The quirky events of history

[Josh]

So Kris is putting together material for a solo novel she'll be working on during her time in Baja. It's a time travel novel, and she's looking for quirky little moments in history. Not the big moments, like what if Gavrilo Princip takes a left instead of a right (and that whole business was pretty damned quirky, admittedly.)

Rather, she's looking for small but notable events that would make for good background material or plot points.

So I throw it out for y'all, since there's a lot of history buffs here (and even a history major.)

It's wide open, anywhere and anywhen.

[frigidmagi]

Like what kind of quirky are we talking here? Like quirky like Queen Victoria had a Maori Godson? Or Quirky like Queen Victoria had a stalker who broke into the palace and rummaged around the royal apartments? Tea bags were invented by accident when they started sending out samples and realized oh hey? Or the fact that one guy was so upset at the Texas state government lack of reading the actual bills that he got Texas to pass a bill in 1971 honoring the Boston Strangler for his efforts in population control?

[Josh]

The latter events. I hadn't heard of any of those, so details, details!

Totally not surprised that we honored the Boston Strangler in the legislature.

[White Haven]

Someone's been ghosting through Imgur too much of late...

[Norseman]

I could mention a few like the 1890s bicycle craze, which was a real craze, up to the point where newspapers discussed which MPs and actresses had started bicycling, and footmen resigned their posts on the spot if asked to oil and maintain one.

[Josh]

Oh do tell.

[Norseman]

Oh do tell.

I am currently going through 1890s satirical magazines (Norwegian too) and there are a lot of jokes about bicycles. Though most of them are rather bad joking about running out of names for new bicycles (and yeah if you can imagine it someone used it). It was also the period where tube metals were first used on a large scale, development of pneumatic tires etc.

The bicycle was very popular with women too, as this readers letter I cribbed from the Daily Mail (1897) proves:

Cyclists in Traffic

To the Editor "Daily Mail"

As one who has watched the growth of cycling as a national pastime and as one of the earliest riders of the bicycle - having, in fact, used one of the original "boneshakers" in Paris in the sixties - it pains me to hear of so many serious accidents occurring daily in our streets. Now I think most of your readers - or at any rate those with any knowledge of the subject - will bear me out when I say that the majority of these mishaps are simply the inevitable result of the rider's own foolhardiness.

The cyclist of to-day, and especially the woman cyclist, has scarce learnt to balance ere he or she venture out into the crowded thoroughfares and wends a wobbling course in the thickest of the traffic. Some of the narrow shaves from disaster that I have recently seen are realyl enough to turn one's hair grey, and that more bad smashes do not occur I attribute entirely to the consideration and care shown to these foolish riders by drivers of vehicles. Unless cyclists want to be controlled by very stringent traffic regulations, efforts will, in my opinion, have to be made to check this mad cycling among traffic by unskilful and inexperienced "wobblers."

CYCLIST SINCE THE SIXTIES.

It's amazing how the Daily Mail hasn't changed at all ;)

The thing with the footman was that the footmen were traditional upper house servants and not mechanics, so they viewed tending to bicycles as being beneath their dignity.

PS. On an entirely different note if you're interested in the clash between new and old I posted an extended anecdote in creative writing.

[Norseman]

And don't forget Mystery Airships

[Josh]

Cool, that is excellent! Thanks! I'll make sure to let Kris know who came up with all this.

[frigidmagi]

The best interrogator in WWII used trips to the zoo to get information.

[Josh]

Y'all rock.

[Josh]

She's been very grateful for all the tidbits, and if y'all don't mind she would like to include y'all in the eventual acknowledgments.

Also if any of y'all pass by Nelson BC she'll pick you up for coffee and a cupcake.

[Josh]

Next question she has: good books on Iran, both modern and historical. Any recommendations from all and sundry?