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  • A Sperm Whale Skull

    This photo was taken by Daniel Bruun somewhere in Iceland, circa 1900. Daniel Bruun (1856-1931) was a Danish topographer, whom I can imagine was casually surveying the coast only to stumble upon this rarity. Selfie of a lifetime.

    A man next to a sperm whale skull.
    Sperm Whale Skull circa 1900 by Daniel Bruun, Nationalmuseet. CC BY-SA 3.0

    Did you know?…

    The famous Moby Dick was based on a real albino sperm whale named Mocha Dick. As for his name, Mocha was first sighted off Mocha Island, Chile. The Dick part was just a common name at the time. It would be like saying Mocha Bob. Dick just so happens to be less common nowadays – and more comical. [1]

    “Vive Mocha Dick” (1849) – The Knickerbocker

    Sources

    [1] “On ‘Mocha Dick,’ the White Whale of the Pacific that influenced Herman Melville.” by Literary Hub

  • Mud Therapy & Forced Relaxation

    Woman laying on the ground in mud.
    Mud baths at Saki circa 1920 – National Library of Medicine. Public Domain.

    Translated: “Saki. Patients in mud baths”.

    This photo was taken at the Saki Sanatorium in Evpatoria, Russia. It is dated circa 1920, which makes it one of the Soviet Union’s many workers’ spas. This is a place where hardworking citizens were required encouraged to rest as part of the 1922 Labor Code. [1]

    The visitors could expect various spa treatments at no cost, but they were not allowed to drink, dance, or be loud. [2] Bummer.

    Sources

    [1] Holidays in Soviet Sanatoriums: the weird and wonderful wellness palaces of the USSR, New East Digital Archive.

    [2] On Vacation In Soviet-Era Sanatoriums, Atlas Obscura.

  • The Barnacle Goose Tree

    Until 1598, it was believed that barnacle geese came from a literal barnacle – and that the said barnacle could grow on trees.

    A diagram featuring barnacles on a tree branch along with a goose next to it.
    “Illustration of Goose Tree…” (1633). Credit John Gerarde, Thomas Johnson, and the Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

    There were even plenty of ‘eye-witnesses’, an example being Hector Boece, a Scottish philosopher, historian, and a big ole liar. [1]

    The whole myth is said to originate with Venerable Bede in his 8th-century book “De Natura Rerum” (Of the Nature of Things). He was known as the ‘Father of English History’ and, apparently, the father of goose myths. [2]

    Luckily, we had Gerrit de Veer, who in 1598 became the first person to observe the geese and their eggs. [3] Veer was also the first person to see and record the Novarya Zemlya Effect, a type of polar mirage – which is arguably cooler. [4]

    Sources

    [1] Popular Science Monthly Volume 4 (1874). Found on the Internet Archive, and digitized by The University of Toronto.

    [2] Illuminating Our World: An Essay on the Unraveling of the Species Problem, with Assistance from a Barnacle and a Goose (2012) by John Buckeridge and Rob Watts. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, Earth & Ocean Systems Group.

    [3] Goose Barnacle and Barnacle Goose (2017), Leiden Arts In Society Blog, Universiteit Leiden.

    [4] Gerrit de Veer – Wikipedia

  • Circus Frans Mikkenie

    Between 1948 and 1954, the Circus Frans Mikkenie was the largest of its kind in the Netherlands. There were tons of animal performers; in fact, they were well known for their horses, but I will refrain from sharing any – for ethical reasons.

    The exterior of a glowing circus tent.
    “Exterior Tent in the evening” (1948) by Joop Van Bilsen
    A man balancing on a rope, spinning round items on his arms.
    “Juggler on a slack rope” (1948) by Joop Van Bilsen
    A man holding a chain in his mouth, another man dangling from the chain.
    Acrobats (1948) by Joop Van Bilsen
    Four acrobats midair in a performance.
    The ‘4 Airways’ and acrobat team (1948) by Daan Noske
    A crowd of children watching a show while eating a snack.
    Kids enjoying the show (1948) by Daan Noske
    A man balancing upside down on a stack of various items.
    Performer (1951) by Daan Noske

    All of these images are from the Natioanal Archief (the Dutch National Archives) and are under Creative Commons Public Domain dedication license.

  • Monument To Departed Spirits

    Glass bottles shaped into a giant bottle.
    Monument to Departed Spirits, Digital Commonwealth Massachusetts Collections Online, public domain.

    This is a large art piece shaped like a giant alcohol bottle, made out of used alcohol bottles. Its official name is “Monument To Departed Spirits”. The departed spirits, being, of course, the liquor departing from their containers. I love puns.

    This photo was taken sometime between 1850 and 1920, on Ridge Hill farm in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

    Did you know?..

    Ridge Hill Farms was an 800-acre farm owned by William Emerson Baker, a businessman. It was described as a blend of a farm and an amusement park. It even included a bear pit! [1]

    [1] Ridge Hill Farms: The Beautiful and Bizarre World of William Emerson Baker by Natick Report.

  • Camel-Men, They Love the Taste of Humans

    Poster featuring monsters with the bottom of a man and the top of a camel. The monsters are fighting men, trying to escape capture.

    This 17th-century poster claims that on September 20th, 1690 (a very specific date), these vicious Camel-Men were captured by King William III’s army in Limerick, Ireland. Afterward, the troops transported them across land and sea to London. For what purpose, and at what cost – the world will never know.

    The Camel-Men were said to be man-eaters. Does this make them cannibals too? Maybe half cannibals. Were they also athletes? Those calves are ripped.

    Both the image and information are from the Rijksmuseum, Monstrous camel-man, public domain.

  • The Sphygmograph & Pulse Writing

    The Sphygmorgaph is an 1800s device used to measure a person’s pulse. It would record the movements on paper, thus making it a device used in Pulse Writing. Think of it as an old-timey EKG device or the closest thing to it for its time.

    An illustration of a Sphygmograph, wrapped around a patients arm and recording the pulse on paper.
    Marey’s Sphygmograph (1885) By Byrom Bramwell, Internet Archive. Public Domain.

    Did you know?…

    Doctors have a “Tactus Eruditu” – a Learned Touch

    Before the 16th century, doctors would measure their patients’ pulse using only ‘tactus eruditu’ – a learned touch. At that point in history, there was no easy way to record or visualize the pulse, outside of the practitioner’s mind. [1]

    Pusiolgy was the First Device to Record The Pulse

    Santorio Sanctorius (1561 – 1636) invented the pusilogy, the first device to record pulse rate, though it still relied on the physician’s touch. The input for the invention was the doctor’s movement of a pendulum in reference to the pulse he felt with his fingers. [2]

    Sources

    [1] “The Sphygmograph: Its history and use as an aid to diagnosis in ordinary practice” (1882). This book is by Robert Ellis Dudgeon. Credit to the Medical Heritage Library for digitizing it and the Internet Archive for offering access.

    [2] “A Brief Journey Into the History of The Arterial Pulse” (2011) by Nima Ghasemzadeh and A Maziar Zafari. Found on PubMed Central, part of the National Library of Medicine.

  • Collie’s Special Delivery (1916) – Do Uneeda Biscuit?

    The reasons this photo caught me eye: a dog, a dog in sunglasses, a dog driving a wagon, biscuits…

    Surely if I encountered this in real life, I would purchase lots of Uneeda Biscuits from this cutie!

    A dog wearing sunglasses while posed on the seat of a wagon, the wagon is full of Uneeda Biscuit boxes.
    “Collie’s Special Delivery” (1916) by Dr. E. W. Smith. Credit to the Library of Congress. Public Domain.

    Did you know?…

    A Cracker is a Hard Biscuit [1]

    The two words have often been used interchangeably throughout history.

    Uneeda Biscuit Killed The Cracker Barrel

    Before 1897, biscuits were sold in literal Cracker Barrels.

    In 1898, the National Biscuit Company(now called Nabisco) created the first moisture-proof protective cracker packaging. The first product to utilize this new invention was none other than Uneeda Biscuit! [2]

    Inspired by the idea of non-soggy and individually packaged goods, many other biscuit brands followed suit. Now, “Cracker Barrel” is only known as a quirky restaurant and gift shop.

    Sources

    [1] “Webster’s New Illustrated Dictionary…” (1911) by Noah Webster. Scanned by the Library of Congress and located on the Internet Archive. Page 271 for the definition of a cracker.

    [2] “Sixty Centuries of Progress in Biscuit Baking” (1933) by the National Biscuit Company. Credit to the University of Chicago’s Library.