Introducing the Beard Club

One of my favorite periods of United States' history is the Civil War. It was a time of fascinating social, economic and political changes in our country. It was also the golden age of facial hair in America. Check out any history book and you will find Civil War generals sporting some fantastic beards, mutton chops and more. Even more funny is the fact that modern hipsters are constantly trying to prove how unique they are, yet are totally copying their forefathers' fantastic grooming techniques. Today I introduce the Beard Club, an ongoing tribute to the facial fashions of the 1800s. These will all come from old cabinet photos from the late 1800s, with a look at the 20th century from time to time. Our first beard hero hails from Nantucket, Mass., which was apparently pretty preppy even in 1879. Enjoy.

Bonus points to anyone who can find a picture of a hipster copying our friend from Nantucket and post a link in the comments.

5 Pin Bowling - It's Canadian!

Guess what I learned today? There's a game called five pin bowling and it's only played in Canada. I have bowled in leagues in the United States, and was aware of candlepin and tenpin variations, but after finding this great photo, I realized there must be something else out there. This goofy group of guys (check out the middle guy's tie) seems very proud of their victory.

I felt like a real detective on this one. First, I tried to decipher what the trophy says, and could only make out "Alberta." I thought, Canada, eh? Then, I noticed there were only 5 pins, and the balls were not at all the right size, and lo and behold, I found this Wikipedia entry: 5 Pin Bowling

On the back, the man in the back left corner is identified as Lloyd Monson, none of the others are identified. The only record I could find of a Lloyd Monson was on a list of Canadian casualties from 1951 in the Korean War. Sadly, given the likely date range of this photo, this is very likely the same man. Interestingly, this is printed on Kodak nitrate film, which was retired in 1951-1952.