Swastika Clown Puzzle

This puzzle appeared in The Strand magazine, December 1903, demonstrating that swastikas and clowns had an affinity for one another even before the Nazis came along. (Technically it's a Sauwastika Clown Puzzle, not a Swastika one.) The answer is below in extended.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 21, 2012 - Comments (9)
Category: Clowns, Evil, Quizzes, 1900s

Follies of the Mad Men #193

I just don't know... That lion looks pretty forbidding to me, for a suitable company mascot, as if he's saying, "Yeah, pal, just try to take my caffeine fix away from me!"

And won't the creatures of Narnia complain that we're using Aslan as a shill?

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 18, 2012 - Comments (11)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, Products, Food, 1900s

Noah’s Ark Found—in Alaska!

The supposed remnants of Noah's ark have been "discovered" in a wide range of places.

But this 1902 discovery in Rampart, Alaska, on the Porcupine River, seems totally forgotten now.

I wonder if a followup expedition ever was mounted...?

Original article here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 13, 2012 - Comments (10)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Regionalism, Religion, Unsolved Mysteries, Myths and Fairytales, 1900s, North America, Native Americans

Mrs. Jones’ Flesh Grower

Who knew bioengineering and stem cells were in use so long ago?

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 10, 2012 - Comments (7)
Category: Body, Bodybuilding, Body Modifications, Frauds, Cons and Scams, Self-help Schemes, 1900s

Follies of the Mad Men #187

If Zu Zu were witnessed offering cookies to a child today, he'd be in the sniperscopes of a SWAT team's rifles faster than a cocaine-covered bank robber.

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 03, 2012 - Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Clowns, Food, 1900s

Electric Bitters

I can't find the ingredients for this patent medicine, but I'll bet it packed a kick.

Here's the story of its creation, as given also below.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 23, 2012 - Comments (11)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Medicine, 1900s, 1910s, Alcohol

The man who crossed the Atlantic in a box

Back in 1901, Johann Beck was having trouble finding work in Germany, so he decided to seek his fortune in America. Problem was the cheapest steerage ticket cost 120 marks, and he didn't have that much. But he calculated that if he packed himself in a box and shipped himself as freight, he could go for half that price.

He built a box that he could seal from the inside by a series of hooks. He arranged to have it picked up at his home, telling the freight company that the box contained "artist's models." Then he sealed himself in it along with what he thought would be enough food to last him the trip: a dozen cans of condensed milk, a box of prunes, 36 chocolate bars, coffee in bottles, some bread, sausages, and a little whiskey.

Of course, things didn't go quite as he planned. For a start, he hadn't realized how cold it would be in the hold of the ship. And then there were the rats:


The ship (the steamship Palatia of the Hamburg-American Line) departed Hamburg on November 17, and its passage was slowed by a winter storm. So what was supposed to be a 14-day voyage took two days longer, and Johann ran out of food:


The one detail of Beck's transatlantic voyage that I haven't been able to find discussed was how he disposed of his bodily wastes. I suppose he used a bottle, but the smell must have been pretty bad, which would have added to the discomfort of the experience. More details about Beck's voyage here and here.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 25, 2012 - Comments (2)
Category: Travel, 1900s

The Wellingborough Carnival

The town of Wellingborough, UK, has been holding a carnival for over 100 years. The old affairs certainly featured things that look weird to us today. Here's a photo album to peruse.

And the Wellingborough Carnival home page reveals this year's affair is on July 7th! Plenty of time to make your plans to attend!

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 22, 2012 - Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Holidays, Parades and Festivals, Weird Theory, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Europe

The Prayer Duel

LAYDEEZ 'N' GENNELMEN! On yer left, John Alexander Dowie, weighing in at 162 pounds with robes!

On yer right, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a trim 158 with turban wrapped tight!

Watch them in a prayer duel to the death! Mixed Martial Arts ain't got nuthin' on them!

As Dowie was an enemy of all religions but his own, it is not surprising he had no use for Islam — although the extent of his animus remains a point of controversy among various Muslim sects even today.

In the summer of 1903, this brought a well-publicized challenge to an Islamic prayer duel to the death, or Mubahila, from the Indian subcontinent: "Whether the God of Muhammadans or the God of Dowie is the true God, may be settled...he should choose me as his opponent and pray to God that of us two, whoever is the liar may perish first.... I am an old man of 66 years and Dr. Dowie is eleven years younger; therefore on grounds of age he need not have any apprehension.... If the self-made deity of Dr. Dowie has any power, he shall certainly allow him to appear against me and procure my destruction in his lifetime." Dowie's Punjabi challenger, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was a remarkably well-matched opponent: he too had founded his own sect, Ahmadiyya, and believed himself a reincarnated prophet — in his case, Hazrat Eisa Ibne Maryam (a.k.a. Jesus Christ).

Whether the Almighty took any interest in their contest, its rules leave no doubt about the winner: in short order Dowie was deposed (amid rumors of sexual and financial malfeasance); suffered a stroke; and, in 1907, died — a year before Ahmad.

Posted By: Paul - Thu May 24, 2012 - Comments (11)
Category: Death, Eccentrics, Frauds, Cons and Scams, Religion, 1900s