#weird history

[rosieandthemoon]

“Grotesque bird” inkwell by Joseph Reinemann, from 1901

[mimosa-sex-tea-people-contrsf]

Who was gonna tell me that the internet was invented before chicken tenders?????

[irl-loading-screens]

[questionableadvice]

~ The Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, vol. 1., 1832

The play mentioned was "The Queen of Corinth*", 1647

*aside from it's commentary on forks, this isn't a very good play by today's standards: lots of the plot is driven by rape and the rapist is reformed by marrying his victim. Ugh

[thegikitiki]

Welcome to the 1970s, where "road safety" apparently involved hiring a medieval executioner who joined the highway patrol. There is a lot to unpack here, from the pristine shine on those jackboots to the fact that our officer is wearing a literal chrome bucket on his head. I suppose when you're marketing "Lifesaver" tires, you really want to lean into the "faceless sentinel of the asphalt" aesthetic. It’s a bold look that says, "I’m here to check your tread depth and perhaps challenge you to a trial by combat on the interstate." Truly, the pinnacle of law enforcement fashion before they realized visibility was actually a good thing for driving.

Sourced from the May 4, 1970 issue of Newsweek.

[disease]

Students casually pursuing their studies during the Atomic Age [1950s]

[bardic-tales]

Ever spent three hours deep in an obscure research rabbit hole at 2:00 AM, only to stop and think, “How on earth did I get here, and how am I actually going to put this in a story?”

As writers, our search histories are usually a wild mix of weird, terrifying, and oddly specific. The strange facts we stumble onto often end up shaping our projects in ways we never expected.

So I want to open this up.

What is the most bizarre or fascinating research rabbit hole you’ve fallen down, and how did that specific piece of information actually make it into your final draft?

Reblog with your weirdest finds. I’d love to read about what you've uncovered. I'll comment on them tomorrow during the morning.