The Archivist

History records the Chinese using oil from snakes to alleviate joint pain, but with the coming of the patent medicine man, snake oil took on a different connotation: fraud and fakery.   The traveling elixir peddlers sold their medicines with the promise of cures...

In 1942, city roadhouse owner Billy Gragg opened a downtown dance hall at 7 N Broadway and named it the Daisy Mae after the character in the long-running comic strip, “Li’l Abner.” Bragg said, “Girl attendants will dress as Daisy Mae, while fountain boys will appear as Li’l Abner.”...

Here’s a story from The Oklahoman on Nov. 5, 1927, that begins with a life lesson.

A sad, little story appeared in The Oklahoman on Nov.

Political candidates often make promises to their constituents in hopes of being elected, but changing the date of Groundhog Day to Valentine’s Day seems a bit of a stretch.

From the unpaved streets of the Land Run to the Interstate highways of today, city drivers are not surprised by the potholes, cracks and rough surfaces they encounter.

If motorists whizzing along NW 39 Street look on the south side of the 2600 block, they will see the YWCA Gaylord Service Complex.

When Dr. H.H. (Harry Howard) Cloudman arrived in Oklahoma City in 1908, he was already a celebrated athlete and medical doctor.

An anniversary slipped by last month. 75 years of anything is generally a milestone to recognize.

Jan. 1, 1913, was a time of celebration for Oklahoma City.

I had never thought about it before, but Election Day and Thanksgiving Day are both in the month of November.

Thesaurus.com defines generosity as “the spirit of giving.” It seems that Oklahomans have always been generous.

With full-page newspaper advertisements and dramatic television commercials featuring specialty hospitals and their offerings these days, it’s hard to imagine there was once a time when a newspaper advertisement for a hospital was just the name and location.

Halloween is almost here. This ghost story from Oklahoma’s past appeared in The Oklahoman on Nov.

In Guthrie’s Summit View Cemetery, a stark, black monument has marked the resting place of an Oklahoma pioneer for 83 years.

Who was Sally? When I read a March 1, 1925, story in The Oklahoman, I wanted to know.

Maybe you saw the news. The Times-Picayune, the daily newspaper for New Orleans, La., since 1837, is downsizing from a daily to publishing three days a week.

History often shows up where we least expect it. My sister, Martha Vickery, and I occasionally go to estate sales, searching for bargains and odd, interesting items At a recent sale, I saw a plaque on the wall, looked at it, thought the $12 price was too high and went on looking through the...

As the 2012 Summer Olympics are now under way in London, a look back in The Oklahoman shows the Stockholm Olympics were drawing to a close 100 years ago on July 15, 1912.

Basketball season will be upon us in a few months. The Thunder faithful will gather again on Reno Avenue north of the Chesapeake Arena in anticipation of another great game.