The Encylcopedia Americana - 1944 Edition

[Doc Tinker]

My daughter just bought a house that was built in the early 1940s and in the basement she found an Encyclopedia set. Since I'm fascinated with stuff like that, she brought the set over for me to explore.



I thought it might be fun to share some of the odd information that can be found in outdated material, so I'll devote this thread as an continuing list of my discoveries, for those who might be interested in such stuff.



Feel free to comment and add to my list, with your own editorials of interesting information that you find in old documents.



Doc

 

[Doc Tinker]

I happened to pick up Volume 27. I'm too lazy to go back downstairs to look for Volume 1.



I'm a little disappointed in the lack of pictures in this book. Pictures are easier to read





I figure that most of the names of countries in Africa have changed, so I thought it would be worth mentioning Transvaal, a province of South Africa. I just searched the web and was surprised that Transvaal existed until 1994 and is now divided into four new provinces.



Doc



PS - Hopefully I will find more interesting stuff than that, to keep you all interested

 

[Doc Tinker]

Since I'm facinated with old trucks, I thought this might interest you. .



A New York City Traveling Library



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[EMDDIESEL]

Is that a Cummins Book-Mobile???

 

[Doc Tinker]

EMDDIESEL, it depends on whether it's cummin or goin.





For Tugboat. . no mention of diesels. Evidently in 44 all tugboats were still steam powered. I don't know how many tugboats are in service in the New York Harbor today, but in 44 there were over 1,000 steam tugboats.



Doc

 

[lschultz]

We are in for it now. Doc has one of them fancy encyclocepdias:-{} Somebody needs to talk to his daughter and tell her not to give him things like this. Thats throwing gas on the fire(for us).

 

[Doc Tinker]

lschultz - hehehe



Mike Ellis - I'll look it up and post about Texas. I'll have to go find the first half of the "T" book though, since this one starts near the end.



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I looked for "Turbo" but they only have "Turbine", which is what turbos are, so we'll settle for some information on that.



It says. . "The ordinary turbine with which we are familiar is the vertical water wheel... "



I guess I'm a little surprised that the vertical water wheel was still a common machine in the forties.



Doc

 

[Doc Tinker]

The Turnspit was practically extinct in 1944, according to the encyclopedia. The Turnspit is described as a small dog, somewhat like a dachshund, used in old times, in the kitchens of great houses, to turn the spits on an open fire.





Doc

 

[Doc Tinker]

I'm amazed that the word "Twat" appears in this book. Twat is/was a large group of oases in Sahara. I guess it gives new meaning to camels



Doc

 

[moparguy]

Uh, Doc,,,,,,,,would that be a two humper or single?



RJR

 

[Briar Hopper]

Does this mean we can change Cliff's handle to Twat-3 ?

 

[Doc Tinker]

In 1940 - Texas had 6,414,824 residents and there was 17,100 miles of railroad and 221,710 miles of highway



In 1939 there were:



126,996 - Wage earners



$128,138,703 - Wages



So. . the average guy earned $1009. 00 a year. If he worked 40 hour weeks he earned 49¢ an hour.



Doc

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Thats what Mcdonalds pays now is'nt it?