Thursday, September 29, 2011

Adventures In Unhistory

...In the heady days of the 19th century, a new and much-improved bit for horses was dreamed up by the brilliant, impoverished inventor V. K. Sonva at his home in a South African town later to be the site of Baden-Powell's first fame. His success should have been assured when he founded a company to manufacture them.

We can only look on in saddened wonder at whatever misguided inspiration it could have been that led him to name the firm "Mafeking Sonva Bit Co.," from which the well-spoken, straitlaced Victorians stayed away in droves.

8 comments:

Turk Turon said...

Location, location, location.

CGHill said...

The staff of the Sunova Beach Sentinel, a Florida-based newspaper created for an online soap opera in the 1980s, thanks you for that, and smiles about being able to remember how to pronounce "Mafeking."

rickn8or said...

Didn't see that one coming at all.

og said...

No doubt they freaked out and recoiled in horror. And then sentthe stable bou down to buy some, which they used in the bedroom and not the bridle shop. Because according to "My Secret Life", Kraft von Ebbing, and now the new movie "Hysteria", the Victorians were getting their freak on.

DaddyBear said...

Boooo!!!!
:o)

North said...

The phrase "It is always the quiet ones" comes to mind. (And I like it)

Drang said...

Ferdinand Feghoot called, he's looking for a ghost writer...

Loose Gravel said...

Blindsided!