Perhaps a different meaning for “idiot” in 1856…

January 27, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

The following appeared in the “New York Clippersporting newspaper in its December 6, 1856 issue:

Thoughts on “weight of people” in 1866…

January 29, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

This item from “Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper” of July 7, 1866 provides some interesting thoughts on the weight of people, as “analyzed” in 1866:

A brief mourning period…

January 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

This item appears on the front page of “The London Chronicle” from England, February 23, 1765:

Lamenting the handwritten word…

December 4, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

In today’s world of email, instant messaging, and twitter, there are many who lament the “old days” when people took the time to type out a letter, sign it, and use a stamp & envelope to get it to its destination. This item, found in “The Townsend Messenger” of Montana, issue date of March 18, 1892, takes that “lament” back one step further when the typewriter replaced the handwritten note.

Minister needed to be clever to say only nice things…

November 6, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

This interesting report In the “Richmond Examiner” issue of August 27, 1864 shows some creativity by the preacher:

Poetic analogy from the battlefield…

June 12, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

The “Bradford Reporter” newspaper from the small town of Towanda, Pennsylvania, October 22, 1863, contains: “The Story of Two Bullets” which provides a somewhat poetic analogy to a hopeful conclusion to the Civil War.

Letter from the “dead”…

June 5, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

The San Francisco “Daily Herald” newspaper dated March 30, 1854 has a brief report headed “Not Dead” (see below). It is reminiscent of the more famous–although much later–quote by Mark Twain in 1897 in which an illness of his cousin was confused with him, prompting him to write: “…The report of my illness grew out of his illness, the report of my death was an exaggeration.”

Death from drinking cold water…

January 23, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

History contains a rather interesting catalog of  both health remedies and health warnings which  seem quaint or down right silly in today’s world. I have read several times in early newspapers of death being caused by drinking water which was too cold, but the item below from Baltimore’s “Niles’ Register” newspaper of August 2, 1834 has a somewhat comical twist.Drinking_water_deaths

A “little” comic relief…

January 9, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

An interesting “little” tidbit found in “The Idaho Democrat” newspaper of Boise City, January 25, 1871.

Short_man

Before the days of Rogaine…

December 5, 2009 by · 1 Comment 

This one speaks for itself:

Rogaine

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