Category: True Stories

Authentic Saloon Decor

The Table Bluff Hotel and Saloon, Humboldt County, California. 1889

Seth Kinman (September 29, 1815 – February 24, 1888) was an early settler of Humboldt County, California, a hunter based in Fort Humboldt, a famous chair maker, and a nationally recognized entertainer. He stood over 6 ft (1.83 m) tall and was known for his hunting prowess and his brutality toward bears and Indian warriors. Kinman claimed to have shot a total of over 800 grizzly bears, and, in a single month, over 50 elk. He was also a hotel keeper, saloon keeper, and a musician who performed for President Lincoln on a fiddle made from the skull of a mule.

[Interior of Seth Kinman’s Table Bluff Hotel and Saloon in Table Bluff, California, 1889, found here.]

TRENDING OHIO

[Full story w/ update and video found here.]

Tumbletown

Puzzle Tirana, Albania
“If built, the high-rise will be composed of stacked volumes that are intended to resemble the shape of the archetypal village house with a gabled roof.”

Located on Rruga Medar Shtylla, near Tirana’s city lake, Puzzle Tirana sits on a 75 x 25-meter lot in a densely built urban area. The design reflects Albania’s transition from rural homes to modern apartments, embodying the city’s rapid growth. The tower will replace an existing structure and introduce:

    • 160 apartments ranging from 70 to 130 m²
    • A hotel integrated within the lower levels
    • A commercial area on the first two floors

Designed by Network of Architecture (NOA) and Atelier4.
[Photos and more found here.]

What a Low Blow

Built by Bohland & Fuchs in 1912, the sub bass uber tuba was nicknamed “Big Carl” and was housed at the offices of Carl Fischer, Inc., New York, NY.

[Top photo from 2014 found here via here; bottom photo and history here.]

UPDATE: Video h/t Corrine L.

Sola Busca Tarot (1491)

Considered the oldest complete seventy-eight card tarot deck in existence, the Sola Busca — named for the family of Milanese nobles who owned it for some five generations — was the first to be produced using copperplate engraving. It is also the earliest known tarot deck that illustrates the Major and Minor Trumps in the way that has become the standard, with characters and objects depicting allegorical scenes. In the Renaissance era this would have been revolutionary, while, today, some of these cards may seem familiar.

[Full size images and the history of the deck found here.]

Horn Cupping

“In traditional African medicine, a form of cupping therapy was practiced long before modern glass or silicone cups were introduced. Instead of using cups, healers used hollowed-out buffalo horns. These horns were heated and then placed on the skin to create suction, drawing out what was believed to be toxins or bad energy from the body. This method not only reflects the deep medicinal knowledge of ancient African cultures but also highlights how natural materials were skillfully adapted for healing purposes.”

[Uncolorized image with story found here.]

Anita

Coney Island freak show circa 1945 (colorized).
“Anita” the Elephant Girl (real name & date unknown).

Very little can be found about Anita the Elephant Girl on the internet.
A defunct website may have had a biography of sorts but I couldn’t find an archive of the article: “Anita The Elephant-Faced Girl: Embracing Uniqueness and Overcoming Challenges.”

[Images from here , here and and here]

It’s All Mine

Mir Diamond Mine, Mirny, Yakutia, Russia.
At 3,900 feet in diameter and 1,722 feet deep , it’s one of the largest excavated holes in the world. It reportedly has its own weather system vortex due to temperature variations, and aircraft are forbidden to fly over it.

In the midst of the Siberian wilderness, there is a town known as Mirny, the only sign of humanity in a heavily forested landscape for miles around. Only a few full-time residents call the town home, all of whom live in a small community built on stilts to prevent the melted permafrost from flooding their homes in the spring.

Truthfully, the town of Mirny would be entirely unremarkable, save for one thing. There’s a giant hole in the middle of the town over 1,000 feet deep and over half a mile wide that churns out an unnatural and mysterious amount of diamonds. Oh, and it also sucks in anything that flies overhead.

[Image found here, story here.]

Whale Breath

“A study released this month by the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis dives into a newly documented phenomenon of humpback whales blowing bubble rings while interacting with humans.”
[Video and more here.]

The Humpback Whale, NLRH (1974 PSA)

The Aftermath

Damage from torrential rain and subsequent flooding, Valencia, Spain, November 2024. [Image found here, story here. Google Maps street view of Avinguda Gómez Ferrer, Alfafar, València here.]