October 9, 1855

On This Date in TWISTED-HISTORY.com in 1855 Joshua C. Stoddard received a patent for his calliope. One of the fundamental features of all calliopes that were built using Mr. Stoddard’s patent was that all the manufactured horses and other animals had to have a minimal EA Poe Creepiness factor of 8.3 with the ability to hold at least 23 cubic feet of Grade IV ectoplasm. It was also stated in the patent documents that it would be preferred that some of the wood used to build the calliopes should be harvested from trees that were haunted, wood previously used in a hangman’s scaffold, or from a haunted house. Stoddard’s notes did say that only one to two children a year would be consumed by his calliopes, but that would be a small price to pay for a community or business to own and operate such a uniquely entertaining amusement ride.

About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
This entry was posted in 19th Century, Historical Facts and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *