Cincinnati’s Bathtub Hoax and a Missing Giant Tub

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By:  Kevin Grace

Mencken

H.L. Mencken

In 1917, the noted journalist and philologist H.L. Mencken published an article in the New York Evening Mail concerning the history of the bathtub in the United States.  According to the Baltimore writer, known as much for his satire and acerbic wit as he was for his political reporting, Cincinnati was home to this tub.  Mencken asserted that America’s first bathtub was introduced on December 20, 1842 by Adam Thompson who lived, in all places, Cincinnati, Ohio.    Made of mahogany and lined with lead, the vessel was introduced by Thompson to his guests at a Christmas party, described how it worked, and invited the partygoers to take a dip.  Four of them took him up on his offer, and the next day the invention was widely reported in the press. Continue reading →

The Twitchell Hydrometer : Notes from the Oesper Collections, No. 28, September/October 2014

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A brass hydrometer jar with handle and thermometer and two metal hydrometers probably designed to monitor the fermentation of beer

A brass hydrometer jar with handle and thermometer and two metal hydrometers probably designed to monitor the fermentation of beer.

The 28th issue of Museum Notes highlights yet another scientific instrument produced by the 19th-century Cincinnati inventor Henry Twitchell (1816-1875).

Click here for all other issues of Notes from The Oesper Collections and to explore the Jensen-Thomas Apparatus Collection.

UCBA Fun Facts: Favorite book turned movie?

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Question: What is your favorite movie based on a book?

HeatherHeather Maloney, Library Director: For fun? Clueless — as if. Action? Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. On the more dramatic side, Empire of the Sun…I saw it when I was a teenager, and I’ve been a Christian Bale fan ever since.

 

Michelle Michelle McKinney, Reference/Web Services Librarian: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

 

 

KellieKellie Tilton, Instructional Technologies Librarian: I hate to be repetitive and all too recent, but Catching Fire keeps coming to mind. There quite a few more, though… 

 

LaurenLauren Wahman, Instruction Librarian: To name a few…Shutter Island and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

 

 

RachelRachel Lewis, Technical Services Manager: The Hobbit

 

 

 

ChrisChris Marshall, Public Services Assistant: The Notebook, love that movie, and love that book!

 

GeoScienceWorld e-books now available

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gsw UC users now have access to the 2006-2014  collection of e-books (over 1,000 titles!) from GeoScienceWorld!  This collection consists of high-quality books published by the leading societies in the earth sciences, and covering a broad range of topics and research.

http://ebooks.geoscienceworld.org
(Note: UC VPN/proxy login required to view off-campus)

For e-books dating before 2006, please refer to our subscriptions to the AAPG Digital Library and the Geological Society of London Special Publications (also part of GeoScienceWorld).

Have a Question? Check UC’s Knowledge Base for Answers!

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The answer to many common questions are now in UC’s Knowledge Base. 

The Knowledge Base contains articles on connecting to the VPN (with specific instructions for many devices), printing from your Dorm, where to get software, setting up Secure Wireless, and more.

The database is searchable, and you can even ask for new topics to be added!

Visit the home page: https://kb.uc.edu/Pages/default.aspx

Looking for a Good Book? New Popular Reading Collection in Langsam Library

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popcollectionwebHave you read the latest Stephen King novel? Are you excited for the Gone Girl movie and want to reread the Gillian Flynn best seller? Now you can check out these popular titles and more in Langsam Library courtesy of the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County.

Continue reading →