Most people are probably at least vaguely familiar with the Cinderella story from Disney or some other similar version.
Category: History
Empire versus Kingdom
What are some of the differences or even similarities between an empire and a kingdom?
The Weekend
Has the weekend always been the weekend?
The Calendar
From Julian to Gregorian There are many different ways to mark time and many different versions of calendars that are in use today. The most common calendar used today is the Gregorian. This calendar actually came about from a needed reform of the Julian calendar which was in use until the 1500's. This change was …
Christmas Cards
The First Commercially Produced Christmas Cards In England, in 1843, Sir Henry Cole asked John Callcott Horsley to illustrate a card that he could have printed. He had a thousand copies made and then sent some out as answers to his mail. That way, he wouldn't have to actually answer all the letters he had …
A Brief History of the Christmas Tree
Photo by Irina Iriser on Pexels.com The Christmas Tree In many countries throughout history, evergreens were used during festive seasons. This was because people thought that they kept away evil and illness. The Egyptians, Romans, Celts and Vikings, among others, all used evergreens in festivals particularly around the solstice. The Romans marked their mid-winter with …
Historical Pandemics and Natural Disasters
Historical Pandemics As we all know and have experienced, in some way or other, this year has been very different than most. So before I dive into the Christmas I wanted to look back at a couple examples from the past that affected people in similar ways. First, lets look at a pandemic from the …
Giving Thanks
A time of Thanksgiving is observed in many countries throughout the world. The holidays may vary in time and season but, in many cases, originate with the idea of a harvest festival. This goes back to ancient times where people would give thanks to their gods for a good harvest. Today, some may give thanks …
Dolley Todd Madison
Everyone should have their lists of favorite historical people. Dolley Madison has always been on mine since childhood. Dolley was married to James Madison and so was First Lady when he was President. However, the title of First Lady was not in use at this time. First Lady eventually spread over time and was in …
Teacups Upside Down 