Judge, 1931-02-28 · page 13 of 36
Judge — February 28, 1931 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page from *Judge* magazine presents three satirical pieces mocking forgotten or disputed inventors: 1. **"The Originator of the Ditto"**: Claims a Herr Gustav Ditt from Munich invented the copying machine, with the joke that he's been overlooked while receiving only a mustache-related pun ("ditto marks"). 2. **"B-P-Hot Wizard at Last Revealed!"**: References a dispute over who invented a B-P-Hot (likely a heating/flying machine). The satire suggests competing claims—Alaskan Indians versus an explorer named "Lone Ted"—echoing real priority disputes in invention history. 3. **"Kelp the Crusader"**: Mocks the 1887 "Jack-in-the-Box" craze and a figure named Zeke Kelp who apparently fought over the toy's plural form ("Jacks-in-the-Box" vs. "Jack-in-the-Boxes"). The joke: after 43 years of being ignored, he'll receive only a fire hydrant named after him—a deliberately modest honor. The overall theme: satirizing how inventors get forgotten, disputed, or inadequately credited.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
hand, Ditt sign his moustache JUDGE Tardy Laurels for Forgotten Brows Tue Ortenator oF tie Ditto gyeom Munich comes the news that the Inventor of the Ditto has at last been discovered. He is Herr Gustav i Quashing the Theory that B- ks still appear on his upper y Alaskan Indians. In the far Klondi by T this while the plagiaristic Indians have nabbed the cred aA two black jots are no vss : Kerr tite Crvsaner Nw has the U. S. faced a worse crisis than in "87, after the invention of the Jack-in-the-Box. It had become a fad over night, and everyone was having a whale of a time when someone as Vhat is its plu “Jack-in-the claimed some. Others hotly insisted, “Jack: Bo: Ci e 1 ine ble, when Zeke Kelp’s Crusade w promise « ~the- Unthanked for forty-three years, Kelp will be hono week when N. Y. City unveils a hydrant in his name. u