Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Dalí's Stache

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Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Dalí de Pubol (seriously, that's his real name), known more commonly as Salvador Dalí, was a prominent Spanish artist who is known for his bizarre surrealist paintings.  Possibly his most recognizable work, "The Persistence of Memory," was completed in 1931 and is still considered a pop culture icon today.

The Persistence Of Memory, 1931 

Dalí's often eccentric behavior, self-proclaimed love of "everything that is gilded and excessive," and unique personal style was often discussed by his critics and irritated those who held his work in high esteem.  One of his most distinguishing features was his flamboyant facial hair.  In a 2010 British “Movember” poll, Dalí’s facial hair was voted the most famous mustache of all time, and we Archive Gals think that’s a pretty big achievement!

While appearing on a game show called “The Name’s the Same” in 1954, Dalí was asked (4:00) if his mustache was a joke, to which he responded: “It’s the most serious part of my personality” and “It’s a very simple Hungarian mustache. Mr. Marcel Proust used the same kind of pomade for this mustache.”

The Archive Gals hold Dalí's facial hair choices in the highest esteem and believe you should always let your true self shine through! Thanks Dalí!



Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Bearded Lady Annie Jones!

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For this Wacky Whiskers Wednesday, the Gals bring you another Gal after our own heart, bearded lady Annie Jones!

Annie Jones was born in Marion, Virginia on July 7, 1865, with a chin covered in hair.  She joined performer P. T. Barnum as a circus attraction at the age of only nine months; her parents receiving a $150 a week salary for her participation as “The Infant Esau.”  She was photographed by famous US photographer Matthew Brady as an infant in 1865.  By age five, Jones had sideburns and a mustache and was billed as the “Bearded Girl.”

When Jones was sixteen she married Richard Elliot, a professional sideshow bally talker.  They were married for fifteen years before divorcing, then Jones married her childhood sweetheart, William Donovan.  Donovan died suddenly not long after their marriage, and when Jones was widowed she returned to Barnum’s circus.

As an adult, Jones became America’s most well known “bearded lady,” as well as the spokesperson and advocate for Barnum’s other “freaks,” a word she tried to abolish from the business.  Jones died October 22, 1902 of tuberculosis at the age of thirty-seven.

“Noted Freak Dead.” Belvedere Daily Republican. Vol. 11. No. 201. October 23, 1902. p. 4.

“Street Sayings.” The Saint Paul Globe. Vol. 8. No. 169. June 18, 1886. p. 2.

Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Belated Father's Day Edition

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For today's Wacky Whiskers Wednesday we bring you Smithsonian Magazine's "Who Has the Best Facial Hair in Baseball History?" As long as there have been home runs and strike outs, ballplayers, even some Yankees (eww), have sported mustaches, beards and side burns. Who do you think has the best beard?! Check it out here.

As a side note, Alex loves the Red Sox. The only thing she may love more than the Red Sox is their mascot Wally the Green Monster. When Wally posted a picture of himself with his Dad for Father's Day, she couldn't help but notice Wally Senior's amazing mustache. You're welcome.

Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Terror on the High Seas

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Edward Teach, more often known as the notorious pirate Blackbeard, was one of the most infamous men of the 18th century, not only for his plundering and pillaging but also for his crazy facial hair! Blackbeard’s nickname comes from his often unruly beard which he sometimes tied lit fuses to under his hat in order to illuminate his fearsome appearance and intimidate his enemies. Teach started his career as a privateer in the Caribbean for England during Queen Ann's War in the early 18th century. Privateers, or ships authorized by a government to attack foreign vessels during war, were often used as a way to mobilize armed ships and sailors without having to commission them into regular service during wartime. It is often hard to distinguish the difference between privateering and pirating as they are essentially the same practice-the only difference being the "legality" or having a government sponsorship for your pillaging!

In 1718 Blackbeard went to his favorite hideaway near Ocracoke Island, NC. He allegedly wanted to party it up with his other pirate homies (themed bash anyone?) complete with all night dancing, drinking and bonfires. News of this pirate kegger reached Alexander Spotswood, the Governor of Virginia, and hater of all fun pirate parties. Spotswood sent two sloops, small swift ships, to trap Blackbeard and his pirate buddies between sandbars so they could not escape. When the Navy arrived, Blackbeard knew he was trapped. As soon as the tide rose in the morning, he foresaw the sloops would glide over the then submerged sandbars and attack.

The pirates continued to party through the night while stockpiling ammunition, soaking blankets in water to put out fires, and spreading sand on the decks to soak up the blood that would be spilled. Blackbeard’s comrades asked him if he had told his wife the location of his buried treasure, thinking they would all perish in the fight. Blackbeard is thought to have responded that nobody but he “...and the devil knew where it was, and the longest liver shall take it.”

When the morning came Blackbeard, instead of trying to outrun the navy sloops, waited for the attack. When the enemy drew close, Blackbeard ordered his crew to set sail and to steer directly for the beach, guiding his ship through a hidden narrow channel, while the sloops crashed into the sandbar. Blackbeard’s crew blasted the stranded sloops with their cannon, but in the fire fight became stranded themselves on a sandbar. The Navy ships threw their stores of food and water overboard in order to lighten their load and dislodge themselves from the sandbar, and then ran below deck to await the next attack.

Blackbeard’s crew hurled explosives onto the navy sloop, and when they believed the crew to be dead, boarded the ship. The pirates were completely stunned to find the navy crew alive and well, and ready to fight. Blackbeard and the sloops’ captain came face to face and fired at one another, Blackbeard missing his mark but then able to draw his sword to deliver the finishing blow. At the last second a navy seamen came up behind Blackbeard and cut his throat.

As a warning to other pirates, Blackbeard’s head was cut off and displayed (‪#‎nedstark‬) from the bow of the navy sloop. His alleged treasure has been searched for far and wide, but no trace has ever been discovered.

Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: President Benjamin Harrison

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For this Wacky Whiskers Wednesday we bring you our Whiskered 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. As cool as his whiskers are, we didn’t know too many fun facts about Harrison, and are under the assumption you must have a fun presidential factoid always on the ready. Here are some things you may know and some things that may surprise you about Benjamin Harrison:

-Benjamin Harrison was the first and currently only president that was the grandson of a former president. His grandfather was our 9th President, William Henry Harrison.

-Harrison was the first president to use electricity in the White House. Apparently everyone was still weary of getting shocked, so Harrison and his wife often went to sleep with the lights on.

-Until Leslie Knope is elected, Harrison will remain the only US President from Indiana.

-Harrison served in the Civil War and was nominated by Lincoln to the grade of Brevet Brigadier General.

-Harrison was the first President to appoint an African-American in a high ranking role in government. He named Frederick Douglass as US Minister to Haiti in 1889.

-He was only 5’ 6” so Democrats called him “Little Ben.”

-Harrison was the first and only president to lose and election to a previous president. Even though the incumbent Grover Cleveland won the popular vote in the election of 1888 by 90,000 votes, Harrison carried the Electoral College 233 to 168, winning the election. Cleveland came back to win in 1892 over Harrison.

-Harrison was the first president known to have his voice preserved, recording a 36 second speech in 1889 on a wax phonograph cylinder.

-When William Henry Harrison ran for president in the mid-1800s, his staff rolled large spheres between towns on the campaign trail, giving rise to the phrase “keep the ball rolling.” Benjamin Harrison was the only presidential candidate to continue this idea, creating his own “campaign ball.”  The aforementioned Leslie Knope visited said campaign ball on Parks & Recreation.


Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Wyatt Earp, Cowboy Renaissance Man

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Today's Wacky Whiskers Wednesday is brought to you by: Ice Cream and the Letter E:

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 - January 13, 1929) is best known for the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and as the referee to the Fitzsimmons vs. Sharkey Heavyweight Championship boxing match. His Wikipedia page literally lists his occupations as “Gambler, lawman, buffalo hunter, saloon keeper, bouncer, gold and copper miner, pimp, boxing referee.” We would also like to add badass, style icon, and grade A fox to this list.

Wyatt Earp at age 21 in 1869 or 1870. Probably taken in Lamar, Missouri.

Earp lived a restless life, traveling across the American West from boomtown to boomtown and associating himself with cowboys, lawyers, lawmen, gamblers and prostitutes. One of his most famous companions was undoubtedly John Henry “Doc” Holiday: professional gambler, gunfighter, dentist and Deputy U.S. Marshal at the O.K. Corral Gunfight.

After a fictionalized biography was published following Earp’s death in 1931, his reputation as a fearless lawman became forever imprinted upon American culture. The Archive Gals are all about the fun facts so here are some cool things you may not know about Wyatt Earp:

-Earp ran away from home several times to try and enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War. Being just 13 years old, he was too young to enlist; plus his dad always found him and dragged his butt back home!

Wyatt Earp about age 42.

-Earp, like the Archive Gals, loved him some ice cream. Allegedly, instead of alcohol, which he claimed to have never consumed, Earp liked to hit up the ice cream parlor every day!

-Earp was never once hit in a gunfight…well by anyone else at least. Apparently he once accidentally shot himself while sitting in a chair, but the bullet went through his coat, leaving him uninjured.

-Earp’s horse was named Dick Naylor.

-Earp was pals with John Wayne! In his later years, he was an adviser on several silent cowboy films in LA where he befriended a young Wayne. Wayne later claimed his portrayals of cowboys were based on his conversations with Earp.

Wyatt Earp at home on August 9, 1923, at age 75. Picture by John H. Flood Jr.

Wyatt Earp at home on August 9, 1923, at age 75. Picture by John H. Flood Jr.


Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Inventor, Abolitionist, Neck Beard Enthusiast

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Today's Wacky Whiskers Wednesday pick is the American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and (clearly unsuccessful) Presidential candidate, Peter Cooper! Chosen for his Santa white neck beard, Cooper was also a pretty cool dude (I mean, you would have to be to pull that off, right?). He’s so cool, it was hard to pick the coolest things about him so here (in no particular order) are his top 10:

- Very active in the anti-slavery movement
- A strong supporter of the Union during the Civil War
- An advocate for government-issued paper money
- Was dedicated to the protection and elevation of Native Americans
- Led the successful fight to build a public school system in New York
- Founded and gave his name to the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- Designed and built the first steam locomotive in the United States
- Became one of the richest men in New York city when he invested in real estate and insurance, but lived a relatively simple and humble life
- Ran for president in 1876 for the Greenback Party, and at age 85 is the oldest person ever to be nominated by any political party for President
- Was an inventor and owned many patents for his inventions, including some for the manufacture of gelatin—the patents were later sold to a cough syrup manufacturer who developed a pre-packaged form which his wife named “Jell-O” (okay, this one is the coolest)

Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Colonel Badass

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For this installment of Wacky Whiskers Wednesday, we bring you Colonel Edward E. Cross of the 5th NH Cavalry! To put it frankly, Colonel Cross was quite the badass. He was six foot, two inches tall and would wrap a bandana around his head during battle, a lovely addition to his fancy uniform. Cross was in battle at Fair Oaks, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, where he lost his life on July 2, 1863 when he was shot by a sniper who was hiding some 40 yards away! Oh yeah...and he had quite the impressive beard! ‪

Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Bulletproof

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For your Wacky Whiskers Wednesday viewing pleasure, we present Brigadier General Reuben Lindsay Walker, a VMI grad who fought 63 battles for the Confederate Army, without every being wounded! After the war, he went on to become superintendent of the Marine and Selma Railroad, and oversaw construction of the Texas State Capitol building.

Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: The OG of Facial Hair

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Because we promised you beards, we welcome you to our first installment of Wacky Whiskers Wednesday! What hump day would be complete without a historical beard? For our first installment, we decided to bring you the OG of beards, Major General Ambrose E. Burnside. You probably have heard of him even if you are not a Civil War buff, considering his distinctive facial hair became known as sideburns!