They put it in print… The floating soap surfaces…

April 27, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

It’s interesting to find articles reporting the very beginning of some of the more commonplace items in present-day life, but which were given little consequence at the time. A good example is a rather inconspicuous article in an April 1, 1882 issue of “Scientific American.

Blog-4-29-2015-Ivory-SoapTitled simply “Floating Soap”, the article includes: “…the peculiarity of the soap they were using. When one of the men had soaped himself he would drop the soap into the water and it would ‘bob up serenely from below’ like a cork, ready for the next man to pick it up…The soap was called ‘ivory’, presumably on account of being of a creamy white color like ivory…We are pleased to note that Messrs. Proctor and Gamble, of Cincinnati, have at last discovered how to make a soap that will float & at the same time be durable & serviceable, & reasonably cheap.”

Ivory soap remains today–some 133 years later–a very common product on store shelves around the world. And it still floats.

Ford’s Theater… then and now…

April 24, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-4-24-2015-1865-Ford's-Theater150 years ago, much of the nation was still reeling from the death of Abraham Lincoln. A mere 10 days previous time stood still and tears flowed freely at the news that the President had been killed. Did many travel to Washington, D.C. to mourn his passing? Did some visit the very site of his tragic and untimely demise to place a candle… flowers… mourn? The Philadelphia Enquirer, April 17, 1865, not on only printed a sketch of the captured John Wilkes Booth, but they also included a front-page schematic (right) of the back-alley escape route where a horse was waiting for the infamous villain and his accomplice. While the region has gone through several transformations over the course of the last 150 years, this same alley exists today. The current-day photo shown below was sent to us be a collector friend who also included the following note:

I have attached a picture of the rear of Ford’s Theater as it looks today (showing the original windows/doorways that have been bricked-up)…and I want to point out that the alleyway shown on that April 17th issue is incredibly, to this day, the only exit on the entire block and proportioned to what it was in that newspaper.

If you’ve never visited Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., it is certainly worth the trip.Blog-4-24-2015-21st-Century-Ford's-TheaterNote: During my days as a Middle School Teacher, can anyone guess the most common question students asked upon visiting this spot during a school trip?

The Traveler… treaty ratified…

April 20, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-4-20-2015-Andrew-Jackson-TreatyToday I traveled to Baltimore, Maryland via Niles’ Weekly Register of April 22, 1815.  There I found significant coverage on the Battle of New Orleans as the end of the War of 1812 was drawing to the end. Also within the content was “…Copy of a letter from major general Jackson to secretary of war, dated New-Orleans, March 16, 1815…  Sir — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th ultimo, advising me of the ratification of the treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States. In conformity with your directions, I have forwarded to the officer commanding his Britannic majesty’s forces in this quarter information of that event… I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, ANDREW JACKSON, Maj. gen. commanding.”

Also reported is the battle encounter of the United States’ frigate Constitution and Britannic “ships Cyane and Levant, which she captured after an action of 50 minutes.”

~The Traveler

Discovering hidden treasure…

April 17, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

One of the many pleasures of the Rare Newspapers collectable is finding content which was unexpected. The following note from a collecting friend drives this point home:

Blog-2-13-2015-SurrattDear Guy,

Thank you for sending the recent “History’s Newsstand” [newsletter]. Good stuff.

I wanted to share with you, assuming that you are also a history “nut”, a news item that I came across in a recent purchase.

 From the Daily National Intelligencer, Washington, August 9, 1860 (see attached) a mention of a “Miss. A. Surratt” of Prince George’s County (Surrattsville now Clinton, MD.) Although I may never know for sure, the name, place and date seem to match up correctly with Elizabeth Susanna “Anna” Surratt (1843-1904), daughter of Lincoln assassination co conspirator Mary Surratt.

 I became interested in the tragic life of little Anna through my research on the Chapman sisters of Ford’s theater fame.

 Love these old newspapers. Historical goldmines each and every one.

Once again: History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported.

They put it in print… Sons of Liberty…

April 13, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Finding reports in centuries-old newspapers which read like they came from today’s papers are always fascinating. They provide interesting evidence that  life today, in many ways, is not necessarily so much different from years ago.

A report in the October 12, 1776 issue of “The Pennsylvania Ledger” newspaper (see below) of Philadelphia contains a very interesting piece which accuses the manipulation of news, reading: “It is astonishing to see daily the insults offered by the Tories…since the news of the skirmish on Long Island; on the first report…congratulate each other…They have the effrontery to assert that it is much worse than reported, that it’s so bad that the Sons of Liberty are afraid to let it be known least the people should be discouraged. Is not this intolerable?…they propagate every intelligence they receive, taking care to calculate it so as to serve their own turn; its beyond a matter of doubt that they keep up a secret correspondence through the colonies in order to comfort one another to keep up their sinking spirits and to propagate falsehoods…” (see).

In light of on-going accusations by political parties today that news reports are manipulated to serve their own interests, it is fascinating to find the same happened during the Revolutionary War so many years ago.Blog-4-13-2015-Sons-of-Liberty

The Civil War… April, 1865

April 10, 2015 by · 2 Comments 

What news was reported in April, 1865 – 150 years ago? Such a walk back in time through the eyes of those who read the daily and weekly newspapers of the period can be quite Blog-4-3-2015-Lincoln-Shotrevealing. This is why we often say, “History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported.” The following link will take you back in time to show the available newspapers from the Rare & Early newspapers website. There’s no need to buy a thing. Simply enjoy the walk back in time:

April, 1865

A sampling of what you will find may include articles and info regarding: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln (along with much on his funeral), the capture and death of John Wilkes Booth, the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, the Fall of Richmond, and more. Enjoy!

The Traveler… Too Much Pain and Suffraging…

April 6, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Today I traveled to Fairmont, West Virginia, by the means of The Fairmont Times dated April 6, 1915. There I found a front page photo of Jess Willard who had just Blog-4-6-2015-Pain-and-Suffragebeaten world boxing champion Jack Johnson in the 26th round by a knock-out. This match held in Havana, Cuba, was the longest heavy-weight title fight of the 20th century. Jack Johnson was quoted “Fought hard enough to whip ten ordinary men.” There were reports that Johnson had thrown the fight, with Willard’s response being  “If he was going to throw the fight, I wish he’d done it sooner. It was hotter than hell out there.”

And if news of physical suffering was not enough…

Also on the front page is reporting of the upcoming Suffrage Convention: “Suffrage Convention Plans Complete”, which was to be in held in Fairmont.

~The Traveler

A National calamity… What is one to do?

April 3, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

What does one do when abruptly ushered into one, if not the, most powerful positions on earth by the untimely death of the President of the United States? Today, in honor of the Easter Holiday Weekend, we reach back to 1841 to see how newly elevated President John Tyler responded when placed in this situation. The following proclamation, which begins in part, “When a Christian people feel themselves to be overtaken by a great public calamity, it becomes them to humble themselves under the dispensation of Divine Providence, to recognize His righteous government over the children of men, to acknowledge His goodness in time past, as well as their own unworthiness, and to supplicate His merciful protection for the future…”, was printed in The Globe, Washington, D.C., April 15, 1841:Blog-4-3-2015-Tyler-Proclamation

Happy Easter from the Rare & Early Newspapers Team