Happy Equinox, everyone! Today is the day when the angle of the sun is straight on the equator, and the amount of day and night are nearly equal. In the northern hemisphere, this makes it our autumnal equinox (southern hemisphere has the vernal equinox). So for those of you who have been eagerly awaiting the “official” start of fall to decorate your yard with pumpkins and chrysanthemums, have at it!
On the equinox, some folks claim you can stand a broom on its brushy end or an egg on its pointy end, but that’s just an urban myth. (If it works, send me a pic!).
Here at K.B. Owen Mysteries, we like to give many of our posts a historical feel, so when I was putting this one together, I wracked my brain to figure out how I could make it historical. I turned to one of my favorite resources: the Library of Congress’s historical newspaper archive, Chronicling America. It’s a terrific source of U.S. digitized newspapers from 1836 to 1922. Here’s the link, if you’d like to do some searching of your own.
So I plugged in “autumn equinox,” and some date parameters (1880 to 1900, I think). Here are some of the fun items that turned up:
Wow…24 new ways to tie men’s neckwear, cheap cider, a scarcity of squirrels to hunt, and leaving couples by THEMSELVES? What is the world coming to?
I love the tagline for The Evening Herald, by the way:
The next article is quite poetic for what we’re used to seeing in a newspaper. There’s a little astronomy lesson, with some astrology thrown in. Didn’t know those two were compatible – except for the fact that I used to mix them up all the time.
Sometimes, what I find next to what I’m looking for is even more interesting, such as this ad:
Oh, the horror! Poor, slaughtered blankets. But hey, winter’s coming, so get yours while you can!
If the equinox isn’t enough occasion to celebrate, Sept 23 is also: National Checkers Day, and Dogs in Politics Day. This link explains.
Are you looking forward to fall? Ever try to stand a broom or an egg on its end? I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time,
Kathy
P.S. – next week: cover reveal for the latest Concordia Wells mystery, Unseemly Haste!
I can’t rid myself of images of slaughtered blankets, Kathy! Yikes! Actually, I always find the language used in articles and advertisements of that time to be absolutely fascinating. Thanks for sharing these!
Thanks, Margot! Makes you wonder what expressions we have that will sound strange to folks 100 years from now. 😉
Wow – things were crazy back in the day. Slaughtering blankets and creative new ways to wear men’s neckwear? No wonder we’re a totally mixed up society today, look at our past.
You do find some unusual things my dear. But, I for one, love it.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
I’m so glad you do, Patricia! It was a crazy, mixed up world back then…and it sure went downhill fast, didn’t it? 😉 So glad you could stop by!
Spring, glorious spring! Unfortunately here it’s a wet spring following a sodden winter and a damp autumn, so I won’t be slaughtering my blankets just yet!
I hope it warms up (and dries out) for you all very soon! Enjoy your spring!