Author Archive

“Coke constantly on hand”

This 1870’s ad for the Lowell Gas Light Company is a pretty good example of how the meaning of words may change over time. In this case, the product advertized was a by-product of the coal gasification process that yielded the illuminating gas that was used to light the city’s…

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The Blizzard of ’78

I don’t want to jinx us, but I realized yesterday that the only time I’ve started my snow blower this winter was in early October when I was making sure that it would start OK. Perhaps I was contemplating snow yesterday because it was the anniversary of the great blizzard…

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