A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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“Shoutout to ATM fees for making me buy my own money” (3/27)
“Thank you, ATM fees, for allowing me to buy my own money” (3/27)
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“Shout out to ATM fees for making me buy my own money” (3/27)
20-20-20 Rule (for eyes) (3/27)
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Entry from September 03, 2013
“The brain starts working when you get up, and doesn’t stop until you get into the office”

A joke was told in Hardware Age in 1928 and was reprinted in many newspapers and magazines:
 
“The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment we get up in the morning, and doesn’t stop until we get to the office.” 
 
The author of joke is unknown. American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) has been credited since at least 1940, but Frost didn’t write for Hardware Age and the early citations of the joke do not credit him for it.
 
“The human brain is a wonderful thing. It starts working the moment you are born, and never stops until you stand up to speak in public” has been cited in print since 1949 and is a similar saying.
     
 
Wikipedia: Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America’s rare “public literary figures, almost an artistic institution.” He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetical works.
   
Google Books
Hardware Age
Volume 122, Issues 10-17
1928
Pg. 72:
The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment we get up in the morning, and doesn’t stop until we get to the office.
 
14 October 1928, Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, UT), pg. 8, col. 6:
DAILY SNOOZE
The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment we get up in the morning, and doesn’t stop until we get to the office.—Hardware Age.
   
15 October 1928, San Diego (CA) Union, pg. 10, col. 5:
The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment we get up in the morning, and doesn’t stop until we get to the office.—Hardware Age.
 
5 September 1929, San Diego (CA) Union, “The Northeast Corner,” pg. 4, col. 7:
Austin Butcher says: “The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment we get up in the morning, and doesn’t stop until we get to the office.”
 
9 February 1940, The Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica), pg. 3, col. 1 ad:
BEACONLITES
THE WORLD’S WIT & WISDOM
The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office.
—Frost.
Buy BEACON Matches
 
31 March 1950, Chicago (IL) Tribune, “Doctor Has His Own Variation of ‘The Pen Is Mightier’” by Lucy Key Miller, pg. A2:
“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office.”
   
Google Books
11 April 1953, Florence (AL) Times, “Tales of Three Cities” by Ben Knight, pg. 1, col. 7:
Cynic speaking: The nrain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the minute you get up in the morning, and doesn’t stop until you get into the office.
 
14 May 1957. Seattle (WA) Times, “Hungry Enough To Eat an Ox? Feast Will Be Long One"by Hal Boyle, pg. 13, cols. 6-7:
That it was Robert Frost, the poet, who observed: “The nrain is a wonderful organ’ it begins working the minute you get up in the morning and doesn’t stop until you get into the office.”
 
Twitter
Robert Frost‏
@_frostquotes  
The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in t… http://pquot.es/eY  #robertfrost #quote #quotes
3:06 AM - 1 Sep 13

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityWork/Businesses • Tuesday, September 03, 2013 • Permalink


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