On brooms, carpet sweepers, and vacuum cleaners: An overview appears in The Housewares Story, op. cit. The Bissell sweeper can be found in Great American Brands, David Powers Cleary, 1981, Fairchild. Fabulous Dustpan: The Story of the Hoover Company, by Frank Garfield, 1955, World Publishing. Also on the vacuum cleaner: Everybody’s Business: An Almanac, edited by Milton Moskowitz et al., 1982, Harper & Row; a thoroughly entertaining book to browse. Additional material was provided by the Fuller Brush Company.
On the sewing machine and Elias Howe and Isaac Singer: Brainstorms and Thunderbolts: How Creative Genius Works, by Carol O. Madigan and Ann Elwood, 1983, Macmillan. The Patent Book: An Illustrated Guide and History for Inventors, Designers and Dreamers, James Gregory and Kevin Mulligan, 1979, A & W Publishers.
For a general discussion of the evolution of lawns, “Points of Origin: From Flowery Medieval Greensward to Modern Canned Meadow,” Michael Olmert, Smithsonian, May 1983.
On the wheelbarrow: Everyday Inventions, M. Hooper, 1976, Taplinger; an excellent and comprehensive reference. And The Encyclopedia of Inventions, edited by Donald Clark, 1977, Galahad Books.
On rubber and the garden hose: Charles Goodyear, Father of the Rubber Industry, L. M. Fanning, 1955, Mercer Publishing Co.; Everyday Inventions, op. cit.; plus information provided by the B. F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio.
On Burpee seeds: Personal communications, and the Burpee company catalogues, plus Entrepreneurs, op. cit.
On the lawnmower: Eureka! and The Encyclopedia of Inventions, op. cit.
7 For the Nursery
It would have been impossible to assemble the material for this chapter without two definitive references on nursery rhymes and fairy tales: The Classic Fairy Tales, Iona and Peter Opie, 1974, Oxford University Press; and The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, Iona and Peter Opie, 1959, Oxford University Press. The Opies’ thoroughness of research has virtually monopolized this field of investigation; every additional reference I consulted on nursery rhymes and fairy tales expressed an indebtedness to the Opies’ works.
To flesh out the Opies’ material on many historical points, I consulted: Cinderella: A Folklore Casebook, edited by Alan Dundes, 1982, Wildman Press. Dr. Dundes provides a fascinating glimpse of this fairy tale in numerous cultures over many centuries. Jump Rope Rhymes, Roger D. Abrahams, 1969, American Folklore Society. American Non-singing Games, Paul Brewster, 1954, University of Oklahoma Press. Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads, Bertrand Bronson, 1959, Princeton University Press. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, Iona and Peter Opie, 1967, Oxford University Press. The Interpretation of Fairy Tales, Marie Louis von Franz, 1970, Spring Publications. And finally, another work by the Opies, Children’s Games in Street and Playground, 1969, Oxford University Press.
Additional material on The Wizard of Oz, Bluebeard, and Dracula is from Brainstorms and Thunderbolts, by Carol O. Madigan and Ann Elwood, 1983, Macmillan.
8 In the Bathroom
A word on Thomas Crapper: According to British popular legend, Thomas Crapper is the inventor of the modern flush toilet, and several early and descriptive Victorian era names for his invention were the Cascade, the Deluge, and the Niagara. Crapper is referred to in many popular histories of the bathroom, but scant information is provided on his background and invariably no sources are listed.
After months of research for this book, I was fortunate enough to turn up what has to be the original source of the Thomas Crapper legend—which appears to be a purely fictive legend at that, perpetrated with droll British humor by author Wallace Reyburn. Flushed with Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper, was published by Reyburn in 1969 in England by Macdonald & Co. and two years later in the United States by Prentice-Hall (now out of print). The book reads for long stretches as serious biography, but the accumulation of toilet humor puns, double entendres, and astonishing coincidences eventually reveals Wallace Reyburn’s hoax.
In an attempt to shed light on this bit of bathroom lore, here are several references from Reyburn’s “biography” of Thomas Crapper from which the reader can draw his or her own conclusions.
Crapper was born in the Yorkshire town of Throne in 1837, “the year in which Queen Victoria came to the throne.” He moved to London and eventually settled on Fleet Street, where he perfected the “Crapper W.C. Cistern…after many dry runs.” The installation of a flushing toilet at the royal palace of Sandringham was, according to Reyburn, “a high-water mark in Crapper’s career.” He became “Royal Plumber,” was particularly close with his niece Emma Crapper, and had a friend named “B.S.” (For another Reyburn hoax, on the bra, see References, page 439.) Reyburn’s book did not serve as a source for this chapter; the materials that did:
Highly recommended is Clean and Decent, by Lawrence Wright, 1960, Viking. The book begins with the Minoan achievements in plumbing and flush toilets and their use of wooden toilet seats. It details the Egyptian contributions, including stone seats, and traces plumbing developments through the accomplishments of British engineers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Wright’s book is thorough, and, revealingly, it makes no mention of Thomas Crapper.
Also of assistance in assembling material for this chapter were: The Early American House, by Mary Earl Gould, 1965, Charles E. Tuttle; “The Washtub in the Kitchen,” by Bill Hennefrund, September 1947, Nation’s Business; and Medical Messiahs: A Social History of Health Quackery in 20th Century America, James H. Young, 1967, Princeton University Press.
On the origins of the toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental practices: I am indebted to the American Dental Association for providing me with reprints of journal articles detailing the history of tooth and mouth care; particularly helpful was “The Development of the Toothbrush: A Short History of Tooth Cleansing,” Parts I and II, by Peter S. Golding, Dental Health, Volume 21, Nos. 4 and 5, 1982.
The Du Pont Company provided numerous articles from The Du Pont Magazine on the development of nylon and nylon toothbrush bristles; most enlightening were “A Personal Possession: Plastic Makes the Modern Toothbrush,” September 1937; “Introducing Exton Bristle: Dr. West’s Miracle-Tuft Toothbrush,” November 1938; and “Birth of a Toothbrush,” October 1951.
An excellent, highly recommended overview is found in Dentistry: An Illustrated History, by Malvin E. Ring, 1986, Abrams. This is a colorful account of dentistry from prehistoric times to the mid-twentieth century, enriched by excellent illustrations and photographs. Ring, a professor of dentistry at the State University of New York at Buffalo, focuses on the evolution of dental techniques from genuinely torturous procedures to modern painless ones, nonetheless dreaded.
Two excellent volumes on the history of false teeth are The Strange Story of False Teeth, John Woodforde, 1972, Drake; and Teeth, Teeth, Teeth, Sydney Garfield, 1969, Simon and Schuster. The Hagley Museum and Library of Wilmington, Delaware, provided me with excellent articles on the development of dentistry.
On the history of shaving, the razor, and the electric razor: Squibb, Schick, and Gillette provided material on their individual products, while the interested reader is directed to the following popular accounts: Great American Brands and Topsellers, op. cit.; both of these references also cover the origin of tissues. Also highly readable and informative on Gillette razors and Kleenex tissues is Why Did They Name It? Hannah Campbell, op. cit. Ms. Campbell devotes two chapters of her book to the development of items found in the bathroom.
On the origin of soap, in particular floating soap: I wish to thank corporate archivist Edward Rider of Procter & Gamble for providing me with a voluminous amount of research, as well as copies of early advertisements for Ivory Soap.
9 Atop the Vanity
Although many sources were employed to assemble the facts in this chapter, three works in particular deserve mention for their thoroughness and scholarship; one on makeup, one on hair, one on fragrances.
On the origin and evolution of makeup: The single best source I located is unfortunately out of print bu
t available for in-house reading at New York City’s Lincoln Center Library: A History of Makeup, by M. Angeloglou, 1970.
On ancient to modern hair care, hair coloring, and wigs: The Strange Story of False Hair, by John Woodforde, 1972, Drake. Additional material was provided by personal communications with Clairol, and from statistics on hair coloring in Everybody’s Business, op. cit.
On the development of incense and its transition to perfume, then into an industry: Fragrance, The Story of Perfume from Cleopatra to Chanel, Edwin T. Morris, 1984, Scribner. Mr. Morris, who teaches fragrance at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, provides a fascinating overview of the subject from its early days in Mesopotamia, where the most prized scent was cedar of Lebanon, through the French domination of the modern perfume industry. For the reader interested in pursuing the subject further than I have detailed, this book is highly recommended. Helping me extend the material into modern times in America was the Avon company. Two popular accounts of the development of Avon are found in Topsellers and Why Did They Name It? op. cit.
An excellent general reference for the development of combs, hairpins, jewelry, and makeup is Accessories of Dress, by Katherine M. Lester and Bess V. Oerke, 1940, Manual Arts Press.
Although The Encyclopedia of World Costume by Doreen Yarwood (1978, Scribner) is predominantly concerned with the origins of articles of attire, it contains a lengthy and excellent section on the history of cosmetics.
10 Through the Medicine Chest
This chapter more than any previous one deals with brand-name items; individual companies were contacted, and they provided material on their products. While I thank them all, I especially wish to single out Chesebrough (Vaseline), Johnson and Johnson (Band-Aids), Scholl, Inc. (Dr. Scholl’s Foot Care Products), Bausch & Lomb (contact lenses and eye care products), and Bayer (aspirin). What is provided below are easily available sources for the reader interested in pursuing specific topics further.
On the origin of drugs: History Begins at Sumer, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1981, University of Pennsylvania Press. Dr. Kramer provides translations of extant Sumerian clay tablets that serve as the first recorded catalogue of medications. In addition: Barbiturates, Donald R. Wesson, 1977, Human Science Press; The Tranquilizing of America, Richard Hughes, 1979, Harcourt Brace; The Medicine Chest, Byron G. Wels, 1978, Hammond Publications.
An excellent reference for over-the-counter drugs common to the home medicine chest is The Essential Guide to Nonprescription Drugs, David Zimmerman, 1983, Harper & Row. Augmenting information in this volume, I used Chocolate to Morphine, Andrew Weil and Winifred Rosen, 1983, Houghton Mifflin.
The single most comprehensive book I located on the development of the art and science of pharmacy is Kremers and Undang’s History of Pharmacy, originally published in 1940 and revised by G. Sonnedecker, with the 4th edition issued in 1976 by Lippincott. Highly recommended.
The Little Black Pill Book, edited by Lawrence D. Chilnick, 1983, Bantam, provides informative discussions of various classes of medicine chest drugs. For a fascinating account of the 1918 influenza pandemic (as mentioned in the section on Vick’s VapoRub), see Great Medical Disasters, Dr. Richard Gordon, 1983, Dorset, Chapter 19; as well as Influenza: The Last Great Plague, W. I. B. Beveridge, 1977, Neale Watson Academic Publications; and The Black Death, P. Ziegler, 1971, Harper & Row.
Miscellaneous references throughout the chapter to folk cures are often from the monthly “Folk Medicine” column by Carol Ann Rinzler, in American Health Magazine.
11 Under the Flag
I am indebted to the Troy, New York, Historical Society for excellent research material on Sam Wilson, America’s original Uncle Sam. For the interested reader, I would recommend Uncle Sam: The Man and The Legend, by Alton Ketchum, 1975, Hill and Wang.
On the Boy Scouts: Much historical material was provided by Boy Scouts of America, headquarters in Irving, Texas. Also, The Official Boy Scouts Handbook, William Hillcourt, 9th edition, 1983, published by the Boy Scouts of America. The best single source on Robert Baden-Powell, British founder of scouting, is The Character Factory: Baden-Powell and the Origins of the Boy Scout Movement, Michael Rosenthal, 1986, Pantheon Books. Although the scouting organization has always denied that the movement was initially intended to prepare boys for military service, Mr. Rosenthal clearly illustrates that the “good citizens” Baden-Powell hoped to fashion were only one step removed from good soldiers. And while scouting’s founder insisted that the movement was “open to all, irrespective of class, colour, creed or country,” it is equally clear that racial prejudice often crept into Baden-Powell’s writings.
On Mount Rushmore: Historical material provided by the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. An excellent account of the origin and evolution of the momument is contained in Mount Rushmore, Heritage of America, 1980, by Lincoln Borglum (with Gweneth Reed DenDooven), son of the man who sculpted the mountain and who himself added the finishing touches upon bis father’s death. It is issued by K.C. Publications, Nevada. A more detailed history is found in Mount Rushmore, Gilbert C. Fite, 1952, University of Oklahoma Press.
On American songs: A superb and definitive book on four tunes is Report: The Star-Spangled Banner, Hail Columbia, America and Yankee Doodle, by Oscar Sonnect, 1972, Dover. The book is fascinating in that it traces the lore surrounding each song and in a scholarly fashion separates fact from fiction. An additional reference on the origin of songs is The Book of World-Famous Music, by James Fuld, op. cit. Since its first publication in 1966, the book has been a monument in music scholarship, with Fuld painstakingly tracing the origins of nearly one thousand of the world’s best-known tunes back to their original printed sources. Long out of print, the book was updated by the author in 1984–85 and reissued by Dover in 1986. It makes for fascinating browsing.
Also used in compiling musical references in this chapter: American Popular Music, Mark W. Booth, 1983, Greenwood Press; and A History of Popular Music in America, Sigmund Spaeth, 1967, Random House.
On West Point: Material provided by the Public Affairs Office of the United States Military Academy. Also, West Point, issued by National Military Publications.
On the American flag: Though much has been written on the controversy surrounding who designed the country’s first flag, one highly readable and scholarly work is The History of the United States Flag, Milo M. Quaife et al., 1961, Harper & Brothers. The book dispels many “flag myths,” and in clear and concise fashion it lays out all the hard facts that are known about this early symbol of the Republic.
An interesting book that explains how “continents, countries, states, counties, cities, towns, villages, hamlets, and post offices came by their names” is The Naming of America, Allan Wolk, 1977, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
For this chapter I make one final recommendation: What So Proudly We Hail: All About Our American Flag, Monuments, and Symbols, by Maymie R. Krythe, 1968, Harper & Row. This one volume covers the origins of such topics as Uncle Sam, the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials and the Washington Monument, and the White House.
I wish to thank the Washington, D.C., Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Association for providing material on the history of the nation’s capital.
On the Statue of Liberty: Statue of Liberty, Heritage of America, Paul Weinbaum, 1980, K.C. Publications. I also wish to thank the Statue of Liberty
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things Page 58