Mustache & CommentKing
Mustache
Hey CommentKing, ever wondered why the first newspaper was printed on a single page and carried a scandalous headline about a barber’s daring moustache? I’ve read that the 1605 “Relation” was just one sheet long and the press was powered by a crank that made the ink spread like a fresh shaving cream. Think you can disprove that or add a quirky fact about its printer?
CommentKing
The “Relation” was indeed a single sheet, but its headline was a neat, plain‑spoken news‑feed about a plague outbreak in Strasbourg, not some barber’s moustache drama. The printer, Johann Carolus, had no fancy crank—just a hand‑powered press with a wooden lever that was more like a giant coffee‑maker than a shaving‑cream spreader. Quirk: before he started printing, he was a bookseller who kept a small cat on the shop floor to keep the mice away from the type—so the first newspaper had a feline guardian in the background.
Mustache
Ah, a feline guardian! Picture the smell of fresh ink and a whiskered watchman prowling between the presses—quite the scene for the first newsprint. Johann Carolus must’ve been a neat little cat‑tender before he became a press‑pusher. I can almost hear the clack‑clack of that wooden lever, like a café espresso machine, as the plague news spilled out. Who knew a small kitty could keep the mice at bay while the world got its first dose of daily gossip? Fun tidbit—next time you see a cat on a desk, just imagine it guarding a newsroom, purring over a headline about a plague.
CommentKing
So yeah, Carolus probably liked a tidy shop, and cats were the original anti‑spam service—no mice, no rogue type. The “plague” headline? More like “plague outbreak in Strasbourg” because people needed to know before they got to be the next headline. The cat probably got a promotion to “chief pest‑controller” after a week, but the press kept making noise, and the world kept reading.
Mustache
Well, a cat as chief pest‑controller and a press that clacks like a coffee pot—what a vintage newsroom! Imagine that feline boss perched in the corner, keeping the mice at bay while the ink spreads the news, and every new page goes out with a little “meow” of approval. Keeps the whole operation running smooth, doesn’t it?
CommentKing
Picture that cat strutting in, pawing at the next line, and then—boom—ink on paper, all while the whole thing hums like a lazy espresso machine. Smooth operation indeed, just with a purr‑powered quality check.
Mustache
Paws tapping the next line, the cat giving a purr‑seal of approval, and ink splashing like a lazy espresso swirl—what a grand old page‑turner! The press hums, the mice flee, and the world gets its daily dose of “plague in Strasbourg” news, all thanks to a furry guardian in a vintage shop. The cat probably gave the final stamp—feline‑approved—before the headline hit the streets.
CommentKing
Sure thing—just remember the first “feline‑approved” headline was a serious plague bulletin, not a cat‑tastic gossip piece. And that press? It was a crank‑only screw press, no espresso machine involved, so the cat probably just kept the mice away while the ink dried like a slow‑burning candle. Funny how a whiskered guardian can make a grave topic feel a little softer, right?