Oddlet: Florence Foster Jenkins · 1 min read
Mar 31, 2026
The Woman Who Thanked the Taxi Driver
She was in a taxi crash at seventy-five and discovered she could now sing a higher F than ever before. She did not sue. She sent cigars.
Florence Foster Jenkins performed at the White House as a child pianist. She founded New York's Verdi Club, a musical society whose honorary members included Enrico Caruso. She raised money for the war effort, supported young musicians, and was, by every measure, a serious and devoted patron of the arts.
She was also, by every measure, a spectacularly terrible singer.
Jenkins began giving vocal recitals in 1912 and never stopped. She performed arias in elaborate costumes — singing "Clavelitos" dressed as Carmen, flinging roses into the audience one by one, then flinging the basket, then flinging the castanets. When fans demanded an encore, her accompanist Cosmé McMoon would wade into the seats to retrieve the props so she could do it all again. She recorded herself at her own expense and sold the records to friends for $2.50 a copy. Critics noted she could sing everything except notes.
In 1943, at the age of seventy-five, she was in a taxi that crashed. She discovered afterward that she could now sing a higher F than ever before. She did not sue the taxi company. She sent the driver a box of Havana cigars.
Then she booked Carnegie Hall.
On October 25, 1944, the house sold out. Two thousand people were turned away at the door. Cole Porter was in the audience. So was Lily Pons.
She was exceedingly happy in her work.
Know someone who’d love this?
- Wikipedia — Florence Foster Jenkins — Comprehensive, well-cited article; primary source for biographical facts, dates, and quotes. Cross-checked against other sources.
- Britannica — Florence Foster Jenkins — Reliable encyclopedic source; useful for biographical overview and philanthropy angle.
- History vs. Hollywood — Fact-checking resource comparing the 2016 film to documented history; useful for verifying specific claims about the Carnegie Hall recital.
- Classical Music Magazine — Music-specialist publication; good for concert details, ticket scalping prices, and contemporary reviews.
- YourClassical / MPR News — Includes interview with Carnegie Hall Museum Director and Archivist Gino Francesconi; high reliability for Carnegie Hall-specific claims.
- TIME Magazine
The Cape Compromise
She swam thirteen miles down the Thames, twenty-two down the Danube, and got arrested walking onto a beach in Boston.
The Friar Who Kept Flying
What happens when a monk so incompetent he nearly wasn't ordained starts doing something no one can explain or contain?
The Divine Sarah's Menagerie
What do you feed an alligator you keep in a Paris apartment above a bedroom draped in black velvet?
Wonder, delivered.
A fresh Oddlet in your inbox every morning, a full day before everyone else. True, strange and under a minute.
Free forever. Unsubscribe anytime.