CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
119 years before Brexit, the British Empire seceded from Planet Earth to inhabit Planet Victoria (orbiting between the Moon and Earth). From Pearson's, 1897.
A journey to the moon begins with one step (and being suspended by a giant crane, and a lunar simulator wall in the desert). The lunar simulator wall recalls "a strip of space that contains functional and aesthetic interests" (Pu Miao, Suspense of Space: Theory and Design, 1992).
"Apollo Space Suit; Lunar Simulator with Dr. Newsom; Date: 08/04/1967." Courtesy of the San Diego Air and Space Museum archives.
The Oozlefinch, mascot of the Coast Artillery, Fort Monroe, Virginia. "This bird flies backwards in order to keep the dust out of his eyes, and he is so bashful that when he sees someone — he swallows himself!"
"Mr. Major bridging over eighteen centuries" (Once a Week, 1871). This is a precursor to Mrs. Slocombe's hip measurement of 42 inches plus the week of October the 5th (in the "Mrs. Slocombe, Senior Person" episode of Are You Being Served?).
Here's a precursor to the Seinfeld episode "The Contest," which features the euphemism "master of my domain." The text reads, "As he lay down in his bed he exclaimed, under his breath, 'Master of the Situation!'" From Once a Week, 1870.