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. Edmund Halley, England’s most significant astronomer, was born November 8, 1656 Edmond Halley was born on November 8, 1656, in Haggerston, England to a well-to-do merchant family. His father was …
Category Archives: General history
Historical Tidbits — Coup of 18 Brumaire
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. November 9, 1799 – Napoleon Bonaparte become First Consul of France On November 9, 1799 (18 Brumaire in the French Revolutionary calendar) Napoleon Bonaparte executed a coup d’état and …
How to Cheat at 18th Century Whist
Whist was a very most popular card games in Georgian England, played by the gentry in all the best coffee houses in London. It features prominently in the novels by Jane Austen and is considered fashionable in high society as a challenging strategic card game requiring good memory, sympathetic partnering and psychological acumen. The rules …
The Doan Brothers — Tory Horse Thieves
The word Tory is borrowed from Gaelic: It literally means Horse Thief. So, it should come as no surprise that five brothers from Bucks County in Pennsylvania, all notorious horse thieves, would be loyal to the King during the Revolutionary War. These were the Doan Brothers — Moses, Joseph, Levi, Mahlon, and Aaron; and they …
Playing Court Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for scientific play. Derived from the popular 17th Century trick taking game known as “Ruff and Honours,” Whist literally takes its name from the old English word whist meaning …
Ben Franklin DID NOT Invent Daylight Savings Time!
Well, today we say goodbye to Daylight Savings time. I hope you all enjoyed your extra hour of sleep. 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. However, the act …
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Historical Tidbits — New York Weekly Journal
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. November 5, 1733 – The New York Weekly Journal became the first newspaper regularly published in North America. One year later, John Peter Zenger, its printer and publisher was …
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Remember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot…
Catholicism in England was heavily repressed under Queen Elizabeth I, particularly after the pope excommunicated her in 1570. During her reign, dozens of priests were put to death, and Catholics could not even legally celebrate Mass or be married according to their own rites. When James I took the throne upon Elizabeth’s death in 1603, …
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Historical Tidbits — When Rabbits Ruled the Netherlands
Okay, let’s be honest. For people who don’t speak either English or German, learning Dutch is confusing. For starters, many Dutch words are hard to pronounce and because, like German, you combine nouns in Dutch, you end up with words that frankly make you give out an angstschreeuw (cry of fear). Then there are the …
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Man Does Not Live on Beer Alone — Coffee
Coffee was most certainly a popular drink in the Americas in the 17th and 18th Centuries. There are records of John Smith bringing coffee to the Jamestown Colony and even trading it with the Indians, but remember, the British were not the only colonial powers. Coffee would not take on importance in the British Empire …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 