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 …
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 …
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 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 …
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 …
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 …
The summer of 1816 was an unusually rainy one. A group of young people, visiting in a villa at Lake Geneva, began to tell stories of ghosts and monsters and other fantasy creatures when the weather kept them inside for several days. Out of these stories would eventually come several works including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein …
The modern representation of witches in most media... Wizard of Oz, for example, while it is not recent does show one of the best examples of good versus bad characterizations with two "bad" witches and a good witch. One of the witches is killed by being squashed by a house and the other melts. When …
Continue reading Witches, warlocks & wizards…oh my! Halloween-Part Two
The origins of the jack o'lantern do not begin with pumpkins, as many are familiar with. As the legend goes, in Ireland there was a man called Stingy Jack who made a deal with the Devil. He invited the Devil along to the pub to have a drink with him. However, as Jack was a …
Continue reading The Jack O’Lantern: Halloween Countdown- Part One
Teacups Upside Down 