The early decades of the twentieth century saw some taxing times, what with there being a world war and all, but that still didn’t stop people from flocking to the Shepheard’s hotel to bask in its elegance. Located in Cairo, Egypt this hotel was famous for its extravagance. It was so famous that in 1942 […]
The Suffering Bastard Read More »
Hang on, I’m not quite done with Captain Low just yet. Remember when I said that he understood the power of punch? I wasn’t just referring to the parties that his crew were having below the deck. I have stated that punch brought pirate crews together. But it wasn’t only for a party. During this
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This post begins with the following excerpt taken from ‘A General History of Pyrates’ (yes, it is spelled that way), a book written under the pseudonym Captain Charles Johnson. Low takes a Bowl of Punch in his Hand, and drinks to him, saying, Captain Graves, here’s half this to you. But the poor Gentleman being too sensibly touched at the
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On a sunny evening in April 1874 (quite possibly the 1st), a man named Jones marched into New York’s prestigious Delmonico’s asking for the whereabouts of a ‘little man with a small black moustache.’ Just a reminder that this was 15 years before Adolf Hitler was born, so no, he wasn’t looking for him. The
Who Are You Calling a Collins? Read More »
In 1850 Edward Buffum walked into a makeshift building situated just a short distance from a rapidly growing community of settlers near the Barbary Coast. The large doors opened to reveal a panelled room with a dirt floor. In the back was a wooden stage furnished with a band playing jovial tunes that seeped through
They Had Some Balls Back Then Read More »
Perhaps one of the cocktail’s greatest mysteries is who drank the first one. But if people had to guess, I think most would probably assume that the first cocktails were drunk by a bunch of wealthy white American men who had enough money to sit around and joke with members of the same sex while
In 1860 a man entered the now historical halls of Richmond’s Exchange Hotel, a popular spot in America’s Southern state. The tourist was bearded, stately, and elaborately clothed for the tender age of 19. The truth was, the man was no mere man. He was Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, and he was about
Twenty years before the Eiffel Tower was built, the city of Paris had another major tourist attraction. Beginning on the 1st of April and continuing through the seven months that followed was the fourth World Exhibition. Except it wasn’t called a World Exhibition. In France, this fair would be referred to as Exhibition Universelle. (I
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While the career of Jerry Thomas was flying high and it seemed his fanciful tales of self-aggrandisement would filter through the populace untarnished, it became abundantly clear that the inventor of the first Tom and Jerry was about to have a competitor. That man was Harry Johnson. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be
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In 1861 a young German was employed on a ship meant to sail around the world. Unfortunately, his trip was cut short. This wasn’t due to any stormy seas. While working on the vessel the fifteen-year-old broke his arm, which meant he was no longer useful to his employer. Thanks to the absence of labour
The Trouble With Harry Read More »