One of the great services a Colonial Tavern would perform is to provide news and newspapers, often read aloud, to both travelers and locals. Good newspapers have editorials and/or political cartoons. In researching political cartoons from the Revolutionary War period, I found three which could easily be argued to have been written in emoji. Sorry …
Category Archives: General history
The original “Doctor Death”
During the 1700’s, executions in France were public events where entire towns gathered to watch. A common execution method for a poor criminal was quartering, where the prisoner’s limbs were tied to four oxen, then the animals were driven in four different directions ripping the person apart. Upper-class criminals could buy their way into a …
Supply Chain Issues? — The Bread Famine in 18th-century France.
Yesterday, I was dismayed at the lack of stocking in my local Giant supermarket. Voltaire once remarked that Parisians required only “the comic opera and white bread.” But bread has also played a dark role in French history and, namely, the French Revolution. The storming of the medieval fortress of Bastille on July 14, 1789 …
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January 21, 1793 King Louis XVI executed
One day after being convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers and sentenced to death by the French National Convention, King Louis XVI is executed by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution in Paris. Louis ascended to the French throne in 1774 and from the start was unsuited to deal with the severe financial problems …
Fighting the War behind a Desk
History books are filled with glorification of exploits on the battlefield and we have all heard the story of Alexander Hamilton bristling at the role of Aide-du-Camp and demanding his opportunity to prove himself in the field. The reality of military operations, however, is very different. Much of the real WORK of a military commander …
Dirty Business and Politics are Often Bedfellows
We all think of Benjamin Franklin as a grandfatherly type who invented and published things, sort of that eccentric neighbor who was everyone’s friend, but there was a ruthless side to Franklin. In 1728, a printer named Samuel Keimer founded the Pennsylvania Gazette, the second newspaper ever printed in the colony. It did not do …
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Historical Tidbits
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. January 17, 1780 Battle of Cowpens Shortly after sunrise, the American rifleman encountered the lead elements of Colonel Balastre Tarleton’s British Legion, the 7th Regiment of Foot, 71st Regiment …
Benjamin Franklin was born on 17 Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on January 17, 1706.
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in the city of Boston in a small house on 17 Milk Street, across the street from the Old Meeting House. His father was Josiah Franklin, a chandler (soap and candle maker). Josiah Franklin, emigrated from England in 1682. He had seven children with his first wife, …
Historical Tidbits
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. January 14, 1784 – Congress formally accepts the terms of the Treaty of Paris, ending American participation in the Revolutionary War. George III will not sign this treaty for …
Healthcare in America
There is a lot of talk during the current pandemic about healthcare and hospitals. All during the political campaigns of let last dozen or so years, we have argued and fought over how we should manage and administer healthcare in our country. Lots of ink has been spilled on the merits and problems of public …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 