Clip of the Week: July 13, 2022

There are entire industries I’d like to try this trick on. The scene of one of these was the pretty village of Grosmont, where a reputed wizard called “Old Jenkyns” punished the landlady of the Cock and Feathers. Jenkyns had some bread and cheese and beer, and on leaving asked how much it was. “Oh,” Read More

Clip of the Week: June 29, 2022

Stay tuned until the end for some shameless self-promotion! This is what happens when women aren’t allowed to vote: A funny incident happened at a Parliamentary election in Cork a few years ago. The contest lay between two rivals, both Nationalist candidates. The wives of four voters whose political views differed from those of their Read More

Clip of the Week: June 15, 2022

Today’s lesson: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, even if those flies are stealing the honeypot. Leopold Karlsberg was held up in the hallway of his home at 5030 Woodlawn avenue late Saturday and was robbed of $150, his keyring and some documents. Last night he received a telephone call from one of Read More

Clip of the Week: June 1, 2022

Product placement doesn’t get any better than this: The following incident took place recently in the Parish Church of a well-known Lancashire town, where a mother had taken her baby to be christened. “What name do you select [for] your child,” asked the Vicar. “Venos,” was the answer. “Venus! But this is not a suitable Read More

Clip of the Week: May 18, 2022

A burn worthy of Madame Palatine: Some of the papers are chiding the Clarion-Ledger for plagiarism. That is nothing new, but these papers are a long time finding it out. The Clarion-Ledger would purloin a whole chapter from the bible if it thought it could palm it off on the public as original. – The Read More

Clip of the Week: May 4, 2022

Sir Robert Ball, the astronomer, is fond of telling an amusing story against himself. He is a round-faced, jovial-looking man in appearance, not resembling in the least the ordinary conception of a famous scientist. Once he was engaged to lecture in a remote part of Ireland, and found no vehicle waiting for him at the Read More

Brussels Bonanza

Dear readers, I have good news or bad news, depending on whether you read this blog for entertainment or out of obligation: Second Glance History is going on a semi-hiatus. Life has taken a surprising turn, and I was unexpectedly offered a position abroad. Can you guess where? Jumping through bureaucratic hoops and moving across Read More

Clip of the Week: April 20, 2022

A court-house in a certain provincial town stands near a common. During one of the cases that were being tried there counsel was in the middle of his speech for the defence, when a donkey outside began to bray. The judge, who was notorious for his wit, put up his hand at this juncture, and Read More

Eggnog Eggcess

Ah, the sweet signs of spring: birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and eggnog consumption is soaring. As we learned last year, with this boozy beverage in hand, your Easter celebrations can be just as merry as your Christmas festivities. Sadly, no matter what time of year you indulge, there’s always somebody out there trying Read More

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