In 1740, the “French salute”, or greeting another by kissing them on the cheek, started to become fashionable in London. With the Seven Years War (AKA French and Indian War), the “French salute” quickly became controversial, being called unEnglish. Encouraged instead was the “old English” way of “pulling off a Hat. For the British, removing your …
Author Archives: Michael Carver
Historical Tidbits — BATTLE OF BROOKLYN
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. August 27, 1776 – BATTLE OF BROOKLYN – Following the evacuation of Boston by the British, General Washington relocated the Continental Army to New York City. The British landed …
Historical Tidbits — Battle of Long Island
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. August 27, 1776 Battle of Long Island After the British evacuation from Boston in March, the British general Lord William Howe moved to occupy New York City under the …
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UPCOMING EVENT
Surveying the Twelve Mile CircleHistoric Rittenhouse Town208 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19144 Saturday, September 9, 202310 am – 4 pm As the Colonial Surveyor, I will be portraying David Rittenhouse as a surveyor. This will be an opportunity for volunteer survey crews (who I hope to recruit from the crowds) to learn the art and science …
The First Steamboat Sailed on the Delaware
The era of the steamboat began in America in 1787 when John Fitch made the first successful trial of a forty-five-foot steamboat on the Delaware River on August 22, 1787, in the presence of members of the Constitutional Convention. Fitch later built a larger vessel that carried passengers and freight between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey. …
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Historical Tidbits — British take possession of New York City
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. August 26, 1776 British take possession of New York City Having defeated the Continental Army on Long Island and pursuing them into upstate New York, General Howe established a …
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UPCOMING EVENT
The Moland House Revolutionary War Reenactment1641 York Rd., Warminster, PA 18974Sat. Aug. 26, 2023 10 am – 4 pm The Historic Moland House (www. Moland.org) is the site where George Washington & 11,000 troops camped during the summer of 1777 while preparing for General Howe’s invasion of Philadelphia. The Regimental Brewmeister is setting up a field …
UPCOMING EVENT
Saturday, September 910am – 4pmHistoric Rittenhouse Town6034 Wissahickon AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19144 In order to finance some of his scientific projects, David Rittenhouse made topographic surveys for roads, rivers, and various properties as City Surveyor of Philadelphia in 1774. The most significant and widely known of his field work dealt with laying out boundaries and jurisdictional …
Captain James Cook Dies while trying to Kidnap the Hawaiian King in 1779
The Hawaiian flag still has a union jack in its canton and we often celebrate Captain James Cook as a great English explorer who discovered the Hawaiian Islands. Cook was a great explorer and scientist and he is known for his discovery of New Zealand, Tahiti, the observations of the Transit of Venus in 1769, …
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Edward Jenner did not “Invent” Vaccination
We often refer to Edward Jenner as the ‘father of vaccination.’ He was not, however, the inventor of the process. Jenner reported his famous story about inoculating young James Phipps with cowpox and then demonstrating immunity to smallpox. Taken the pus from a smallpox blister and introducing into a scratch in the skin of an …
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