by david allan van nostrand | Sep 21, 2026 | Americana, Human Behavior, The Wayback Machine, The world around us
Eugene O’Neill wrote “The Iceman Cometh.” I only learned this week that his title was inspired by the New Testament book of Matthew, specifically, the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. As the story goes, ten virgins were chosen to be part of a wedding. The...
by david allan van nostrand | Aug 24, 2026 | Human Behavior, Items in the News, The Wayback Machine, The world around us
Francisco de Goya painted Niños Jugando al Balancín in 1792. They’ve just kids, goofing around, making their own plaything from what’s handy. No GameBoys for these game boys. My first impression was how unstable it must be, one round log teetering on another round...
by david allan van nostrand | Jul 27, 2026 | Actively observing, Human Behavior, The Wayback Machine, The world around us
As the story goes, Jasper Maskelyne outfoxed the Germans by making the Suez Canal disappear. From my safe distance high atop Civilization’s Hill of Knowledge, built on all the things we’ve learned in the 85 years since 1941, I feel confident that the Suez Canal is...
by david allan van nostrand | Jul 20, 2026 | Americana, Human Behavior, The Wayback Machine, The world around us, Young moderns
My concept of hobos was taught me by tv. The first I remember was a hobo that came thru Mayberry. Opie liked him right away, but the hobo turned out to be a ne’er-do-well that was teaching bad habits to the gullible kid. Andy put a stop to it, of course. TV and movies...
by david allan van nostrand | May 17, 2026 | Americana, Human Behavior, The Wayback Machine
Daniel Webster was America’s most famous orator, statesman and congressman of the early 1800s. As a lawyer, he argued more than 200 cases before the United States Supreme Court. Old Dan’l’s oratory was so strong that it would last for hours and leave...
by david allan van nostrand | May 11, 2026 | Americana, Fads, Human Behavior, The Wayback Machine
In 1859, the Great Blondin crossed Niagara Gorge on a tightrope. Then he did it with a wheelbarrow, blindfolded, on stilts, and carrying his manager piggyback. In 1876, Maria Spelterini crossed the same gorge by tightrope, the only woman to do so. And in 1901, Maud...
