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.

The things we take for granted… Let there be light…

March 30, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Hofstra University maintains a Facebook page where staff from their special collections department can post interesting finds. We recently discovered yet another interesting post – this one showing a late 19th century image from a January 14, 1882 issue of Harper’s Weekly.  It sure brings to light one of the joys of the hobby – reading contemporary reactions to inventions and advancements of which we now take for granted. For an interesting historical journey, do a little internet research on the electric battles between Tesla and Edison.

A shocking cure for what ails you…

February 1, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Here’s an interesting medical devise which never seemed to catch on, as reported in the Scientific American” issue of March 14, 1891. I wonder how many investors in this product were shocked when this one went belly-up?

A Labor Day Weekend Tribute through rare newspapers…

August 31, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

What was originally intended as a means for honoring the hard-working common laborers who helped build the United States into a prosperous nation (please, no “You didn’t build that!” comments), is now more closely associated with the end of summer.  Families and friends join together in one final effort to squeeze the last drop of relaxation from their laborious efforts exerted through the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons.  Perhaps in the end this transition is well-suited to the intentions of the original proponents of the holiday… and much more has been gained than lost.

With appreciation for both the original and morphed sentiments of the holiday, the following links are intended to take you on a small trip back through the 19th and early 20th centuries, to view Labor Day through the eyes of those who have toiled before us.  Please enjoy…

Labor Day as seen through:

Harper’s Weekly Labor Day issue of 1913

Labor Day themed issues

Scientific American

And a number of categories available via the History’s Newsstand eBay Store:

Thanks again to all those who have given so much to help make the world a better place.  🙂

Before the Jane Fonda video…

August 24, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

The “Scientific American” issue of Nov. 18, 1911 offers this interesting solution for “…reducing abdominal weight”. I don’t think this one caught on…

Not sure this one worked…

July 27, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

Before the days of plastic surgery or rhinoplasty, here is how problems with the nose were supposedly “cured”. While subscribers were on the hunt for great baseball news, this ad is in the “Baseball Magazine” issue of June, 1923. 

Human ingenuity… not always successful…

February 25, 2012 by · 1 Comment 

The editors of the June 13, 1885 issue of Scientific American thought the following “invention” was worthy of both an image and supporting text.  Interesting to note that the preceding (lengthy) article on the same page was titled, “How the Sewage of Paris is Disposed of”.  Perhaps they should have ended this article with the words, “and with this in mind…”.  My advance apologies to the distant relatives of this inventor who may still be receiving royalties.

Perhaps the precursor to the shell game?

February 18, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

The following “invention” appeared in the Scientific American dated November 23, 1878.  Perhaps the “shell game” was developed to take advantage of the abundance of this unsold product?

And I thought we were the lazy generation…

November 26, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

See what the “Scientific American” magazine of  June 18, 1846 considered “Healthy Recreation”. The article notes that: “…it would be much more conducive to the health and happiness of the world if more encouragement as given to such modes of recreation among children & young people as are accompanied with wholesome exercise rather than the dull stagnating amusements of the nursery or parlor.” (see below)

Very early automobile…

August 27, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

This “Warrington’s Road Engine” appeared in the Jan. 1, 1881 issue of “Scientific American” magazine with a related article headed: “Novel Road Engine”. It predates the work of Karl Benz, generally accepted as the creator of the modern-day automobile, who produced some of his earlier work around 1885.

The article notes that: “…the fuel, which is at the same time the motive agent, is common illuminating gas which is mixed with a certain proportion of air & exploded in the cylinder in the manner common to well known gas engines…”.

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