Tag Archives: Boredom is Anti-Life

Work • During the Alaskan gold rush, some people made lots of money serving as goldweighers in cafés and saloons. Miners came into various places of business and paid for their purchases in gold. One goldweigher grew long fingernails so he … Continue reading →

Wit • Wilson Mizner was a great scoundrel and a great wit: 1) During a hard winter in New York, when con men were preying on each other, Mr. Mizner recommended that con men wear roses in the lapels of their … Continue reading →

War • After unsuccessfully trying to capture Pancho Villa in Mexico, Charles MacArthur and his military outfit returned to America, where they were given a parade in which a drunken Mr. MacArthur steered a car down the street with one hand … Continue reading →

Theater • Eve Arden was getting ready to go on stage in Los Angeles, California, in the title role of Auntie Mame when she realized she couldn’t remember the name of the Connecticut town where Mame’s nephew’s snooty fiancé lived. She … Continue reading →

Science and Scientists • Edward Hitchcock was the first American to study dinosaur fossils, although he did not realize what the fossils were — the study of dinosaurs was still in its infancy then. Even as a teenager, Mr. Hitchcock demonstrated … Continue reading →

Scientists and Science • At the South Pole, the temperature has been measured as low as minus 117 degrees Fahrenheit. How cold is that? If you were to take a glass of water and throw the water into the air, it … Continue reading →

Problem-Solving • Actress Madge Titheradge had a reputation for fainting unnecessarily. In Theater Royal, she fainted at the end of the second act. Actress Dame Marie Tempest saw her fall; not being in a mood to tolerate such foolishness, she raised … Continue reading →

Problem-Solving • Making maps in ancient times was very difficult. To measure the distances between two points, map makers hired professional walkers — people who had been trained to take steps of the same distance, instead of mixing up long and … Continue reading →

Prejudice • In 1936, the Nazis invited modern dance pioneer Martha Graham to perform at the International Dance Festival, an event they were holding in conjunction with the Olympic Games. She declined, pointing out that many members of her dance company … Continue reading →