The year was 1848. It was nighttime in Hydesville, New York when a flustered Margaret Fox dragged a neighbor from their home to witness the frightening phenomenon that had scared her so badly. Upon entering the farmhouse, Margaret led the neighbor to the bedroom of her two young daughters, fifteen-year-old Margaretta “Maggie” Fox and eleven-year-old […]
California, the Golden State, was first explored by Europeans in the sixteenth century when Spanish explorers began traversing the Pacific coastline. By the late-eighteenth century, the Spanish had established a series of missions which ran along the state which was referred to as “Alta California.” After a relatively brief stint as a Mexican province, California […]
From the hidden treasure trove of the pirate Samuel Bellamy to the misplaced remains of the bizarre and mysterious Pedro Mountain Mummy, lost artifacts and treasures are scattered throughout history and sought after by fortune-hunters and historians alike. Amongst all of history’s most intriguing unsolved mysteries, few can hold a candle to that of the […]
Pier Gerlofs Donia, often referred to as “Big Pier,” “Grutte Pier,” or “Greate Pier,” is an oft-forgotten pirate as well as a beloved folk hero of Frisian legend. Perhaps one of the strongest pirates in history, Grutte Pier is said to have been capable of lifting a horse on his shoulders and decapitating several opponents […]
“Don’t wear white after Labor Day!” This popular fashion rule is not quite as relevant these days as it used to be, but the general sense of this old adage is that one should retire summer clothing by early September and begin wearing more “seasonally appropriate” attire for the incoming autumn and winter months. Such […]
The Renaissance in Europe was a period of art and renewal that brought with it many advancements in both culture and empire. The advent of the Church of England gave birth to the rise of English Protestantism, expanding imperial power set the stage for the upcoming Age of Exploration, and the most famous playwright of […]
I previously wrote about Saint Guinefort, a dog who became an unofficial local saint after a folk tale emerged surrounding his heroic deeds. While studying Saint Guinefort, I stumbled upon a little-known saint by the name of Saint Expeditus. There is little information available regarding this character, but what I could find is quite amusing. […]
“Joanna the Mad” is a name that is positioned at a focal branch of both the Habsburg family tree and that of the Spanish monarchy. Joanna, also known as “Juana La Loca” actually reigned as queen of Castile, and later of Aragon, for several decades. Despite this, her name is often overshadowed by the larger […]
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle was first published as a magazine serial 1905. It was subsequently released as a novel in 1906, after which it quickly became a bestseller. Its impact upon United States legislature was almost immediate. Sinclair’s novel, however, was written with a different purpose in mind. Who is Upton Sinclair? Upton Sinclair is […]
The Cheese and the Worms by Carlo Ginzburg is a fascinating glimpse into the private lives and personal beliefs of the Renaissance commoner. This human-centered history presents the story of a miller who committed the unthinkable crime of developing and sharing his own personal cosmology. Human History Before exploring the specifics of what makes this […]
