Additional material on swimwear and the bikini was provided by the Atlantic City Historical Society and by Neal Marshad Productions (they allowed me to view an informative film, Thirty Years of Swimsuit History); and the National Archives provided reprints of newspaper articles featuring the nuclear bomb blast on Bikini atoll.
On the umbrella: The single best source I located is A History of the Umbrella, T. S. Crawford, 1970, Taplinger. It is comprehensive, covering the earliest known umbrellas, which were sunshades, in Egypt and India, and it traces the development of the article through periods of waterproofing, through eras when an umbrella was never carried by a man, and into relatively modern times, when a British eccentric made the umbrella an acceptable male accessory of dress.
For the interested reader in the New York metropolitan area, the single best source of information on clothing is the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan; its collection of materials (costumes and books) is the largest in the world. With time and patience, any question on fashion through the ages can be answered from its resources.
On fabric: The Fabric Catalogue, Martin Hardingham, 1978, Pocket Books. This volume provides the origin and history of every natural and man-made fiber and textile.
On the tuxedo: I wish to thank the Tuxedo Park, New York, Chamber of Commerce for historical material on this article on evening attire, as well as the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute (like F.I.T., an invaluable source of information for this chapter).
On jeans: In addition to several general references cited above that contain information on blue jeans, I wish to thank the Levi Strauss Company for material.
On sneakers: Nike, through personal communications, as well as Breakthroughs! op. cit., Chapter 10.
Another excellent collection of books on individual items of attire is The Costume Accessories Series, published by Drama Books. By item:
Bags and Purses, Vanda Foster
Hats, Fiona Clark
Gloves, Valerie Cumming
Fans, Helene Alexander
By the same publisher: A Visual History of Costume Series:
The 16th Century, Jane Ashelford
The 17th Century, Valerie Comming
The 18th Century, Aileen Ribeiro
The 19th Century, Vanda Foster
Also, The History of Haute Couture, 1850–1950, Diana de Marley, Drama
13 Into the Bedroom
According to popular legend, the brassiere was invented in Germany by Otto Titzling, a name every bit as suspicious-sounding as that of the alleged inventor of the flush toilet, Thomas Crapper. And this is not surprising, for the “biographies” of both characters were penned by the same British author, Wallace Reyburn. Whereas the Crapper book is titled Flushed with Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper (see References, page 432), the book on the bra bears the tide Bust Up: The Uplifting Tale of Otto Titzling; it was published by Macdonald in London, in 1971, and the following year in the United States by Prentice-Hall.
Did Titzling exist?
Surprisingly, Reyburn’s book is cited in the references of several works on the history of clothing and costumes. In no less serious a volume than Doreen Yarwood’s The Encyclopedia of World Costume (Scribner, 1978), the Reyburn work is listed uncritically as a source for information on “under-ware” (although the spelling of Titzling’s name appears as “Tilzling”). After months of research, it became apparent to me that few people (if any) actually ever read Reyburn’s fiction-cum-fact. Bust Up. That can be the only explanation of why it has been taken seriously by many people, why it has been quoted in references, and why it has crept into folklore. After locating one of the few surviving copies of the book (in the New York Public Library’s collection of noncirculating books), I offer the reader several facts from Reyburn’s work that should dispel the Titzling bra myth.
According to Reyburn, Titzling was born in Hamburg in 1884 and he invented the bra to free a buxom Wagnerian soprano, Swanhilda Olafsen, from the confines of a corset during performances. One is inclined to believe Reyburn until he points out that Titzling was assisted in his design efforts by a Dane, Hans Delving. With Hans Delving, Titzling prepared a bra for Sweden’s greatest female athlete, Lois Lung. Suspicious-sounding names continue to accumulate as Reyburn recounts how Titzling sued a Frenchman, Philippe de Brassiere, for infringement of patent rights. If Otto Titzling, Hans Delving, and Philippe de Brassiere did exist and pioneer the bra, their names certainly deserve to be immortalized.
An excellent work on the origin and evolution of the bed and bedroom is The Bed, by Wright Lawrence, 1962, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London. It served as the basis for the opening sections of this chapter.
On clothing found in the bedroom: A detailed account of the development of socks and stockings throughout the ages is A History of Hosiery, M. N. Grass, 1955, Fairchild. Facts on more intimate attire are found in A History of Ladies’ Underwear, C. Saint Laurent, 1968, Michael Joseph Publishing; Fashion in Underwear, E. Ewing, 1971, Batsford; and A History of Underclothes, C. W. Cunnington, 1951, Michael Joseph.
On early bras and slips: Corsets and Crinolines, N. Waugh, 1970, Batsford.
Sexual facts and figures are from: The Sex Researchers, edited by M. Brecher, 1969, Little, Brown; and “20 Greatest Moments in Sex History,” Philip Nobile, Form, May 1984.
On the Pill: “The Making of The Pill,” Carl Djerassi, Science, November 1984.
On word meanings: The Origin of Medical Terms, Henry A. Skinner, 2nd edition, 1961, Hafner; Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality, John Boswell, 1980, University of Chicago Press.
14 From the Magazine Rack
I am indebted to many magazines for providing me with historical background on their founding. Available for the general reader from Newsweek: “A Draft of History,” by the editors, 1983, and “Newsweek: The First 50 Years.” I wish to thank the research staff at TV Guide in Radnor, Pennsylvania, for considerable material on their publication.
Perhaps the single most definitive work on the development of magazines in the United States is A History of American Magazines, by Frank Mott, published throughout the 1950s and 1960s in five volumes by Harvard University Press. Mott provides a picture of the early struggles of periodicals in this country, and he details the births, deaths, and triumphs of hundreds of publications from the 1700s into the present.
Additional materials used in this chapter: “Lunches with Luce,” Gerald Holland, Atlantic Monthly, May 1971; “Time Inc.,” Edwin Diamond, New York Magazine, November 19, 1984.
15 At Play
An excellent starting point for the reader interested in pursuing the origins of various toys is Antique Toys and Their Background, by Gwen White, 1971, Arco Publishing. It covers every imaginable child’s toy, often in depth, and it contains an excellent bibliography.
Also of assistance to me in compiling this chapter were Toys in America, M. McClintock, 1961, Public Affairs Press; The Encyclopedia of Toys, C. E. King, 1978, Crown; Scarne’s Encyclopedia of Games, John Scarne, 1973, Harper & Row; and Children’s Games in Street and Playground, by Iona and Peter Opie, op. cit.
On firecrackers: An excellent volume is A History and Celebration, George Plimpton, 1984, Doubleday.
On dolls: Dolls, Max von Boehn, 1972, Dover; “The Case of the Black-Speckled Dolls,” New Scientist, November 1985. This article uncovers the mystery surrounding dark markings that often mar the faces of China dolls.
A discussion of children’s games popular in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and today is found in “Points of Origin,” Michael Olmert, Smithsonian, December 1983. The same author covers games of chance and skill in his “Points of Origin” column, Smithsonian, October 1984.
On the Slinky: Personal communications with Betty James, head of the Slinky company and wife of the inventor of the toy, Richard James.
An interesting book of fact and speculation on the origin and development of the Frisbee is Frisbee, Stancil Johnson, 1975, Workman Publishing.
16 In the Pantry
On ice cream: I wish to thank the International Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers, Washington, D.C., for providing me with facts and figures on the origin and development of this dessert. Their 1984 publication The Latest Scoop (available by request) contains a wealth of statistics on the consumption of ice cream worldwide.
The Missouri Historical Society provided material on the origin of the ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
At Nabisco, in Parsippany, New Jersey, corporate archivist Dave Stivers was of invaluable assistance not only on the subject of ice cream but also on cookies (Animal Crackers, Oreo), candies, and peanuts (particularly Planters).
The Portland, Oregon, Historical Society was of assistance in locating facts on the origin of the ice cream cone.
One final source on ice cream: An excellent overview of the subject is The Great American Ice Cream Book, by Paul Dickson, 1972, Atheneum.
The development of canned whipped cream is in A Flash of Genius, op. cit., under the chapter heading “Aeration Whipping Process.”
On the hot dog: Max Rosey, publicist for Nathan’s Famous, was of immense assistance in assembling the history of the sausage, as was Nathan’s rival, the Stevens Company. Both the Brooklyn Public Library and the Long Island Historical Society provided material on the introduction and sale of hot dogs at Coney Island.
On the potato chip: George S. Bolster of Saratoga Springs, New York, as well as the Saratoga Springs Historical Society, suggested material for this section.
I also wish to thank Heinz and Betty Crocker for articles on the origins of their companies and products.
I used, and highly recommend, four excellent books on food: Food, by Waverley Root, 1980, Simon and Schuster; this is a fascinating volume, presenting facts and lore about fruits, vegetables, and food preparations in alphabetical order. Also comprehensive in scope is The World Encyclopedia of Food, L. Patrick Coyle, Jr., 1982, Facts on File. And Food in Antiquity, Don and Pat Brothwell, 1969, Praeger; Food in History, Reay Tannahill, 1973, Stein & Day.
Finally, I wish to thank all the people at Telerep involved with production of the weekly television series The Start of Something Big; particularly Al Masini, Noreen Donovan, Rosemary Glover, Jon Gottlieb, and Cindy Schneider. Noreen, Rosemary, Jon, and Cindy were of great assistance in helping me compile information on the origins of about two dozen items in this book, which also appeared in various episodes of the show. A1 Masini is simply the most thoughtful, humane, and scrupulous television executive I have ever encountered, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him on creating and executing the show.
Searchable Terms
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.
“Abbot,” 42
Acetate, 129
Acrylics, 129
Adams, Abigail, 282
Adams, John, 290
Adams, Thomas, 416, 417
Air-conditioning, 159–60
Air-cooling system, home, 159
Albee, Mrs. P. F. E., 244
Albert, Prince, 70
Alcock, Walter, 205
Alcott, Louisa May, 352–53
Alka-Seltzer, 257–58
All Soul’s Day, 64
Almonds, 394
Aluminum cookware, 101
Aluminum foil, 113–14
Ambergris, 241
“Amen,” 41
American flag, 278–80
American Indians
knocking on wood, 6–8
New Year’s Eve, 47–48
popcorn, 390–91
American Water Supply Company, 123
“America the Beautiful” (song), 288
Amphetamines, 270
Andersen, Hans Christian, 19, 176–77
Anglo-Saxons, 9
Animal cookies, 412
Annenberg, Walter H., 363–64
Antacids, 256–58
Antiperspirants, 255–56
Anti-Saloon League, 123
A.1. Steak Sauce, 403
Apparel Arts (magazine), 361–62
Appliances
air conditioner, 159–60
blender, 111–13
can opener, 115–16
carpet sweeper, 140–42
clothes irons, 143–46
clothes washer and dryer, 146
dishwasher, 103–4
food processor, 114–15
hair dryer, 236–37
kitchen ranges, 98–99
sewing machine, 147–49
toaster, 117–18
vacuum cleaner, 138–40. 236–37
April Fool’s Day, 58
Aristotle, 10
Armato, Salvino, 264–65
Armstrong, Thomas, 152
Artemis, 32, 34
Ash, Claudius, 214
Aspirin, 272–73
Assyrians, 15
boots, 296
hair styling, 231
laxatives, 263–64
Attila, king of the Huns, 28
Aunt Jemima, 407–8
Aurelian, Roman emperor, 68
Autry, Gene, 75
Avon, 243–44
“Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” (nursery rhyme), 185
Baby, New Year’s, 49
Babylonia
hot dog, 396–99
New Year’s Day, 45
tops, 369–70
Baby Powder, Johnson’s, 250
“Bacon, bring home the,” 93
Baden-Powell, Col. Robert, 284, 285
Baekeland, Leo Hendrik, 128
Baeyer, Adolph, 271
Bags, brown paper, 107–8
Bailey, Pheodorus, 276
Bakelite, 128
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda), 257
Balder, 12, 13
Band-Aid, 250–51
Banns, marriage, 25
Barber’s pole, 212
Barber-surgeons, 211–12
Barbie doll, 385–86
Bartholdi, Fredéric-Auguste, 291, 292
Basile, Giambattista, 170, 172–76
Bass, Henry, 298
Bastard, John Pollexfen, 194
Bates, Katherine Lee, 288
Bathing, 200–01
Bathing suit, 321–22
Bathroom, 199–220. See also Cosmetics and toiletries
flush toilet, 203–4
Kleenex tissues, 206–7
spas, 200–01
toilet paper, 204–6
toothbrush, 208–10
toothpaste, 210–13
Baum, Lyman Frank, 181
Bausch & Lomb, 267
Bayer (drug firm), 272, 273
Beach, Alfred, 358
Beardsley, Hub, 257
Beauty patches, 225–26
Becket, Thomas à, 78
Becquerel, Antoine-Henri, 137
Bedroom, 326–27
Beds, 326–29
Bedstead, 329
Beiersdorf, H., 228
Belgium: roller skates, 382
Bell, Alexander Graham, 357
Bellamy, Francis, 280–81
Benedictus, Edouard, 158
Ben-Gay, 253
Bengué, Jules, 253
Bentz, Melitta, 120
Benzodiazepines, 271
Berryman, Clifford, 374
Berthier, L., 89–90
Berthollet, Count Claude Louis, 155–56
Bertin, Rose, 324–25
Best man, 21
Betty Crocker, 409
Bifocal lenses, 266–67
Biggin, 119–20
Bikinis, 322
Billiard balls, celluloid, 126, 127
Birth control, 331–38
cervical cap, 333
condoms, 334–36
International Planned Parenthood Federation, 338
IUDs (intrauterine devices), 333–34
the pill, 336–38
vasectomy, 336
Birthday cake, 31–33
Birthdays, 31–35
Bissell, Anna and Melville, 141–42
Black cat, 13–15
Black for mourning, 36–37
Black Jack chewing gum, 417
Blankets, electric, 331
Bleach, chlorine, 155–56
Bloomer, Amelia Jenks, 302
Bloomers, 302
Blouse, 304
“Bluebeard” (fairy tale), 178–79
Blue Jeans, 302–3
Board games, 376–77
Bobby pin, 236
Bodley, George, 98
Boiardi, Hector, 406
Bok, Edward, 353
Boleyn, Anne, 1
Bon Ami, 153
Boner, Charles, 177
Boniface, St., 69–70
Bonnets, 309
Books
children’s, 197–98
etiquette, 83,85, 87–88
Booth, H. Cecil, 138, 139
Boots, 296–97
Borglum, John Gutzon de la Mothe, 283–84
Boswell, James, 134
Bowing, 44
Bowls, 82
Tupperware, 129–30
Bow tie, 306
Bowtinelli, Clara, 397–98
Boyce, William, 284–85
Boyle, Robert, 108–9, 121
Boy Scouts of America, 284–85
Brachhausen, Gustave, 139
Bradford, Andrew, 350
Bradford, William, 65, 70
Brand (chef), 403
Brandt, Hennig, 108
Brassiere, 341–42
Bread, 400–1
Breakfast cereal, cold, 414
Breath freshener, 222
Breck, John, 220
Bride. See Marriage and wedding customs
Brighteners, clothes, 154
“Bring home the bacon,” 93
British Boy Scouts, 284
British Girl Guides, 285
Broken mirror superstition, 11
Brooks, John, 304
Brooks Brothers, 304, 323
Brooms, 142–43
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things Page 59
