Think of today’s pay per view, boxing, horse races, movies and the like. An example of 1903 pay per view was odd by comparison, oh and you had to leave the home to see it.
LIQUID AIR
EXPERIMENTSDozens of Paradoxical Feats
Enjoyment….Novelty….InstructionBurning Steel and Freezing Strawberries in ice tumbler containing Liquid Air.
THE MARVEL OF THE AGE
AIR AS A LIQUID
312 degrees BELOW ZERO
Freezes Alcohol, Burns Steel
Boils on Ice, &cPAVILION, Thursday April 16, ’03
Prices —50¢ Reserved seats 75¢.
Children only 2¢Reserved Seats at McManus’
Text of an advertisement in the April 3, 1903 Morning Tribune.
The major components of air, oxygen, nitrogen and argon all freeze at points somewhere south of -300 degrees F. When things get that cold strange things can happen. If you have a chance to check out one of the science/magic shows during Poly Royal, er Open House, make the stop. Hopefully they still put this program on. Quick frozen bananas can drive nails, until they shatter. Bet you never anticipated needing eye protection around bananas.
The event is free at Cal Poly but it was strictly pay per view in 1903.
This presentation looks like an early episode of MythBusters.
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Clearly, the good people of San Luis Obispo County were in sore need of entertainment in 1903.