A Day in Shakespeare’s London
If you can’t settle to sleep as usual and find yourself up before the break of day, you may care...
13/08/2015
Social and cultural history
Who was Ada Blackjack?
On 16th September 1921, four young men, Americans Lorne Knight, Milton Galle, and Fred Maurer; and Allan Crawford, a Canadian, were...
01/08/2015
The short history of banishment
Even in primitive societies, the threat of exile struck terror into people’s hearts and minds. A savage punishment, it snatched...
18/12/2014
Egyptomania
The fashion for “Egyptian” design that swept Europe after Bonaparte’s expedition was actually a revival of sorts. Europeans had drawn...
28/05/2014
Coffee-houses in 17th century England
Coffee was one of the fancy new comestibles introduced to England in Stuart times. The first coffee-house was opened in...
26/01/2014
History of the game: “Tennis balls, my liege”
The insulting ‘treasure’ that France’s Dauphin sent to Henry V in Shakespeare’s play had long since played its part in...
07/01/2014
Victorian Scotland
By the time Victoria became queen of Great Britain in 1837 the powers of the monarch were much more restricted...
24/02/2013
Tricks and treats: The story of Halloween
Every 31 October in the USA, in Britain and increasingly in places as diverse as Japan, Slovenia and India, costumed...
25/10/2012
A short history of Father’s Day
Father’s Day is coming up, so we look into the history of Father’s Day. Sadly, retailers and marketers, in an...
15/06/2012