Real World References- Knick Knack Metropolis
Jan 23, 2017 22:06:44 GMT -5
Yasoda Dei Conti likes this
Post by dmikester on Jan 23, 2017 22:06:44 GMT -5
This is part of a series of attempts to catalog all of the real-world references made in the various Curios and Conundrums issues. In general, this is meant to be read after you’ve gone through and read/solved everything in a given issue of Curios and Conundrums, as this will take a big picture approach and will discuss all elements of an issue and will, when appropriate and necessary for discussion, spoil answers to puzzles in the Curios and Conundrums issues (these specifically will be enclosed in spoiler tags).
My hope with this is that we can have some enlightening discussion about non-puzzle specific items and that you can appreciate the hard work and effort that went into creating these issues by the MPC. I especially hope that you feel free to add to this list (respond with something to add and I will edit the original post), as I’m only one person and will likely miss some references and/or not research something closely enough. If I leave something off entirely here, like say a crossword puzzle, that’s because there are no real-world references included, only the usual puns and fun wordplay, or it's a fictional article created by the MPC. Enjoy!
The Curator’s Kitchen
This is a real medieval recipe. Here’s a blog post that translates it into modern English and a link to the actual medieval cookbook that the recipe is from:
midenglishrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/04/herbalade.html
archive.org/details/twofifteenthcent00aust
Chilliwack Progress, April 3rd, 1994
This is an interesting one. The Chilliwack Progress is a real Canadian newspaper, but I couldn’t find an issue published on April 3rd, 1994 in its archives, and this article is noted to have never been published, so it’s likely totally fictional. I was also unable to find reference to a mining accident in Nairobi in 1994 anywhere online. In any case, here’s a link to the newspaper:
www.theprogress.com/
Universal Food Chopper Ad
A real ad for a real product manufactured in roughly 1899. Here’s a link with more info:
manuscripts.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/what-is-this-universal-food-chopper/
The Radio Hat
Definitely a real product, and one that I’ve personally seen displayed in a museum exhibit many years ago. Here’s a fun Mashable article with pictures, and an article with the Hope Lange picture mentioned in the article:
mashable.com/2014/12/06/radio-hat/
www.swtpc.com/mholley/RadioElectronics/Jun1949/Radio_Hat.htm
Cunningham Radio Tubes
A real and famous set of tubes distributed by RCA. What’s interesting about this is that Elmer Cunningham, the maker of the tubes, had a sordid history as a, get ready, vacuum tube bootlegger and somehow was able to strike a deal and his company became a subsidiary of RCA. This nicely ties into the general theme of quacks and bad products. Here are links with more info about Cunningham radio tubes:
vacuumtubesinc.com/cunninghampage
www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39767
Fountain Hill Abduction!
This is an article that appears to be pretty much totally fictional, but it has a couple of real elements. The Fountain Hill Times is a real newspaper, and indeed, the International UFO Conference was actually held there in February of 2014. I couldn’t find anything about a Tina Oslow mentioned in connection with UFOs or alien abductions or anything about an alien abduction in Fountain Hills in 2010, but if someone finds something, please post it! Here’s a link to both the Fountain Hills Times and an article about the International UFO Conference in 2014:
www.fhtimes.com/
www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/ufo-conference-near-fountain-hills-missing-one-thing-any-real-evidence-of-ufos-6640393
Also of note are the strange glyphs in the center of the article. These appear to be related to something called The Pulsar Project, which were supposedly the lab notes of a scientist involved in secret alien research. I believe it was determined to be a total hoax, but there’s not all that much information about it. Here’s the whole book if you’re interested, and a listing on a wacky “truth is out there” site with a bit more info:
www.auricmedia.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/pulsar_project.pdf
www.toolsforfreedom.com/Pulsar-Project-p/9089.htm
Get To Know The Artisan
There are a couple of references in this interview. The redcap is indeed a creature in English folklore, and it’s been used a lot in pop culture, including Harry Potter and in the show Supernatural. The short story Blit is also available online (and linked below) and is utterly surreal but worth reading:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcap
www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/blit.htm
Bestiary
The Ahuizotl is indeed a (hopefully only) mythological Aztec creature. Here’s a link with a bit more info than what is described in the article:
www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefacts/ahuizotl
Mysterious Travel
Tristan Da Cunha is indeed a real place, though I would guess that most people reading this have not had the pleasure of traveling there. Below are a couple of links about the island, including a BBC documentary that aired about the island:
www.tristandc.com/
Mild spoilers (several crossword clues/answers are discussed- recommended to read only after solving the crossword fully)
Heavy Spoilers- read only after solving all of Volume 1’s puzzles
More Heavy Spoilers (read after solving all of Volume 1)
My hope with this is that we can have some enlightening discussion about non-puzzle specific items and that you can appreciate the hard work and effort that went into creating these issues by the MPC. I especially hope that you feel free to add to this list (respond with something to add and I will edit the original post), as I’m only one person and will likely miss some references and/or not research something closely enough. If I leave something off entirely here, like say a crossword puzzle, that’s because there are no real-world references included, only the usual puns and fun wordplay, or it's a fictional article created by the MPC. Enjoy!
The Curator’s Kitchen
This is a real medieval recipe. Here’s a blog post that translates it into modern English and a link to the actual medieval cookbook that the recipe is from:
midenglishrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/04/herbalade.html
archive.org/details/twofifteenthcent00aust
Chilliwack Progress, April 3rd, 1994
This is an interesting one. The Chilliwack Progress is a real Canadian newspaper, but I couldn’t find an issue published on April 3rd, 1994 in its archives, and this article is noted to have never been published, so it’s likely totally fictional. I was also unable to find reference to a mining accident in Nairobi in 1994 anywhere online. In any case, here’s a link to the newspaper:
www.theprogress.com/
Universal Food Chopper Ad
A real ad for a real product manufactured in roughly 1899. Here’s a link with more info:
manuscripts.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/what-is-this-universal-food-chopper/
The Radio Hat
Definitely a real product, and one that I’ve personally seen displayed in a museum exhibit many years ago. Here’s a fun Mashable article with pictures, and an article with the Hope Lange picture mentioned in the article:
mashable.com/2014/12/06/radio-hat/
www.swtpc.com/mholley/RadioElectronics/Jun1949/Radio_Hat.htm
Cunningham Radio Tubes
A real and famous set of tubes distributed by RCA. What’s interesting about this is that Elmer Cunningham, the maker of the tubes, had a sordid history as a, get ready, vacuum tube bootlegger and somehow was able to strike a deal and his company became a subsidiary of RCA. This nicely ties into the general theme of quacks and bad products. Here are links with more info about Cunningham radio tubes:
vacuumtubesinc.com/cunninghampage
www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39767
Fountain Hill Abduction!
This is an article that appears to be pretty much totally fictional, but it has a couple of real elements. The Fountain Hill Times is a real newspaper, and indeed, the International UFO Conference was actually held there in February of 2014. I couldn’t find anything about a Tina Oslow mentioned in connection with UFOs or alien abductions or anything about an alien abduction in Fountain Hills in 2010, but if someone finds something, please post it! Here’s a link to both the Fountain Hills Times and an article about the International UFO Conference in 2014:
www.fhtimes.com/
www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/ufo-conference-near-fountain-hills-missing-one-thing-any-real-evidence-of-ufos-6640393
Also of note are the strange glyphs in the center of the article. These appear to be related to something called The Pulsar Project, which were supposedly the lab notes of a scientist involved in secret alien research. I believe it was determined to be a total hoax, but there’s not all that much information about it. Here’s the whole book if you’re interested, and a listing on a wacky “truth is out there” site with a bit more info:
www.auricmedia.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/pulsar_project.pdf
www.toolsforfreedom.com/Pulsar-Project-p/9089.htm
Get To Know The Artisan
There are a couple of references in this interview. The redcap is indeed a creature in English folklore, and it’s been used a lot in pop culture, including Harry Potter and in the show Supernatural. The short story Blit is also available online (and linked below) and is utterly surreal but worth reading:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcap
www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/blit.htm
Bestiary
The Ahuizotl is indeed a (hopefully only) mythological Aztec creature. Here’s a link with a bit more info than what is described in the article:
www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefacts/ahuizotl
Mysterious Travel
Tristan Da Cunha is indeed a real place, though I would guess that most people reading this have not had the pleasure of traveling there. Below are a couple of links about the island, including a BBC documentary that aired about the island:
www.tristandc.com/
Mild spoilers (several crossword clues/answers are discussed- recommended to read only after solving the crossword fully)
Winter Crossword
There are several real world references in this crossword. Peter Durand got the first patent for preserving food using tin cans, the Battle of the Somme in WWI was one of the bloodiest and largest battles ever fought, William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England, Doctor Strange is a famous classic Marvel Comics superhero, and Miss Marple is one of Agatha Christie’s famous detectives.
www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/peter-durands-metal-can-led-to-a-food-safety-staple/
www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/battle-of-the-somme
www.biography.com/people/william-the-conqueror-9542227#synopsis
marvel.com/universe/Doctor_Strange_(Stephen_Strange)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Marple
There are several real world references in this crossword. Peter Durand got the first patent for preserving food using tin cans, the Battle of the Somme in WWI was one of the bloodiest and largest battles ever fought, William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England, Doctor Strange is a famous classic Marvel Comics superhero, and Miss Marple is one of Agatha Christie’s famous detectives.
www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/peter-durands-metal-can-led-to-a-food-safety-staple/
www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/battle-of-the-somme
www.biography.com/people/william-the-conqueror-9542227#synopsis
marvel.com/universe/Doctor_Strange_(Stephen_Strange)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Marple
Heavy Spoilers- read only after solving all of Volume 1’s puzzles
Horoscopes
This collection of horoscopes refers to short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, one of the great American writers who became extraordinarily influential after his death. He was one of the first authors to write what we now think of as a “short story”, and also pioneered the detective genre, as well as being one of the best horror writers ever. Also, of great importance to our puzzle-solving community and unknown to me until recently, Poe greatly helped popularize cryptography, including directly inspiring William Friedman (one of the most famous cryptographers) to get into the field thanks to Friedman reading Poe’s story “The Gold-Bug” as a child. The stories referenced in the horoscopes are listed below, and considering that Poe is in the public domain and you can read these stories for free, I highly recommend all of them:
- The Pit and the Pendulum (an all-time classic horror story)
- A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
- The Cask of Amontillado (another classic story)
- The Gold-Bug (a must-read for anyone interested in cryptography and puzzles)
- The Island of the Fay (an astonishingly beautiful and haunting story)
- The Man of the Crowd
- The Black Cat
- King Pest
- Hop Frog
- The Premature Burial
- A Loss of Breath
- The Business Man
This collection of horoscopes refers to short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, one of the great American writers who became extraordinarily influential after his death. He was one of the first authors to write what we now think of as a “short story”, and also pioneered the detective genre, as well as being one of the best horror writers ever. Also, of great importance to our puzzle-solving community and unknown to me until recently, Poe greatly helped popularize cryptography, including directly inspiring William Friedman (one of the most famous cryptographers) to get into the field thanks to Friedman reading Poe’s story “The Gold-Bug” as a child. The stories referenced in the horoscopes are listed below, and considering that Poe is in the public domain and you can read these stories for free, I highly recommend all of them:
- The Pit and the Pendulum (an all-time classic horror story)
- A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
- The Cask of Amontillado (another classic story)
- The Gold-Bug (a must-read for anyone interested in cryptography and puzzles)
- The Island of the Fay (an astonishingly beautiful and haunting story)
- The Man of the Crowd
- The Black Cat
- King Pest
- Hop Frog
- The Premature Burial
- A Loss of Breath
- The Business Man
More Heavy Spoilers (read after solving all of Volume 1)
The Dancing Men
On the bottom of several of the pages of this issue are a series of stick figures. This is a famous cipher from a Sherlock Holmes story, The Case of the Dancing Men. It’s a great short story and well worth reading.
On the bottom of several of the pages of this issue are a series of stick figures. This is a famous cipher from a Sherlock Holmes story, The Case of the Dancing Men. It’s a great short story and well worth reading.