This is a nice little article to have a nose at if you've got five minutes to kill before bed. 'Flops from a "knife and fork cleaner" to a "cholera belt" provide a curious look at life in 19th century England' My personal favourite is possibly the oyster opener - because haven't we all just … Continue reading 10 Victorian Inventions That Never Quite Took Off
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The Practice of Sati
The ancient Asian practice of Sati is a funeral ritual whereby a recently widowed woman would commit suicide by throwing herself upon her husband's funeral pyre. Such self-immolation is most commonly a Hindu practice dating back to 4th Century BCE. There are many reported incidences of women being forced to commit suicide this way against her … Continue reading The Practice of Sati
The Death of Socrates
The death of Socrates is an interesting case in which the method of his execution was to be suicide. Since this method is new to me, I had intended to complete my own account of the death of Socrates. However, I enjoyed very much the account provided by eyewitnesstohistory.com. So, I shall just share theirs: … Continue reading The Death of Socrates
Chinese Archaeology
Nice short watch. One thing I took from this was that it is fascinating how, in many cultures, preparation for the afterlife dominates everyday activities.
T-Shirts of Trauma: From Suicide Notes to Blood Spatter Patterns
A good friend of mine recently posted a link to a young girl wearing a mass-production t-shirt on Facebook. Why would you even click the link? What's the issue? This is the issue. This is the t-shirt. One of many actually. This t-shirt comes in different shapes and colours all bearing the same design - … Continue reading T-Shirts of Trauma: From Suicide Notes to Blood Spatter Patterns
Thou art unfit for any place but Hell!
In my fit of Shakespearean awe, while I was doing a little digging into the world of Antony and Cleopatra this afternoon, I came across this webpage and I think it's fantastic. It's a Shakespearean insult generator - what more could you want on a Sunday evening? And who says historians can't have fun! http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/index.html?
Cleopatra: Reality vs. Immortality
For her own person, It beggared all description: she did lie In her pavilion—cloth-of-gold, of tissue— O’erpicturing that Venus where we see The fancy outwork nature. On each side her Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids, With divers-colored fans, whose wind did seem To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool, And what … Continue reading Cleopatra: Reality vs. Immortality
The Modern Day Slave Ship
Might be a little behind on the times with this one, since it was an issue from mid-September 2014, however, I thought it was worth a little note. A Pennsylvania newspaper, the Lancaster New Era, ran a cartoon comparing the appalling conditions that African men and women were exposed to. The International Slavery Museum explains … Continue reading The Modern Day Slave Ship
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
James Weldon Johnson's novel describing a young boy's discovery that he is black on his path to adulthood is truly moving. I have just begun reading this 100-page marvel and am already fascinated by the journey that this anonymous narrator will take. In a fascinating and unexpected turn for someone with no prior knowledge of … Continue reading The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Hysterical Females
Hysteria comes from 'hyster' (Greek for uterus). From the phenomenon of the wandering womb believed by the ancient Greeks to hysteria's popularisation in the 19th century, Victorian males were quick to diagnose female hysteria with the emergence of symptoms such as depression, nervousness, erratic behaviour, loss of appetite, insomnia, sexual desire and so on. It … Continue reading Hysterical Females
The Historian's Apprentice 