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. October 22, 1777 Attack on Red Bank In late fall of 1776 James Whithall is approached by delegates of the Continental Congress with a request to erect a Fort …
Category Archives: General history
Historical Tidbits — First Parachute Descent
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. On October 22, 1797, French balloonist André Garnerin, made the first safe descent with a silk parachute from a balloon André-Jacques Garnerin was ballooning pioneer of great regard and …
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The black naturalist, astronomer, surveyor, and almanac-writer Benjamin Banneker took issue with Thomas Jefferson’s attitude toward free black men.
Benjamin Banneker was born free in 1731 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He was gifted in the sciences and became a naturalist and almanac-maker. Banneker lived near the Ellicott family gristmills, and Andrew Ellicott’s cousin had encouraged Banneker’s talent for computing. These talents ultimately led to his being a critical part of the team that did …
Historical Tidbits — USS Constitution launched
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. October 21, 1797 – “Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!” — USS Constitution launched October 21, 1797 in Boston When the United States won independence from Britain, the …
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Hayim Solomon’s personal reward for his services to the Continental Army
On the rear of the One Dollar bill, you will see two circles. Together, they comprise the Great Seal of the United States. In 1775, the First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two …
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Supplying the Army with Muskets – The birth of Mass Production in America
“A good musket is a complicated engine and difficult to make — difficult of execution because the conformation of most of its parts correspond with no regular geometrical figure.” – Eli Whitney We all know Eli Whitney for his invention of the Cotton Gin but it was his contribution to industrial engineering and the manufacture …
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The Toddy Lifter
The Toddy Lifter “If you intend to drink much after dinner, never drink much at dinner.” Thus begin the collection of witty musings on drink, philosophy, and life that Edinburgh’s Blackwood Magazine published in the 1820’s, The maxims of Sir Morgan O’Dohherty Baronet. There is no doubt that William Maginn is the author as he …
John Jay Appointed 1st US Chief Justice
After the Constitution was ratified, President Washington needed to make several political appointments. In September 1789, he offered John Jay the position of Secretary of State. Though a new title, it would’ve been the same duties he was already performing as Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Jay turned down the offer. Still eager to put Jay …
Historical Tidbits — Falmouth Burnt
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. October 18, 1775 Falmouth Burnt. After the march on Lexington, the British in Boston were cut off from the land and their only means of supplies was by sea. …
The Scourge of Slavery (#3c) — Penal Transportation
Banishment or forced exile has been used as a punishment since at least the 5th century BCE but the British Empire turned it into an industry during the 18th and 19th centuries. Penal transportation was the relocation of convicted criminals and other undesirable people (chiefly the poor) to a distant colony for incarceration. Transportation was …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 