Scott Antarctic Expedition Reported Dead: Cartoons Magazine Centennial 1913
On February 10th, 1913, word reached the world that the entire Terra Nova Expedition to reach the South Pole in Antarctica, led by Captain Robert Scott, had perished. Scott’s expedition reached the South Pole on January 17th, 1912, learning they had been beaten there by the rival Amundsen expedition, who had arrived at the Pole [...]
Little Johnny & the Taffy Possums: Tigwissel Christmas #4
For Christmas, we conclude our Santa in various mechanical transport comics, with a 1909 episode of Little Johnny & the Taffy Possums, by John R. Bray (art) and Robert D. Towne (script), featuring Santa delivering his presents by dirigible. Little Johnny ran on the rear cover of Judge magazine, plus was reprinted in some newspapers [...]
Santa and His Flying Machines: Tigwissel Tuesdays #45
For our second week in the March of Progress in Santa Science, we have more excerpts from my (unpublished) project collecting Victorian Age through WW I Christmas cartoons & comics. In more modern times, (particularly during the Space Race / Apollo Program), one can find such cartoons as Santa straddling space rockets, or, of him [...]
Santa by Auto: Tigwissel Tuesdays #44
Today, the March of Progress in Santa Transportation Technology, using cartoons from one page of a Victorian/Pre-Depression I Christmas Comics book I put together, for which the publishing deal fell through. As we can see by these cartoons, Santa is constantly looking to improve on his methods of Christmas Toy Delivery. By replacing his apparently [...]
Electricity at Christmas, 1879: Tigwissel Tuesdays #43
Above, The March of Science: Electricity at Christmas, by artist Harry Furniss, from the 1879 Christmas issue of The Illustrated London News. At this time, electricity — on the brink of lighting cities — was still more a toy of the rich, used in parlor games. One popular activity, shown at the bottom, was to [...]
“A May Melange”: Tigwissel Tuesdays # 42.5
Since we’re on the cusp of Winter, what better time to run “A May Melange”, by artist Livingston Hopkins? From the front page of the May 1st, 1876 issue of the (New York) Daily Graphic, why, on Earth, am I running this page that clearly has no scientific element? Because, look towards the figure, bottom [...]
Professor Jim Crack’s Amazing Discoveries, Part 2: Tigwissel Tuesdays #42
With Thanksgiving approaching, we look again to the series of “scientific experiments” involving Old American Whiskey, as illustrated in the circa 1936-1937 giveaway promotional comic booklet, Professor Jim Crack’s Amazing Discoveries! Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions. To view prior episodes of Tigwissel Tuesdays, [...]
Electrical Engineering Cartoons: Tigwissel Tuesdays #41
For today’s Tigwissel Tuesdays entry, we have extracts from the exciting — nay, the positively electrifying — scientific journal, Electrical Engineering. Published in 1911 by the Kilowatt Publishing Co., London, U.K., Cartoons from “Electrical Engineering” is at the cusp of when British cities were making the transition from gas lighting, to electricity. Go ahead, geeks [...]
Tigwissel Tuesdays #40: Drinking Water, 1877
Today’s post, is for the combo of Halloween Eve, and certain extremists, salivating at the hope of achieving their cherished goal of eliminating the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food & Drug Administration, and any of those other oppressive government bureaus, whose regulations restrain the freedom of corporations doing as they please. May they cheer that [...]
Education & Vaccinations: Tigwissel Tuesdays #39
Above, anti-vaccination loons –in the mode of Republican Congresswoman & one-time leading Presidential G.O.P. Candidate Michele Bachmann — pictured blindly marching to disaster. Numerous Republican elected officials, have stated they would like to eliminate the Food & Drug Administration, and with it, all regulations regarding Food & Drug standards. Industry can better self-regulate itself, they [...]
