Bright Young Facts

Back on the flapper train today for this edition of Factoid Friday! I haven't done a Factoid Friday entry for a little while, mostly because it's the most time consuming type of post to do (plus I think it's the theme that has the least interest.) First I read a book start to finish, then take that book and skim it again for facts (I thought of flagging pages while reading it to bookmark tidbits, but that just takes away from reading and felt too much like work. I usually read to unwind!) Then of course, I have to find things that happened that day in history and find interesting articles. For the articles, I usually bookmark them as I go along while playing on StumbleUpon, but if it's been awhile since I've visited that site and have no new material, I panic and go to Buzzfeed and MentalFloss and just post whatever articles on the front page look interesting. So not really ground breaking stuff, but I try my best! And I guess if it's posted on the first page, it would be a "trending" article, but probably also making the rounds on your Facebook newsfeed. Who would have thought that outfit posts would be less work?

The book I'm pulling my facts from today is called Bright Young Things by Alison Maloney.

Modcloth book, modcloth.com, Bright Young Things, 1920s, 20s, flapper, Art Deco, Jazz Age, F Scott Fitzgerald, Prohibition, A Modern Guide to the Roaring Twenties, Alison Maloney, review, front cover

Product Photo via Modcloth

Things I Learned From This Book

*note, some entries are taken verbatim from the book - credit to Alison Maloney*

The word flapper originally meant a very young girl, likened to a young bird that is learning to fly. In northern slang, a flapper was a girl with flapping pigtails. "Flap" was also an ancient term for prostitute. These combined origins came to describe the 1920s flapper, who was known for smoking in public and wearing short skirts.
"Bathtub gin" wasn't distilled in a bathtub at all. It was nicknamed that because the bottles used to hold the liquor were too tall to be topped off with water from the sink so they had to use water from the tub instead.
The Moulin Rouge was destroyed by fire in 1915 but was re-opened in 1921.
Teresa Jungman, daughter of artist Nico Wilhelm Jungmann, a popular fixture of 1920s newspaper gossip columns, once disguised herself as a Russian royal at a party and approached a respected general and his wife. She announced that she would never forget the night they had together in Paris. Rather crossly, he told her he was only there for one night, during the war. Her response? "Zat was zee night."
The fashion forward cut their hair in the 1920s, either straight and glossy, or shingled (meaning cut shorter at the nape of the neck in a V shape.) Newspapers were so outrage that headlines shouted "Shingles Leave Girls Single."
Mary Pickford moved studios (to First National Studios) in the early 1920s for $675,000, the equivalent of over $10 million today.

The book has a lot, lot more! It's mostly about the celebrities of the era and the antics they got up to. They were honestly just as bad as some celebrities today! The book also goes into details about how to whip up some 1920s alcoholic concoctions, some 1920s jargon you can throw around in your daily conversations, tips on how to throw a 1920s scavenger hunt (apparently they were all the rage!), recommended reading, viewing and listening, and theme parties to throw (my favourite is "dress as you were 20 years ago." Even if you were wearing diapers back then!)

Around the Internet

18 Fabulous Photos of Famous Flappers - Mental Floss (Thought I'd keep going with the flapper theme for some of the links too!)

A Christmas Wishlist in the 1920s - Buzzfeed (and throw the holidays in there too!)

Inside a Dressing Room at the Moulin Rouge - Retronaut

Yummy You Sanrio Scarf Giveaway - Trendy Techie (I'm getting this scarf for my birthday, but shhhh, I still entered!)

17 Really Strange Pinterest Boards - Mental Floss (a must see! I haven't clicked on the actual Pinterest boards but the article itself is really cool! Hey, everybody has their own interests. I have a Pinterest board of Modcloth items I own. It's nearing 300 items. I'm sure some people would think THAT was crazy!)

Then vs. Now - 1920s New York City - Buzzfeed (some areas look completely unchanged! Goes to show you how much development occurred in the 1920s.)

Two Times a Lady - lovely brown and black look by Rebecca of The Clothes Horse.

11 Baby Naming Trends of the Past - Mental Floss - be happy you didn't end up with one of these monikers!

Typewriter Erotica of the 1920s - Retronaut shows us how a simple office supply can be sexy.

Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers for Grown Ups - Never Fully Dressed (Without a Style) Right on! It's like she made a wishlist specifically for me!

100 Pieces of Advice From 100 Year Olds - Mental Floss. Some of the advice is sound but some is so bizarre! It goes to show you that different things work for different people and you have to live your life in a way that's best for you!

Today is the anniversary of the release of It's a Wonderful Life. I read the synopsis on Wikipedia. How have I still not seen this movie? On my to-do list!