What do you call someone who’s fallen for a prank? In most English-speaking places, you’d probably just call them gullible. But in France, you might use the term poisson d’avril (“April fish.”) The centuries-old name is linked to a 1508 poem by Renaissance composer and writer Eloy d’Amerval, who used the phrase to describe the …
Author Archives: Michael Carver
April Fools — Part 2
In my last post, I picked on Boston because, well its Boston. But stupid laws are not a Massachusetts thing. Let’s look a little closer to home. Here are a few from Pennsylvania: It is illegal to catch a fish by any body part other than the mouth. There’s also a law forbidding the use …
April Fools
The origins behind April Fool’s Day are a little sketchy but it is generally understood that it started back in 1582. That was the year that France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian but communication was slow and unreliable so, not everyone switched at the same time. As a consequence, many priests didn’t …
UPCOMING EVENT — Observing the Solar Eclipse with David Rittenhouse
April 7, 2024 @ Richard Wall HouseDiscuss Science and see gear1:00 – 4:00pm and April 8, 2024 @ Historic Rittenhouse TownActually SEE THE ECLIPSE! 1:00 – 4:00pm A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun in such a manner that the Moon’s shadow sweeps over Earth’s surface. This shadow consists …
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Beer Recipe: Air and Exercise — Rattleskull
“Air and Exercise” = being whipped with a Cat-o-Nine-Tails. Prior to the arrival of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, American officers often imitated their British peers. In a rather startling example, George Washington once lobbied congress for permission to allow 500 lashes — “Air and Exercise”– as punishment to maintain discipline the Continental soldiers! Congress …
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TWO “OUT OF THIS WORLD” EVENTS
Join David Rittenhouse as he observes the SOLAR ECLIPSE Richard Wall House1 Wall Park Drive, Elkins Park, PA 19027Sunday, April 7 11:00 – 3:00 and Historic Rittenhouse Town208 Lincoln Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19144Monday, April 81:00 – 4:00 pm There were two total eclipses of the sun visible in the occupied regions of North America during …
UPCOMING EVENT — The Purging of the Kegs: A Fundraiser for Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin on the Delaware6400 Hog Island Rd Philadelphia, PA 19153Saturday, March 302:00 – 4:00pm A Beer Lover’s Nightmare – we’re dumping beer into the river. Okay, the Regimental Brewmeister has a robust schedule of brewing planned for 2024 and unfortunately last year’s beer has got to go. The reality is I brew way faster than …
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Historical Tidbits — SIEGE OF CHARLESTON
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. March 29, 1780 – SIEGE OF CHARLESTON: After approximately six weeks of siege, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, commanding the Charleston garrison, surrendered his forces to the British. It was …
UPCOMING EVENT — The Purging of the Kegs: A Fundraiser for Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin on the Delaware6400 Hog Island Rd Philadelphia, PA 19153Saturday, March 302:00 – 4:00pm A Beer Lover’s Nightmare – we’re dumping beer into the river. Okay, the Regimental Brewmeister has a robust schedule of brewing planned for 2024 and unfortunately last year’s beer has got to go. The reality is I brew way faster than …
Continue reading “UPCOMING EVENT — The Purging of the Kegs: A Fundraiser for Fort Mifflin”
Basic Colonial Brewing #17 — Make an 18th Century Toast
“To drink at a table without drinking to the health of someone special, should be considered drinking on the sly, and as an act of incivility.” Throughout history, toasting began after a meal and could last for hours. Toasts would solidify the bonds of groups, not only through the competitive element of drinking, but by …
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