When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. Charles Mason buried at Christ Church in PhiladelphiaOctober 26, 1786 On October 26, 1786, English astronomer Charles Mason, who along with Jeremiah Dixon surveyed a line in 1763 which …
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When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. October 26, 1774 – The First Continental Congress convenes at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia to discuss how to best respond to a series of taxes and governmental usurpations enacted …
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Canals played a major part in commerce in the history of the early United States as they opened the western territories to settlement and trade. But our story WILL begin in the years leading up to the Revolution with efforts of George Washington to promote travel to western Virginia. During his lifetime Washington devoted much …
Juan de Córdoba of Seville became the first merchant to send an African slave to the New World in 1502. By 1504, a small group of Africans, likely slaves, who were captured from a Portuguese vessel, made their way to the court of King James IV of Scotland but the English will not join the …
Stubbins Ffirth Bathed in Vomit to Prove Yellow Fever Wasn’t Contagious Doctor Stubbins Ffirth, an American doctor began to investigate the causes and communicability of yellow fever in 1793. A yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in July 1793 and peaked during the first weeks of October. It is estimated that 5,000 of a population of 45,000 …
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A common question poised to those of us who reenact the 18th Century — “Is it true that they never bathed?” It’s unfair to assume that just because hygiene standards were different in the 18th Century, people didn’t care about cleanliness. People DID bathe in the 18th Century. There is a widespread assumption that before …
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. On October 22, 1797, French balloonist André Garnerin, made the first safe descent with a silk parachute from a balloon André-Jacques Garnerin was ballooning pioneer of great regard and …
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Benjamin Banneker was born free in 1731 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He was gifted in the sciences and became a naturalist and almanac-maker. Banneker lived near the Ellicott family gristmills, and Andrew Ellicott’s cousin had encouraged Banneker’s talent for computing. These talents ultimately led to his being a critical part of the team that did …
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. October 21, 1797 – “Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!” — USS Constitution launched October 21, 1797 in Boston When the United States won independence from Britain, the …
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The word stein is a shortened form of Steinzeugkrug, which literally means a stoneware jug or tankard. By common usage, however, stein has come to mean any beer container regardless of its material or size. The English will call these tankards. Both vessels come with and without lids, handles, or ornamentation. The tankard or beer …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 