Oddical Home Page

Tag: 20th Century

  • Hershey’s Toilet Soap (1945)

    In 1936, you could purchase 6 bars of Hershey’s Cocoa Butter Soap for only .26 cents. [1] Not too bad considering that at the same time a 1 1/2 oz chocolate bar cost .5 cents. [2] Why did the famous chocolate mogul decide to go into the soap business? The answer is Cocoa butter.

    The wrapper for toilet soap by Hershey.
    Historic Trademarks – Hershey’s Toilet Soap. Credit: Missouri State Archives, public domain

    Every year, the plants that produced the famous Hershey’s chocolate bar would have a million pounds of excess cocoa butter waste. [1] It only made sense to turn the byproduct into something useful, aka soap.

    In the early 1900s, if you lived anywhere between New York City and Washington, DC, you could purchase one of Hershey’s 7 soap varieties from your local pharmacist. They included: Cocoa butter, Toilet Soap, Rose Garden Toilet Soap, Mechanics Economy Soap, Keystone Soap (with pumice), Soap Granules, Tar Soap, and Shaving Soap. [3]

    If you were going to swear and get soap in the mouth for it, this would be your best bet.

    [1] Hershey Community Archives – “Waste Not, Want Not…“

    [2] Food Timeline – Historic Food Prices

    [3] Hershey Community Archives – “Hershey’s Cocoa Butter Soap“

  • The Night Wanderer (1900)

    Below is an image of Oswald, also known as the Night Wanderer. He is part of a book called “Slovenly Peter: or, Cheerful Stories and Funny Pictures for good little folks”.

    A bat child under the text "They never saw their child again."
    “Simple Hans and…” (1854) by Heinrich Hoffman. Credit: The British Library, public domain.

    The tales in this book are anything but cheerful! They are often creepy and accompanied by weird art. Not what I would want my “good little folks” to read.

    Back to Oswald. This image is accompanied by a poem, a lesson, if you will. The moral being that those who wander in the night will turn into a bat. If I were still a child, the idea of turning into a bat might have seemed like a good thing.

    What other tales does this book have?

    Well, the book’s namesake, “Slovenly Peter”, is just 10 lines describing a child who doesn’t bathe, brush their hair, or cut their nails. Short and not so sweet. However, the image is fabulous!

    A dirty boy with long hair and nails.
    “Slovenly Peter” (1900) by Heinrich Hoffmann. Credit: Internet Archive, public domain.

    I didn’t read the whole book, but feel free to do so. Maybe with this knowledge, you too can turn into a flying mammal!

    Full Book: “Slovenly Peter” (1900) by Heinrich Hoffman, on the Internet Archive.

    Did you know?…

    The author of this book, Heinrich Hoffman (1809-1894), originally created these tales as cautionary stories for his 4-year-old as a Christmas gift. [1]

    Hoffman was a psychiatrist who made efforts to help people who suffered from mental disorders and/or epilepsy. [2] On theme with the oddness of his book, he was also a Freemason. [3]

    Sources

    [1] Heinrich Hoffman – Britannica

    [2] “Not only Struwwelpeter: Heinrich Hoffmann (1809–1894) and his thoughtful observations on epilepsy” – Science Direct. By Francesco Brigo.

    [3] Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann – Lambiek Comicclopedia

  • 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.

  • 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 Nationaal Archief (the Dutch National Archives) and are under a Creative Commons Public Domain dedication license.

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

    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.