4.3LXJ
03-26-2010, 06:58 PM
You are a font of knowledge. Any further historic trivia will be highly appreciated.
Ever hear of Clampers? They are members of E. Clampus Vitus. They are historical buffs that are also alcoholics. The idea is to come up with the tallest tale or best prank before passing out. Anyway, they are great sources of hysterical, I mean historical information.
Anyway, as per request, a not so trivial hysterical fact. In the San Francisco Bay area, according to history Sir Francis Drake landed and inscribed a bronze plate and claimed it for the Queen of England and then sailed on up the coast. It wasn't until fairly recently that the plate was discovered and entered the history books of the 50s. I was taught this plate was proof that Drake had been there before the Spaniards.
Butttt......... The rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say is that the plate was a hoax perpetrated by a bunch of Clampers. They knew of a particularly nerdish and gullible history professor at San Francisco State that would do nicely for a good laugh. They got a bronze plate that was almost identical to the spare plates carried on British war ships to repair battle damage to the hull, inscribed it and artificially aged it and then partially buried it in the foot hills outside SF. They left a corner showing and went and got the professor and showed him where it was. He fell for it hook, line and sinker. But before the Clampers could tell him and get a good ha ha, the story had gotten out of hand and spread so fast that they couldn't confront him with it without getting into major trouble. So it became a historical fact that was "factual" until just a few years ago after some metallurgical tests were done on it and was found to be modern bronze. After that, the whole story was confirmed by the nephew of one of the deceased perpetrators.
Ever hear of Clampers? They are members of E. Clampus Vitus. They are historical buffs that are also alcoholics. The idea is to come up with the tallest tale or best prank before passing out. Anyway, they are great sources of hysterical, I mean historical information.
Anyway, as per request, a not so trivial hysterical fact. In the San Francisco Bay area, according to history Sir Francis Drake landed and inscribed a bronze plate and claimed it for the Queen of England and then sailed on up the coast. It wasn't until fairly recently that the plate was discovered and entered the history books of the 50s. I was taught this plate was proof that Drake had been there before the Spaniards.
Butttt......... The rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say is that the plate was a hoax perpetrated by a bunch of Clampers. They knew of a particularly nerdish and gullible history professor at San Francisco State that would do nicely for a good laugh. They got a bronze plate that was almost identical to the spare plates carried on British war ships to repair battle damage to the hull, inscribed it and artificially aged it and then partially buried it in the foot hills outside SF. They left a corner showing and went and got the professor and showed him where it was. He fell for it hook, line and sinker. But before the Clampers could tell him and get a good ha ha, the story had gotten out of hand and spread so fast that they couldn't confront him with it without getting into major trouble. So it became a historical fact that was "factual" until just a few years ago after some metallurgical tests were done on it and was found to be modern bronze. After that, the whole story was confirmed by the nephew of one of the deceased perpetrators.