The 1800s

Steam, telegraphs and very confident Victorians. 21 stories, a few minutes each.

1. The Origin of OKOn March 23, 1839, the Boston Morning Post published two letters that would become the most recognized word on Earth.
2. Why Golf Balls Have DimplesA smooth golf ball hit by a professional golfer would travel only about half as far as one with dimples. The textured surface seems…
3. The Great Stink of LondonIn the summer of 1858, the River Thames smelled so bad that Parliament considered relocating.
4. The London Beer Flood of 1814At around 5:30 in the afternoon on October 17, 1814, a wooden vat at Meux and Company's Horse Shoe Brewery ruptured and released a wave of porter…
5. The Winchester Mystery HouseSarah Winchester inherited a fortune built on rifles. Her husband William had been heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, maker of "the gun…
6. Why We Use QWERTY KeyboardsThe layout of your keyboard was designed in the 1870s to solve a mechanical problem that no longer exists.
7. The Mary CelesteOn December 4, 1872, the British ship Dei Gratia was sailing about 400 miles east of the Azores when her crew spotted another vessel drifting in…
8. The Year Without a SummerIn April 1815, Mount Tambora on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa erupted with a force roughly four times that of Krakatoa.
9. Ketchup Was Once Sold as MedicineBefore ketchup became a condiment, it was a patent medicine.
10. How Traffic Lights Were Invented Before CarsThe first traffic light was installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London on December 10, 1868—more than a decade before Karl Benz patented…
11. The Kentucky Meat ShowerOn March 9, 1876, chunks of meat fell from a clear sky onto a strip of land near Rankin in Bath County, Kentucky. The area affected was roughly 100…
12. How Elevators Changed ArchitectureBefore the elevator, the most desirable floor in any building was the first.
13. The Cobra EffectDuring British colonial rule in India, the government in Delhi grew concerned about the number of venomous cobras in the city. The administration…
14. How Aspirin Was Discovered TwiceWillow bark has been used as a pain remedy for thousands of years.
15. The Bridge That Soldiers Must Break Step OnOn April 12, 1831, a column of the 60th Rifle Corps marched across Broughton Suspension Bridge near Manchester, England.
16. The Shortest War in HistoryOn August 27, 1896, the British Empire went to war with the Sultanate of Zanzibar. The conflict lasted between 38 and 45 minutes, depending on the…
17. The Tree That Owns ItselfOn a quiet residential corner in Athens, Georgia, there stands a white oak tree that legally owns itself—and the eight feet of land surrounding its…
18. How Mauve Changed Fashion ForeverIn 1856, an eighteen-year-old chemistry student in London accidentally created the first synthetic dye while trying to synthesize quinine, a…
19. Nellie BlyIn November 1889, a 25-year-old journalist named Nellie Bly left New York City with a single bag and the goal of traveling around the world faster…
20. How Chocolate Became a Candy BarFor about 3,000 years, chocolate was a drink.
21. The Invention of the ZipperThe zipper took more than forty years and three inventors to get right, which is remarkable given how simple the finished product looks. Its…