Dining With Diamond Jim Brady.
Diamond Jim [wiki] (1856-1917) began as a bellboy and ended as a fabulously wealthy railroad tycoon, financier, and philanthropist. Now and then he had a bite to eat.
1: Number of gallons of orange juice the millionaire railroad tycoon drank for breakfast.
2: Number of pounds of candy Brady often finished a meal with - after desserts.
6: Number of times the size of Brady’s stomach was, compared with a normal person’s stomach.
8: Number of lobsters Brady often ate as dinner course or as "light" lunch.
12: Number of eggs Brady liked in his soufflé.
25: Number of "best customers" the owner of Charles Rector’s, an exclusive Broadway restaurant, said Brady represented - all by himself.
72: Number of oysters with which Brady often started an evening’s repast.
150,000: Number of dollars Brady reportedly paid a Boston chocolate manufacturer to build a larger factory to adequately supply the legendary gourmand.
From mental_floss’ excellent book Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide to History’s Naughtiest Bits, published in Neatorama with permission. Be sure to checkout the mentalfloss blog.







