Ben Thornton

Dad, husband & former widower. Man about town, civil servant, sometimes writer, among other things. In my spare time I run a theatre and a cemetery.

[Michael McKean @MJMcKean]

If you see something weird, say something weird.

[BaseballHistoryNut @nut_history]

It took 70 years but it finally happened

[Christian Heiens 🏛 @ChristianHeiens]

There's an interesting story about how Victorian mansions, and particularly the Second Empire style, became synonymous with haunted houses.

They were extremely popular in the US from the 1870s through the 1890s, but were hard to maintain because of their large size and opulent style. Many of the families that constructed these homes lost much of their fortunes in the Panic of 1893 and the crash of 1929. Others remained wealthy but didn't have the means or desire to maintain large staffs of maids and servants to keep them running.

So, one by one, Second Empire homes across the US were sold off and continued to change hands rapidly until, by the time the 30s rolled around, thousands of them were left vacant because no one could afford to maintain them.

And not just maintain, but preserve them. The typical Second Empire house was around 50 or 60 years old by the 1930s. They needed upkeep just as much as a house built in 1970 would need repairs today if no one had lived in it for 10 years.

As a result, many of them were bulldozed or burned down to make way for newer homes in the 40s and 50s after World War II. And the entire point of Second Empire style was for them to be grouped together like a bunch of trophies, so tearing down a whole bunch of abandoned and decaying mansions but keeping the ones that were in relatively better condition only made them stand out more.

By the time the late 40s and early 50s rolled around, they had almost universally gone from being considered the crowning architectural achievement of the Gilded Age to being synonymous with urban decay.

The artists and writers of the 60s were growing up as kids in the 40s and 50s, thinking to themselves, "that old house down the lane that has been sitting empty since I was born." So when they got jobs in Hollywood writing scripts for TV shows, they carried those memories with them, and the Second Empire style entered the collective consciousness of pop culture as the default "haunted house" for the next 60 years.

The sad thing is, these homes are priceless. You can see it when you find a rare one that has been well-preserved or restored. But we've degraded ourselves so much that it would be nearly unthinkable to construct a home like this today.

[Ben Thornton @BCThornton]

My son Dash, who completed Air Cadets earlier this year as Warrant Officer First Class, received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his leadership and community service from his former CO.

Well done, kid.

[Ben Thornton @BCThornton]

My son Dash, who completed Air Cadets earlier this year as Warrant Officer First Class, received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his leadership and community service from his former CO.

Well done, kid.

[Baseball’s Greatest Moments @BBGreatMoments]

This list of Cleveland Spiders player names is unreal 😂

[JT @jiratickets]

boomers sending DMs to AI-generated women on instagram

[Quite Interesting @qikipedia]

I don't need time. What I need is a deadline. DUKE ELLINGTON

[🇺🇸 🦅Simple Man 🦅🇺🇸 @Soaringeagle45]

Successes by age…

Age 4…not peeing in your pants
Age 12…having close friends
Age 16…having a drivers license
Age 18…having sex
Age 35…having money
Age 50…having money
Age 60…having sex
Age 70…having a drivers license
Age 75…having close friends
Age 80…not peeing in your pants

[Ben Thornton @BCThornton]

@dieworkwear

[Quite Interesting @qikipedia]

In 1680, a man admitted to the Old Bailey that he’d become so angry with his tailor he’d thrown a live goose at him.

[Ben Thornton @BCThornton]

LFG

[DaVinci @BiancoDavinci]

Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey, Italy.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

The way the outfits here create flashes of blue and white is very mesmerizing.

[Quite Interesting @qikipedia]

The spelling ‘thru’ predates ‘through’ by over 100 years.

[Ben Thornton @BCThornton]

@jkenney C'mon, are you saying none of them were gay? Seems a statistical improbability.

[Dudes Posting Their W’s @DudespostingWs]

Japanese engineers developed a “Sword Tip Visualization System” for the Fencing World Championships, and it makes fencing look absolutely incredible to watch.

[Global Statistics @Globalstats11]

The True Size of Canada 🇨🇦

[Ben Thornton @BCThornton]

Several months after his 100th birthday, I remain just tickled that Dick Van Dyke still walks the earth.

[Montreal Expos @Montreal_Expos]

We have sent a notice to cease & desist to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Having rain fall inside a stadium with a closed retractable roof is the intellectual property of the Montreal Expos.

[Ben Thornton @BCThornton]

The Pope is weak on crime? Whadya expect him to be? Romelander?

[Rob B @RobBfromDerby]

“Open the Strait of Hormuz or I’m closing the Strait of Hormuz”