Slip into something a little more comfortable.
Enjoy a brief history of nylon from Mental Floss.
Enjoy a less-brief history of nylon from Science History Institute.
A little bit and a little bit more on “artist of the stars” Bradshaw Crandell.
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Yes, yes they are, because I said so.
I believe this ad also promoted the horror movie, “Attack of the 50 Foot Magic-Plaid-Wearing Woman”.
In 1948, this company made dresses available in sizes 10 to 18. Did you know that dress sizes have changed dramatically over the years?
$6 in 1948 is equal to $65.89 in 2020.
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“Cow.” — Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt), Twister (1996)
AccuWeather identifies five types of tornadoes.
Do you know the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale?
From what I can tell from a version of this in the Library of Congress’s collection, this might have been a post-Victorian trade card, an advertising blotter or perhaps the top of a calendar.
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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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In honor of Independence Day, here’s one of my favorite magazine covers in my collection — The July 1926 issue of The Country Gentleman with cover art by American artist (painter/illustrator/muralist) N.C. Wyeth. It was also one of the more elusive magazines for me to track down, but totally worth it.
It’s nice to see Wyeth’s biography is a lot more complete and accessible online than many other illustrators of the era, but sad to find his life ended by a freight train.
Also, it’s no surprise that horses really aren’t very fond of fireworks. Be kind, y’all.
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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