Category:
Nineteenth Century
Nineteenth Century
The CSS Shenandoah
The ship that continued to fight the Civil War after the surrender of the South.
From the Wikipedia entry:
On June 27, 1865, he learned from a prize, the Susan & Abigail, that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia. Her captain produced a San Francisco newspaper reporting the flight from Richmond, Virginia, of the Confederate Government 10 weeks previously. However, the newspaper also contained Confederate President Jefferson Davis's proclamation that the "war would be carried on with re-newed vigor."[9] Waddell then captured 10 more whalers in the space of 7 hours just below the Arctic Circle.
On August 3, 1865, Waddell finally learned of the war's end when he met at sea the Liverpool barque Barracouta, which was bound for San Francisco.[10] He received the devastating news of the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston's army on April 26, Kirby Smith's army's surrender on May 26, and crucially the capture of President Davis and a part of his cabinet. Captain Waddell then knew the war was over.[9]
Captain Waddell lowered his Confederate flag, and the CSS Shenandoah underwent physical alteration. Her guns were dismounted and stored below deck, and her hull was painted to look like an ordinary merchant vessel.
Article here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 02, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, War, Nineteenth Century
Hothouse Children
Well, that's one theory, I guess...
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 01, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Children, Crackpots, Nineteenth Century
The Laxey Wheel
I love that the Laxey Wheel has a name, "Lady Isabella," and a tribute folk song.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 14, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Technology, Europe, Nineteenth Century
Orangeine: Death in a Box
Original ad here.
The deadly chemical in question.
"I was first called to see the patient, a young lady, physically sound, who had been taking Orangeine powders for a number of weeks for insomnia. The rest of the family noticed that she was very blue, and for this reason I was called. When I saw the patient shoe complained of a sense of faintness and inability to keep warm. At this time she had taken a box of six Orangeine powders within about eight hours. She was warned of the danger of continuing the indiscriminate use of the remedy, but insisted that many of her friends had used it and claimed that it was harmless. The family promised to see that she did not obtain any more of the remedy. Three days later, however, I was called to the house and found the patient dead. The family said that she had gone to her room the evening before in her usual health. The next morning, the patient not appearing, they investigated and found her dead. The case was reported to the coroner, and the coroner's verdict was "Death was from the effect of an overdose of Orangeine powders administered by her own hand, whether accidentally or otherwise, unknown to the jury.'"
Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 03, 2017 -
Comments (6)
Category: Death, Advertising, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century
Navassa Island: Guano Capital of the USA
Wikipedia page.
Navassa Island was claimed for the United States on September 19, 1857, by Peter Duncan, an American sea captain, under the Guano Islands Act of 1856, for the rich guano deposits found on the island, and for not being within the lawful jurisdiction of any other government, nor occupied by another government's citizens.
Article from 2012 here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 02, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Business, Excrement, Natural Resources, Nineteenth Century
George Washington Glick
As you can see from this 1914 article George Washington Glick was practically unknown when his statue was new. Is it any wonder then that, as Wikipedia tells us, "In 2003, Kansas became the first state to replace a statue [in the National Statuary Hall] when it replaced Glick with a bronze of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Glick's statue was moved to the Kansas History Center in Topeka."
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 08, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Forgotten Figures and Where Are They Now?, Politics, Statues and Monuments, 1910s, Nineteenth Century
Quoz!
Quoz was the "whatever" of the 19th century.From Charles Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841):
Many years ago the favourite phrase (for, though but a monosyllable, it was a phrase in itself) was Quoz. This odd word took the fancy of the multitude in an extraordinary degree, and very soon acquired an almost boundless meaning. When vulgar wit wished to mark its incredulity, and raise a laugh at the same time, there was no resource so sure as this popular piece of slang. When a man was asked a favour which he did not choose to grant, he marked his sense of the suitor's unparalleled presumption by exclaiming Quoz! When a mischievous urchin wished to annoy a passenger, and create mirth for his comrades, he looked him in the face, and cried out Quoz! and the exclamation never failed in its object. When a disputant was desirous of throwing a doubt upon the veracity of his opponent, and getting summarily rid of an argument which he could not overturn, he uttered the word Quoz, with a contemptuous curl of his lip and an impatient shrug of his shoulders. The universal monosyllable conveyed all his meaning, and not only told his opponent that he lied, but that he erred egregiously if he thought that any one was such a nincompoop as to believe him. Every alehouse resounded with Quoz; every street-corner was noisy with it, and every wall for miles around was chalked with it.
But, like all other earthly things, Quoz had its season, and passed away as suddenly as it arose, never again to be the pet and the idol of the populace.
But, like all other earthly things, Quoz had its season, and passed away as suddenly as it arose, never again to be the pet and the idol of the populace.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 15, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Languages, Slang, Nineteenth Century
Mudlavia
Miracle mud cures!
Wikipedia page.
Great article with primary source material here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 04, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Architecture, Fads, Health, Regionalism, Natural Resources, Nineteenth Century
Wonderful Ching-Ching
Additional images and full PDF download here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 09, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Stereotypes and Cliches, Books, Asia, Europe, Nineteenth Century
Railroad Velocipedes
I imagine you could cobble together such a rig fairly easily, if you had the right skills, and do a lot of illegal rail-riding even today.
Original foto here.
Essay from which above foto drawn is here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 11, 2016 -
Comments (12)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Technology, Trains and Other Vehicles on Rails, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |