It’s About Time

A monthly broadsheet for history buffs

July 2024

Vintage Word of the Month: Automat

You could call automats the original vending machines. These giant food dispensers were first opened in Philadelphia by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardat in the early 1900s. Automats were considered revolutionary in the commercial food industry. They consisted of large mechanical machines with coin-fed compartments which contained all manner of tasty eats, from hot coffee to macaroni and cheese to apple pie. Central kitchens prepared the food, which was then trucked to the various locations on the same day.

Automats eventually became too expensive to sustain, and they also faced increasing competition from fast food chains. The last Horn and Hardat automat closed in 1991. If you’re curious to know more about these culinary behemoths, check out the 2021 documentary The Automat on Prime Video or Apple TV.

Your Next Great History Read

The Wager: A tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder, by David Grann Doubleday, 2023

Partway through The Wager, David Grann refers to The Minnesota Starvation Experiment, a 1945 study in which a group of men were intentionally starved, and their behaviour was observed. Afterwards, the subjects remarked on how shocking it was to discover the extent of the thinness of the veneer between cruelty and civilized conduct.

This exploration of moral disintegration among humans in duress is at the core of any survival story. The Wager is a meticulously researched account of how deprivation dissolved the last shreds of decency in a British crew whose vessel, the book’s namesake, was shipwrecked in 1741 during a mission to capture a treasure-laden Spanish galleon.

Mere weeks after the ship crashed into rocks off a desolate island on the coast of Chile, many crew members were dead from illness and starvation, and the captain, David Cheap, had shot and killed a midshipman.

This act precipitated a mutiny, headed by The Wager’s gunner, John Bulkeley. His group decided to brave the sea; he believed it was their best chance of survival. The captain and a few crew members who remained loyal to him stayed behind for a time, although this group, too, would eventually sail once again in a act of desperation to escape the island.

The survivors of both groups eventually ended up back in England, and a trial took place after Bulkeley penned a controversial memoir of the horrors suffered by the ship’s crew. In the end, Captain David Cheap and John Bulkeley were acquitted — a decision which was the result of the navy wanting to save face in the midst of conflicting reports and sparse evidence of what really happened on the ship and on the island.

Grann is also the author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z, and The Wager is a worthy addition to his series of historical thrillers. One of the text’s delights is the peppering of explanations of the nautical origins of common sayings, such as “toe the line.” The phrase comes from ships’ inspection procedures; the sailors had to stand and line up their toes with the deck seam.

Grann also manages to convey, without the use of imagined dialogue, the emotional and physical experiences of the marooned sailors during their weeks on Wager Island. The book’s only glaring weakness is arguably not the author’s fault: the trial is anti-climactic, and so the book ends on a flat note.

Martin Scorsese’s film, Killers of the Flower Moon, is the latest cinematic adaptation of Grann’s work, and Scorsese is reportedly interested in giving The Wager theatrical life as well. If you love seeing history up on the big screen, keep an eye out for the legendary filmmaker’s take on this extraordinary tale of human endurance at sea. In the meantime, check out Grann’s gripping chronicle.

Living History: Fort Edmonton Park

7000 143 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta

Travel back in time during your next vacation! Every edition of It’s About Time will feature either a museum or a protected historic resource from around the world.

Fort Edmonton Park is one of Edmonton’s most popular attractions. It was built in 1974, and several additions have been made to it over the last fifty years. The park is divided into four sections: the Indigenous Peoples Experience, The 1846 Fort, 1885 Street, 1905 Street, and 1920 Street. Fort Edmonton is home to a number of historical houses, as one would expect, but the park also hosts the following events:

• DARK: A series of haunted houses for Halloween enthusiasts. The historical setting adds an extra layer of spookiness!
• Weekend Brunch: This is held in the Selkirk Hotel on 1920 Street, and includes free admission to the park.
• Where Dark Things Dwell: If you’re an escape room enthusiast, this is a unique experience, since it’s an outdoor escape event.
• Movie Night At the Capitol. The Capitol Theatre is a replica of the original structure from the 1920s, and it’s the perfect setting to rewatch movie classics. Past screenings include Titanic and Singin’ In The Rain. Jaws is being shown on July 19, so grab tickets before they’re gone.

Head to fortedmontonpark.ca for more details on this history oasis.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more steps through history!