The California Gold Rush in 1840’s made many people millionaires overnight and you would assume that the people who discovered the initial gold nuggets would be the wealthiest. However, this is not the case. Sutter employee discovers the first gold nugget In 1848, James W. Marshall, a trusted carpenter and employee of John A. Sutter, […]
Speak of the devil -This phrase is used to acknowledge the coincidence of someone arriving at a scene just at the time that they are being talked about. The full form goes like this – “speak of the Devil and he will appear”. The phrase originated in England, where it was, and still is, more […]
Cotton was a major commodity for the Lake Dick Project Community, Arkansas in 1938. (New Deal Project) The fields were so extensive that day laborers had to be employed to pick the cotton. The bags of cotton picked by each laborer was weighed and recorded in the fields as seen by the photographs below taken […]
Samantha decided to go carol singing on Christmas Eve. She knocked on the door of a house and began to sing. A man, holding a clarinet, opened the door to the house. In a few seconds tears were streaming down his face. Samantha continued singing for at least a further 20 minutes. She sang every […]
Fruit Biscuits from 1900 recipe (Transcribed from The Centreville Press April 5, 1900, Centreville, Alabama) FRUIT BISCUITS Take five cold baking powder or soda biscuits, cut each into three slices and butter each slice. Place bottom slice of each biscuit in a separate dish, pour over it any juicy small fruit, boiling hot and sweetened. […]
Fish Puff – from 1900 recipe (Transcribed from The Centreville Press April 5, 1900, Centreville, Alabama) FISH PUFF A delicious way of using remnants of cold cooked fish. Chop fish and mix with it an equal part of mashed potato. Season with salt and pepper and an ounce of melted butter. Stir into it two […]
Photographer John Vachon traveled in Michigan in 1941 and took many photographs depicting the life of the citizens at the time. Farmer. Isabella County, Michigan Farmer. Isabella County, Michigan VINEGAR OF THE FOUR THIEVES: Recipes & curious tips from the past Farmer. Isabella County, Michigan Farmhouse. Ionia County, Michigan Church. Midland, Michigan – […]
“Take a rain check’ is something that you say when you cannot accept someone’s invitation to do something but you would like to do it another time. It comes from the custom started in 19th century America for vouchers to be issued to paying baseball spectators in the event of rain, which they would use […]
Beyond the pale means unacceptable; outside agreed standards of decency. The pale has nothing to do with whitish color it was the area around Dublin in Ireland. The everyday use of the word ‘pale’ is as an adjective meaning whitish and light in colour (used to that effect by Procol Harum and in countless paint adverts). […]
Did you know that George Washington Parke Custis actually built Arlington House to honor his step-father President George Washington? Arlington House pre-1861 Born in 1781, George Washington Parke Custis was the grandson of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington through her first marriage. After his natural father, John Parke Custis, died in 1781, George Washington Parke Custis […]
