Three cheers for Time Zones…

December 22, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

For those who pine for the simpler life of the past, we include an article from the Trans-Continental dated May 26, 1870 which may add a dose of reality to the rosy glasses of nostalgia. If we were to list the top 1,000 changes which have made our lives a bit easier, my guess is none of us would have “Time Zones” listed. 🙂Blog-12-12-2014-Time-Zones

Government in action… yet another proud moment…

September 19, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

At first blush, this issue appears to be exactly what one might expect from a Government sponsored publication. However, upon closer inspection of the lower right corner, we soon realize… this is exactly what one might expect from a government sponsored publication. Somewhere, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are smiling. Please enjoy the cover of the April, 1944 issue of the U.S. Army-Navy Journal:Army & Navy Journal

Where this governor ranks in the day’s news…

January 31, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

The Merrick County Item” newspaper of Central City, Nebraska, has a very inconspicuous & brief page 2 report in its December 1, 1880 issue announcing, almost casually, “Gov. Robinson, of Colorado, was on last Monday morning accidentally shot and killed.” This placement did rank above: “The National Grange will again convene in Washington, Nov. 1, 1881.” but below: “Trickett beat Ross in the sculling match on the Thames, last Monday, by about four lengths.” (see below)

Long live the dead… a zombie love affair?

October 31, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The New-York Observer (August 14, 1856) has a report which seems right out of a Hollywood Halloween-Thriller script (or crypt?). Was this a bogus story? Perhaps the blockbuster “Ghost” (1990) wasn’t fiction after all. I’ll save the “being married to a dead-beat” jokes for another post.

The Traveler… let her in… hard to replace…

October 21, 2013 by · 4 Comments 

Today I traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, by the way of The Omaha Daily Bee dated October 21, 1913. There I found a very interesting British lady had been detained at Ellis Island for the past three days, that being militant suffragist leader Emmeline Pankhurst. She had come to the States to do lecture engagements. “…It was difficult to imagine that the slightly built, gray haired little woman who stepped ashore from the ferry boat at the Battery was the same person that for several years had caused the British government so much trouble by reason of her militant tactics in behalf of woman suffrage or her incitation to militancy for the ’cause,'”. It took President Wilson and the Secretary Wilson of the Department of Labor issuing an order of release to allow her admittance into the country.

Did you ever think that you were irreplaceable on your job? A maid, Rose Bergenhammer, found this to be true. She was engaged to be wed and gave her employer, Mrs. Dwight, three weeks notice. Mrs. Dwight went to every employment agency and could not find anyone  to take her place. When Rose tried to leave, Mrs. Dwight called the police and tried to have her fiance, Mr. Lee, arrested on attempted kidnapping charges. Rose must have been a fantastic maid!

~The Traveler

Just another reason not to smoke…

May 24, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

This advertisement for the “Beauty” Bower cigar, found in the Daily Free Press, June 3, 1881, from Bodie, California doesn’t seem to hold true to its name. If this is what the smokers looked like “after”, I’d hate to see the “before”. I wonder if 19th century travelers to the region where confronted with signs stating, “Beware of non-smokers!”.

Before the days of Raid…

April 19, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Here’s an interesting “sport” as reported in “The Evening Times“, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, June 4, 1912. Talk about fun!!!

A gift for your barber…

April 5, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Although the purpose of the ad in the “Rhode Island American & Gazette”, Providence, February 1, 1831 was to give notice of this barber’s change of location, it’s the description of the service he performs which is most interesting–and amusing (see below).

Still a few more fools around…

March 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The headline (see below) pretty much says it all in this October 2, 1890 report in the “Allegany County Reporter of Wellsville, New York…

Call it triple irony…

January 4, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The “Detroit Free Press” issue of December 12, 1939 report this interesting incident which affected–of all organizations–a fire company…

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