HOW MARK TWAIN CHEATED AT POOL

Mark Twain was extremely fond of cats and always had several in his household throughout his life. In fact, when he had to move to New Hampshire on a project for two months, he rented four felines from a neighbor for the duration. 

His family members knew that if they had to interrupt him at work to solve a problem or grant a request, they should always carry a household kitten with them to soften Twain up.

Twain trained one of his cats (or, more likely, the cat trained Twain) to hunker down hidden in one of the pockets on his pool table prior to Twain shooting a game with a guest. When the guest would try to sink a ball into the pocket, the cat would bat it away with his paw. 

THE DREADFUL PENNY DREADFUL

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"Penny dreadfuls" were cheap pamphlets published for about eighty years in England after they were introduced around 1830. They were serialized adventure stories, often very sensational or lurid in nature, which were designed originally to appeal to adults who could not afford to buy real books. However, eventually the audience was primarily composed of teenagers. These publications filled the niche occupied by comic books today and were condemned by the same types of do-gooders who vilified the horror-type comic books of the 1950s.

Due to their cheap price, low quality of paper, perceived lack of worth, and paper drives in two World Wars, few examples of the earlier editions survive today.

For more information about penny dreadfuls as well as the TV series named after them, please see this article in The Guardian.

THE DULLES VERSION OF THE BATPHONE

John Foster Dulles, who was the Secretary of State under President Eisenhower, liked to unwind on Duck Island, which was a remote spot on Lake Ontario without landlines or even electricity. And, of course, cell phones were a thing of the future. His opportunities for telecommuting were thus quite limited. Therefore, as a precaution, he had made arrangements for his office to call CBS if he was needed in the event of an international crisis. If Dulles heard on his transistor radio the phrase on World News Roundup "[T]his story is of special interest to Secretary of State Dulles...", he knew that he had to take a boat or plane back to the mainland immediately so that he could get to a telephone.

THE ELEGANT CONTINENTAL MARK II

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If asked what has always been the top of the line flagship automotive division of Ford Motor Company, most folks would instantly say "Lincoln." However, for a brief period of time, that role was usurped by the establishment of the Continental Division of Ford, which was intended to create automobiles far more luxurious and sophisticated than the cheaper relics to be offered by Lincoln. The Continental Division produced the highly distinguished Continental Mark II in 1956 and briefly in 1957. 

The Continental Mark II was a hand built masterpiece and cost over $10,000--the price of two Cadillacs of that era. It was a two-door hardtop with tasteful European styling coupled with an eggshell grill similar to that of the 1955 Thunderbird. The two and a half ton body was painted with multiple coats of hand-sanded lacquer and then polished to an extraordinary shine. Each engine and transmission was blueprinted with individually inspected and fitted components, and each vehicle was extensively test-driven before being approved for sale. Despite the high price of the automobile, Ford still lost $1,000 on every sale, but it did so gladly for the favorable publicity that the product engendered. 

Only 3,000 were manufactured, and most of these ended up in the possession of movie stars or high-level corporate executives. Some of the proud owners included Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and the Shah of Iran. About 1,500 Continental Mark IIs still exist in the hands of extremely lucky collectors.

Finally, it is understandable why many folks mistakenly believe that the Mark II was a Lincoln product. For one thing, it was distributed through Lincoln dealers. In addition, in 1948, Lincoln had its own model called a "Lincoln Continental Mark I," and in later years, Lincoln again adopted the Continental name and gunsight hood ornament for other Lincoln products.

To see a Mark II in action, click on the following video by Rides with Chuck.

WHY IOWANS SHOULD RUN THE COUNTRY

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In Iowa in 1910, as in most places at the time, the utility of the recently-introduced automobile was severely hampered by the deplorable mud roads which were the norm. Instead of expecting Washington to cure the problem, ten thousand farmers organized a massive voluntary road building effort and turned out across the state at 9:00 one morning. They completed a 380-mile paved highway from the east border of the state to the west in one hour. However, it took the rest of the day before they were able to finish installing all of the signs so that the road was ready to use.

PRURIENCE AND MINIATURE GOLF

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Minature golf was invented in 1867 at the prestigious Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland. The club members wanted to provide a sport for their wives and daughters but could obviously not have the females play regular golf.  After all, it would be intolerable to permit women to raise their clubs past their shoulders on the backswing, as it could then cause their breasts to bounce around on the downstroke. The Club thus provided a two-acre course called the Ladies Putting Green which could be played in full modesty with just a putter.

Times have changed since then, as evidenced by this 2011 Kia commercial featuring Michelle Wie.

THE BARLEY MEN

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Fans of classic loincloth movies such as Spartacus, Demetrius and the Gladiators, and the Terror of Rome versus the Son of Hercules are led to believe that gladiators were lean, mean, fighting machines. These combatants are usually portrayed  with wiry, sinewy bodies with sculpted six-pack abs and arm muscles like steel cables covered with bulging veins.

There is little doubt that most gladiators were skilled and savage fighters and not someone you would want to offend. They were without question well-muscled. However, for the most part, these muscles were concealed under a thick layer of fat. Gladiators were generally stout individuals and looked more like John Belushi than a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The cause of this phenomena is simple. The warriors were fed primarily beans and cheap grains. In fact, they were nicknamed "barley men" as a result of their diet. The high amount of carbohydrates really bulked them up. In order to obtain the necessarily calcium and other minerals required for their heavy physical regime, they consumed a primitive sports drink comprised of plant ashes dissolved in vinegar. They rarely ate meat except on the night before a match.

The diet was intentionally chosen on its merits and not just for the fact that it was inexpensive. The adipose actually served as protection so that an injury would be inflicted on the padding of fat instead of on vital organs. In addition, such superficial wounds bled dramatically and added greatly to the theater of the occasion.

For further information on feeding barley men, please click on this article on the Archaeology website.