Biography History Mystery

Louis XVII: The Lost Dauphin

In 1789, Louis XVI of France lost his grip upon the monarchy which he had inherited. Famine, indecisive decision-making, and unsuccessful policy reforms had created an environment in which the so-called “third estate,” the estate of the middle class commoners, struggled to survive. The mood in Europe, especially following the American Revolutionary War which France […]

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Biography History Mystery

The Strange Story of Mesmerism and its Namesake Franz Mesmer

What is Mesmerism? The phrase “animal magnetism” evokes mental images of emanating sensuality, of raw primal attraction. Colloquially, this is what animal magnetism means. However, animal magnetism once held a very different definition. There was a time, in fact, when it was thought, albeit by a small group of believers, that animal magnetism would completely […]

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History Mystery

The Dog Who Became a Saint

St. Francis of Assisi is often associated with animals. His philosophy of respect and stewardship over nature has cemented him in history as a patron of ecology, nature, and the creatures with which we share this planet. Like many other saints, Francis’s gentleness towards animals is just one of the many pious behaviors associated with […]

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History Mystery

The True Story Behind the Man in the Iron Mask

The author of The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, wrote several books which fictionalized the lives of French nobility during the seventeenth century. One such novel, a sequel to The Three Musketeers which follows the life of Louis XIV, is entitled “The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later.” From this novel, which is often split into […]

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