STUCK ON YOU

   

By Mary Davis

 

Have you ever put clay and plant fibers on a wound? No?

 

Well, if that doesn’t appeal to you, how about sawdust?

 

The Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese, to name a few, used clay, plants, honey, poultices, raw meat, lint, as well as animal grease, among various other things to dress wounds and protect them. Any of those in your medicine cabinet?

 

These were all laborious, cumbersome, and didn’t always stay in place, especially while moving about.

 

 

We have newly married Josephine Dickson to thank for the modern-day self-adhesive bandage, or rather her husband. She was a bit of a hazard to herself in the kitchen with frequent cuts and burns.

 

Earle Dickson was a cotton buyer for the Johnson & Johnson company. He was concerned for his accident-prone, young bride, so in 1920, he combined two of the company’s products, gauze and adhesive tape. This allowed his wife to easily tend to her own injuries, rather than balancing gauze while trying to wrap tape around it.

 

These pre-BAND-AIDs were an eighteen-inch-long strip of adhesive tape two and a half inches wide. Gauze was placed down the middle of it. Then the next time Mrs. Dickson had a mishap while cooking, she could merely cut a width commensurate with the wound size and apply it unassisted.

 

 

Dickson showed his design to one of the Johnson brothers. In 1921, J & J started producing these first BAND-AIDs, all made by hand. They were not popular in this form, so the company precut them and individually wrapped them. To help with sales, they distributed free BAND-AIDs to the Boy Scouts of America.

 

 

I remember those tins on the right. Brings back memories of scraped knees.

 

In 1924, they automated and produced them by machine. But it wasn’t until 1939 that they began selling a sterilized version. The red pull string was added in 1940, which remained unchanged for fifty-two years until they introduced the pull-apart design.

 

 

As a child, I thought those tiny round ones were useless because of their size and would put them on for fun.

 

The first decorative ones, stars and stripes, were introduced in 1956. Various other prints and characters have graced them. Throughout the decades, the types of tape have evolved to include fabric, plastic, clear, and water resistant.

 

The famous jingle written by Barry Manilow, "I am stuck on BAND-AID Brand ’cuz BAND-AID’s stuck on me", didn’t come along until 1976.

 

Over a hundred years later, BAND-AIDs are still sticking to people.

 

MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR (Heroines of WWII series)
3rd Place 2023 SELAH Award

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) flies a secret mission to rescue three soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two daughters, an excellent pilot, and very patriotic. She joins the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). As she performs various tasks like ferry aircraft, transporting cargo, and being an airplane mechanic, she meets and develops feelings for her supervisor Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg. When Peggy learns of U.S. soldiers being held captive in Cuba, she, Major Berg, and two fellow WASPs devise an unsanctioned mission to rescue them. With Cuba being an ally in the war, they must be careful not to ignite an international incident. Order HERE!

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Rocky Mountains with her Carolina dog, Shelby, and her mini black lab, Willow. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

Sources

Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati, p250-251

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-band-aid-1991345

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band-Aid

https://www.band-aid.com/about/history

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-band-aid-1991345

STRIKE THAT

  

By Mary Davis

 

 

Creating a flame from nothing had long been a laborious task. Scientists, chemists, engineers, and inventors played around with chemicals for centuries to produce a way to make fire more instantaneous.

 

“If there occurs an emergency at night it may take some time to make a light to light a lamp. But an ingenious man devised the system of impregnating little sticks of pinewood with sulfur and storing them ready for use. At the slightest touch of fire, they burst into flame. . . . This marvelous thing was formerly called a “light-bringing slave”, but afterward when it became an article of commerce its name was changed to ‘fire inch-stick’.”

Records of the Unworldly and the Strange

by Chinese author Tao Gu in about 950 AD

 

Early matches were downright dangerous, from spontaneously igniting to causing a terrible bone disease.

 

Hennig Brandt, an alchemist from Hamburg, was attempting to turn an olio of base metals into gold in 1669. He failed but accidently produced phosphorus instead. Disappointed, he brushed the discovery aside.

 

However, British physicist Robert Boyle was very interested in it. Therefore in 1680, Boyle took a course square of paper and coated it with phosphorus. He tipped a splinter of wood with sulfur to go with it. When the splinter was pulled through the folded paper, it created a flame. This was the first example of a chemical match. Because phosphorus was scarce, the general public never knew this match existed.

 

Notice the wooden matches still attached at the base.

In 1817, a French chemist developed his own version of a match by treating a strip of paper with a compound of phosphorus that would catch fire when exposed to air. This paper was sealed in an evacuated glass tube. How he got it in the tube without exposing it to air is more than this creative brain can fathom. A person need only smash the glass so that the paper ignites and then hasten to light their kindling before the fire burned out. He demonstrated his impractical “match” to his university colleagues. My question is, what about the shards of shattered glass?

 

Then came apothecary owner John Walker in 1826. While in his backroom stirring chemicals (a non-phosphorus formula) to make a new explosive, he noticed a teardrop shape had formed on the end of the stick. To remove it, he rubbed it on the stone floor. Much to his surprise, it ignited, giving birth to the strike-anywhere friction match in a blaze of glory. Samuel Jones, who attended one of Walker’s demonstrations, saw the commercial potential and set up a match business, calling them Lucifers. In the aftermath of matches being invented, tobacco smoking of all kinds increased significantly.

 

“Early matches ignited with a fireworks of sparks and threw off an odor so offensive that boxes of them carried a printed warning: ‘If possible, avoid inhaling gas. Persons whose lungs are delicate should by no means use Lucifers.’ In those days, it was the match and not the cigarette that was believed to be hazardous to health.”

Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati, p109

 

 

The repugnant odor of the Lucifers offended the French, so in 1830, Paris chemist Charles Sauria invented a compound with phosphorus that eliminated the offensive smell. However, matches made with it ignited a deadly disease known as phossy jaw—a poisoning of the bones, especially the jaw—that plagued hundreds of factory workers. In 1888, the London matchgirls went on strike because of it. There was enough phosphorus in a pack of matches to commit suicide or murder. Both of which were reported.

 

Anton von Schrötter, German chemistry professor, created the safety match in 1855. Other matches of the day, could easily be ignited by rodents gnawing on them and started many kitchen fires. The safety match separated the phosphorus head of the match (still poisonous) from the igniting sulfur that they put on the outside of the box.

 

In 1892, attorney Joshua Pusey invented the matchbook but ignored warnings, by putting the strike area inside with the matches. The Diamond Match Company bought the patent three years later and moved the strike area to the outside. Eventually, matchbooks were used to advertise everything from motels, political candidates, furniture, businesses, Christmas greetings, and anything else someone wanted to advertise. There were even some that were a bit risqué.

 

 

The Diamond Match Company introduced the first nonpoisonous match in 1911. It used sesquisulfide of phosphorus, and the company forfeited the patent right as a humanitarian gesture.

 

Look how short these were. Watch out for your fingers.

I always thought the strike strip on the outside of a box or book of matches was nothing more than very fine sandpaper. I wondered why striking a match on any ol’ rough surface wouldn’t light them. Now, I know why.

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

Resources

Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati, p108-111

https://www.historyofmatches.com/matches-history/history-of-matches/

https://www.britannica.com/science/match-tinder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Match

IT TOOK 50 YEARS TO OPEN A CAN

 

By Mary Davis

 

If preserving food in metal cans was invented around 1810, why did it take fifty years to invent a practical way to open them?

 

In 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte offered prize money to anyone who could come up with a way to preserve food to withstand the long journey to his troops in the field. In France, it was common to offer money for scientific advancements. Nicholas Appert earned that money in the early 1800s with a glass jar and lid invention. Though Appert’s method wasn’t a can, it did lead the way for foods to be preserved in cans.

 

Enter British merchant Peter Durand who developed the can, a.k.a. “tin canister”, in 1810 for the British Royal Navy. These cans could be pumped out at a whopping six cans an hour. This was a very niche market. By the 1840’s, production skyrocketed to sixty cans an hour, and they breached the general market.

 

These early cans were made out of iron, wrought iron—as in let’s build a fence. They were lined with tin and 3/16 of an inch thick—that’s just shy of a 1/4 inch. An empty can weighed over a POUND. Since the inventor hadn't seen fit to create a can opener, getting the food out was a challenge. However, the manufacturer’s recommendation for opening these tanks was to use a chisel and hammer. Yup, you read that right. Another method for getting to the food inside was to use “whatever you could find around the house.” One source said, there was a rumor that the original purpose of a bayonet on the barrel of a gun was to open cans on the battlefield. Apparently, a multifunctional tool.

 

1856

By the 1850s, cans slimmed down and lost weight with the use of steel. This made it possible for American Ezra J. Warner to invent the first can opener on January 5, 1858. It was a blade that one used to basically saw around the top of the can, which left a jagged edge. They weren’t very popular, and at the grocery store, a clerk could open the can for the customer before it was taken home. Wouldn’t that spill? These first openers were essentially modified knives.

 

Warner Opener

Roberts Yeates designed a lever-type can opener in 1866.

 

Yeates Opener

J. Osterhoudt patented the turn-key opener also in 1866.

 

The first rotating cutting wheel variety came about in 1870 by William Lyman of Connecticut. These were hard for the average person to use.

 

More customer friendly designs came out in the 1920s.

 

1920 Star Can Opener

 

1925 Double-Wheel Design

In 1900, the church key can opener was patented in Canada.

 

During WWII, the compact and robust P-38 and P-51 can openers were created for soldiers. Many of the troops put them on the chain with their dog tags. The 38 and 51 indicated the length in millimeters. The P-51 was easier to use because of the added length. I remember my dad having one of these and proudly showing me how it worked. I was less than impressed.

 

The P-51 & P-38 Openers respectively

Many improvements have been made to the can opener in the succeeding decades, including electric ones. Now a days, we hardly need a can opener with the pop top cans. But what I want to know is, given that we had pull-tab pop cans since 1962, why did it take so long for that to transfer to food cans?

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

Resources

Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati, p115-116

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_opener

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-can-opener-wasnt-invented-until-almost-50-years-after-can-180964590/

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-history-of-the-can-opener/EAUxTv3nPqXlLQ?hl=en

PETRA

  

By Mary Davis

 

Growing up in the 70s, I listened to a Christian rock band call PETRA. I had the albums More Power To Ya and Beyond Belief. They were controversial at the time. I just liked them. It was years later (long before the internet) that I learned of a special place where elaborate buildings were carved out of sandstone, which is the topic of this article.

 

Al-Khazneh a.k.a. The Treasury

 

Petra, located in southern Jordan, means rock. To its original builders it was known as Raqmu. It’s also called the “Rose City” due to the sandstone’s color in which it’s built.

 

The area around Petra was inhabited long before the famous stone structures were carved, as early as 7000 BC. During the Iron Age, 1200-600 BC, the Edomites occupied this area. This was a logical stopping place for traveling merchants because of water reserves due to the mountain configurations. Thus it became an outstanding place for the trade of wine, olive oil, wood, and other commodities.

 

Around 4^th century BC, the Nabataeans, a nomadic Arab people, settled this area. Due to its proximity to the spice trade routes, a great deal of revenue was generated for the Nabataeans, hence an excellent place to spend the time and labor to create their elaborate dwellings and other structures. These routes spanned between Arabia, Egypt, and Syria-Phoenicia.

 

I used to think that the Treasury (pictured above) was Petra, but there is so much more to Petra than that famous façade. This ancient city spreads out over one hundred square miles.

 

Map of Petra

There are three ways to enter Petra. The ruins are usually approached from the east by a narrow gorge known as the Siq (Wadi Al-Sīq). Among the first sites viewed from the Siq is the Al-Khazneh (the Treasury), which is actually a large tomb.

 

The Sig

The back entrance takes the visitor on camelback through hills and valleys and eventually on foot. It takes several days—not for the faint of heart. The side access is near the royal tombs.

 

 

Royal Tombs

Here are a couple of other structures.

 

Al Deir a.k.a. "The Monastery".

A long flight of stairs carved in the mountain grants visitors access to this monument.

 

Qasr el-Bint a.k.a. the Temple of Dushares has the largest facade in Petra and was a costly project. 

The large altar in front indicates that offerings were made outside of the temple.

Though a desert region, the Nabataeans fashioned an elaborate water system. They had channels in the stone that directed rainfall and regular flooding with dams and cisterns to collect water to use during dry periods, and ceramic pipes to move the water where it was needed. They sold some of their water reserve during droughts. Cha-ching!

 

And so they prospered well in the 1^st century AD. At one time, up to 30,000 people occupied the Rose City. In 106 AD, Nabataea fell to the Romans, and Petra flourished under their rule for a time. This is when the Petra Roman Road was constructed. Then while still under Roman rule, it began to decline, partly due to sea-based trade routes. An earthquake in 363 AD damaged or destroyed many of the structures and crippled the water system, adding to its demise. A 551 earthquake caused even more damage. Though several Christian churches were built in this Byzantine era, the city continued to wane. However, it was still in use into the 7^th century.

 

It eventually became deserted except for a handful of nomads. Twelfth century Crusaders built fortresses in and around Petra but eventually abandoned the area too.

 

To the Western world, Petra was virtually unknown until Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, a Swiss traveler, discovered it in 1812. Others visited Petra and chronicled it over the years. In 1928, a four-person archeology team excavated and surveyed Petra.

 

Monastery Trail

In recent years, a previously undiscovered room was unearthed beneath the Treasury floor. Due to the elements and age, many buildings were crumbling and therefore thieves had taken off with many of the treasures within. However, this tomb was undisturbed and still had its twelve occupants and the things they were buried with. This provides great insight to the way the Nabataeans lived.

 

There is so much more to Petra than what I touched on here. I encourage you to research more of its rich history.

 

And if not the city, then the band. I have loved rediscovering them.

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra

https://www.britannica.com/place/Petra-ancient-city-Jordan

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/article/petra-jordan

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326/

https://www.today.com/news/petra-jordan-tomb-indiana-jones-rcna175463

 

PETRA Band-More Power To Ya--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8SnzjY4mTI&list=RDP8SnzjY4mTI&start_radio=1

PETRA Band-Beyond Belief --https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KY7jLQGHA0&list=RD7KY7jLQGHA0&start_radio=1