Memory Monday: Facts in 1884

My Great-Grandfather

FACTS FROM 1884

I love to research. With writing historical romance, putting together my historical magazine, and finding things for my historical website, I need to do a lot of research (what fun!!!). As I was looking through the book, Hand Book of Useful Information, 1884, I came across this list:

Interesting Facts.

There are 2,750 languages.

America was discovered in 1492.

A square mile contains 640 acres.

Envelopes were first used in 1839.

Telescopes were invented in 1590.

A barrel of rice weighs 600 pounds.

A barrel of flour weighs 196 pounds.

A barrel of pork weighs 200 pounds.

A firkin of butter weighs 56 pounds.

Tile first steel pen was made in 1830.

A span is ten and seven-eighth inches.

A hand (horse measure) is four inches.

Watches were first constructed in 1476.

A storm moves thirty-six miles per hour.

A hurricane moves eighty miles per hour.

The first iron steamship was built in 183o.

The first Lucifer match was made in 1899.

Gold was discovered in California in 1848.

The first horse railroad was built in 1826-7.

The average human life is thirty-one years.

Coaches were first used in England in 1569.

Modern needles first came into use in 1545.

Kerosene was first used for lighting purposes in 1826.

The first newspaper was published in England in 1588.

The first newspaper advertisement appeared in 1652.

Until 1776 cotton spinning was performed by the hand-spinalist wheel.

Glass windows were first introduced into England in the eighth century.

Albert Durer gave the world a prophecy of future wood engraving in 1527.

Measure 209 feet on each side and you will have a square acre within an inch.

The first complete sewing machine was patented by Elias Howe, Jr., in 1846.

The first steam engine on this continent was brought from England in 1763.

The first knives were used in England and the first wheeled carriages in France in 1559.

The present national colors of the United States were not adopted by congress until 1777.

Although I haven’t cross-checked the information to see how accurate it is, I thought it was interesting to see what was being told as fact back then—like the speed of a storm or a hurricane—both of which we know by watching the news today isn’t exactly this cut and dry. By the way, this book came out about the time my great-grandparents had been married about nine years.