When the 1883 tariff law went into effect, a New York Port collector's decision to tax a load of imported tomatoes as vegetables made it all the way to the Supreme Court.
Read MoreDays of Yore (a blog)
Learning from the past can be laughable. CockBloq's blog, In the Days of Yore, takes a snarky, modern look at stories from the past, highlighting what we've learned—or haven't.
For elephants, hope came in the form of plastic (1868)
In the late 19th and early 20th century, the popularity of billiards soared, and the most desired billiard balls were made of ivory, cut from the tusks of Asian elephants. The demand proved nearly dismal for the elephant population, and a suitable substitute for elephant ivory was sought.
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