We all know about Saturn’s rings. They were first observed by Galileo in 1610 but what about the planet itself. Turns out most of the focus of early astronomers (indeed even modern astronomers) has been on the rings but take a look at this letter in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London …
Category Archives: Ideas
Slavery by Another Name
The acquisition of indentured servants and slaves began with the earliest days of the settling of America. Before 1680, the most common form of bound labor was the white indentured servant. Up to two-thirds of the English migrants who came to Virginia between 1630 and 1680 arrived in servile status. In return for the cost …
Sharpening your Knife with a Whetstone
First off, put some lubricant on your stone. You need to use a lubricant when sharpening your tools because doing it dry will generate enough heat that it will actually warp the blade. Typically, you should use mineral oil as a lubricating agent because it can effectively reduce the heat produced by friction, but if …
Why would an American Soldier carry a Brown Bess Musket?
In my last post I talked about THAT GUY. You all know that type, the know-it-all who wants to show off by starting an argument with the presenter over something the presenter knows WAY more about. These guys come looking for a axe fight only to discover that … “wait, they all HAVE axes in …
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That Guy
That Guy So, when I choose to represent a Continental Soldier, I carry my Brown Bess. My son has a Charleville and I could use that but I contend that the Brown Bess is the quintessential military weapon of the 18th Century British Empire. I enjoy working the crowd and explaining that men between 16 …
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 …
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 …
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The Regimental Brewmeister Needs an Assistant (or three)
Wow, last weekend’s presentation at Washington’s Crossing was both very rewarding and too much for any one person to handle alone. I really love doing these programs and I am getting more and more calls from worthy organizations to come and present the Colonial Brewer but I need help. I’m reaching out try to recruit …
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New Articles on MoreBeer.com
I just published an article on beer history at https://www.morebeer.com/articles/History_of_Beer_in_America
Happy Decolonization Day.
Today marks the 247th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and while a better date for the founding of our great nation is September 17th, 1787, this is America’s birthday. Since the country was founded, it has grown from 13 independent states with about 2.5 million people to 50 states and 14 territories with a …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 