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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 5h

In 1892, residents of Exeter, Rhode Island exhumed the body of Mercy Brown, cut out her heart and liver, and burned them. Why? Because they believed her spirit was draining the life of her dying brother. #history #comic #webcomic #vampire

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In 1909, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey became the first women to drive across the United States. Well, she had three friends with her, but she gets the credit since she was the only one who knew how to drive. #history #comic #webcomic #ushistory

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The first newspaper in North America was released on this day in Boston 1690. "Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick" would only last a few days before being shut down by colonial officials. #history #comic #webcomic #newspaper

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

1936. Berlin, Germany. Adolf Hitler wanted to turn the city into a monument to fascism. He turned to Albert Speer to put his ideas into motion. #history #comic #webcomic #wwii

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Kate Warne, the first female private detective in the United States, played a key role in breaking up an alleged plot against the life of Abraham Lincoln in 1861. #history #comic #webcomic #uscivilwar

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

In the 1830s, wearing a beard in a small Massachusetts town wasn't just a fashion faux pas; it could land you in some serious hot water. #history #comic #webcomic #beards

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

No post today, sadly. I'm feeling better, but my head is still in enough metaphorical bits to make putting a comic together a struggle. Please enjoy this older drawing of a different sort of cyclops as an apology. I *will* be posting a comic on Tuesday barring some sort of disaster.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

My mental health's been on a downturn the last week. Yesterday, it cratered. Hard. I'm feeling a little better now, but still not like myself. There will be no comic Tuesday. Hopefully Friday will still work, but I'll only know for sure later. I'm very sorry everyone. Mea maxima culpa.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I'm fond of a good history book. But finding a good history book isn't necessarily an easy task. The research never ends, as it turns out. #comic #webcomic #books

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

A rare non-history post! Rice Shower has a very important question for her trainer. (Based on an obsolete meme 'cause I'm a slow artist.) #umamusume #riceshower

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The Great Sphinx of Giza. Towering. Mysterious. Noseless. Wait. Just how did that last one happen? #history #comic #webcomic #sphinx #egyptianhistory

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

February 19, 1942. For a single day, the city of Winnipeg experienced a taste of what life was like in Nazi-occupied Europe. This was "If Day". #history #comic #webcomic #wwii #canada #winnipeg

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. For Doris Miller, the hour came on December 7, 1941, amidst the chaos of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. #history #comic #webcomic #wwii #dorismiller

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

It's 1810 and Sweden has run right out of suitable royals to take the throne. So they turned to the next best option: recruiting a French soldier with no noble blood. #history #comic #webcomic #napoleonicwars #sweden

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

It's 1948. What's the safest and most efficient way to transport 76 beavers to the Idaho interior? If you said "by parachute", then you would have fit in well at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. #history #comic #webcomic #idaho #beaver

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

There will be no comic for 8/14. I've been bogged down by work. Mea culpa. See you all on 8/18!

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

In December 1943, the Victory ship SS John Harvey was carrying a secret cargo of mustard gas to Italy. Unfortunately for everyone nearby, it was bombed while in harbor at Bari, Italy. #history #comic #webcomic #wwii

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Got hit by a time crunch these past several days, so here's a little follow-up to the US Camel Corps comic. Personally, I think they should have given the US Ostrich Corps another go. #history #comic #webcomic

On the left is US Major Henry C. Wayne, a man with a thick beard and thinning hair on top. He is looking over at a battered and bandaged soldier with torn clothes. Wayne is also holding a pencil and standing in front of multiple papers pinned to the wall. The center-most piece of paper has a list on it, which follows: US Elephant Corps, US Water Buffalo Corps, US Zebra Corps, US Ostrich Corps, US Giraffe Corps, and US Leopard Corps. All but the US Leopard Corps have been crossed out. There are a few other papers pinned to the wall as well with drawings of what appear to be bison, lions, and kangaroos.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

In the mid-19th century, the US government was struggling with how to traverse the deserts and mountains of the American Southwest. Then came a novel suggestion: what about camels? #history #comic #webcomic #ushistory

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

September 14, 1927. Famed dancer Isadora Duncan's time on life's stage was about to come to a sudden end thanks to questionable fashion. #history #comic #webcomic #isadoraduncan

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

1880. English atheist Charles Bradlaugh had just been elected to Parliament. But there's a snag: he has to swear a religiously-worded oath to take his seat. #history #comic #webcomic #atheism

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

May 1873. Northern Turkey. Amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann comes across a trove of gold and silver artifacts, which he claims proves the existence of Homer's Troy. #history #comic #webcomic #troy #archaeology

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Samuel Morse was one of the major figures involved in the development of telegraphy and Morse code... but he didn't start that way. #history #comic #webcomic #morsecode

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

At some point in ancient history, someone discovered how to get a brilliant purple dye out of sea snails. Hard to make and incredibly expensive, it became the favorite of nobles and emperors for centuries. #history #comic #webcomic #ancienthistory

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

June 1942. World War II. US authorities were desperate to get their hands on a working Japanese Zero. It just so happened that one went down over the Alaskan island of Akutan. #history #comic #webcomic #wwii

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

History can pivot on some strange events. Take, for example, when William the Conqueror's dynasty was disrupted thanks to a prank involving a full chamber pot. #history #comic #webcomic #englishhistory

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

All day yesterday I was without internet thanks to storm damage (even wound up losing power too in the late afternoon). That shot a hole in my writing and research time, which means no comic for tomorrow. Sorry. Friday should still be good! Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

This upcoming July 4th marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But is that really the best metric for the US's "birthday"? #history #comic #webcomic #july4 #ushistory

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

June 29, 1971. Three cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz 11 spacecraft prepare to return to Earth. They will not make it. #history #comic #webcomic #spacerace #space

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Shortly before dawn on May 9, 1970, a small band of demonstrators at the Lincoln Memorial were surprised by a sleepless Richard Nixon. #history #comic #webcomic #nixon

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee — better known as the Johns Committee — terrorized and persecuted suspected homosexuals at Florida universities. #history #comic #webcomic #florida

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

England once had laws on the books mandating the regular practice of archery. I am not English, but I didn't let that stop me. #history #comic #webcomic #archery

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

My health took an unexplained nosedive over the weekend. No energy and no appetite, which unfortunately means no comic for today. Mea culpa. I'm feeling better now, so Friday's release should (in theory) still be on.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Ludwig II of Bavaria, the Fairy Tale King, had an end far more suited to a murder mystery. His body, along with his doctor's, was found bobbing in a lake days after he had been ousted from his throne. #history #comic #webcomic #bavaria #ludwigii

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

In 1532, acclaimed artist Michelangelo fell in love at first sight with a young nobleman named Tommaso de Cavalieri. What ensued was a flood of poetry and art, all dedicated to Cavalieri. #history #comic #webcomic #arthistory #michelangelo

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

In the 1880s, former slave William Dorsey Swann hosted secret drag parties in Washington D.C. He called himself "the queen of drag" — the first person to ever do so. #history #comic #webcomic #pride #drag

William Dorsey Swann, dressed in drag and wearing a wig, smiles and raises a glass of champagne. In the foreground, two glasses are being raised in kind.

Swann, now in a pale orange dress, is nose to nose with a mustachioed police officer. The angry-looking Swann is grabbing the officer by his jacket. The officer looks terrified.

Inside a courtroom. Swann, now out of drag and wearing a green suit, is angrily venting to the fourth wall. Sitting next to him is his lawyer, who is trying to hush Swann before he says anything that makes his situation worse.

A glum Swann, back in drag (a purple dress this time) and wearing his wig, is sitting by himself at a table. He is raising a glass to no one and with no one. His free arm is draped over the back of his chair. There is a glass of wine off to one side.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Living people are banned by law from appearing on US paper currency (for the moment). This is thanks to the arrogance of one Spencer M. Clark, superintendent of the National Currency Bureau during the US Civil War. #history #comic #webcomic #uscivilwar

An older man with a mustache is huddled over a pile of shining coins. He is whipping his head around to growl at someone speaking behind him. His eyes are full of fury and there is spittle flying from his open mouth.

Spencer M. Clark (the bearded fellow on the left) is following in the wake of his boss, Francis Spinner (the bald man on the right). Clark is raising one questioning pointer finger, but Spinner is blowing him off with a wave of his hand. Behind them is the seal of the US Treasury Department cut into wood.

$An incredibly smug Clark holds up a five cent fractional bill with his own face on it.$ A frustrated Martin Thayer (a balding man with wispy hair and a short mustache) crushes several of Clark's five-cent bills in his hand.

A frustrated Martin Thayer (a balding man with wispy hair and a short mustache) crushes several of Clark's five-cent bills in his hand.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

On May 29, 1851, Sojourner Truth gave her famous "ain't I a woman" speech. The thing is, the speech that most people know probably isn't the speech she gave. #history #comic #webcomic #sojournertruth

Inside a meeting hall. Sojourner Truth stands at a podium, one hand outstretched as she speaks to the gathered listeners. She does not have a speech bubble so we cannot hear what she is saying.

Marius Robinson, a white man with a beard (but no mustache) and a simple suit, speaks directly to the reader. He is holding up one hand vaguely pointing upward in a casual gesture.

Frances Dana Barker Gage, a white woman with curly hair on the sides of her head and a green dress, holds a hand to her chest and smiles with her eyes closed as she speaks to the reader.

Gage has wrapped one arm around Truth's shoulders (a little awkwardly, as Truth is very tall) and is gladly explaining herself. Truth looks less than pleased, both with the familiarity and the alteration of her words.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Something non-historical and off-schedule today, as El Condor Pasa decides to let the fans have an earful. #umamusume #elcondorpasa

Panel One: El Condor Pasa is standing in front of a URA board while speaking into a microphone. She has a somber look on her face.
El: At the end of my last race, I saw a sign in the crowd that said "Cane Mambo."

Panel Two: El closes her eyes and bows her head while continuing to speak her peace.
El: Mambo... is a six-year-old bird of prey...

Panel Three: El's face, now twisted with rage, fills the panel. She is practically jabbing on finger into the reader's face. She hasn't let go of the microphone, though.
El: YOU SICK SONS OF B****ES!!

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

November 9, 1874. Animals at the Central Park Zoo broke out and ran amok in a wild display of violence... or did they? Turns out the New York Herald decided to play a little prank on its readers. #history #comic #webcomic #hoax #centralpark

A man reacts with shock and fear while reading a newspaper (which says "AWFUL CALAMITY!! A Shocking Sabbath Carnival of Death"). He calls out to his wife behind him. She is leaning over backward to look at him, as if she had just walked past but didn't want to turn around.

A lion, mid-pounce, is about to sink its claws into the head of a screaming New York police officer. He is holding up a pistol, but not firing. Perhaps fear has frozen his hand.

The same man and woman from the first panel have returned. The man has acquired a double-barreled shotgun and is looking fiercely determined. His wife, however, has placed a restraining hand on his shoulder as she reads through the newspaper he apparently dropped.

A man with a massive mustache and cigar (editor Thomas Connery) is in the process of explaining himself. Another man is just poking his head in from the right side of the frame. He is carrying a box full of letters.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

The coal torpedo was a weapon of sabotage developed during the US Civil War to damage and destroy Union steamships with little evidence left behind. #history #comic #webcomic #uscivilwar

An old fashioned paddlewheel steamship is rocked by a large explosion on one side.

Thomas Courtenay (on the left) is holding up a coal torpedo, which looks just like a piece of coal. Jefferson Davis (on the right) is looking at this bomb with wide-eyed awe.

A foggy evening. An unseen saboteur places a coal torpedo in a large stack of regular coal.

Thomas Courtenay is in the middle of explaining a new idea to Confederate Secretary of State Judah Benjamin. The dismissive Benjamin is rather more focused on throwing confidential papers into a lit fireplace.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Nylon stockings were a massive hit when they were widely released in May 1940. But they vanished just as quickly in 1942 with wartime restrictions. What was a fashion-conscious public to do? #history #comic #webcomic #wwii #nylon

A woman dressed in stereotypical lab gear (that is to say, coat and goggles) is standing on a stage. She has one foot up on a box and is pulling back her coat to reveal the nylon stockings she's wearing. Off to one side is a partially concealed sign that says "Dupont Presents".

A pair of women are gloomily considering a set of bare shelves in one corner of a store. There is a sign tacked onto the shelves that says "No Nylon -- Support Our Boys".

A female beautician is sitting on the floor painting makeup onto another woman's legs. There is a small bottle of something called "Liquid Silk" on the floor next to the beautician.

A woman clutches a package of nylon stockings to her chest as she attempts to fend off a plethora of other women. Some are grabbing for the nylons. One off-panel is grabbing at her hair. Behind them, more fighting can be seen in the shadows.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Bluesies. Eight-pagers. Tijuana bibles. Whatever you want to call them, these little dirty comic books exploded in popularity during the Great Depression. #history #comic #webcomic #comichistory

A side street in a major city. Two young men are huddled near a wall ogling a Tijuana bible with Betty Boop on the cover. The young man on the left is gobsmacked. His colleague, who has a knowing look on his face, is elbowing him.

An artist, concealed in shadow, is hunched over a drawing table. Standing behind him the viewer can just barely see a sketch of Popeye the Sailor (but nothing naughty).

Inside a warehouse. A plainclothes detective is standing in front of several crates filled with Tijuana bibles (all of which have Dick Tracy on the cover). He has pulled one of the books out and is looking at the first page. His expression is torn at what he sees. A sign on the back says "NO SMOKING, NO READING". He is doing both.

A young man holding a glossy adult magazine (boasting about "The Girls of 1953!" on the cover) holds up his free hand and scoffs as someone tries to offer him a Tijuana bible with Archie's Jughead on the cover.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

The 1954 animated version of Animal Farm was one of Great Britain's first animated feature films. It was also partially funded by the US Central Intelligence Agency. #history #comic #webcomic #cia #animationhistory

Sonia Brownell (formerly Orwell) is sitting a desk across from two men cloaked in shadow. She is looking at a piece of paper with a coy smile. Behind Brownell on the wall is a portrait of George Orwell. A black mourning band is stretched over one corner of the portrait.

On the left is animator Joy Batchelor. She is being handed a sack of money (you can tell it's a sack of money by the pound sterling sign on it) by film producer Louis de Rochemont. Batchelor is a bit taken aback by this display of generosity. De Rochement is giving her a savvy grin.

Inside an office. Batchelor is going over sketches for the Animal Farm movie while her colleague/husband John Halas is speaking to someone on the phone. Halas seems less than pleased by what is being said to him. It's even caught Batchelor's attention in the background, as she is turning away from her drawing with a bewildered look.

John Halas walks by a brick wall, on which is a poster advertising Animal Farm. It reads "Pig Brother is Watching You! ANIMAL FARM."

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

William the Conqueror, king of England, died on September 9, 1087. That was only the beginning of his problems. #history #comic #webcomic #williamtheconqueror

A room inside a castle, with stone walls and small windows. A knight clad in mail is looking down at a corpse lying on the floor. Said corpse has bare legs, but is slightly covered by a sheet.

An old priest is standing at his lectern, a copy of the Bible in front of him. He looks slightly confused. The cause of this confusion is almost certainly the thick plumes of smoke leaking in from his left (the viewers' right).

Inside a church. The same priest from before is in a heated conversation with an irritated Norman noble (who, it must be said, has a terrible haircut -- short in the front, shaved in the back). The priest is gesturing to a bier off to one side. On top of the bier is a body draped in fabric.

Three horrified men are gathered around the edge of a sarcophagus (we thankfully cannot see inside it). A visibly rank aroma is wafting from out of the sarcophagus. Two of the men are soaked in some sort of disgusting fluid. One man is fighting back the urge to vomit, while another is calling frantically for incense to be burned. The third is staring down into the sarcophagus, unable to look away.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

We live in "interesting times", to borrow from that old saying. The volume of terrible and terrifying news every day can be overwhelming. It's okay to take a breather. (Also, a tribute to one of my favorite comic artists, Berkeley Breathed.) #comic #webcomic

A man with glasses and a thick beard (the creator of this comic, as a matter of fact) is staring despondently at his phone. It is spewing out all sorts of negative things: WAR, HATE, FEAR, DESPAIR.

The bearded man, his expression largely unchanged, tosses his phone over his shoulder.

The bearded man walks away from the audience into the white void of the comic panel.

A full color scene out in a forest clearing. There are trees and bushes everywhere. The bearded man is sitting on a stump off to one side, his eyes closed and his head leaned back as he soaks in the atmosphere. There is also a little bird sitting on a log not too far away. The bird's emotional state is unknown.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Strasbourg, 1518. A woman in the street begins to thrash and jump about. She is the first of many to be afflicted by the so-called "dancing plague". #history #comic #webcomic #holyromanempire

A cobblestone street in 16th century Strasbourg. A blond woman in a green dress, her eyes staring at nothing, is moving and swaying about. A crowd has surrounded her, but she pays them no mind.

The same woman from the first panel continues to "dance" (her arms, in fact, appear suspiciously like the "vogue"). She looks far more disheveled. Behind her, two men have joined in. Their "dances" also look very familiar; the man on the left appears to be "flossing", and the man on the rights looks to be doing "the monkey".

Inside a church. An agitated priest is standing at his pulpit in front of a stained glass window. In one hand, he is holding up a pair of red shoes with white crucifixes on them.

A field. A man with long brown hair and an excited smile is looking off to his right, as if looking down an unseen road. In his hands is a sign that reads "Need tickets to Dancing Man -- God bless thee".

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Henry V almost didn't make it to Agincourt. When he was still 16 (and not yet king), he was shot in the face with an arrow at the Battle of Shrewsbury. #history #comic #webcomic #100yearswar #henryv

A battlefield, or as near as anyone can tell based on the shadowy crowd of soldiers. Henry, Prince of Wales, is reeling backwards into the arms of one of his men. There is an arrow sticking out of the prince's face.

Inside a castle. A blood-stained doctor is holding up an equally bloody arrow. Unfortunately, said arrow is missing its tip. The doctor is looking back nervously at a pale Prince Henry, who is lying on a table behind him.

John Bradmore holds up his arrow remover, a metal device that resembles a pair of narrow tongs with a large screw going down the center of it.

Inside a castle. Prince Henry, now looking a bit healthier, is sitting up in a bed. There is a yellowish poultice on his face (turning to red from his blood). Bradmore is sitting next to the bed, holding a metal cup of the yellowish mixture. Henry is cracking a joke, but his doctor is paying him no mind.

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

No new comic today. I've been laid low the past few days by... I'm not quite sure, actually. Either allergies, a spring cold, or both. Anyway, please enjoy instead this drawing I made last week of a nervous man. His expression is close to my own right now. #drawing #digitalart

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A Jangle of Accidents @ajangleofaccidents.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Folks out there might have heard of "gerrymandering" before. But where does the term itself actually come from? #history #comic #webcomic #gerrymander

A young-looking man is sitting at a table bent over a map of Massachusetts (which is largely blocked by the lower text box; sorry about that). He has a quill in his hand and a coy grin on his face. Standing just behind him is an older and heavier man, who looks very pleased with what his colleague is up to.

On the left is Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts. He has a piece of paper in his hand; presumably, this is the map the young man from the first panel was working on. The older man from the first panel is back too, with his hands on Gerry's shoulders and a big smile on his face. Gerry does not look entirely convinced by what the other fellow is telling him.

A brown-haired young man -- Elkanah Tisdale -- is standing in front of a framed and enlarged version of his famous "gerry-mander" cartoon. Tisdale gestures with both stick and free hand at the gerrymander. He looks very angry. The gerrymander itself is a winged creature with a beak, a long neck, and two clawed legs.

A sour-looking Gerry, his shoulders slumped, is flanked on either side by far happier looking men (including the older fellow from the first two panels). The older man and his colleague -- a man with a green overcoat and top hat -- are holding tankards of ale. All three of them are wearing red, white, and blue rosettes -- a symbol of the Democratic-Republican Party.

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