Sometimes a cactus is just a cactus.
Elizabeth Arden was born Florence Nightingale Graham.
The history of lipstick? Well, if you insist.
Did you know drinking cactus water might not be such a good idea?
A $1.25 lipstick in 1948 would cost $13.72 today.
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“Does this cereal taste great? Who knows? But at least the box is cute.” — Crazy People (1990)
Do you know the difference between Quakers and Shakers?
In 1969, Quaker Oats owned Fisher-Price.
Quaker Oats paid for the production of the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Quaker Oats is currently owned by PepsiCo.
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Do your feet hurt? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day.
Bits of toe jam:
Dr. Scholl’s full name is/was Dr. William Mathias Scholl.
The human foot has 26 bones.
If you stub a toe, rather than swearing, you can exclaim, “My phalanges!“
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Uhhuhuhuhuhuhuh… “Erect” Uhhuhuhuhuhuhuh…
“…the implement of detestable coquetry which not only betrays a frivolous bent but forecasts the decline of humanity.” – Napoleon Bonaparte on corsets
Would you like to know more about corsets?
Of corset you would! Here ya go! This too. And how about this?
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According to this ad, Packard had a Board of Color who would decide on the car color schemes. Just imagine the fights.
Some quasi-random knowledge:
Having your car the same colors as a harlequin macaw would certainly get noticed.
Macaws can live for 50-100 years.
In 1930 (three years after this ad), the average life of a new car was 6.75 years.
The average lifespan of a modern car is not quite 12 years.
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Fun facts:
Some of Torrington’s other carpet sweeper model names were Utility, Paragon and Peerless. And under the National name, the Royal Duchess!
Torrington, Connecticut, was once a major part of the Underground Railroad.
I’m still working on what the heck they mean by “laying the dust” but I think it has something to do with sprinkling water on stuff so dust doesn’t get in the air.
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I guess the more dialogue you have, the less you have to draw.
Fun facts:
The first Twinkie was made in 1930. They’re probably stale by now.
Spider-Man plays a key part in Alt Text 19: Witness Protection.
Got a spare million or two? Then check out the ten rarest, most expensive Spider-Man comic books.
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“A short beau in tow is worth ten highboys on the loose.” Forties lingo is killer diller!
Fun facts:
Curious what a smooth and comfortable Kotex Wonderform Belt looks like? Of course you are. [scroll when at link]
Four tips for being a great bellhop from a site that sells shoes so you can probably guess one of the tips.
Wanna learn a bit o’ slang from the 1940s? You’ll recognize some, but not all. Here’s some more.
Continue readingYeah, you know me.
!["Hey Mom! Can you spray my oatmeal with some more of that dee-licious DDT?" "Sure, Sweetie! Say when!" [spritz spritz spritz spritz...]](https://i1.wp.com/www.adtothebone.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dupontddtdetail.jpg?fit=625%2C908)
Fun facts:
DDT stands for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane (also Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). And now you know why they called it DDT instead.
In 1955 alone, 500 million pounds of DTT was produced.
Some houseflies turned out to be resistant to DDT.
DDT got a dude a Nobel Prize.
And then there’s the whole thing about DDT and raptors and shell thinning and OMG they’re still fighting about that so I’m not going to link to anything about it.
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You can wear whatever you like, ok?
Just not with a Pepsi, ok?
Fun facts:
Before 1955, Coca-Cola was only sold at soda fountains or in 6.5 ounce bottles. Tres dainty.
The oldest known masks are around 9,000 years old.
Have you ever seen a kola nut?
“It is better to look good than to feel good.” – Fernando Lamas (the real one and the one played by Billy Crystal on SNL)
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