Five Things You Probably Didn't Know...

First, I want to thank everyone for the sweet comments yesterday.

When I'm not busy being depressed, I spend most of my time reading the news and catching up on my favorite history magazines.

In other words, my mind is filled with a lot of random shit.

I've decided to put my acquired knowledge to good use and educate you about random things. Sometimes I feel like this blog is not a blog, but instead a very prestigious university of fabulousness. And you are all my sweet, darling pupils, anxious to learn.

So, my children, here are five random things you might not have known.

Enjoy!


The Soapman



Soapman is a corpse who has turned into soap.

This man lived in Philadelphia and was buried there around 1800. His body was discovered in 1875 during the digging of a train depot foundation.

His body was unusually preserved from water seeping into his casket, bringing alkaline soil with it, turning the fats in his body to soap through a type of hydrolysis known as saponification.

I don't know about you, but I am stunned this premise has not been turned into a horror film yet. "Better take a bath kiddies, otherwise the Soapman will get youuuu!"


Allergic to Art?



There is an actual illness called the Stendhal Syndrome, which causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when a person is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful.

Do you suffer from this condition?


Alice Keppel



Long before Camilla Parker Bowles wrecked the marriage of Prince Charles and Diana, her promiscuous great-grandmother caused scandals everywhere she went during the late 1800s.

The very married Alice Keppel slept her way up to the top of the social ladder amongst British aristocracy. She eventually became the mistress to King Edward VII. Her daughter, Violet, would go on to be one of the most scandalous lesbians in British history, hooking up publicly with Virginia Woolf's girlfriend and eventually shacking up with sewing machine heiress, Winnaretta Singer.

Strangely enough, Alice did not disapprove of her daughter's blatant homosexuality during the early 1900s. She was actually quite pleased when her daughter settled down with the filthy rich Winnaretta, because it brought their family a lot of wealth and power.


US Weekly's grandfather



The very first gossip magazine, Broadway Brevities, arrived in the United States in 1916. It covered the shocking escapades of stage actors and millionaires. It focused on sex, drugs, and crime.

Despite its popularity, New York City eventually banned the racy tabloid from new stands in the 1930s.


And finally...shitdamnfuckhell.



Those words weren't that shocking back in the 1800s, believe it or not. But mouths would drop open if you let one of these horrific cuss words slip from your lips.

Here were the most common cuss words in the United States during the 19th century:

adventuress: slut
blazes: hell
boat-licker: ass-kisser
cherry: vulgar term for a young woman
Nancy-boy: an effeminate man
scalawag: mean, rotten or worthless person
Strumpet: whore
tarnation: damn

If some of you are still living in the 19th century, I apologize profusely for my profanity.


So, did you learn anything new? Did you like this post? Would you like to see more posts like it in the future?