The Great Depression hit James Cash Penney hard. It decimated his finances. It worried him. It humbled him. After some soul searching, he came to realize that he could make a comeback.

JC Penney the man proved to himself, and the world, that he still had something to offer. But the story didn’t end quite as sweetly for JCPenney the store.

Currey, Mary Elizabeth. Creating an American Institution: The Merchandising Genius of J.C. Penney. Dissertations-G, 1993.

Kruger, David Delbert. J.C. Penney: The Man, the Store, and American Agriculture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2017.

Penney, James Cash. Fifty Years with the Golden Rule. Harper and Brothers, 1950.

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James Cash Penney had an ambitious dream. He wanted to own 50 Golden Rule stores. Over the course of just a few years, he achieved that dream and then some. But tough lessons in his personal life taught him that financial success wasn’t everything. So, he pulled back. He reevaluated his life. He travelled. He sought counsel from his pastor. He even bought a ticket on the Titanic!

Currey, Mary Elizabeth. Creating an American Institution: The Merchandising Genius of J.C. Penney. Dissertations-G, 1993.

Kruger, David Delbert. J.C. Penney: The Man, the Store, and American Agriculture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2017.

Penney, James Cash. Fifty Years with the Golden Rule. Harper and Brothers, 1950.

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

Say what you will about James Cash Penney Jr. Just don’t say he didn’t work his booty off. After he left his hometown, James tried desperately to succeed as a businessman. He found work as a sales person. He bought a struggling butcher shop/bakery. With each effort came failure.

Then he discovered a new kind of business. It was called the Golden Rule Dry Goods Store. The store featured low-priced goods in a clean environment. The store owners treated their customers with respect. James went to the store, hoping to be hired. He knew that if he could get his foot in the door, he’d one day find success.

Currey, Mary Elizabeth. Creating an American Institution: The Merchandising Genius of J.C. Penney. Dissertations-G, 1993.

Kruger, David Delbert. J.C. Penney: The Man, the Store, and American Agriculture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2017.

Penney, James Cash. Fifty Years with the Golden Rule. Harper and Brothers, 1950.

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

Normie C starts this series with a bold claim: That JCPenney is the best department store ever. This raises a lot of questions. Questions like… Really? Has Norm been to other department stores? Also, really??

In Part 1, Norm loads us up with all the context we’ll ever need about James Cash Penney Jr. A poor farm boy from Missouri, Penney would eventually create a chain of department stores with more than 2,000 locations worldwide. (If you’re able, please listen to this episode while wearing your finest St. John's Bay polo.)

Currey, Mary Elizabeth. Creating an American Institution: The Merchandising Genius of J.C. Penney. Dissertations-G, 1993.

Kruger, David Delbert. J.C. Penney: The Man, the Store, and American Agriculture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2017.

Penney, James Cash. Fifty Years with the Golden Rule. Harper and Brothers, 1950.

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

Mother’s Day. When Anna Jarvis founded the holiday, she envisioned it as a day for everyone to honor and thank their mothers. She worked tirelessly to promote the holiday. She hoped it would be celebrated around the globe.

But after a few years, Anna noticed that Mother’s Day was becoming… commercialized. Anna was incensed. She went to war against florists, greeting card makers and anyone else who might make a profit on Mother’s Day. Her anger even spilled over onto charities that used the holiday to help fundraise for mothers in need. By the end of her life, Anna Jarvis figured that if she could bring Mother’s Day into this world, she could also be the one to end it.

“The mother of mother’s day,” by Daniel Mark Epstein for The Philadelphia Inquirer

“The founder of mother’s day mostly cared about her own mother,” by Nina Martin for Mother Jones

“Anna Jarvis: The woman who regretted creating mother’s day,” by Vibeke Venema for the BBC

“Battling the Mother’s Day monster,” The Ottawa Citizen

“Why Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis later fought to have the holiday abolished,” by Jonathan Mulinix for Mental Floss

“How the founder of Mother’s Day died alone, childless and penniless in an insane asylum,” by Laura T. Coffey for Today.com

“Who made America?” for PBS.org

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

In his final episode on Daylight Saving Time, Norm tells us that America has flip flopped on Daylight Saving Time for decades. We love it! We hate it! We implement it; we rescind it. Will the battle ever end? Probably not! Will Norm survive the disease known as the flu? We sure hope so!

Austermuhle, Martin. “A History Of D.C.’s Bizarre Daylight Saving Mishaps.” DCist (blog), n.d. https://dcist.com/story/19/03/11/a-history-of-d-c-s-bizarre-daylight-saving-mishaps/.

Duster, Chandelis. “Trump Urges Congress to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent.” NPR, April 12, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/04/12/nx-s1-5363208/trump-daylight-saving-time.

Preprau, David. Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time. Basic Books, 2006.

“Vietnam Lotteries : Selective Service System,” n.d. https://www.sss.gov/history-and-records/vietnam-lotteries/.

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

“OMG, the sun is up! Shouldn’t you be awake, doing productive things?” … that’s essentially what Benjamin Franklin shouted when he advocated to change the hours of human activity to take advantage of daylight.

That idea later evolved into Daylight Saving Time. Since its inception, Daylight Saving Time has had its fans and critics. In this series, Norm refers to the critics as Sun Cynics. The fans? Sun Sluts. Where will you land?

Byrne, Kerry. “Meet the American Who Created Time Zones, Charles F. Dowd, Schoolmaster Set Clock for Mankind.” Fox News, December 17, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/meet-american-created-time-zones-charles-f-dowd-schoolmaster-managed-clock-mankind.

“Full Text - Daylight Saving Time - William Willett’s Pamphlet,” n.d. https://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/willett.html.

Preprau, David. Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time. Basic Books, 2006.

“The Builder Who Changed How the World Keeps Time,” March 11, 2016. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160310-the-builder-who-changed-how-the-world-keeps-time.

“Time Balls: The Rise and Fall of a Timekeeping Icon.” September 19, 2021. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-58559814.

“What Is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) - and Why Does It Matter? | Royal Museums Greenwich,” n.d. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/greenwich-mean-time-gmt.

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

In the summer of 1974, the Cleveland Indians had a big problem. Hardly anyone showed up for their games. It was embarrassing! So, the team’s management brainstormed ways to get butts in seats. Ultimately, they opted to host a handful of 10-cent beer nights. They hoped that the cheap beer would draw people to the stadium.

The good news? The plan worked! The bad news? It was pandemonium!

“Fifty years later, the chaos of Cleveland’s 10-cent beer night still shocks,” by Zack Meisel for The New York Times

“10 cent beer night: An oral history of Cleveland baseball’s most infamous night,” by Vince Guerrieri for Cleveland Magazine

“The night beer and violence bubbled over in Cleveland,” by Paul Jackson for espn.com

“10-Cent Beer Night: A look back,” video by Sports & Extras Network

“Ten Cent Beer Night Was A Total Disaster,” YouTube video by Weird History

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

In the year of our Lord 1953, the city of Springfield, Missouri, had a terrible problem. Deadly cobras kept popping up in people’s yards! What were cobras doing in Missouri? They weren’t native to the area. Who the hell had rolled out the welcome mat??  

For the local police, the sudden presence of cobras wasn’t nearly as mysterious as it sounded. A local store, the Mowrer Animal Company, sold all kinds of exotic animals. Organutans! Crocodiles! And...you guessed it...cobras! But when police talked to the store's owner, he claimed innocence. What was going on?

“Hissy Fit: Springfield’s 1953 Cobra Scare,” OzarksWatch Video Magazine

“Ozarks Life: The Great Cobra Scare of 1953,” by Chad Plein ky3.com

“Springfield’s cobra scare of 1953,” ozarksalive.com

“Fessin’ up,” by Mike O’Brien for The Springfield News-Leader

“And where is Reo Mowrer today?” The Springfield News-Leader

“Snakes in Springfield,” by Greta Cross for The Springfield News-Leader

“Tying up some loose ends about Springfield’s loose cobras,” by Mike O’Brien for The Springfield News-Leader

“Does Drury have the sole remaining cobra of ‘53 scare?” by Mike O’Brien for The Springfield News-Leader

“Cobra hindsight beats foresight,” The Springfield News-Leader

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

In this *very special* episode of an Old Timey Podcast, we got DP’d.

Ahem. By that, we mean that Kristin’s dad (aka DP) took over. He renamed the podcast. He accused Norm of having a dirty mind. Worst of all, he tricked us. (On our own podcast! In our own home! Is nothing sacred??)

“Small Town, Big Con” episode of 20/20

“A look back at the Natalie Cochran trial,” by Autumn Shelton for REAL WV

“Prosecutors say text messages show Natalie Cochran tried to put some distance between Michael Cochran and his family,” by Jessica Jarrish for WVNS TV

“Natalie Cochran convicted of murder after Ponzi scheme," by Isabel Modano for lawyer-monthly.com

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.