Starting in 1891 and continuing through the 1950s, Quaker Oats put actual china cups, saucers, bowls, and plates in its boxes of Quaker Oats and Mother’s Oats. The cereal “prizes” were so popular that by 1900 Quaker was ordering 48,000 bowls per week from the Homer Laughlin china company. Who knows…your grandma’s china might just be from a box of Quaker Oats!

After “The Man Who Made Monsters” was published in ASK, I was contacted by a woman who owns two of Homer Tate’s figures. They were gifts to her parents in the 1950s and have been in her family ever since.

They’re great examples of Tate’s work, and I’m so thankful she shared them with me!

Cockroaches can be trained like dogs! Sort of…

In 2007 Japanese scientists trained cockroaches to salivate on cue, much like Pavlov’s dogs. Instead of a bell, the bugs were exposed to the scents of peppermint and vanilla just before they were fed. The cockroaches learned that the scents equaled dinner and salivated, even if no food was in sight. Just like the dogs and the bell.

My question: how do you tell when a cockroach is salivating?

In the 1940s, a pet squirrel named Tommy Tucker became famous for wearing elaborate outfits hand-sewn by his owner. He was even featured in TIME magazine in 1944.

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. There’s nothing quite like being able to handle books printed hundreds of years ago and wonder who else has done the same over the centuries.

For example, this was a Quaker tract printed and circulated in secret in 1676, and over 300 years later, it was in my hands. Amazing. (And you can bet I was super careful when turning the pages!)