coffin Beside the Snowbound Parade
An Italian youth in a Sunday suit sits beside a white bridal figure in an open carriage. They gaze at a tiny white coffin resting on their knees as bystanders note the scene with quiet sorrow in cold weather.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill
Brooklyn Engle
Courage and caution in a Spanish California clash
A Spanish settler Don Andreas faced a test of bravery before a battle with Americans. Warned that courage must be measured, he replied that he preferred history to record his flight rather than his death, easing his general's worry about the outcome.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
California
Don Andreas
Ecaballero
Miss Keen Outshines in Street Cut Incident
In a chatty exchange Catting and Waggs debate Miss Keen's cleverness. Waggs claims Keen cut him yesterday in the street, while Catting disagrees, calling her dull.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Miss Keen
Waggs
Streat
Nothing but Praise for New Minister
A Chicago Journal brief notes public praise for the newly appointed minister. The column references church giving plates during collection, highlighting positive community reception.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Journal
Talent Lost When Not Exercised, Wood Quotation
A quotation from Wood warns that neglecting to exercise talent power or quality leads to its rapid decline in us. The line emphasizes the need for continual practice and effort to maintain ability.
Joke That Failed Triice in Maine Village
Miss Adelbert recalls a vacation on the Maine coast where a lone village shop had no browning soap though they offered blacking bluing and whiting. A cousin asks why she did not name varnish earlier, prompting a humorous misunderstanding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Adelbert
Bert
Oldest known fiction from Egypt uncovers royal signatures
The Tale of Tito Brothers, authored by Ennania in Thebes 83 200 years ago, is the oldest extant fiction. The manuscript, on nineteen papyrus sheets in hieratic script, bears two autographs of Pharaoh Seti II and was acquired by Mme d Orbiney and acquired by the British Museum as the D Orbiney papyrus. Other ancient Egyptian fictions suggest the Nile valley as birthplace of romance and art.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tito Brothers
Ennania
Wbrarian
Merenptah
Seti II
Italy
Mme. d'Orbiney
British Museum
D'Orbiney
Nile Valley
British boys learn housework and order at Brighton school
The New York Press reports that at a Brighton school young boys begin chores such as sewing, darning, cooking, and table setting. They also learn to keep rooms orderly while only outer garments go to the tailor, with punishment for shirking duties and parental objections noted.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Waldos
Brighton
New York Press
Prohibition Advocate’s Gift Sparks Wife Wisecrack
A Iowa congressman known for prohibition once received a pocketknife with a hook for removing stones from horse hooves. His wife joked that a three term state official and former lieutenant governor should not confuse a champagne opener with a hoof cleaner. The tale spread across Iowa papers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Waal
Statesman
John
Congress
Iowa
Tei
The Beard that Helped Shape a Continent’s Fate
A fragment recounts Musa the leader with a red beard and a rival boasting scorn. Musa’s punitive punishment and recall weakened his command at Tours, a pivotal moment historians link to Europe’s destiny and Islam's western expansion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Musa
Dom
Reer
Tours
Europe
London Standard
The First Knitting Machine Through History
Historic note traces knitting by hand to Elizabethan times and the post pellans. William Lee invented the machine in England in 1589 and fled to France after patent rejection, establishing a Rouen factory. The Lee design persisted for centuries, reached the colonies in the Revolutionary era, and a Yankee improver started the first U S stocking factory at Cohoes New York in 1832.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
William Lee
England
France
Rouen
Lee
United States
Cohoes
N. Y
The American Chameleon in the South
The American chameleon Anolis carolinensis is common in the southern United States. It rapidly changes colors from brown to yellow or pale green, feeds on insects, and is harmless to higher life forms. It is sometimes kept as a pet and has been worn as an ornament on a chain. Its adhesive toe pads let it run on smooth vertical surfaces.
Romance of a Song by Paul Pestel
Colonel Paul Pestel of the Russian army wrote Yes the Die Is Cast while plotting against the government in 1826. He was arrested, tried, and hanged on July 11, 1826. He composed the song during his imprisonment and scratched the words on his cell wall before death.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paul Pestel
Heart and Lungs Involuntary Action Explained
The text explains that heart and lungs operate involuntarily as essential to life. It notes the body must breathe and circulate blood continuously, or death would occur immediately, leaving no time for other actions.
Doomed Marriage Request Cited in Folklore Fragment
A fragment cites a mother’s counsel to Emily about a marriage proposal from William. The dialogue shows Emily pressed to confirm the proposal and relay the mother’s wish to speak with him, reflecting customary family caution.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Emily
William
Is There Sex in Is A Question of Pedestal Beliefs
A short reflective aside notes a claim about sexuality in words with a skeptical tone. The quotation cites Coleridge questioning the presence of sex in the verb is and hints at deeper debate about language and meaning.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Thomas I. Sturgess
G. W. Hervey
Twentieth Century Farmer
Nebraska Farmer
Nebraska State Board of Agriculture
Department of
H R. Smith
University of Nebraska
Prof. Smith
Michigan
Michigan Agricultural College
Wisconsin
Missouri Agricultural Colleges
Nebraska Agricultural College
H J., Ramacciotti
A. &. Haecker
Nebraska University
Kansas Experiment Station
Alson Secor
Town
A.C Davenport
The
Omaha
Dany Bee
Ida M Shepler
M. J. Wragg
St. Louis Exposition
PF. D Coburn
C. R Thomas
Royal Livestock Show
W Jo Kennedy
Iowa Agricultural College
W. ST. Peters
Nebraska Experiment Station
Janes Wilson
Charles E. Bessey
Nebraska
Aimiug
Theodore Williams
Great Western
C. 8
Harrison
Thos. L. Lyon
A. Carleton
Department of Agrriculture
F. H. Newell
Irrigation Service
D. H. Anderson
Irrigation Age
Carpenter
Frank G Carpenter
William Jennings Bryan
Isabel Richey
Farmer
Sidney Telegraph
Telegraph
Hanska
Heart
Coleridge
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!