William Cowper, one of the Georgian era’s most loved poets, was born on 26 November 1731 (Old Style date was 15 November), in Hertfordshire, the son of a vicar. Although his fame has declined over the decades, his name and works remain familiar for any fan of Jane Austen. Another vicar’s child like Cowper, Austen… Read more William Cowper, Beloved of Jane Austen
(Updated from 2016) There are a lot of myths about Pilgrims and the so-called First Thanksgiving. However, one thing that is certain — without the local Native Americans helping them the English colonists would have been toast. The indigenous people of the area, the Wampanoag (meaning the “People of the First Light”) are the ones… Read more Thanksgiving and Native Americans
New discoveries are regularly made about the human body, and a lot of those discoveries center on how important the microbiota – the bacteria, fungi, viruses and other tiny organisms – that live in our guts are for our health and wellbeing. The ability of those little guys to flourish and procreate is the key… Read more Of Mind and Microbiota
Okay, can I just say that I adore the nicknames the French people gave their kings? For example, the monikers of the sons of Philip IV the Fair (as in handsome), such as Louis X the Quarreler, Philip V the Tall, and Charles IV the Bald were all spot on and awesome. However, the royal nicknames sometimes told a sad tale.… Read more John the Posthumous and the Curse on Philip the Fair
Did King Henry VIII marry Anne Boleyn on 14 November 1532? The argument that Henry VIII wed Anne Boleyn in a clandestine ceremony on St. Erkenwalds/Earconwalds/Erconwalds Day of 1532, when they landed in Dover after the political summit in Calais between Henry and King Francis I of France, is not a new one. Edward Hall’s chronicle, which was… Read more Happy Anniversary to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn?
Romans did not like doing the hands-on work of assigning human remains to a final resting place any more than the modern Americans or Europeans do. It was either too heart-breaking, if it was the body of a loved one, or considered too creepy for most people. Thus, Romans had an entire class of funeral… Read more The Libitinarii of Rome