Swearing and Profanity in 18th Century England

Well, sometimes you just have to let someone know what you think and polite words don’t work. We’ve all been at events when we wanted to let loose on one or more of the “brilliant” attendees who “know everything.” Well, its just a matter of speaking the right language (Ik mompel gewoon in het Nederlands …

UPCOMING EVENT

Washington’s Crossing — July 4th CelebrationWashington’s Crossing Historic Park July 4, 2023 10:00pm – 4:00 pm Come join us as the townspeople around McConkey’s Ferry as we gather to celebrate Independence Day. At Washington Crossing Historic Park, you can watch living historians demonstrate their crafts and see a military encampment. There will be a reading …

Andrew Ellicott finished the work of Mason and Dixon before becoming the Chief Surveyor of Washington DC

We first met Andrew Ellicott in my earlier article on Benjamin Banneker.  A commissioned officer in the Maryland militia, by the time Ellicott was given the job of surveying Washington DC, he was a highly accomplished surveyor having gained experience by working on the survey which extended the Mason-Dixon line westward to its originally intended terminus …

The “Third Rail” of Reenacting – The Regimental Brewmeister will attempt a First Person Presentation

Saturday, July 8thIndependence National Historical Parkby the Commodore Barry Statuein Philadelphia 11:00 – 4:00(Multiple presentations) The Regimental Brewmeister will try his hand at a 1st person impression – David Rittenhouse.  In the world of Living History there are three distinct impressions people tend to assume when presenting people from the past.  When we act as …

We’ve all heard of the Mason-Dixon Line but who were Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon

The colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania both claimed the land between the 39th and 40th parallels according to the charters granted to each colony.  In 1632, King Charles I gave Cecilius Calvert a land grant for a colony in America to be named Maryland. The boundaries for Calvert’s land were: in the north the 40 degree north latitude line; …

Oh yeah, Metric Units Are Just Too Complicated

Lets just take a look at how simple the British Imperial System that everyone loves is: British Imperial and U.S. Customary systems of weights and measures Standard Measuresshort ton20 short hundredweight, or 2,000 poundslong ton20 long hundredweight, or 2,240 poundsshort hundredweight100 pounds, or 0.05 short tonlong hundredweight112 pounds, or 0.05 long tonpound16 ounces, or 7,000 …