Did you know that bubble wrap was originally designed to be wall paper? Or just how old the hula hoop is? And just who was the last president with a mustache? The Story Behind: the Extraordinary History Behind Ordinary Objects is a book about those, and much more. Learn how now ordinary things came into being, when in and out of favor, or are still popular and why. Author Emily Prokop is the story of a Podcast with the same name. You’ll learn about this history of those, too. :-)

Mark Kurlansky writes wonderful history books, there are a few in my earlier blogs, and two (well, one, now) on my ‘to be read’ pile. Where would we be without paper? Think about that for a moment, then consider reading Paper: Paging Through History.  As humankind learned to write, we needed somewhere to put those markings, something that was lighter and easier to transport than clay tablets! Paper just wasn’t for words, either, but numbers, navigational maps, and music. And of course, that would evolve into all different kinds of paper from the cheap to the elite. Not to mention paper clothes (didn’t last long, the colors ran in the rain, but very cheap), paper towels, and toilet paper! Think recycling is fairly new? The first mention of the use of recycled paper was in 1031! Quite an interesting read.

A segment on a show on the History Channel took me looking for a book about Mare Island, or at least more information on that huge shipyard in California. I found it in another of the Images of America books I like so much: World War II Shipyards By the Bay, by Nicholas A. Veronico. The author’s grandfather worked at the Richmond Yards, mentioned in the book, along with Mare Island and other facilities. Men and women worked side by side to build a huge number of ships for the war. As usual there are wonderful photos, some of which I didn’t really understand (I know the caption mentioned what was going into a ship, but I didn’t always know what that was) and others which I thoroughly enjoyed, such as the bow art, or camouflage patterns. Be on the lookout for the ‘fashionable hat’ designed to keep long hair out of the way!

Reading Hermit With Dog