Well its Purim and many of us taught that we eat hamantaschen because Haman, the villain of the Megillah, wore a tri-cornered hat but there is no evidence that Haman wore a triangular hat. You might also be surprise to learn that Swedes have a suspiciously similar cookie, called Napoleon’s Hats or Napoleonhattar, which are traditionally filled with …
Author Archives: Michael Carver
When George III had a Valid Claim to Uranus
I know I am going to get a lot of sixth grade jibes for writing about what we call Uranus but here goes. Until 1781, the known solar system consisted of six planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). These were all the planets that could be observed with the naked eye. The others …
Continue reading “When George III had a Valid Claim to Uranus”
Making “Hard” Cider
Cider has a long and rich history in America. It was the beverage of choice from the first English settlers in the 16th Century until well into the late 19th Century. When the Mayflower suffered beam damaged in a storm badly enough to consider turning back to England, a large iron screw was taken from …
Making Perry
Perry is made by fermenting the juice of freshly squeezed pears with the help of natural yeasts. As apples are to cider, so pears are to perry. Perries have complex but subtle flavors that are typically more delicate than cider; good perry can be like a subtle white wine. In some parts of West England …
When someone asks you ‘Are you a God?’, you say YES!”.
In the movie Ghostbusters[i], Gozer asks Ray “Are you a God?” After the first disastrous encounter, he is then admonished by Winston: “Ray, when someone asks you ‘Are you a God?’, you say YES!” The problem with that is then you might have to prove your omnipotence. Eclipses often were viewed as supernatural phenomena and …
Continue reading “When someone asks you ‘Are you a God?’, you say YES!”.”
Where do “Boycotts” Come From?
This is off topic for me but I often remind my readers that when they frequent businesses and companies that support issues that they find abhorrent, for example Chick-fil-a ACTIVELY discriminates against LBGTQ and non-Christian people (both potential employees and patrons); and GM. UPS, American Airlines, Tyson Foods all made multimillion dollar donations to Donald Trump …
The Cordwainer Put Horseshoes on my Shoes
Today we associate cleats on shoes with sporting events (golf, football, etc.). Henry VIII is reported to had the royal cordwainer, Cornelius Johnson, make him a pair of boots “to play football” with oversized and prominent cleats attached to the soles and heels. Despite their ubiquitous presence in the sporting world, shoe cleats have been …
Continue reading “The Cordwainer Put Horseshoes on my Shoes”
Ben Franklin DID NOT Invent Daylight Savings Time!
Well, today we lose an hour of sleep to the interest of commerce. Don’t worry, you will get it back in November. Before the middle of the 19th Century, keeping time was more of an art than a science. Time pieces and clocks were available, even common in certain circles but they were notoriously inaccurate. …
Continue reading “Ben Franklin DID NOT Invent Daylight Savings Time!”
Come to Crooked Billet and Learn to Survey
Saturday, April 26, 202510 am – 4pmKeith Valley Middle School227 Meetinghouse Rd, Horsham, PA In my persona as “David Rittenhouse,” I will be conducting hands-on surveying demonstrations at this years Crooked Billet History Fair in Horsham. The first surveyors in America arrived with the Jamestown Company in 1621. Given the goal of quickly settling Virginia …
Continue reading “Come to Crooked Billet and Learn to Survey”
Basic Colonial Brewing #18 — Proof your Whiskey, Sir
When it comes to arcane historical terms for spirits and other alcohol, proof is one of the frustrating ones. In our modern vernacular, with the blessing of modern analytical chemistry as support, we simply think of “proof” as two times the alcohol by volume (ABV). But why is this measure even a thing? After all, …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #18 — Proof your Whiskey, Sir”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 