Neatorama |
- <i>Gilligan’s Island</i> 2016
- The Endless Pancake Machine Is the Greatest Engineering Accomplishment in Human History
- The Devil's Punishment - Only The Good Die Young
- Formal Dehyde
- Amazing Video: Ice Bridge Collapses
- The 10 Greatest Movie Prisoners of All-Time
- Computer Programmers' Facial Hair Quantified
- Very Identical Twins
- During World War II, Canada Gave These Badges to People Who Tried to Volunteer, But Were Rejected for Medical Reasons
- 99-Year-Old Woman Wakes Up To Find A Kinkajou Sleeping On Her Chest
- The World's Oldest Living Man is a Holocaust Survivor
- Disney Villain Mugshots
- Artist Paints Landscapes on Plates That Blend into Their Subjects
- Chew Toy - BB Is Not Amused
- Cryogenics
- Store Clerk Grabs Gun From Robber, Chases Him Off With Hammer
- The Problem With Invisibility
- 7 Of The Cruelest Reality Shows Ever Made
- An Amazing Transforming Desk from the 1800s
- Women Stormtroopers Try Out New Armor
- People Will Eat You Up When You Wear One Of These Funny Food Themed T-Shirts
- Firework Rocket Launcher
- Documenting the Pizzerias of New York City
- The Amazing Pedestrian Race
| Posted: 12 Mar 2016 04:00 AM PST My, how times have changed. This is what Gilligan’s Island would look like in 2016, according to the webcomic übertool. Who wants to be rescued? Now we need to know what Neatoramanauts Mary Ann Summers, Lovey, Ginger G., and Roy Hinkley all think about it.  | ||||||||
| The Endless Pancake Machine Is the Greatest Engineering Accomplishment in Human History Posted: 12 Mar 2016 02:00 AM PST This is not an automatic pancake maker, you can sometimes see in high-end hotels. When the inventors say "endless," that's exactly what they mean. Hypothetically, this machine could make a single elongated pancake indefinitely. This South African invention consists of a hopper that pours pancake batter over two wheel-shaped pans that are heated from the inside with a gas-fed fire. The wheels spin continously, frying the batter, then pouring the cooked pancake out the front. The above video shows a special version of the machine that was constructed for a world record attempt. It made a pancake 482 feet long! -via Hack A Day | ||||||||
| The Devil's Punishment - Only The Good Die Young Posted: 12 Mar 2016 12:00 AM PST The Devil's Punishment by Djkopet When you take your sense of justice to the streets you risk being seen as a vigilante and an outlaw, which some law abiding citizens don't like lurking around their neighborhood. But the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is different, he wouldn't dare dream of harming those who don't truly deserve it, and yet his crazy getup and extreme methods are seen by a bit much by those who strive to live by the letter of the law. As a lawyer he knows that living that way won't ever accomplish anything, and the only way to free your neighborhood from violent criminals is to take the fight to the street, which should make him fast friends with that skull sporting Punisher the citizens have been buzzing about. Gear up for the return of your favorite superhero TV show with this The Devil's Punishment t-shirt by Djkopet, it's a bloody good design! Visit Djkopet's Facebook fan page, official website, Instagram and Twitter, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more action packed designs:
Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama! | ||||||||
| Posted: 12 Mar 2016 12:00 AM PST This was spotted on the whiteboard in a classroom, most likely a chemistry class. I will probably never need to know the chemical structure of formaldehyde, but now I know it by heart, and how to spell it, too. -via reddit | ||||||||
| Amazing Video: Ice Bridge Collapses Posted: 11 Mar 2016 11:00 PM PST
The Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina stretches over a lake. Every few years, the icy connection over the water narrows, forming a distinct bridge. Then it collapses in spectacular fashion. This time the event was caught on camera. You can watch the complete video on YouTube. Phys.org explains why this event happens:
-via Gizmodo | ||||||||
| The 10 Greatest Movie Prisoners of All-Time Posted: 11 Mar 2016 10:00 PM PST When you look through the list of great prisoner characters in movies at TVOM, you might be surprised by how many movies you’ve enjoyed that involve convicts, prisoners-of-war, or otherwise involuntarily institutionalized men. And they’re all men, because women-in-prison movies are rare and mostly exploitive. Some of the characters are horrible, some heroic, and some are just plain unlucky, but they were all fascinating. | ||||||||
| Computer Programmers' Facial Hair Quantified Posted: 11 Mar 2016 09:00 PM PST The computer programmer has a beard. This is obvious. Programmers need beardsto succeed. But data gathered and analyzed by Trestle Technology indicates that the picture is more complex than that. Different types of facial hair correlate with particular programming languages. You can see more charts here, including displays on mustaches, age, gender, and how likely programmers of particular languages are smiling. -via Nerdcore | ||||||||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 08:00 PM PST Brigette and Paula Powers were 32-year-old identical twins in Australia when this video was recorded. They are closer than the average set of twins, and probably always will be. They are so used to talking at the same time that it doesn’t seem like they ever talk to each other, but then again, they probably don’t need to, since each already knows everything her sister knows. Anyone who isn’t a twin would be hard put to understand what’s going on here. And many twins are even baffled by these two. -via reddit | ||||||||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 07:00 PM PST
Many of them were rejected because they had medical problems that prevented them from serving effectively. This was a source of disappointment to many and embarrassment to some as they faced public shaming by ignorant fellow citizens who thought that they should be in uniform. So the Canadian government created a badge that these men could wear to deter their critics. It was a silver or rhodium plated badge that said in either English or French "Applicant for Enlistment - Canada." It affirmed that the person had tried to enlist, but was rejected through no fault of his own. Veterans Affairs Canada quotes the Order in Council that created it:
-via reddit | Image: Veterans Affairs Canada | ||||||||
| 99-Year-Old Woman Wakes Up To Find A Kinkajou Sleeping On Her Chest Posted: 11 Mar 2016 06:00 PM PST Kinkajous are rarely seen outside the Central and South American rainforests they call home, so any animal lover who spots one outside of these regions should consider themselves lucky. But what should you consider yourself when you wake up in your bed in Miami, Florida with a cute little kinkajou sleeping on your chest? Chances are the 99-year-old lady from Miami who woke up to a cuddly kinkajou encounter didn't feel very lucky, she was too busy freaking out after realizing that animal curled up on her chest wasn't a cat. The scared little critter ran off to the attic, but her son-in-law was able to lure him out with some treats and take him to a vet, where it was discovered that he was an escaped pet. I would have had a really hard time giving him up, he's so darn cute! -Via Boing Boing | ||||||||
| The World's Oldest Living Man is a Holocaust Survivor Posted: 11 Mar 2016 05:00 PM PST
Israel Kristal, age 112, is alive. That is an enormous accomplishment, considering what he's been through. He now lives comfortably in Haifa, Israel. But he started out his life in Poland, then was separated from his family during World War I. Afterward, he worked as a confectioner in Lodz. Then the Nazis came. In 1944, they imprisoned Kristal and his wife in Auschwitz, where he became a slave laborer. Kristal's wife did not survive. When liberated by the Allies a year later, Kristal weighed only 82 pounds. He was the only survivor of the Holocaust from his entire family. Even his children were killed. Kristal immigrated to Israel, married again, and had a son. Now at 112, Guinness World Records has certified him as the oldest living man. -via Kevin D. Williamson, who says:
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| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 04:00 PM PST Artist J. Shari Ewing illustrated a whole rogue’s gallery of Disney villains in mugshots. The attitude is there, although most are a bit upset that they’ve been arrested. Be sure to note the crimes they are accused of. I’m glad Cruella De Vil is up on reckless driving charges as well as being evil. You can see all 12 villains at her website, click to enlarge them there. -via Geeks Are Sexy | ||||||||
| Artist Paints Landscapes on Plates That Blend into Their Subjects Posted: 11 Mar 2016 03:00 PM PST Jacqueline Poirier is an artist in Toronto. She paints with porcelain paint on porcelain plates. She often then photographs her plates against their original subjects. On Instagram she calls herself The Crazy Plate Lady. Poirier is now the artist-in-residence at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Toronto, where her work is on permanent display. That's an impressive promotion because she originally started as a server. In an interview with The Chic Canuck, Poirier explained:
Sometimes Poirier creates optical illusions with her plates that confuse your perceptions of reality: She also creates portraits on plates and, when possible, photographs her subjects holding them. Here's actor Morgan Freeman with his plate: -via My Modern Met | ||||||||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 02:00 PM PST You'd think Stitch would have encountered a droid or two as he traveled across the galaxy, but that little experiment gone wrong clearly doesn't know anything about droids since he sees poor BB-8 as a chew toy! Luckily BB is made of some pretty resilient stuff, and Stitch doesn't want to disappoint his new friend Rey by destroying her favorite ball, so the two are sure to become fast friends once that blaster fire starts flying. Add some cartoon silliness to your geeky wardrobe with this Chew Toy t-shirt by Karen Hallion, it's the tastiest way to show love for Stitch and that war in the stars at the same time! Visit Karen Hallion's Facebook fan page, official website, Tumblr and Twitter, then head on over to her NeatoShop for more delightfully geeky designs:
Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama! | ||||||||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 02:00 PM PST Maybe by the 30th century, they’ll have all this figured out. Boy, we must seem so dumb to them. This is the latest from Alex Curang and Raynato Castro at Buttersafe. | ||||||||
| Store Clerk Grabs Gun From Robber, Chases Him Off With Hammer Posted: 11 Mar 2016 01:00 PM PST Convenience store clerks have to deal with a lot more crap than most other clerks, and they often get paid less than retail store clerks, so they are forgiven for sometimes coming across a bit surly. You'd be ticked off too if you had young punks coming into your store to shoplift or, even worse, pull a gun on you and threaten your life for the cash in the register. Some clerks crack under the pressure and quit, others adopt a badass attitude so potential stick up kids will think twice, but the small lady in this video proved she's a big ol' badass with her actions. Armed robbers in Atlanta, Georgia will think twice from now on before they try to rob the story while this lady is working! -Via MSN | ||||||||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 12:00 PM PST The technology to make things invisible is progressing every day. Developers are having luck with nano materials that bend light around an object, rendering it invisible. It’s feasible that we could wrap such a cloak of material around us to make a person invisible to anyone looking.
Yeah, that’s a problem. It’s explained in more detail at Atlas Obscura. | ||||||||
| 7 Of The Cruelest Reality Shows Ever Made Posted: 11 Mar 2016 11:00 AM PST Reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother have been downright nasty to their cast of wanna-be actors, but the cruelty found on these shows cannot even compare to that of Nothing But The Truth, Space Cadets and The Swan. On Nothing But The Truth contestants were questioned while hooked up to a lie detector, then asked to truthfully answer painfully awkward questions like "have you ever fantasized about your girlfriend's best friend?". So what's the rub? The contestant's family, friends, and partners are sitting there watching the whole thing. Space Cadets wasn't cruel because it made contestants squirm in their seats, it just ruined the young casts' lives by convincing them they were chosen to become some of the first members of the public to fly into space. They were convinced they'd been flown to Russia and then launched into space, apparently unaware that there's zero gravity in space. And, last and certainly least in terms of human decency, is the controversial show The Swan, which was truly the worst makeover show ever made. The premise is simple- give the female cast a bunch of unnecessary plastic surgery to make them live up to some standard of beauty dreamed up by a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. See The 7 Cruelest Reality TV Shows To Ever Be Made here | ||||||||
| An Amazing Transforming Desk from the 1800s Posted: 11 Mar 2016 10:00 AM PST From 1728 to 1878, the Socci family of Ponte a Ema, a small town south of Florence, Italy, produced the finest furniture in Europe. Their clients expected the best and got it, including this desk now owned by the Louvre in Paris. It's one of four known examples of this remarkable design.
The whole unit folds away into a small table. Then, when needed, it expands with a built-in chair, writing desk, drawers, and leaves. You can see more photos of it and the other surviving models at Clostermann Antiques. -via Core 77 | ||||||||
| Women Stormtroopers Try Out New Armor Posted: 11 Mar 2016 09:00 AM PST Kevin Weir of KW Designs unveiled a new Stormtrooper armor kit that makes cosplay easier for women. It’s called the FEM7, and a group of cosplayers wore it to Long Beach Comic Expo in February.
Read more about the FEM7 armor and the experiences of the women who tried it out at The Daily Dot. | ||||||||
| People Will Eat You Up When You Wear One Of These Funny Food Themed T-Shirts Posted: 11 Mar 2016 08:00 AM PST Food- it's a unifying factor among all human beings, and whether you're a Paleo Freegan or a proudly omnivorous Foodie the food you eat is a big part of your life. People who like food, meaning pretty much everyone, will love the fun, and downright funny, food themed t-shirts sold in the NeatoShop, home of the highest quality and tastiest designs in the biz! Funky foodies love to wear hilarious tees featuring food puns Danny Dorito by Inner Coma Clothing Co. Vegetarians with strict diets like to get in on the food pun fun too Veggie Armageddon by DeepFriedArt And if our pets could wear a shirt dedicated to their favorite food they totally would too Although their animalistic sense of taste might offend our delicate human sensibilities The more obsessed with food you become Cookie Moon by Fathi The less anything to do with food disturbs you Delicious Revenge by Alex Boake Illustration Because hot dogs may be full of lips and other assorted pig parts but they're still crazy good! Crazy Frank by Artistic Dyslexia Some folks will become Vegan when they find out "how the sausages are made" But most meat lovers just go on chowing down on that delicious protein treat Because a cheeseburger just isn't the same without beef patties and some bacon And no meat means missing out on the most delicious kinds of sushi Sushi Dragon Shen Long by MELONSETA A taco without meat doesn't taste quite as amazing either And people who are passionate about tacos don't get down with the veggie variety We've established that meat is a magical form of food Nerds Guide To Unicorn Meat by Manikx But vegetarians and vegans can eat lots of fun foods too Like sweet slices of toast slathered in jam Sweet Lovers by AnishaCreations And all kinds of potatoes, which taste fantastic when plucked fresh from the ground Gamgee's Famous Po-Ta-Toes by Legendary Phoenix Donuts aren't exactly healthy but they're delicious and everyone can eat them Donut Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Fishbiscuit And even most vegetarians love the mighty amazing flavor of cheese Take some cheese, toppings, sauce and dough and you've got a pizza pie Pixel Pizza by Sombras Blancas Art & Design And everyone in the universe agrees- pizza is incredibly delicious! Life's too short to starve yourself, so dig in and devour whatever far out food you like It's A Trap RED by Cuckoo Art Design Diet when you must, but bravely burger the rest of the time And don't get all holier than thou with your diet, because plants bleed and feel pain too Sweet Tree Blood by SteveOramA So just accept that food is all good and enjoy all the flavors of a delicious life! MAKIN' BACON PANCAKES by Fernando Sala If you're hungry for some geeky new flavor in your life then head to the NeatoShop and add a tasty new tee or hoodie to your wardrobe, with styles so fresh you're sure to eat them all up! The NeatoShop is home to thousands of designs, so there's sure to be something you'll dig, and every sale benefits the artists who create these awesome designs, so satisfy your appetite for fun tees at the NeatoShop today! | ||||||||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 07:00 AM PST Renegade inventor Colin Furze has shown us some really weird and wild contraptions. Now he’s got something really dangerous -a rocket launcher for fireworks! Is this anywhere near legal? What did he hope to accomplish? Well, it’s for removing his socks. This video is only about half as a long as it appears. The rocket launching comes first. -via Viral Viral Videos | ||||||||
| Documenting the Pizzerias of New York City Posted: 11 Mar 2016 06:00 AM PST For five years, six men journeyed through the wilds of New York City to document the experience of the city's most iconic eatery: the humble neighborhood pizzeria. They photographed the shops, the chefs, and the customers who make up these bastions of fine food. The result of their labors is a 192-page coffee table photo book called The New York Pizza Project. Why is it important? Betty, a regular customer at My Little Pizzeria in Brooklyn Heights explains:
Browse more experiences with photos, audio, and interviews at the New York Pizza Project. -via Messy Ness Chic | ||||||||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2016 05:00 AM PST How a highly-heated walk-off between America's top pedestrians created modern spectator sports. It was just after midnight on Monday, November 15, 1875, and the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago was buzzing. Spectators swarmed the auditorium, hundreds of people craning their necks to get a glimpse of the two legends on the track. One of the men wore a black velvet suit with black boots, a silk sash draped across his chest. The other looked the part of a conventional athlete in white tights and a striped tank top. They stretched their legs, then approached the line. As the crowd roared, the starter counted: “One! Two!” On “Three!” they were off. With hips swiveling and arms pumping, the Great Walking Match for the Championship of the World had begun. In the 1870s and 1880s, competitive walking—formally known as pedestrianism—was America’s most popular spectator sport. As cities grew and the nation industrialized, people found themselves with spare time and a little money to burn. The country’s mood had also changed post–Civil War: A stern antebellum work ethic had given way to a new appetite for simple fun. And competitive walking was certainly simple. Matches cost little to stage, and competing required no special equipment. Before long, the nation was swept up in “walking fever.” The men on the track were Edward Payson Weston and Dan O’Leary, and what played out before a screaming fan base was more than just a race. Weston, a New England dandy who often competed in flashy outfits, was the man to beat. He’d made his name eight years earlier, when he walked the 1,200 miles from Portland, Maine, to Chicago in under 30 days, winning a $10,000 wager in the process. A blue-blooded Yankee, Weston embodied old money and an old America. O’Leary’s story couldn’t have been more different. Born in County Cork, Ireland, he had arrived in the States, alone and penniless, some 10 years earlier. Finding opportunity in a burgeoning sport, O’Leary had jumped into pedestrianism less than two years prior to this race, walking an astounding 116 miles in under 24 hours and establishing himself as the working man’s hero. He also became Weston’s biggest rival. This was the first time the two squared off, and the public was lapping up the hype. For Chicago’s Irish community, O’Leary wasn’t just an athlete; he was a symbol of hope. Four years earlier, another O’Leary—Catherine (no relation)—had been blamed for igniting the Great Fire of 1871 when her cow supposedly knocked over a lantern. In a city devastated by the flames, Catherine became a convenient scapegoat, an easy punching bag for an angry and xenophobic populace. Tension between the city’s Irish immigrants and its “native” population had only grown worse. And in that divide, Dan O’Leary was left carrying his community’s dream on his back—hoping to prove an Irishman’s worth by walking his way to glory. The rules for the walk-off were clear: The first man to walk 500 miles would be declared the winner. Running was not permitted. Each competitor was required to keep one foot in contact with the ground at all times while on the track. Also, the race would take place on two concentric tracks made of pressed mulch, more commonly known as “the tanbark.” To a generation of Americans, the tanbark was the gridiron of its day. The men had to adhere to one more rule: Under no circumstances could the race continue beyond midnight the following Saturday. At the time, Chicago, like nearly every other city in the United States, had blue laws that prohibited “public amusements” on Sundays. Six days was as long as any athletic event could last. To honor that law, the doors of the Expo opened at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday. Despite the late hour, between three and four hundred people filed in to watch the start of the race. The two competitors drew lots to determine track position: Weston would walk on the inside track, O’Leary on the outside. Shortly after midnight, once the Sabbath had broken, Chicago mayor Harvey Doolittle Colvin addressed the crowd in the dim light of the building’s hissing gas lamps. The mayor’s role announcing the race underscored its magnitude. From the start, it was clear that O’Leary, seven years younger, was faster. The difference in their gaits was also immediately apparent. According to one observer, O’Leary walked with a “straight form, quick stride, and bent arms.” He held his head up and looked straight ahead. Meanwhile, Weston seemed “rather to drag than throw his feet.” Worse still, the observer bemoaned how he seemed “to carry his head on his breast and to see nothing but the dirt before him.” O’Leary’s crisp form translated into results, and he shot into the lead, completing his first mile in 11 minutes and 3 seconds. It took Weston more than a minute longer. With no grandstands to watch from, the audience pressed close to the tracks, jockeying for position. Some crossed over to view the action from within the concentric ovals, to the chagrin of the walkers. On several occasions, police had to clear the way for the pedestrians. Even the Chicago Tribune, despite its breathless coverage, seemed stumped by the frenzy. “Walking,” the paper observed, “is at best not an absorbingly entrancing sport.” But the Tribune was forgetting a basic fact: People were bored. It’s hard to fathom now, but in the 1870s, Americans were desperate for entertainment. As leisure time boomed, most Americans spent their idle hours reading and storytelling, often by candlelight. Live entertainment outside the home—a play, perhaps, or a musical performance—was too pricey to be anything more than an occasional indulgence. (In Chicago, a theater ticket usually cost a dollar, twice the price of a ticket to this weeklong world-class walking match.) Watching people walk in circles for days was, if not “absorbingly entrancing,” at least an unobjectionable way to kill time. By the end of the first day, Weston trailed O’Leary by 19 miles (110 to 91). Still, he exuded confidence. His strategy was simple: slow and steady. Weston was convinced that fatigue would overcome O’Leary before the race ended. After all, the men got only three to five hours of sleep a night in small rooms in the Expo. For the most part, the two didn’t even stop for meals; more often they ate as they walked. Weston was partial to rare beefsteak; O’Leary preferred mutton and sipped hot tea and Champagne on the move. When the two pedestrians retired on Tuesday night, O’Leary had added three miles to his lead. By the end of Wednesday night, he had stretched his advantage to 26 miles. It was starting to seem obvious that O’Leary would not wear out as Weston had expected, but Weston was too proud and stubborn to alter his strategy, and he continued to plod forward. As O’Leary’s lead steadily increased, the Expo overflowed. The audience was packed with Irish immigrants shouting themselves hoarse in thick brogues as they cheered for their compatriot. Those unable to afford the 50-cent admission tried to barter for entry, offering to guard the building’s marble statues in exchange for free admittance. Finally, as Saturday morning dawned, the outcome no longer felt like a question: O’Leary was ahead, 425 miles to Weston’s 395. By 3 o’clock that afternoon, the line for tickets snaked around the building. That the competitors were by now practically wilting from exhaustion only added to the excitement. By 9 p.m., 6,000 people had packed into the Expo. “The crowd was motley, but largely respectable,” the Tribune wrote. “It represented wealth, standing, and brains, and thieves, gamblers, and roughs. Ladies were there in large numbers, some with husbands and some with lovers, but all had a terribly hard time of it in the ceaselessly moving and noisy throng.” Small boys crawled through the forest of legs to get close to the action. The older, more adventurous ones clambered up the Expo’s trusses and took seats on the beams near the roof, more than 100 feet above the floor. As O’Leary neared his goal with each passing mile, a tense murmur moved through the building. Around 10:15, he completed his 495th mile, and it seemed clear that he’d reach 500 well before midnight. Weston, for his part, plodded wearily on. At 11:15, O’Leary completed his 500th mile. The Expo erupted in delirious cheers. Men threw their hats in the air. The band played a celebratory tune. O’Leary’s wife greeted him at the finish line in front of the judges’ stand with a large basket of flowers. O’Leary paused, caught his breath—and then continued walking. When the hands on the big clock reached midnight, he had completed 503 miles. Weston had clocked only 451. Both Weston and O’Leary would take home serious winnings: After expenses and a cut for the promoters, each walked away with more than $4,000—nearly $90,000 today. But it was O’Leary’s triumph that was celebrated by every class, from the businessman to the bootblack, as a city that had spurned his people now embraced him as a native son. Newspaper editorials sang his praises. Poets composed verses in his honor. O’Leary’s victory helped the Irish gain some acceptance, if not equality, in Chicago. O’Leary wasn’t the only outsider who managed to use pedestrianism to break into society. The sport also opened doors for African-Americans and women. After Frank Hart, a Haitian immigrant from Boston, won a prestigious race in 1880, headlines heralded his name from coast to coast, a remarkable achievement at a time when blacks weren’t afforded full citizenship. And people like Ada Anderson proved that pedestrianism could help women, too, achieve new status levels. But in some ways, the sport’s greatest legacy was on sports itself: Walking matches marked the beginning of modern spectator sports in America. Never before had so many people attended, and wagered on, athletic events. Never before had the media devoted so much feverish attention to them. The top walkers of the 1870s earned fortunes, not just in prize money but in endorsement deals. O’Leary even shilled for a brand of salt. And men like O’Leary and Weston became celebrated heroes, seeing their images immortalized on some of the first cigarette trading cards, a precursor to baseball cards. It wasn’t long, however, before America’s new pastime faced some stiff competition. In 1885, the “safety bicycle,” boasting two similar-sized wheels (1), emerged. The sleek rides made for faster-paced, more riveting races. Around the same time, baseball was on the rise. The National League, founded as a ragtag enterprise in 1876, became a profitable business after team owners reorganized. Spectators who had once flocked to walking matches now filled spacious new wooden ballparks. By the mid-1890s, pedestrianism was foundering. Charges of race fixing and doping tarred the sport. The great Weston himself was caught chewing coca leaves during a race—a practice many considered unsportsmanlike, if not outright cheating. Public sentiment began to turn, and people realized that six-day races, the most popular form of pedestrianism, were absurd. Instead of being seen as feats of athleticism, they were looked down on as freak shows. (2) Great walkers like Weston and O’Leary, though, didn’t stop walking, even as pedestrianism faded in popularity. In 1913, a 74-year-old Weston walked from New York to Minneapolis, selling a 10-cent souvenir program along the way. O’Leary became a traveling “baseball pedestrian,” staging exhibitions before games in ballparks across the country. He would challenge one of the ballplayers to run around the bases twice while he walked around them once. More often than most expected, O’Leary won. Afterward, he would pass through the stands, hat in hand, collecting nickels and dimes to subsidize his winters in Southern California. O’Leary stayed true to the sport till the end. When asked for exercise suggestions for “weakly men and women,” O’Leary’s response was as quick as it was inevitable: walk. “Do not take strolls,” he admonished. “Vigorous breathing is what builds up a healthy life.” He seemed to be on to something: The Irish hero lived well into his late 80s. Old-timers swore that, even as an old man, he still walked “like a piece of machinery.” 1. It was much faster and more nimble than penny-farthing bicycles—the kind with the absurdly oversize front wheels—which were named for the size discrepancy between two British coins. 2. Six-day races were banned in New York state in 1899. The law is still on the books. _______________________
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When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Canada leaped to defend the freedom of Europe and declared war. Its citizens raced to enlist in the armed forces to contribute to the effort.
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The article above by Matthew Algeo was adapted from Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America’s Favorite Spectator Sport (Chicago Review Press), and is reprinted with permission from the March-April 2015 issue of mental_floss magazine.
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