We Did That?

by Sophie Stirling

  The Saint Paul Globe. (St. Paul, Minn.), 30 April 1905. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. .

  The Salt Lake Tribune. “Mars Peopled by One Vast Thinking Vegetable.” October 13, 1912.

  Trista. “The Young Queen Sunandha Died From Drowning Because the Law Forbade Anybody to Touch Her By Pain of Death.” History Collection. https://historycollection.co/the-young-queen-sunandha-died-from-drowning-because-the-law-forbade-anybody-to-touch-her-by-pain-of-death/.

  Usher, Shaun. “Oh my ass burns like fire!” Letters of Note. July 5, 2012. http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/07/oh-my-ass-burns- like-fire.html.

  van Eyck, Jan. Het Lam Gods (middenstuk),1430–1432. Sint-Baafskathedraal te Gent. Saint-Bavo’s cathedral Ghent.

  Vellut, Guilhem. “Naki Sumo Baby Crying Contest.” Atlas Obscura.

  Vinckeboons, Joan. Map of California shown as an island. Public Domain. LCCN: 99443375. Call info: G3291.S12 coll .H3.

  Vízkelety Béla Eger vár ostroma. c. 1890. Courtesy of Bródy Sándor Könyvatar Libarary.

  Winters, S. R. “Stretching the Five-Foot Shelf.” Scientific American, 1922.

  Wood, Jennifer. “10 Rejection Letters Sent to Very Successful People.” Mental Floss. March 5, 2014. http://mentalfloss.com/article/55416/10-rejection-letters-sent-famous-people.

  We Believed That? Superstitions

  “Gaspar Schott.” Wikipedia. June 02, 2018. Accessed 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspar_Schott.

  “Monsters and Monstrosities: The Marvels and Wonders of the ‘Physica Curiosa,’ 1662.” DangerousMinds. April 04, 2017. Accessed March 07, 2019. https://dangerousminds.net/comments/monsters_and_monstrosities_the_marvels_and_wonders_of_the_physica_curiosa_1.

  “The Scientific American Supplement. Index for Vol.62.” 1906. Scientific American 62 (1617supp): 25915–16. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican12291906-25915supp.

  Baxamusa, Batul Nafisa. 2018. “Orchid Flower Meaning and Symbolism: A Really Interesting Read.” Gardenerdy. January 29, 2018. https://gardenerdy.com/orchid-flower-meaning.

  Bergen, Fanny D., and William Wells Newell. 2007. Current Superstitions: Collected from the Oral Tradition of English Speaking Folk. Teddington, Middlesex: Echo Library.

  Bowman, Ben. 2017. “The Origin of Throwing Rice At Weddings.” Curiosity.com. August 2017. https://curiosity.com/topics/the-origin-of-throwing-rice-at-weddings/.

  British Archaeological Association. 1895. The Journal of the British Archaeological Association. Vol. 1. Henry G. Bohn. 1 January 1895.

  Cielo, Astra. Signs, Omens and Superstitions. New York: George Sully and Company, 1918.

  Costantino, Grace. “Five ‘Real’ Sea Monsters Brought to Life by Early Naturalists.” Smithsonian.com. October 27, 2014. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-real-sea-monsters-brought-life-early-naturalists-180953155/?page=1.

  CRRC. “The Orchid in the Human Imagination.” n.d. Center for Research in Reproduction and Contraception. Accessed April 26, 2019. http://depts.washington.edu/popctr/orchids.htm.

  Cryer, Max. 2016. Superstitions and Why We Have Them. Strawberry Hills, NSW: ReadHowYouWant.

  Cuming, Henry Syer. “Shoe Lore.” In Journal of the British Archaeological Association, edited by British Archaeological Association, 148—153. London: Bedford Press, 1895.

  Czartoryski, Alex. 2011. “Lost At Sea: 5 Stories of Disappearing Ships.” Boating Safety and Safe Boating Blog. March 2011. https://www.boaterexam.com/blog/2011/03/lost-at-sea.aspx.

  Daniels, Cora Linn, and C. M. Stevens. 2003. Encyclopædia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World: a Comprehensive Library of Human Belief and Practice in the Mysteries of Life. 1903. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific.

  Erbland, Kate. 2014. “7 Tooth Fairy Traditions from Around the World.” Mental Floss. August 22, 2014. http://mentalfloss.com/article/58503/7-tooth-fairy-traditions-around-world.

  Fitzgerald, James. The Joys of Smoking Cigarettes. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

  Grammarist. “If the Shoe Fits and If the Cap Fits.” n.d. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://grammarist.com/idiom/if-the-shoe-fits-and-if-the-cap-fits/.

  Heit, Judi. “Schooner Patriot and the Mystery of Theodosia Burr Alston—January 1813.” January 01, 1970. http://northcarolinashipwrecks.blogspot.com/2012/04/schooner-patriot-and-mystery-of.html.

  Hibbert, Christopher, and David Starkey. 2007. Charles I: A Life of Religion, War and Treason. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

  Hingston, Michael. 2014. “Don’t Tell the Kids: The Real History of the Tooth Fairy.” Salon. February 8, 2014. https://www.salon.com/2014/02/09/dont_tell_the_kids_the_real_history_of_the_tooth_fairy/.

  Houlbrook, Dr. Ceri. The Concealed Revealed. “The Folklore of Shoe-Shaped Confetti.” July 28, 2016. https://theconcealedrevealed.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/the-folklore-of-shoe-shaped-confetti/.

  Kanner, Leo, 1894–1981. Folklore of the Teeth. New York: The Macmillan company, 1928.

  Lys, Claudia de. What’s So Lucky about a Four-Leaf Clover? And 8414 Other Strange and Fascinating Superstitions from around the World. New York: Bell Publishing Company, 1989.

  Matsuo, Alex. The Haunted Actor: An Exploration of Supernatural Belief through Theatre. Bloomington: AuthorHouse, 2014.

  Mikkelson, David. “Fact Check: ‘Bananas on a Boat’ Superstition.” Snopes.com. November 2012. Accessed 2019. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/banana-ban/.

  Murrell, Deborah. 2008. Superstitions: 1,013 of the Wackiest Myths, Fables & Old Wives Tales. Pleasantville, NY: Readers Digest.

  Opie, Iona Archibald and Peter Opie. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. New York: New York Review Books, 2001. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZDUSAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false (Wedding Superstitions 7-16).

  Opie, Iona Archibald, and Peter Opie. 2001. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. New York: New York Review Books.

  Phrases.org. “Bad Luck Comes in Threes—Phrase Meaning and Origin.” Accessed May 2, 2019. https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/32/messages/643.html.

  Pickering, David. Cassell Dictionary of Superstitions. London: Cassell, 1995.

  Punch, or The London Charivari magazine, March 11, 1854, vol. 26, p. 100. Punch cartoon, 1854, depicting Queen Victoria ‘Throwing the Old Shoe’ after her soldiers as they depart for the Crimean War.

  Rachel’s English. “10 Everyday Idioms.” January 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFdm8_nArQ.

  Ringmar. “Politics without Borders: The Royal Touch.” History of International Relations. http://ringmar.net/politicaltheoryfornomads/index.php/category/an-anarchist-history-of-the-state/sources/.

  Sacred Texts. n.d. “Throwing the Shoe.” The Origins of Popular Superstitions and Customs: Marriage Superstitions and Customs: (6) Throwing The Shoe. Accessed 2019. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/osc/osc38.htm.

  Strom, Caleb. 2018. “Tooth Fairy Tales: The Strange Origins of the Dental Sprite.” Ancient Origins. August 10, 2018. https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/tooth-fairy-0010523.

  Tolliver, Lee. 2012. “Old Fishermen’s Tales: The Curse of the Banana.” Pilot. July 23, 2012. https://pilotonline.com/sports/outdoors/article_3b4ecc9f-1753-5e30-b5d5-08fabed0d734.html.

  Webster, Richard. The Encyclopedia of Superstitions. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.

  Webster, Richard. The Encyclopedia of Superstitions. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.

  Wenegenofsky, Joe. 1996. “The Forbidden Fruit.” TheFisherman.com. 1996. https://www.thefisherman.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=feature.display&feature_ID=827&ParentCat=2.

  Willis, Richard. USS Wasp. https://flic.kr/p/cYiKNs. (Photo only.)

  Writing Explained. “What Does Shoe Is On t
he Other Foot Mean?” n.d. Writing Explained. Accessed 2019. https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/shoe-is-on-the-other-foot.

  We Prescribed That? Medical Cures, Quacks,

  and Craziness

  A crowd of spectators wait as Tom Idle is driven in a cart with his coffin to his place of execution and the gallows. Engraving by William Hogarth, 1747. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Creative Commons.

  A early blood transfusion from lamb to man. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Creative Commons.

  Ausschnitt. Von dem allerbesten Land so auff Erden ligt. 1671. Public Domain.

  Barbara’s Banter. “Bon Appétit.” August 24, 2014. http://www.barbdahlgren.com/?p=2359.

  Barrett, Erin; Mingo, Jack. Doctors Killed George Washington. Conari Press.

  Bermudez, Esmeralda. “‘Vivaporu’: For many Latinos, memories of Vicks VapoRub are as strong as the scent of eucalyptus.” Los Angeles Times. March 26, 2019.

  Charleston, Libby-Jane. “Chastity Belts and Crocodile Dung: A History of Birth Control.” HuffPost. December 30, 2016.

  Darby, Marta. “El Bix—A Cuban Cure for All That Ails You.” My Big Fat Cuban Family. March 8, 2011.

  Davis, Matt. “19th-century medicine: Milk was used as a blood substitute for transfusions.” Big Think. April 17, 2019.

  Dolan, Maria. “The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses As Medicine.” Smithsonian Magazine. May 6, 2012.

  Forth, Christopher. “The Lucrative Black Market in Human Fat.” The Atlantic. May 26, 2019.

  Goldstein, Darra. “A Medieval Russian Hangover Cure.” https://recipes.hypotheses.org/3979.

  Griffith, Ivor; editor. American Journal of Pharmacy and the Sciences Supporting Public Health, Volume 94. Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. P. 665–671. 1922.

  Kang, Lydia, MD; Pedersen, Nate. Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything. Workman Publishing 2017, New York.

  Kelsey-Sugg, Anna. “The laughing gas parties of the 1700s—and how they sparked a medical breakthrough.” ABC National Radio. February 20, 2019.

  Krichbaum, J. G. US Patent Office. US268693. December 5, 1882.

  Ricotti, Eugenia Salza Prina. Meals and Recipes from Ancient Greece. Getty Publications 2007.

  Robert Seymour, 1829, etching. Public Domain. Almapatter44.

  Rodriguez Mcrobbie, Linda. “9 Fascinating Historic Methods of Contraception.” Mental Floss. February 25, 2013

  Smith, Lesley. The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus: ancient Egyptian medicine. BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health.

  Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sir Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, & Company, 1890.

  Sugg, Richard. “Corpse medicine: mummies, cannibals, and vampires.” The Lancet. June 21, 2008.

  Sugg, Richard. Mummies, Cannibals, and Vampires: The History of Corpse Medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians. Routledge 2011.

  The brains of dissected heads. Photolithograph, 1940, after a woodcut, 1543. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Creative Commons.

  the Elder, Pliny. The Natural History of Pliny, volume 4 (of 6).

  Vester, Franz. US Patent Office. US81437. August 25, 1868.

  We Invented That? Surprising and Wacky Inventions

  Amphibious Bike / Cyclomer. Flickr Commons. Nationaal Archief / Spaarnestad Photo / Fotograaf onbekend, SFA002005344. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationaalarchief/4193508602/.

  Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “Sunshade For Vehicles.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3383-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99. (The Early Visor photo and reference.)

  Battle, Daniel S. “Flood protection container for vehicles.” US Patent Office; US4315535.

  Bertolini Giuseppe (Us). Ocean Floating Safe. United States. Menotti Nanni. US1166145. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/1166145.html (The Unsinkable Safe photo and reference.)

  BM Reims, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48571590.

  Fawcett, Bill. It Looked Good on Paper: Bizarre Inventions, Design Disasters, and Engineering Follies. New York: Harper Collins, 2009.

  Folsom, Dwane. Canine Scuba Diving Apparatus. US Patent 6,206,00 B1. March 27, 2001.

  George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. “X-ray apparatus.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed January 28, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-4734-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99. (Chapter cover photo.)

  Hedley, Ralph (died 1913)—BBC Your Paintings (now available by Art UK), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27892392.

  In70mm. “Behind the Scenes of ‘Scent of Mystery’ in Glorious Smell-O-Vision.” YouTube. December 04, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRdEbb3_YEE.

  Laube, Carmen. “A Brief History about Hans Laube: A Personal Reflection on the Osmologist Responsible for Smell-O-Vision.” In 70 mm. https://www.in70mm.com/news/2016/hans_laube/index.htm.

  National Archives Catalog. National Archives ID 45499786. Local ID 165-WW-272D-3. Photographer: Underwood and Underwood. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/45499786. (Unsinkable safe photos and reference.)

  Pollack, Rich. “Beyond ‘Sit,’ ‘Speak’ and ‘Stay’: Shadow, the Scuba-Diving Dog.” Orlando Sentinel. October 25, 1993. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-10-25-9310250320-story.html.

  Seymour, Robert. Two men wearing revolving top hats with several attachments for optical aids and tobacco etc. Colored etching by R. Seymour, 1830. Courtesy of Wellcome Library.

  VanCleave, Ted. Totally Absurd Inventions. Andrews McMeel, Kansas City. 2001.

  Williams, James A. Animal-Trap. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,766. Dated December 26, 1882. (The Mousetrap Pistol photo and reference.)

  We Did That? Pain (and Death) Is Beauty

  Addison, Joseph. The Spectator, “Party Patches.” June 2, 1711. http://www.aboutenglish.it/englishpress/spectator81.htm.

  Arsenic Complexion Wafers. The Cosmopolitan Magazine, Feb 1896. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/ou5B9P.

  Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “Poulaine Avec Chainettes.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed August 29, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3274-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.

  Banner, Lois W. American Beauty. New York: Knopf, 1983.

  Bowman, Karen. Corsets and Codpieces: A History of Outrageous Fashion, from Roman Times to the Modern Era. Skyhorse Publishing, 2016.

  Collectors Weekly. May 4, 2017. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/sexy-face-stickers/.

  Cosgrave, Bronwyn. The Complete History of Costume and Fashion: From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day. New York: Checkmark Books, 2000. http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/Early-Cultures-Europe-in-the-Middle-Ages/Crackowes-and-Poulaines.html#ixzz5y0PkdsDu.

  Detail of a 15th century illuminated manuscript of Renaud de Montaubon. Public Domain.

  Diary of Samuel Pepys. September 26, 1664. https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1664/09/.

  Dieulefils, Pierre. La Rieuse Aux Dents Noires (Black-Toothed Laughter). Tonkin woman with blackened teeth. Public Domain. http://nguyentl.free.fr/autrefois/scenes/peuple/tonkin_femme1.jpg.

  Docevski, Boban. “In 1929, Spruce Veneer Bathing Suits Were Described as Simple, Cheap, and Easy to Make, Yet Fashionable and Modern.” The Vintage News. September 26, 2016. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/09/26/priority-spruce-girls-ladies-wearing-spruce-veneer-bathing-suits-1929-2/.

  Eldridge, Lisa. Face Paint: The Story of Makeup. New York: Abrams Image, 2015.

  Gilbert, Rosalie. “Medieval Women’s Hats and Hennins.” Rosalie’s Medieval Woman. www.rosaliegilbert.com/hatsandhennins.html.

  Gilles Edme Petit. Le Matin. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession Nu
mber: 53.600.1042. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/388453.

  Herman, Eleanor. The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018.

  Hernandez, Rigoberto. “Wonderful, Ridiculous, Head-Scratchingly Pointy Mexican Boots Are Now A Designer Item.” National Public Radio. March 26, 2015. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/03/26/395391623/wonderful-ridiculous-head-scratchingly-pointy-mexican-boots-are-now-a-designer-i.

  Hyland, Veronique. “Yes, Men in the 18th Century Wore Corsets.” The Cut. April 6, 2015.

  Imbler, Sabrina. “Why Were Medieval Europeans So Obsessed With Long, Pointy Shoes?” Atlas Obscura. May 22, 2019. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/medieval-europeans-pointy-shoes.

  Kunisada, Utagawa. Woodblock print by Kunisada I, signed “Gototei Kunisada ga,” series: Mirrors of the Modern Boudoir, title Tooth Blackening, published by Azumaya Daisuke, c. 1823. File derived from Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66250607.

  Little, Becky. 2016. “Arsenic Pills and Lead Foundation: The History of Toxic Makeup.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society. September 22, 2016. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/ingredients-lipstick-makeup-cosmetics-science-history/.

  Lubitz, Rachel. 2019. “Nail Polish for Men Is Finally ‘Normal’—Just Like It Used to Be 5,000 Years Ago.” Mic. May 7, 2019. https://www.mic.com/articles/136830/nail-polish-for-men-is-finally-normal-just-like-it-used-to-be-5-000-years-ago.

  Mallory, Aileen. 1995. “Don’t Know Much About History.” NAILS Magazine. January 1, 1995. https://www.nailsmag.com/article/40736/dont-know-much-about-history.

  Miller, Harry L. US Patent Office, 1901. US667447A.

  Montaigne, Marie. How to Be Beautiful. New York: Harper, 1913.

  Montealegre, Hazel Mann. US Patent Office, 1924. US1497342A.

  Oatman-Sanford, Hunter. “That Time the French Aristocracy Was Obsessed With Sexy Face Stickers.”

  Oliveras, Chloe. 2012. “The Colorful History of Nail Polish.” The Independent Florida Alligator. April 25, 2012. https://www.alligator.org/blogs/lifestyle/thefbomb/article_92924820-8e3d-11e1-b5bf-001a4bcf887a.html.