THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED TO KNOW

  Many different things have been popular over the years of human existence, but in the 1950s one breed of dog inspired a trend.  Poodle haircuts and poodle skirts decorated fashionable ladies.  Above all other dogs was a poodle named Masterpiece. But Masterpiece, a celebrity in his own right, disappeared. Not from public esteem like other celebrities but actually disappeared, never to be heard from again. Masterpiece inspired a mini mania in the 1950s, but is largely forgotten today. Alexis Pulaski, born 1895 in Russia, fled to the U.S. post Russian Revolution. He began breeding dogs in 1925, but began focusing on poodles exclusively in 1939. He took one pup, silver gray, named him Pulaski's Masterpiece, and entered him in dog shows. Masterpiece won the American Kennel Club trifecta : obedience, utility, and championship. Suddenly Masterpiece was a celebrity. Reporters would ask Masterpiece if he was a communist - Masterpiece would shake his head no - a red-blooded Ameri...

  So you're sitting in the stands of an arena. You buy a snack from a vendor, check the bleachers for well-known faces, and watch a physical entity move around a track. Nascar, Indy car racing?  Nope. It's the 1870s and you are at a competitive walking event. Yep. People used to walk around oval tracks for a really long time while audiences placed bets. The sport of Pedestrianism was America's first national passtime. Pedestrianism has its roots in walking competitions started in England. A man named Foster Powell walked 400 miles from London to York, then back again. This inspired many challenges of walking long distances in a certain amount of time for money. In America a book publisher, Edward Payson Weston, lost a bet by asserting Abraham Lincoln would not be elected president.  Payson walked from Boston to Washington DC in 10 hours and 10 days to attend Lincoln's inaugural ball. Payson won a handshake   from Lincoln and a bag of peanuts. He fared better in his n...

  You ain't nobody's baby Beiber.  Bye, Bye, Bye N*SYNC. Nobody wants to be wanted by you David Cassidy. Get back to where you once belonged Beatles. Music's first heartthrob was Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt. Liszt had the looks and the talent to whip audiences into a frenzy, without radio, records, television or the internet. That frenzy was called Lisztomania. Franz Liszt was arguably the world's first music star. He inspired Lisztomania, a heightened feeling of elation experienced by audiences when viewing Liszt perform. Liszt was a prolific composer any well-respected pianist amongst his peers. He lived a long life but gave up performing in his later years. But the phenomenon of a musical performer inciting ecstasy amongst audiences has never left human culture. Born in Hungary October 22, 1811, Liszt was a musical prodigy. His father worked as a land steward for a member of the Hungarian aristocracy. Liszt's father played multiple instruments and ...

  A rambunctious Kansas girl took to the sky and soared above the rest. Her story has become legend due to its sad, mysterious ending. Amelia Earhart should be remembered as a true pioneer - showing the world that flying would become a common way to travel. Along the way she challenged gender roles, encouraged women to challenge themselves, and became a style icon. Amelia Earhart will never be forgotten. Born July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, Amelia Mary Earhart was raised to never be a girly girl. Her mother, also Amelia, encouraged Earhart and her sister Grace to wear bloomers instead of dresses. The sisters loved the outdoors and trouped around Atchison with a gang of kids getting dirty climbing trees. Amelia's father, an alcoholic, had trouble holding down a job. He moved the family to Des Moines, Iowa. It was there in 1907 Amelia saw an airplane for the first time. She was, however, too afraid to fly. Amelia graduated high school in 1916. She trained as a nurse's aide for...

In 1936 a British society lady flew the reverse of Charles Lindbergh's historic flight. Beryl Markham was the first person to fly from Europe to North America. After this feat she fell into obscurity. Before the flight she was a daring woman who had affairs with important male figures of her day. Beryl Markham lead a bold life atypical of women, society ladies or not. Beryl  Markham was born in Asheville, England. Her father, a horse trainer, relocated to Kenya and took young  Beryl  with him. When she was 17 her father moved to Peru and  Beryl  took over his horse farm. She married three times, taking the last name of Markham, from her second husband, as her own. She had one son, Gervase. She had affairs throughout all of her marriages, and became the Mistress of Prince Henry, brother of Edward, Prince of Wales (who abdicated the throne for Wallace Simpson.) They met while Prince Henry was on safari in Kenya. Her husband threatened to name the prince as a ...

Humans furthered their pursuit of flight, transcending from balloons to airplanes. Ladies continued to fly with many ladies becoming professional pilots. As with anything in life, there must be a first person to do something. For pilots, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to earn a pilot's license. Sadly Harriet Quimby lost her life before she could possibly achieve other aviation firsts. Born May 11th, 1875 Harriet Quimby was one of only two children to survive out of ten in her family. She lived in Michigan with her father, mother, and sister. Her mother came from an upper class New York family ; her father's family were poor farmers. Her father tried several careers before moving the family to San Francisco. Her mother encouraged Harriet to become a journalist, as the career offered a steady paycheck and opportunities not usually offered to women. Harriet took to the stage instead, under the name Hazel Quimby. Through her theater connections she earned a job as a reporter...

The history of aviation begins with balloonamania . Man had been earth-bound since time began. Some lazy ass caveman who did not care whether or not he got his steps in invented the wheel. Now man could go places faster and easier. But what if man could go faster and easier in the sky? Many brave men took to the sky in hot air balloons to create a new method of travel. Sophie Blanchard, the first professional lady balloonist soared above the earth to show the world women flying was not just a bunch of hot air. In 1783 two French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier launched the first piloted balloon into the air. Other brave souls took to the skies, including Elisabeth Thible , the first woman to fly in a hot air balloon. Balloonamania took hold. Balloonists gave public demonstrations, and crowds rioted if the demonstrations did not begin on time. Collectible balloon memorabilia became popular ; balloon themed scenes decorated plates and cups, snuff boxes, and jewelr...