SOME OF HISTORY’S QUIRKIEST MOMENTS Grab your time travel hats! We are peeling back the layers of the past to reveal a few stories you won’t find in the history books, though history class would have been much more fun if they were! uteruses to fly out of their bodies! Thankfully, at least two women saw past the strange notion to propose genuine improvements
in the iron horses. In 1870, Eliza Murfey held 16 patents for her inventions to improve how bearings on train car wheels responded to their axles. In 1879, Mary Elizabeth Walton held two patents for reducing smokestack emissions. TALE OF THE TALLEST BUILDINGS The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and last remaining of the original seven wonders of the world. For 4,000 years, this architectural marvel was the tallest building in the world. But all reigns must end, and in 1311, the Lincoln Cathedral in England claimed the crown. It was the tallest building for 237 years until its spire collapsed in 1548. However, it was still the tallest building ever built until the Ulm Minster in Germany set a new record in 1890 — it’s still the tallest church in the world. SHORTS SHOOK THE WORLD In the sizzling summer of 1937, something extraordinary happened on the streets of Toronto that changed fashion forever. Two daring women went out in public wearing shorts. Yes, shorts! The sight was so unusual that it drew overwhelming attention and even caused a car wreck! While this moment caused quite a stir, it wasn’t until after World War II that shorts gained popularity.
WHEN STILLNESS CREATED HISTORY Imagine a bustling Parisian street filled with life and activity. A photographer is there, about to take the first known photograph of a person. But the only person still enough to
photograph was a man getting his shoes shined — the exposure time then was several hours, almost a whole day’s work! So, the shoe-shining duo became unexpected celebrities in history as the subject of the first known photograph of humans in 1838. A WHISTLE STOP FOR WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS When trains first thundered across the American landscape, some women wouldn’t ride them — a bizarre myth emerged claiming that traveling at speeds of 50 mph would cause their
Appropriate sniffing. Then Bella jumps on Max’s back. It’s a strange ritual. She treats Max like a bench and puts her front paws on his back. She likes to smack him in the face with her paws. Then she hits him back and forth across the face with her very long tail. Max takes it all with only occasional winces and grimaces. Like most couples, they have their strange rituals. Max will not let Bella eat in his presence. He chases Bella away from her food bowl. We’ve tried to feed them together. Bev and I will stand between them, but Bella won’t eat until Max is done. On the flip side, Bella is a bed hog. We have substantial dog beds strategically placed throughout the house. Max and Bella will lie on the bed with an evenly shared space. Eventually, Max is in a tiny corner when I look over, trying to hang on for dear life. Bella is sprawled out over the whole bed.
playing in the morning, they are on the bed beside the fire near my chair.
says that Bella is the same way when she gets home. It takes a couple of days for Max to pull out of it. Then Friday evening comes. The love puppies are reunited. It is a beautiful thing. They run into one another’s paws. There is usually a quick kiss — licks on the lips. ... CONTINUED FROM COVER
When Max gets fed up with his small space, he gets up and approaches me to get his head scratched. Bella immediately gets up and follows. She has serious FOMO (fear of missing out). I scratch Max’s head with a couple of strokes. Then, I start scratching Bella’s chin because she pushes her way in. Immediately, Max returns to the bed and spreads out. I thought it was a coincidence the first few times, but now it is a morning ritual. Bella still hasn’t figured out the maneuver. She ends up sitting on a little corner of the bed, hoping I will pet her some more.
My relationship with Bev, my wife, is more complex but not that dissimilar.
Such is my boring life.
–Christopher J. Grimmond
About a year ago, Max figured out how to deal with the Bella bed-hog situation. While
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