The Thai-ification of an Ovaltine Ad
Sometimes when I look at old newspapers I come across the same advertisement in newspapers from different places and in different languages. I think this one here is interesting. The…
The 18 Generations of Hùng Kings
Everyone knows that the Hùng Kings supposedly ruled for 18 generations. However, where does that information come from? The earliest sources on the Hùng Kings are the Lĩnh Nam chích…
Mang Savages in the Red River Delta
I have long wondered about place names like Phù Đổng. This is the name of a village in the Red River delta. Many of the place names there are in…
A Remedy for Fugu Poisoning in 1895 Sarawak
I came across and article in the Sarawak Gazette from 1895 entitled “Poisoned by the Buntal Fish.” In Sarawak there is a fish, the buntal fish, which is like the…
Business Success Under Colonial Rule in the Philippines
So one of the first things which popped into my mind when I saw the picture for this adverstisement was that it was a symbol of American economic and cultural…
Happy Women and Determined Men in Late 1970s Vietnam
There was something about building Socialism which brought out the best in people. . . at least when they were photographed for official publications. These are some great period images…
Jane Palomar on Marriage and the Filipino Race
I came across this article about the Filipino actress, Jane Palomar, from the early 1960s in a magazine called Graphic. The article is called “Girl With a Mind of Her…
A Friendly Visit to Democratic Kampuchea
Yes, you read that title correctly. . . I'm posting here the text of an article which I found in the Vietnamese magazine "Vietnam" from 1976. It is an article…
Drinking Bovril in 1930s Siam
“A pleasing welcome after a day’s work. When a day’s work is done we feel really tired and fatigued. Just having a single cup of Bovril will bring back a…
“Kampuchea, Splendid Victory”
"Kampuchea, Splendid Victory" is the name of an article which I came across from 1979 in the magazine "Vietnam." In fact, articles and pictures about post-invasion Cambodia appear in a…