Category Archives: Ideas

Historical Tidbits — Battle of Princeton

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 5, 1777                 Battle of Princeton Preparing to crush Washington’s Army at Assunpink Creek, Cornwallis ordered reinforcements brought down to his position at Trenton.  This left only a small …

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“Beer” Recipe: Battle of the Bees Mead

Bees played a small role in the Revolutionary War on two notable occasions. The first is “The Battle of the Bees” that occurred Oct. 3, 1780 at McIntyre’s Farm, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.  Loyalists, led by Capt. John Doyle, were traveling down Beattie’s Ford Road with 60 wagons. Their mission: to plunder area farms …

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Freedom From Religion was needed even in the 18th Century.

The wonder of lightning has captivated and intrigued humans throughout history, often sparking mythological interpretations (eg Thor is the Norse god of thunder). These interpretations occurred long before science could answer some of the questions that kept humans in awe. Even in more traditional religions, thunder and lightning have spiritual connotations.  In Judaism, it’s customary …

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How to Survey Land with 18th Century Tools — Using the Gunter’s Rule

Using the Gunter’s Rule So how was multiplication done in the 18th Century.  Sure, you could and people did do long-hand multiplication just like you were taught in elementary school.  For example, we can multiply 384×56. The number with more digits is usually selected as the multiplicand: The long multiplication algorithm starts with multiplying the …

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The Scourge of Slavery (#13) — President George Washington felt he was above the Law

On March 1, 1780 Pennsylvania passed An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery. This law prohibited the importation of slaves into the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  The 1780 Act had exempted members of the U.S. Congress from prohibitions on the practice of chattel slavery.   When Philadelphia became the temporary national capital in 1790, there was …

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Historical Tidbits — 1st Bank of North America established

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. December 31, 1781          1st Bank of North America established Chartered May 26, 1781, by the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, this enterprise was the first national and truly …

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The “beer before liquor” rule has no scientific basis.

I am sure you’ve heard “Beer before liquor, never been sicker; liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.” This is an adage of unknown origin claiming that low alcohol-by-volume (ABV) beverages (like beer) are best imbibed at the end of a night of drinking rather than early on. There are, however, NO scientific studies supporting …

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Historical Tidbits — Arnold Attacks Quebec City

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. December 31, 1775 — Patriot forces under Colonel Benedict Arnold and General Richard Montgomery attempted to capture the British-occupied city of Quebec and with it win support for the …

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