Thankfully no arboreal collaborators…

May 22, 2010 by · 1 Comment 

The following brief item appeared in “The Daily Picayune” of March 4, 1845. I’m not sure what the last sentence is meant to imply but it adds a comical note for the modern reader:

Better luck next time…

May 15, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

The Evening Wisconsin” of Milwaukee, Dec. 17, 1888 reports a bad day for two train robbers. Perhaps their watches were set for the wrong time zone?

Perhaps not a good combination…

May 8, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

This front page headline in the “Evening Wisconsin“, Milwaukee, July 13, 1888 makes one wonder who is going to make “the call”. Follow-up articles might have provided interesting reading.

An historical anecdote…

May 1, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

The following item from the “Massachusetts Centinel” of Boston, August 29, 1787, is evidence of some timely humor when the country was awaiting the results of the Constitutional Convention.

Stating the obvious…

April 17, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Upon browsing an issue of Harper’s Weekly dated 10/21/1871, we came across an interesting tidbit which provides an obvious solution to what must have been a common problem.  Please enjoy:

What a name…

February 13, 2010 by · 1 Comment 

The “Illustrated London News” from England, August 16, 1862, contains a report headed “Sir E.P. Coffin”. The simply last name is interesting but not terribly unusual. It’s his full hyphenated last name which intrigues.

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

How to celebrate Christmas in 1780…

December 19, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

The following article, taken from the Dec. 23-26, 1780  issue of “The London Chronicle” newspaper from England, has considerable detail on the “proper way” for servants to celebrate Christmas, although a bit tongue-in-cheek. Fun reading nonetheless. Enjoy.

Christmas_slaves

Walmart sells them too…

December 12, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

A 1685 issue of the “London Gazette” newspaper contains on the back page the following interesting advertisement, not the type typically found in newspapers–at least not in more modern times. Interesting that the coffin maker notes that he makes them: “…of a sort of wood that will endure until the body is fully dissolved…”.

I saw a piece recently where Walmart now sells coffins on-line. And just in time for Christmas:

17th_century_WalMart

« Previous PageNext Page »