Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things (84 page)

According to Reyburn, Titzling was born in Hamburg in 1884 and he invented the bra to free a buxom Wagnerian soprano, Swanhilda Olafsen, from the confines of a corset during performances. One is inclined to believe Reyburn until he points out that Titzling was assisted in his design efforts by a Dane, Hans Delving. With Hans Delving, Titzling prepared a
bra for Sweden’s greatest female athlete, Lois Lung. Suspicious-sounding names continue to accumulate as Reyburn recounts how Titzling sued a Frenchman, Philippe de Brassiere, for infringement of patent rights. If Otto Titzling, Hans Delving, and Philippe de Brassiere did exist and pioneer the bra, their names certainly deserve to be immortalized.

An excellent work on the origin and evolution of the bed and bedroom is
The Bed
, by Wright Lawrence, 1962, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London. It served as the basis for the opening sections of this chapter.

On clothing found in the bedroom: A detailed account of the development of socks and stockings throughout the ages is
A History of Hosiery
, M. N. Grass, 1955, Fairchild. Facts on more intimate attire are found in
A History of Ladies’ Underwear
, C. Saint Laurent, 1968, Michael Joseph Publishing;
Fashion in Underwear
, E. Ewing, 1971, Batsford; and
A History of Underclothes
, C. W. Cunnington, 1951, Michael Joseph.

On early bras and slips:
Corsets and Crinolines
, N. Waugh, 1970, Batsford.

Sexual facts and figures are from:
The Sex Researchers
, edited by M. Brecher, 1969, Little, Brown; and “20 Greatest Moments in Sex History,” Philip Nobile,
Form
, May 1984.

On the Pill: “The Making of The Pill,” Carl Djerassi,
Science
, November 1984.

On word meanings:
The Origin of Medical Terms
, Henry A. Skinner, 2nd edition, 1961, Hafner;
Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality
, John Boswell, 1980, University of Chicago Press.

14 From the Magazine Rack

I am indebted to many magazines for providing me with historical background on their founding. Available for the general reader from
Newsweek
: “A Draft of History,” by the editors, 1983, and “Newsweek: The First 50 Years.” I wish to thank the research staff at
TV Guide
in Radnor, Pennsylvania, for considerable material on their publication.

Perhaps the single most definitive work on the development of magazines in the United States is
A History of American Magazines
, by Frank Mott, published throughout the 1950s and 1960s in five volumes by Harvard University Press. Mott provides a picture of the early struggles of periodicals in this country, and he details the births, deaths, and triumphs of hundreds of publications from the 1700s into the present.

Additional materials used in this chapter: “Lunches with Luce,” Gerald Holland,
Atlantic Monthly
, May 1971; “Time Inc.,” Edwin Diamond,
New York Magazine
, November 19, 1984.

15 At Play

An excellent starting point for the reader interested in pursuing the origins of various toys is
Antique Toys and Their Background
, by Gwen White, 1971, Arco Publishing. It covers every imaginable child’s toy, often in depth, and it contains an excellent bibliography.

Also of assistance to me in compiling this chapter were
Toys in America
, M. McClintock, 1961, Public Affairs Press;
The Encyclopedia of Toys
, C. E. King, 1978, Crown;
Scarne’s Encyclopedia of Games
, John Scarne, 1973, Harper & Row; and
Children’s Games in Street and Playground
, by Iona and Peter Opie, op. cit.

On firecrackers: An excellent volume is
A History and Celebration
, George Plimpton, 1984, Doubleday.

On dolls:
Dolls
, Max von Boehn, 1972, Dover; “The Case of the Black-Speckled Dolls,”
New Scientist
, November 1985. This article uncovers the mystery surrounding dark markings that often mar the faces of China dolls.

A discussion of children’s games popular in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and today is found in “Points of Origin,” Michael Olmert,
Smithsonian
, December 1983. The same author covers games of chance and skill in his “Points of Origin” column,
Smithsonian
, October 1984.

On the Slinky: Personal communications with Betty James, head of the Slinky company and wife of the inventor of the toy, Richard James.

An interesting book of fact and speculation on the origin and development of the Frisbee is
Frisbee
, Stancil Johnson, 1975, Workman Publishing.

16 In the Pantry

On ice cream: I wish to thank the International Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers, Washington, D.C., for providing me with facts and figures on the origin and development of this dessert. Their 1984 publication
The Latest Scoop
(available by request) contains a wealth of statistics on the consumption of ice cream worldwide.

The Missouri Historical Society provided material on the origin of the ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

At Nabisco, in Parsippany, New Jersey, corporate archivist Dave Stivers was of invaluable assistance not only on the subject of ice cream but also on cookies (Animal Crackers, Oreo), candies, and peanuts (particularly Planters).

The Portland, Oregon, Historical Society was of assistance in locating facts on the origin of the ice cream cone.

One final source on ice cream: An excellent overview of the subject is
The Great American Ice Cream Book
, by Paul Dickson, 1972, Atheneum.

The development of canned whipped cream is in
A Flash of Genius
, op. cit., under the chapter heading “Aeration Whipping Process.”

On the hot dog: Max Rosey, publicist for Nathan’s Famous, was of immense assistance in assembling the history of the sausage, as was Nathan’s rival, the Stevens Company. Both the Brooklyn Public Library and the Long Island Historical Society provided material on the introduction and sale of hot dogs at Coney Island.

On the potato chip: George S. Bolster of Saratoga Springs, New York, as well as the Saratoga Springs Historical Society, suggested material for this section.

I also wish to thank Heinz and Betty Crocker for articles on the origins of their companies and products.

I used, and highly recommend, four excellent books on food:
Food
, by Waverley Root, 1980, Simon and Schuster; this is a fascinating volume, presenting facts and lore about fruits, vegetables, and food preparations in alphabetical order. Also comprehensive in scope is
The World Encyclopedia of Food
, L. Patrick Coyle, Jr., 1982, Facts on File. And
Food in Antiquity
, Don and Pat Brothwell, 1969, Praeger;
Food in History
, Reay Tannahill, 1973, Stein & Day.

Finally, I wish to thank all the people at Telerep involved with production of the weekly television series
The Start of Something Big
; particularly Al Masini, Noreen Donovan, Rosemary Glover, Jon Gottlieb, and Cindy Schneider. Noreen, Rosemary, Jon, and Cindy were of great assistance in helping me compile information on the origins of about two dozen items in this book, which also appeared in various episodes of the show. A1 Masini is simply the most thoughtful, humane, and scrupulous television executive I have ever encountered, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him on creating and executing the show.

Searchable Terms

The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.

“Abbot,” 42

Acetate, 129

Acrylics, 129

Adams, Abigail, 282

Adams, John, 290

Adams, Thomas, 416, 417

Air-conditioning, 159–60

Air-cooling system, home, 159

Albee, Mrs. P. F. E., 244

Albert, Prince, 70

Alcock, Walter, 205

Alcott, Louisa May, 352–53

Alka-Seltzer, 257–58

All Soul’s Day, 64

Almonds, 394

Aluminum cookware, 101

Aluminum foil, 113–14

Ambergris, 241

“Amen,” 41

American flag, 278–80

American Indians

knocking on wood, 6–8

New Year’s Eve, 47–48

popcorn, 390–91

American Water Supply Company, 123

“America the Beautiful” (song), 288

Amphetamines, 270

Andersen, Hans Christian, 19, 176–77

Anglo-Saxons, 9

Animal cookies, 412

Annenberg, Walter H., 363–64

Antacids, 256–58

Antiperspirants, 255–56

Anti-Saloon League, 123

A.1. Steak Sauce, 403

Apparel Arts
(magazine), 361–62

Appliances

air conditioner, 159–60

blender, 111–13

can opener, 115–16

carpet sweeper, 140–42

clothes irons, 143–46

clothes washer and dryer, 146

dishwasher, 103–4

food processor, 114–15

hair dryer, 236–37

kitchen ranges, 98–99

sewing machine, 147–49

toaster, 117–18

vacuum cleaner, 138–40. 236–37

April Fool’s Day, 58

Aristotle, 10

Armato, Salvino, 264–65

Armstrong, Thomas, 152

Artemis, 32, 34

Ash, Claudius, 214

Aspirin, 272–73

Assyrians, 15

boots, 296

hair styling, 231

laxatives, 263–64

Attila, king of the Huns, 28

Aunt Jemima, 407–8

Aurelian, Roman emperor, 68

Autry, Gene, 75

Avon, 243–44

“Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” (nursery rhyme), 185

Baby, New Year’s, 49

Babylonia

hot dog, 396–99

New Year’s Day, 45

tops, 369–70

Baby Powder, Johnson’s, 250

“Bacon, bring home the,” 93

Baden-Powell, Col. Robert, 284, 285

Baekeland, Leo Hendrik, 128

Baeyer, Adolph, 271

Bags, brown paper, 107–8

Bailey, Pheodorus, 276

Bakelite, 128

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda), 257

Balder, 12, 13

Band-Aid, 250–51

Banns, marriage, 25

Barber’s pole, 212

Barber-surgeons, 211–12

Barbie doll, 385–86

Bartholdi, Fredéric-Auguste, 291, 292

Basile, Giambattista, 170, 172–76

Bass, Henry, 298

Bastard, John Pollexfen, 194

Bates, Katherine Lee, 288

Bathing, 200–01

Bathing suit, 321–22

Bathroom, 199–220.
See also
Cosmetics and toiletries

flush toilet, 203–4

Kleenex tissues, 206–7

spas, 200–01

toilet paper, 204–6

toothbrush, 208–10

toothpaste, 210–13

Baum, Lyman Frank, 181

Bausch & Lomb, 267

Bayer (drug firm), 272, 273

Beach, Alfred, 358

Beardsley, Hub, 257

Beauty patches, 225–26

Becket, Thomas à, 78

Becquerel, Antoine-Henri, 137

Bedroom, 326–27

Beds, 326–29

Bedstead, 329

Beiersdorf, H., 228

Belgium: roller skates, 382

Bell, Alexander Graham, 357

Bellamy, Francis, 280–81

Benedictus, Edouard, 158

Ben-Gay, 253

Bengué, Jules, 253

Bentz, Melitta, 120

Benzodiazepines, 271

Berryman, Clifford, 374

Berthier, L., 89–90

Berthollet, Count Claude Louis, 155–56

Bertin, Rose, 324–25

Best man, 21

Betty Crocker, 409

Bifocal lenses, 266–67

Biggin, 119–20

Bikinis, 322

Billiard balls, celluloid, 126, 127

Birth control, 331–38

cervical cap, 333

condoms, 334–36

International Planned Parenthood Federation, 338

IUDs (intrauterine devices), 333–34

the pill, 336–38

vasectomy, 336

Birthday cake, 31–33

Birthdays, 31–35

Bissell, Anna and Melville, 141–42

Black cat, 13–15

Black for mourning, 36–37

Black Jack chewing gum, 417

Blankets, electric, 331

Bleach, chlorine, 155–56

Bloomer, Amelia Jenks, 302

Bloomers, 302

Blouse, 304

“Bluebeard” (fairy tale), 178–79

Blue Jeans, 302–3

Board games, 376–77

Bobby pin, 236

Bodley, George, 98

Boiardi, Hector, 406

Bok, Edward, 353

Boleyn, Anne, 1

Bon Ami, 153

Boner, Charles, 177

Boniface, St., 69–70

Bonnets, 309

Books

children’s, 197–98

etiquette, 83,85, 87–88

Booth, H. Cecil, 138, 139

Boots, 296–97

Borglum, John Gutzon de la Mothe, 283–84

Boswell, James, 134

Bowing, 44

Bowls, 82

Tupperware, 129–30

Bow tie, 306

Bowtinelli, Clara, 397–98

Boyce, William, 284–85

Boyle, Robert, 108–9, 121

Boy Scouts of America, 284–85

Brachhausen, Gustave, 139

Bradford, Andrew, 350

Bradford, William, 65, 70