Those Tricky Englishmen

Map of Delaware River (From: Wikimedia)

"In 1737, with English settlers advancing into Delaware Indian country and the Delawares grudgingly giving ground, a novel agreement was reached: The Indians would let white men inhabit the land along the Delaware River as far upstream as a man could walk in a day and a half. The Indians had in mind a normal pace; the whites did not. Thomas Penn, descendant of the founder of Pennsylvania, selected three young athletes, had them secretly reconnoiter a trail, and promised 5 [pounds] and 500 acres to the man who walked the farthest. Edward Marshall covered more than 65 miles in the allotted time--about twice the distance the Delawares had anticipated. They never forgot nor forgave the Englishmen's stratagem." (116) --Ronald M. Fisher, The Appalachian Trail

Whiskey from a Truck Radiator

Moonshining in Kentucky (From: Wikimedia Commons)

"In the 1920s Prohibition brought boom times to moonshiners, and in some mountain areas almost every family was involved in one way or another with production or sale of whiskey. Many neglected farming altogether to concentrate on this profitable sideline. But repeal of Prohibition in 1933 again made liquor legally available, and to stay in business moonshiners not only had to lower their prices but also to lengthen their lines of distribution. As the price went down, so did quality. More important, moonshiners increasingly used old auto and truck radiators as their condensing equipment. The soldered joints of the radiators contaminate the whiskey with poisonous--even lethal--lead salts." (34) --Ronald M. Fisher, The Appalachian Trail