Olga Spatz, the Model for the Statue of Liberty

The model for Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty was his German maid, Olga Spatz.
The inspiration for Lady Liberty's torch

Fewer People=Less Dust

Dust comes from dead skin cells that have fallen off people. With smaller populations in the 19th century, dust was not a concern. The modern feather duster was not invented until 1875.

Wall Street Journal Sketches

James Salsich, the original sketch artist for the Wall Street Journal passed away in September, 2002. Since then, the Journal is forced to use pictures. The only sketches found in the Wall Street Journal are ones that Mr. Salsich sketched before he died.

The Throgs Neck Bridge

Henry Throg was a famous General in the French and Indian war. He led a small naval battle against the French as they tried to advance on New York from Canada via the Hudson river. This battle took place at what is now known as Throgs Neck. This battle is memorialized by a plaque at the base of the Throgs Neck Bridge

Popcorn at the Movies

Popcorn was not a popular snack food until early public movie exhibitions in the late 19th century. Oddly enough many other snacks were tried before the corn lobby forced the Motion Picture Association of America to use popcorn in the 1920's. Early movie theater offerings included meatballs, ham salad sandwiches, sardines, deviled eggs and spaetzle.

Stradivarius Ukuleles

Many people know about the famous Stradivarius Violins and Cellos. What most people don't know is that Gustav Stradivarius got his start making Ukuleles. They were not very popular.

Judah Benjamin

Following the civil war, confederate cabinet member Judah P.Benjamin moved to Florida to establish America's first Jewish state. Just like Theodor Herzl.

Birthdays and George Washington

George Washington was the first person to celebrate their birthday. Washington first celebrated his birthday on February 22nd, 1740 at the age of 8. His friends dismissed him as a crackpot; most of them didn't even know when their birthdays were. On his 12th birthday George Washington chopped down the famous cherry tree. Ironically enough, he asked for leniency from his parents and the authorities because it was his special day. While his parents cut him some slack, the authorities weren't interested, they had never celebrated their birthdays either.

George Washington, a man ahead of his time.

Why Rice is thrown at weddings

Rice was originally thrown at weddings as a symbol of prosperity everyone wanted for the new bride and groom. This tradition started in ancient Egypt where rice was first used as currency in roughly 276 B.C. Because it started as an Egyptian tradition, Jews do not throw rice at weddings.

World Series of Tic Tac Toe

There was once a world series of tic tac toe. Actually, the event was held a total of four times beginning in 1840. Originally intended to be a yearly event, the TTTWS (as it was known) was canceled in 1847 because too many games ended in draw.

Roving Tribe of Marrauders in Eastern Europe

From 1476-1482 the Boreskion (Bore-Ski-Ahn) ruled Eastern Europe. This band of marauders were known for their brute force, a penchant for the color pink and a bump that each of them had on the back of their heads about 4 inches above their necks. Here is an artist's rendering:The Boreskion raped, pillaged and plundered as much as they could. Eventually, Ghengis Khan killed all of them, but he was too late. They had impregnated many women. Their descendents can be identified by the bump on the back of their heads.In an effort to shame the descendants of the Boreskion, the color pink was effeminized. To this day, only the bravest men wear the color pink, all others find it effeminate.