The Trial Against Tomatoes

Tomatoes, now a staple of many farming and agricultural areas of the United States, were once banned in that very country. Considered to be poisonous, the tasty red fruit was put on trial in the town of Salem, New Jersey, not to be confused with Salem, Massachusetts, famous for their witch trials. As legend has it, Robert Gibbon Johnson, credited with bringing tomatoes to America, ate a basket of tomatoes in front of the Salem courthouse to prove their safety. Did it really happen that way? Likely not, but it certainly is fun to think about. The event has been retold and dramatized, and for your entertainment, here’s a snippet from The Story of Robert Gibbon Johnson and the Tomato, as told by the Salem County Historical Society:

Col. Johnson announced that he would eat a tomato, also called the wolf peach, Jerusalem apple or love apple, on the steps of the county courthouse at noon. ... That morning, in 1820, about 2000 people were jammed into the town square. ... The spectators began to hoot and jeer. Then, 15 minutes later, Col. Johnson emerged from his mansion and headed up Market Street towards the Courthouse. The crowd cheered. The fireman's band struck up a lively tune. He was a very impressive-looking man as he walked along the street. He was dressed in his usual black suit with white ruffles, black shoes and gloves, tricorn hat, and cane. At the Court House steps he spoke to the crowd about the history of the tomato. ... He picked a choice one from a basket on the steps and held it up so that it glistened in the sun. ... "To help dispel the tall tales, the fantastic fables that you have been hearing ... And to prove to you that it is not poisonous I am going to eat one right now"... There was not a sound as the Col. dramatically brought the tomato to his lips and took a bite. A woman in the crowd screamed and fainted but no one paid her any attention; they were all watching Col. Johnson as he took one bite after another. ... He raised both his arms, and again bit into one and then the other. The crowd cheered and the firemen's band blared a song. ... "He's done it", they shouted. "He's still alive"

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The Stranded Wives of Canada

War, unfortunately, has a long standing history of tearing families apart, with husbands, fathers, and sons heading out to fight a long way from home and often never returning to their families. Such was the case during the first World War, as it was with many wars. Men would receive their orders, head out to battle, often to never be seen or heard from again.

This, however, was not always the case in Canada. Canada’s contribution to the first World War was nothing short of stunning. Despite a relatively small population of eight million people, Canada and Newfoundland sent 650,000 men and women to serve. The losses were great, with over 66,000 soldiers giving their lives, and 172,000 sustaining injuries.

One of the hidden costs of war, however, took its toll on a number of the wives of male soldiers. Rather than stay at home, hoping either for new from the front or for the return of their husband, many Canadian wives would sell their belongings and cross the ocean to London in order to be close to their wounded husbands. Oftentimes, however, the men they went to join would go missing, or the Canadian government would pay for their return to Canada before they could notify their wives. Many of the wives were left stranded with no way to get back home and no way to find their husbands. They would later be dubbed The Stranded Wives of Canada.

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When It’s Appropriate to Make Fun of Flatulence

While the world is still recovering, and may be recovering for some time yet, from a pandemic that has crippled economies, made countless sick, and lead to far too many deaths, it’s important to remember that even in the darkest of times there’s always something to laugh about. WWII was another such dark time, but we here at Tuperse dug through our expansive collection of ebooks and audiobooks to find you something you can laugh about from a period that was no laughing matter.

The story concerns none other than Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party and the dictator of Germany during the second World War. Hitler, it should be mentioned, is widely recognized as one of history’s greatest monsters. Under his rule the Nazi party was responsible for some of the greatest atrocities known to human kind during WWII, leading to the deaths of tens of millions. While he caused quite a few problems for the rest of the world, the feared ruler also had some humorous problems of his own. Hitler, you see, suffered from continuous stomach issues, among a number of other medical problems, and developed a severe drug habit later on in life. The combination, reportedly, left the Fuhrer quite gassy, and, reportedly, he often suffered from bouts of uncontrollable flatulence. While his actions remain horrific, we can’t help but smile at the idea of an uncontrollably flatulent Hitler.

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