NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CRITIC OF THOMAS JEFFERSON Roosevelt never forgot Jefferson’s “cowardly infamy” as President in failing to build an adequate army and navy, and placed on his doorstep blame for the humiliating defeats inflicted by the British on the United States during the War of 1812. It was a just criticism. A nation of eight million people should have been able to

defend its

EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow 18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her THE FIRST FOOT FETISHIST? Adrienne Mayor (Regular Contributor) A foot fetish is a sexual attraction to naked feet. Of non-genital body parts, feet are the most fetishized. Not only is foot worship, podophilia, surprisingly prevalent, but it is a very ancient phenomenon. The earliest literary evidence comes from a set of 64 brooding, obsessive “Love Letters”

composed

HOW HENRI MATISSE SOUGHT RENEWAL IN TAHITI AND FOUND IT IN How Henri Matisse Sought Renewal in Tahiti and Found it in America. One of the most curious and unexpected influences in the career of Henri Matisse was his encounter with the American art collector Albert C. Barnes. In 1929, looking for new ideas at a moment in his life when the artist was feeling old and uninspired (he was 60), he decided to WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN The medieval practice of spilling pure blood through sacrifice constitutes another, more fantastical proposed treatment. Soaking in a bath medicated with the blood of an infant or a virgin was considered a possible cure. A leper who sat in this blood bath expected to undergo what would now be considered like a transfusion: the corrupt

blood

SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually).

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CRITIC OF THOMAS JEFFERSON Roosevelt never forgot Jefferson’s “cowardly infamy” as President in failing to build an adequate army and navy, and placed on his doorstep blame for the humiliating defeats inflicted by the British on the United States during the War of 1812. It was a just criticism. A nation of eight million people should have been able to

defend its

EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow 18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her THE FIRST FOOT FETISHIST? Adrienne Mayor (Regular Contributor) A foot fetish is a sexual attraction to naked feet. Of non-genital body parts, feet are the most fetishized. Not only is foot worship, podophilia, surprisingly prevalent, but it is a very ancient phenomenon. The earliest literary evidence comes from a set of 64 brooding, obsessive “Love Letters”

composed

HOW HENRI MATISSE SOUGHT RENEWAL IN TAHITI AND FOUND IT IN How Henri Matisse Sought Renewal in Tahiti and Found it in America. One of the most curious and unexpected influences in the career of Henri Matisse was his encounter with the American art collector Albert C. Barnes. In 1929, looking for new ideas at a moment in his life when the artist was feeling old and uninspired (he was 60), he decided to WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN The medieval practice of spilling pure blood through sacrifice constitutes another, more fantastical proposed treatment. Soaking in a bath medicated with the blood of an infant or a virgin was considered a possible cure. A leper who sat in this blood bath expected to undergo what would now be considered like a transfusion: the corrupt

blood

SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually). ANCIENT FLYING SAUCERS Ancient Flying Saucers. “Ancient Aliens,” the popular sci-fi meme, has yet to produce solid proof that extraterrestrials ever interacted with humans. Yet Unidentified Flying Objects have a surprisingly ancient history. The earliest UFO sightings were reported by Roman historians Livy, Orosius, Seneca, Plutarch, Pliny, and Josephus. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CRITIC OF THOMAS JEFFERSON Roosevelt never forgot Jefferson’s “cowardly infamy” as President in failing to build an adequate army and navy, and placed on his doorstep blame for the humiliating defeats inflicted by the British on the United States during the War of 1812. It was a just criticism. A nation of eight million people should have been able to

defend its

STRANGE TALES AND SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT ROME 1. In 173 BC, a large fleet of ships was seen in the sky near Rome. 2. Cobwebs were used to stop bleeding from fractured skulls and shaving cuts. 3. The Romans wondered whether plants enjoy travel in the same way as people do. There was a law against using magic to transfer growing crops from one place to another. 4. WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

FRACTURED BONES, ANCIENT AND MODERN Ambroise Paré lists the three most important steps in curing a broken bone: “First, restore the bone to its place. Second, contain or stay it being so restored. Third, prevent the increase of malign symptoms or accidents including pain, inflammation, fever, abscess, and gangrene.”. Today, what comes next in the long recovery phase is GANDHI'S MARCH TO THE SEA Gandhi argued that the salt tax was an example of British misrule that affected all Indians. Gandhi began his campaign against the salt tax on March 2 with a letter to Lord Irwin, the Viceroy of India, announcing his intention of breaking the salt laws. Ten days later he began a 240-mile march to the sea with seventy-eight followers–carefully FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or PRYING OPEN THE PIGPEN CIPHER Prying Open the Pigpen Cipher. Today, your local, run-of-the-mill inmate – say, inmate 3087A, passes a note along to inmate 2065B. Circa 1863, a Union prisoner of the Confederate Army secretly sends a letter describing his whereabouts to his fellow troops. In the early 18 th century, a Masonic text, some letter of correspondence or sacred THE SOVIET WAR DOGS OF WWII Only the Soviet government had the resources to tackle the problem. It took them seven years to develop a new breed of dog, one fit for working and military purposes, and family use – the Black Russian terrier. Ironically, two of the dog breeds that contributed most to the new Russian dog, were German dogs: the Rottweiler and the giant

schnauzer.

SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually).

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow 18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE By Wendy Moore. Wife-beating was both widely tolerated and sanctioned by law in 18th-century England. Yet the ordeal suffered by Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, at the hands of her husband so shocked Georgian sensibilities that she not only won landmark legal battles but her husband was banished to prison. HOW HENRI MATISSE SOUGHT RENEWAL IN TAHITI AND FOUND IT IN Barnes was a cantankerous and eccentric collector. He had amassed a fortune in pharmaceuticals and was building one of the greatest personal collections of art in America, but he didn’t care for the world of art critics and he detested museums. THE FIRST FOOT FETISHIST? Adrienne Mayor (Regular Contributor). A foot fetish is a sexual attraction to naked feet. Of non-genital body parts, feet are the most fetishized. Not only is foot worship, podophilia, surprisingly prevalent, but it is a very ancient phenomenon. WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST By Adrienne Mayor (monthly contributor). Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN By Regan Allen (Vanderbilt University). In its later stages, the body of a medieval leper bore the appalling signs of decay and putrefaction: a misshapen face, numb and deteriorating limbs, festering sores on the skin, rancid breath and a raspy, fading voice. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CRITIC OF THOMAS JEFFERSON By Daniel Ruddy Does Theodore Roosevelt seem angry as he stares out at us from atop Mount Rushmore? If so, it would not be surprising, stuck as he is in immovable granite next to Thomas Jefferson, a man he thoroughly despised. SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually).

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow 18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE By Wendy Moore. Wife-beating was both widely tolerated and sanctioned by law in 18th-century England. Yet the ordeal suffered by Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, at the hands of her husband so shocked Georgian sensibilities that she not only won landmark legal battles but her husband was banished to prison. HOW HENRI MATISSE SOUGHT RENEWAL IN TAHITI AND FOUND IT IN Barnes was a cantankerous and eccentric collector. He had amassed a fortune in pharmaceuticals and was building one of the greatest personal collections of art in America, but he didn’t care for the world of art critics and he detested museums. THE FIRST FOOT FETISHIST? Adrienne Mayor (Regular Contributor). A foot fetish is a sexual attraction to naked feet. Of non-genital body parts, feet are the most fetishized. Not only is foot worship, podophilia, surprisingly prevalent, but it is a very ancient phenomenon. WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST By Adrienne Mayor (monthly contributor). Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN By Regan Allen (Vanderbilt University). In its later stages, the body of a medieval leper bore the appalling signs of decay and putrefaction: a misshapen face, numb and deteriorating limbs, festering sores on the skin, rancid breath and a raspy, fading voice. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CRITIC OF THOMAS JEFFERSON By Daniel Ruddy Does Theodore Roosevelt seem angry as he stares out at us from atop Mount Rushmore? If so, it would not be surprising, stuck as he is in immovable granite next to Thomas Jefferson, a man he thoroughly despised. SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually). EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). In 1953, students at Clinton Elementary School in Minneapolis began taking part in a strange ritual. As they stood in a line outside the music room, a man passed a fluoroscope tube over their clothing and shoes. WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST By Adrienne Mayor (monthly contributor). Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. BEAUTY FROM PAIN: A LOOK AT 17TH CENTURY BEAUTY TRENDS AND By Lauren Montgomery (Guest Contributor) What do your typical skin products contain? How about cucumber juice, white lead, and white honey? This was a popular ointment recipe used by women in the 16-17th century created by Jean Liebault to ANCIENT FLYING SAUCERS By Adrienne Mayor “Ancient Aliens,” the popular sci-fi meme, has yet to produce solid proof that extraterrestrials ever interacted with humans. Yet Unidentified Flying Objects have a THE FIRST BASEBALL SPEED GUN By Joseph Wallace (Guest Contributor) How fast does a baseball travel after being thrown by a major-league pitcher? A remarkable article in the December, 1912, issue of Baseball Magazine showed that the first accurate measurements were made decades before the invention of the modern-day radar gun.. Titled “One Hundred and Twenty-two Feet a Second!”, the piece sought to measure the GANDHI'S MARCH TO THE SEA by Pamela Toler. The American Revolution had the Boston Tea Party; the Indian independence movement had Gandhi’s salt march. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the British government in India had a heavily taxed monopoly on the production and sale of salt. FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE By Anne Sebba (Guest Contributor). Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or broadcasting information on secret wireless sets. And it’s usually men who are involved. But there were many types of resistance. For women, especially those trapped in Paris who had to encounter SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually). PRYING OPEN THE PIGPEN CIPHER by Marco Tiburcio (Student Contributor, Vanderbilt University) Today, your local, run-of-the-mill inmate – say, inmate 3087A, passes a note along to inmate 2065B. STRANGE TALES AND SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT ROME By James C. McKeown The Romans have a reputation as being a very practical society, building impressive aqueducts with really good cement, while maintaining a ruthlessly efficient army that conquered and maintained a vast empire.

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow 18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE By Wendy Moore. Wife-beating was both widely tolerated and sanctioned by law in 18th-century England. Yet the ordeal suffered by Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, at the hands of her husband so shocked Georgian sensibilities that she not only won landmark legal battles but her husband was banished to prison. HOW HENRI MATISSE SOUGHT RENEWAL IN TAHITI AND FOUND IT IN Barnes was a cantankerous and eccentric collector. He had amassed a fortune in pharmaceuticals and was building one of the greatest personal collections of art in America, but he didn’t care for the world of art critics and he detested museums. THE FIRST FOOT FETISHIST? Adrienne Mayor (Regular Contributor). A foot fetish is a sexual attraction to naked feet. Of non-genital body parts, feet are the most fetishized. Not only is foot worship, podophilia, surprisingly prevalent, but it is a very ancient phenomenon. WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST By Adrienne Mayor (monthly contributor). Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN By Regan Allen (Vanderbilt University). In its later stages, the body of a medieval leper bore the appalling signs of decay and putrefaction: a misshapen face, numb and deteriorating limbs, festering sores on the skin, rancid breath and a raspy, fading voice. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CRITIC OF THOMAS JEFFERSON By Daniel Ruddy Does Theodore Roosevelt seem angry as he stares out at us from atop Mount Rushmore? If so, it would not be surprising, stuck as he is in immovable granite next to Thomas Jefferson, a man he thoroughly despised. SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually).

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow 18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE By Wendy Moore. Wife-beating was both widely tolerated and sanctioned by law in 18th-century England. Yet the ordeal suffered by Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, at the hands of her husband so shocked Georgian sensibilities that she not only won landmark legal battles but her husband was banished to prison. HOW HENRI MATISSE SOUGHT RENEWAL IN TAHITI AND FOUND IT IN Barnes was a cantankerous and eccentric collector. He had amassed a fortune in pharmaceuticals and was building one of the greatest personal collections of art in America, but he didn’t care for the world of art critics and he detested museums. THE FIRST FOOT FETISHIST? Adrienne Mayor (Regular Contributor). A foot fetish is a sexual attraction to naked feet. Of non-genital body parts, feet are the most fetishized. Not only is foot worship, podophilia, surprisingly prevalent, but it is a very ancient phenomenon. WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST By Adrienne Mayor (monthly contributor). Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN By Regan Allen (Vanderbilt University). In its later stages, the body of a medieval leper bore the appalling signs of decay and putrefaction: a misshapen face, numb and deteriorating limbs, festering sores on the skin, rancid breath and a raspy, fading voice. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CRITIC OF THOMAS JEFFERSON By Daniel Ruddy Does Theodore Roosevelt seem angry as he stares out at us from atop Mount Rushmore? If so, it would not be surprising, stuck as he is in immovable granite next to Thomas Jefferson, a man he thoroughly despised. SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually). EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). In 1953, students at Clinton Elementary School in Minneapolis began taking part in a strange ritual. As they stood in a line outside the music room, a man passed a fluoroscope tube over their clothing and shoes. WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST By Adrienne Mayor (monthly contributor). Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. BEAUTY FROM PAIN: A LOOK AT 17TH CENTURY BEAUTY TRENDS AND By Lauren Montgomery (Guest Contributor) What do your typical skin products contain? How about cucumber juice, white lead, and white honey? This was a popular ointment recipe used by women in the 16-17th century created by Jean Liebault to ANCIENT FLYING SAUCERS By Adrienne Mayor “Ancient Aliens,” the popular sci-fi meme, has yet to produce solid proof that extraterrestrials ever interacted with humans. Yet Unidentified Flying Objects have a THE FIRST BASEBALL SPEED GUN By Joseph Wallace (Guest Contributor) How fast does a baseball travel after being thrown by a major-league pitcher? A remarkable article in the December, 1912, issue of Baseball Magazine showed that the first accurate measurements were made decades before the invention of the modern-day radar gun.. Titled “One Hundred and Twenty-two Feet a Second!”, the piece sought to measure the GANDHI'S MARCH TO THE SEA by Pamela Toler. The American Revolution had the Boston Tea Party; the Indian independence movement had Gandhi’s salt march. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the British government in India had a heavily taxed monopoly on the production and sale of salt. FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE By Anne Sebba (Guest Contributor). Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or broadcasting information on secret wireless sets. And it’s usually men who are involved. But there were many types of resistance. For women, especially those trapped in Paris who had to encounter SALIERI AND MOZART…WHO WERE THEY REALLY? AND HOW DID PETER by Stephanie Cowell. I have read a huge amount about Mozart: his letters, biographies, etc. I own cds of all the music he ever wrote and I wrote a novel called MARRYING MOZART (Viking Penguin) about the young Mozart and the four young musical Weber sisters, one of whom he married (eventually). PRYING OPEN THE PIGPEN CIPHER by Marco Tiburcio (Student Contributor, Vanderbilt University) Today, your local, run-of-the-mill inmate – say, inmate 3087A, passes a note along to inmate 2065B. STRANGE TALES AND SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT ROME By James C. McKeown The Romans have a reputation as being a very practical society, building impressive aqueducts with really good cement, while maintaining a ruthlessly efficient army that conquered and maintained a vast empire.

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. FRACTURED BONES, ANCIENT AND MODERN Ambroise Paré lists the three most important steps in curing a broken bone: “First, restore the bone to its place. Second, contain or stay it being so restored. Third, prevent the increase of malign symptoms or accidents including pain, inflammation, fever, abscess, and gangrene.”. Today, what comes next in the long recovery phase is CONSTIPATION IN HISTORY In 1909 Arbuthnot Lane recommended removing the colon as the cure for constipation and all its attendant ills. That seems to be a step too far. References. Clark, Sir Andrew (1887) ‘Observations on the anaemia or chlorosis of girls, occurring more commonly between the advent of menstruation and the consummation of womanhood’,

Proceedings of

COLONIAL MIDWIFERY

Colonial Midwifery. June 6, 2011 By Holly Tucker. by Heather Whaley. Colonial Midwifery began with the Mayflower’s journey in 1620. Bridget Lee Fuller delivered three babies during the two months long voyage and continued practice as a midwife in Plymouth for 44 years until her death in 1664. In addition, it is documented that one birth

took

18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

BREASTFEEDING… THE GRANDCHILDREN? WONDROUS EARLY MODERN A poor woman gave birth to a healthy boy, but both the father and she died soon after. The sixty-six year old grandmother, Joanna Vuyltuyt, took in the child, but had no money to hire a nurse. She desperately attempted to feed the baby herself. “From that old woman’s strong imagination and vehement desire to give suck to this child”, she

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. FRACTURED BONES, ANCIENT AND MODERN Ambroise Paré lists the three most important steps in curing a broken bone: “First, restore the bone to its place. Second, contain or stay it being so restored. Third, prevent the increase of malign symptoms or accidents including pain, inflammation, fever, abscess, and gangrene.”. Today, what comes next in the long recovery phase is CONSTIPATION IN HISTORY In 1909 Arbuthnot Lane recommended removing the colon as the cure for constipation and all its attendant ills. That seems to be a step too far. References. Clark, Sir Andrew (1887) ‘Observations on the anaemia or chlorosis of girls, occurring more commonly between the advent of menstruation and the consummation of womanhood’,

Proceedings of

COLONIAL MIDWIFERY

Colonial Midwifery. June 6, 2011 By Holly Tucker. by Heather Whaley. Colonial Midwifery began with the Mayflower’s journey in 1620. Bridget Lee Fuller delivered three babies during the two months long voyage and continued practice as a midwife in Plymouth for 44 years until her death in 1664. In addition, it is documented that one birth

took

18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

BREASTFEEDING… THE GRANDCHILDREN? WONDROUS EARLY MODERN A poor woman gave birth to a healthy boy, but both the father and she died soon after. The sixty-six year old grandmother, Joanna Vuyltuyt, took in the child, but had no money to hire a nurse. She desperately attempted to feed the baby herself. “From that old woman’s strong imagination and vehement desire to give suck to this child”, she

WONDERS & MARVELS

Wonders & Marvels - A Community for Curious Minds who love History, its Odd Stories, and Good Reads. A Jewish Writer Revived by Her Daughters. A Jewish Writer Revived by Her Daughters. Raquelle Bostow. By Susan Rubin Suleiman (Guest Contributor) Fall is the season for the big literary prizes in BEAUTY FROM PAIN: A LOOK AT 17TH CENTURY BEAUTY TRENDS AND Completing the Look. While white makeup was the base of most looks in the 17th century, in order to spice up or complete their look, women would add red paint to their lips and cheeks. This paint was often based in vermillion, an orange-red pigment derived from mercury. They found creative ways to create red pigments and went so far as to use FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or ISABELLA OF SPAIN-WARRIOR QUEEN Isabella was a reigning queen at a time when reigning queens were rare. She transformed herself from a pawn in the power politics of fifteenth century Europe into one of the players with a brilliant combination of political savvy, military aggression and just plain bluffing. I would argue that her success in seizing and holding her

throne–at

THE ROLE OF THE CHEF AND HOW IT LED TO THE SUICIDE OF The Role of the chef and how it led to the suicide of Francois Vatel. Francois Vatel was the well-respected chef to the noble Condé family in the late 1600s. The Condés lived at Chantilly, the ancestral home of the prince of Condé. It was a grand chateau and Vatel took pride in the fine cuisine he prepared and served at the table.

LATIN HORSE NAMES

by Caroline Lawrence. In book XI of Virgil’s Aeneid a horse named Aethon weeps over his fallen master, the young Trojan warrior Pallas.(Aeneid XI 89-90) The Romans loved their horses and we find their names on inscriptions, epigrams, souvenir beakers and even lead

curse tablets.

THE FIRST BASEBALL SPEED GUN A remarkable article in the December, 1912, issue of Baseball Magazine showed that the first accurate measurements were made decades before the invention of the modern-day radar gun. Titled “One Hundred and Twenty-two Feet a Second!”, the piece sought to measure the speed of the pitches thrown by future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, widely WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

KING GEORGE V'S PARROT King George V’s Parrot. George V (1865-1936) owned an African grey parrot from the Congo named Charlotte. George obtained her in Port Said, Egypt, when he was a young midshipman in the Royal Navy in the 1880s (although some say Charlotte was a pink-grey parrot and a gift from his sister Victoria). Charlotte attended the king’s Privy

Council

HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN The medieval practice of spilling pure blood through sacrifice constitutes another, more fantastical proposed treatment. Soaking in a bath medicated with the blood of an infant or a virgin was considered a possible cure. A leper who sat in this blood bath expected to undergo what would now be considered like a transfusion: the corrupt

blood

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. FRACTURED BONES, ANCIENT AND MODERN Ambroise Paré lists the three most important steps in curing a broken bone: “First, restore the bone to its place. Second, contain or stay it being so restored. Third, prevent the increase of malign symptoms or accidents including pain, inflammation, fever, abscess, and gangrene.”. Today, what comes next in the long recovery phase is CONSTIPATION IN HISTORY In 1909 Arbuthnot Lane recommended removing the colon as the cure for constipation and all its attendant ills. That seems to be a step too far. References. Clark, Sir Andrew (1887) ‘Observations on the anaemia or chlorosis of girls, occurring more commonly between the advent of menstruation and the consummation of womanhood’,

Proceedings of

COLONIAL MIDWIFERY

Colonial Midwifery. June 6, 2011 By Holly Tucker. by Heather Whaley. Colonial Midwifery began with the Mayflower’s journey in 1620. Bridget Lee Fuller delivered three babies during the two months long voyage and continued practice as a midwife in Plymouth for 44 years until her death in 1664. In addition, it is documented that one birth

took

18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

BREASTFEEDING… THE GRANDCHILDREN? WONDROUS EARLY MODERN A poor woman gave birth to a healthy boy, but both the father and she died soon after. The sixty-six year old grandmother, Joanna Vuyltuyt, took in the child, but had no money to hire a nurse. She desperately attempted to feed the baby herself. “From that old woman’s strong imagination and vehement desire to give suck to this child”, she

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. FRACTURED BONES, ANCIENT AND MODERN Ambroise Paré lists the three most important steps in curing a broken bone: “First, restore the bone to its place. Second, contain or stay it being so restored. Third, prevent the increase of malign symptoms or accidents including pain, inflammation, fever, abscess, and gangrene.”. Today, what comes next in the long recovery phase is CONSTIPATION IN HISTORY In 1909 Arbuthnot Lane recommended removing the colon as the cure for constipation and all its attendant ills. That seems to be a step too far. References. Clark, Sir Andrew (1887) ‘Observations on the anaemia or chlorosis of girls, occurring more commonly between the advent of menstruation and the consummation of womanhood’,

Proceedings of

COLONIAL MIDWIFERY

Colonial Midwifery. June 6, 2011 By Holly Tucker. by Heather Whaley. Colonial Midwifery began with the Mayflower’s journey in 1620. Bridget Lee Fuller delivered three babies during the two months long voyage and continued practice as a midwife in Plymouth for 44 years until her death in 1664. In addition, it is documented that one birth

took

18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

BREASTFEEDING… THE GRANDCHILDREN? WONDROUS EARLY MODERN A poor woman gave birth to a healthy boy, but both the father and she died soon after. The sixty-six year old grandmother, Joanna Vuyltuyt, took in the child, but had no money to hire a nurse. She desperately attempted to feed the baby herself. “From that old woman’s strong imagination and vehement desire to give suck to this child”, she

WONDERS & MARVELS

Wonders & Marvels - A Community for Curious Minds who love History, its Odd Stories, and Good Reads. A Jewish Writer Revived by Her Daughters. A Jewish Writer Revived by Her Daughters. Raquelle Bostow. By Susan Rubin Suleiman (Guest Contributor) Fall is the season for the big literary prizes in BEAUTY FROM PAIN: A LOOK AT 17TH CENTURY BEAUTY TRENDS AND Completing the Look. While white makeup was the base of most looks in the 17th century, in order to spice up or complete their look, women would add red paint to their lips and cheeks. This paint was often based in vermillion, an orange-red pigment derived from mercury. They found creative ways to create red pigments and went so far as to use FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or ISABELLA OF SPAIN-WARRIOR QUEEN Isabella was a reigning queen at a time when reigning queens were rare. She transformed herself from a pawn in the power politics of fifteenth century Europe into one of the players with a brilliant combination of political savvy, military aggression and just plain bluffing. I would argue that her success in seizing and holding her

throne–at

THE ROLE OF THE CHEF AND HOW IT LED TO THE SUICIDE OF The Role of the chef and how it led to the suicide of Francois Vatel. Francois Vatel was the well-respected chef to the noble Condé family in the late 1600s. The Condés lived at Chantilly, the ancestral home of the prince of Condé. It was a grand chateau and Vatel took pride in the fine cuisine he prepared and served at the table.

LATIN HORSE NAMES

by Caroline Lawrence. In book XI of Virgil’s Aeneid a horse named Aethon weeps over his fallen master, the young Trojan warrior Pallas.(Aeneid XI 89-90) The Romans loved their horses and we find their names on inscriptions, epigrams, souvenir beakers and even lead

curse tablets.

THE FIRST BASEBALL SPEED GUN A remarkable article in the December, 1912, issue of Baseball Magazine showed that the first accurate measurements were made decades before the invention of the modern-day radar gun. Titled “One Hundred and Twenty-two Feet a Second!”, the piece sought to measure the speed of the pitches thrown by future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, widely WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

KING GEORGE V'S PARROT King George V’s Parrot. George V (1865-1936) owned an African grey parrot from the Congo named Charlotte. George obtained her in Port Said, Egypt, when he was a young midshipman in the Royal Navy in the 1880s (although some say Charlotte was a pink-grey parrot and a gift from his sister Victoria). Charlotte attended the king’s Privy

Council

HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN The medieval practice of spilling pure blood through sacrifice constitutes another, more fantastical proposed treatment. Soaking in a bath medicated with the blood of an infant or a virgin was considered a possible cure. A leper who sat in this blood bath expected to undergo what would now be considered like a transfusion: the corrupt

blood

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business FRACTURED BONES, ANCIENT AND MODERN Ambroise Paré lists the three most important steps in curing a broken bone: “First, restore the bone to its place. Second, contain or stay it being so restored. Third, prevent the increase of malign symptoms or accidents including pain, inflammation, fever, abscess, and gangrene.”. Today, what comes next in the long recovery phase is EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. CONSTIPATION IN HISTORY In 1909 Arbuthnot Lane recommended removing the colon as the cure for constipation and all its attendant ills. That seems to be a step too far. References. Clark, Sir Andrew (1887) ‘Observations on the anaemia or chlorosis of girls, occurring more commonly between the advent of menstruation and the consummation of womanhood’,

Proceedings of

18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her

COLONIAL MIDWIFERY

Colonial Midwifery. June 6, 2011 By Holly Tucker. by Heather Whaley. Colonial Midwifery began with the Mayflower’s journey in 1620. Bridget Lee Fuller delivered three babies during the two months long voyage and continued practice as a midwife in Plymouth for 44 years until her death in 1664. In addition, it is documented that one birth

took

FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

BREASTFEEDING… THE GRANDCHILDREN? WONDROUS EARLY MODERN A poor woman gave birth to a healthy boy, but both the father and she died soon after. The sixty-six year old grandmother, Joanna Vuyltuyt, took in the child, but had no money to hire a nurse. She desperately attempted to feed the baby herself. “From that old woman’s strong imagination and vehement desire to give suck to this child”, she

NOVELS IN SHORTHAND

By Jack El-Hai (Regular Contributor). A century ago, hundreds of thousands of people around the world regularly used shorthand. Secretaries, stenographers, court reporters, journalists and others depended on the elaborate shorthand systems that Isaac Pitman and John Robert Gregg developed in the nineteenth century, and countless schools and publishers seized the business FRACTURED BONES, ANCIENT AND MODERN Ambroise Paré lists the three most important steps in curing a broken bone: “First, restore the bone to its place. Second, contain or stay it being so restored. Third, prevent the increase of malign symptoms or accidents including pain, inflammation, fever, abscess, and gangrene.”. Today, what comes next in the long recovery phase is EXPERIMENTING ON THE INNOCENT: THE U.S. ARMY’S SECRET Preparations and Chemical Mimesis. For several weeks that year, the U.S. Army sprayed this chemical into the air around the school in an attempt to mimic the effects of a biological warfare attack. CONSTIPATION IN HISTORY In 1909 Arbuthnot Lane recommended removing the colon as the cure for constipation and all its attendant ills. That seems to be a step too far. References. Clark, Sir Andrew (1887) ‘Observations on the anaemia or chlorosis of girls, occurring more commonly between the advent of menstruation and the consummation of womanhood’,

Proceedings of

18TH CENTURY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The torment endured by Mary Eleanor Bowes was among the most extreme. A wealthy young widow, Mary was tricked in 1777 into marrying an Irish fortune-hunter, Andrew Robinson Stoney, who faked a duel to win her hand. Squandering her wealth, Stoney – who changed his name to Bowes – beat Mary with sticks, whips and candlesticks, tore out her

COLONIAL MIDWIFERY

Colonial Midwifery. June 6, 2011 By Holly Tucker. by Heather Whaley. Colonial Midwifery began with the Mayflower’s journey in 1620. Bridget Lee Fuller delivered three babies during the two months long voyage and continued practice as a midwife in Plymouth for 44 years until her death in 1664. In addition, it is documented that one birth

took

FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or THE GRUESOME AND THE GROTESQUE: A LOOK AT TORTURE METHODS The Gruesome and the Grotesque: A Look at Torture Methods Used in Seventeenth Century France. December 22, 2016 By Raquelle Bostow WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

BREASTFEEDING… THE GRANDCHILDREN? WONDROUS EARLY MODERN A poor woman gave birth to a healthy boy, but both the father and she died soon after. The sixty-six year old grandmother, Joanna Vuyltuyt, took in the child, but had no money to hire a nurse. She desperately attempted to feed the baby herself. “From that old woman’s strong imagination and vehement desire to give suck to this child”, she

WONDERS & MARVELS

Wonders & Marvels - A Community for Curious Minds who love History, its Odd Stories, and Good Reads. A Jewish Writer Revived by Her Daughters. A Jewish Writer Revived by Her Daughters. Raquelle Bostow. By Susan Rubin Suleiman (Guest Contributor) Fall is the season for the big literary prizes in BEAUTY FROM PAIN: A LOOK AT 17TH CENTURY BEAUTY TRENDS AND Completing the Look. While white makeup was the base of most looks in the 17th century, in order to spice up or complete their look, women would add red paint to their lips and cheeks. This paint was often based in vermillion, an orange-red pigment derived from mercury. They found creative ways to create red pigments and went so far as to use FASHION AS RESISTANCE IN WWII FRANCE Fashion as Resistance in WWII France. Odette Fabius, member of the Résistance and survivor of the Ravensbruck camp. Here, she proudly wears a Lanvin suit while being an active résistante. Mentioning resistance in France during World War Two conjures up images of brave citizens blowing up railroad tracks, assassinating Nazi soldiers or ISABELLA OF SPAIN-WARRIOR QUEEN Isabella was a reigning queen at a time when reigning queens were rare. She transformed herself from a pawn in the power politics of fifteenth century Europe into one of the players with a brilliant combination of political savvy, military aggression and just plain bluffing. I would argue that her success in seizing and holding her

throne–at

LATIN HORSE NAMES

by Caroline Lawrence. In book XI of Virgil’s Aeneid a horse named Aethon weeps over his fallen master, the young Trojan warrior Pallas.(Aeneid XI 89-90) The Romans loved their horses and we find their names on inscriptions, epigrams, souvenir beakers and even lead

curse tablets.

THE ROLE OF THE CHEF AND HOW IT LED TO THE SUICIDE OF The Role of the chef and how it led to the suicide of Francois Vatel. Francois Vatel was the well-respected chef to the noble Condé family in the late 1600s. The Condés lived at Chantilly, the ancestral home of the prince of Condé. It was a grand chateau and Vatel took pride in the fine cuisine he prepared and served at the table. THE FIRST BASEBALL SPEED GUN A remarkable article in the December, 1912, issue of Baseball Magazine showed that the first accurate measurements were made decades before the invention of the modern-day radar gun. Titled “One Hundred and Twenty-two Feet a Second!”, the piece sought to measure the speed of the pitches thrown by future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson, widely WHY YOU WILL NEVER VISIT THE PETRIFIED CYCAD FOREST Why You Will Never Visit the Petrified Cycad Forest National Monument. Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, established 1922, is the only national park that had to be abolished due to total depletion of the natural resource it was supposed to protect. The 320-acre petrified forest was one of the world’s

largest

HOW TO CURE LEPROSY ACCORDING TO A MEDIEVAL PHYSICIAN The medieval practice of spilling pure blood through sacrifice constitutes another, more fantastical proposed treatment. Soaking in a bath medicated with the blood of an infant or a virgin was considered a possible cure. A leper who sat in this blood bath expected to undergo what would now be considered like a transfusion: the corrupt

blood

CLOTHES MAKE THE (WO)MAN? PANTS PERMITS IN NINETEENTH Clothes Make the (Wo)man? Pants Permits in Nineteenth-Century Paris. On November 7, 1800, the prefecture of police for the city of Paris issued an order prohibiting women from wearing men’s clothing in public. Noting that many women cross-dress but not for (excusable) health-related reasons, and that this behavior was a danger to

themselves

WONDERS & MARVELS

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* Sarah Alger

* Jack El Hai

* Michael Garval

* Elizabeth Goldsmith

* Helen King

* Adrienne Mayor

* Rachel Mesch

* Thomas Parker

* Pamela Toler

* Holly Tucker (Editor)

* Lisa Smith

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