The Obesity of Emperor Maximus

The things you learn from perusing old comics!



Source (page 19).




Source.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 04, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Addictions, Eating, Body, Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical, Obesity, History, Historical Figure

Freedom Highway

The bus as time machine.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 28, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: History, PSA’s, 1950s, North America

Prometheus’s Garden

The creator's Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 16, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, History, Surrealism, Stop-motion Animation, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Psychedelic, 1980s

Follies of the Madmen #405

Ancient Romans drank vodka? Oh well, I suppose the ad is as authentic as the movie it references--which is actually one of my favorite comedies.

Ad source.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 07, 2019 - Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, History, Unexplained Historical Enigmas, Alcohol

Home for Incurables

As late as 1952, "homes for incurables" were a going concern. Contemporary medicine seems to have abandoned the term "incurable" in favor of others that are perhaps less of a downer.



Source.



Source.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 03, 2019 - Comments (2)
Category: Architecture, Charities and Philanthropy, History, Medicine, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century

Bacchus After-Shave

Very strange 1969 ad campaign for Bacchus after-shave. The premise is that instead of leaving a giant horse outside of Troy, the Greeks actually left a "towering bottle of Bacchus," and that this caused the Trojan women to become so wild with lust that the Trojan men no longer had time for fighting.

It then follows this up with the tagline: "The Romans conquered an empire with it. Go out and conquer yours."

But what do the Romans have to do with the Trojan horse? Rome didn't even exist at the time of the Trojan war. I guess there's a vague connection because the Romans believed they were descended from the Trojans, but even so the history seems hopelessly muddled.

Esquire - Jan 1970

Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 16, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: History, Advertising, 1960s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents

Devolution Through Beer

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 19, 2017 - Comments (5)
Category: Body Modifications, History, Advertising, Anthropology, Dinosaurs and Other Antediluvian Creatures, Fish, Alcohol

Follies of the Madmen #300

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 10, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, History, Tobacco and Smoking, 1950s, Men, Women

Weird Leap Year Facts

With February 29 coming up fast, About.com encouraged its writers to create some leap year-related content, so I did my part.

Definitely learned some new info from writing this — such as that February is shorter than every other month because the Roman Senate, in trying to suck up to Augustus, took a day from February and added it to his month (August) to make it longer.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Feb 23, 2016 - Comments (10)
Category: History, Holidays

Mystery Illustration 11

Without googling, try to guess what military event this insignia celebrates.

Answer after the jump.


More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 21, 2015 - Comments (9)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, History, Military