Get ready to look like a gigglemug while you and your chuckaboos enjoy these Victorian slang terms from History Hustle. It’s all beer and skittles. 1. Bricky 2. Gas-Pipes 3. Sauce-Box 4. Gigglemug 5. Mafficking 6. Half-Rats 7. Daddles 8. Butter […]
The genius of Archimedes’ devastating “Iron Claw” and other weapons
Courtesy of Christoph Baumann, studied Ancient History at Heidelberg University The iron claw of Archimedes to defend the city-walls of Syracuse from naval assault had a devastating effect on the attacking Roman fleet. The Greek historian Polybius described the claw’s build and performance: …let down an iron hand swung on a chain, by which the […]
How did Victorian women use the bathroom in those huge dresses?
Answer provided by Therese Oneill, Writer, Unmenntionable! The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Marriage, Manners & Sex A lot of us have sort of trained our bodies to relieve themselves at near the same time every day. And if you were a Victorian woman, you would have eaten, drank, and taken physical exercise at about the […]
Meet John Chapman, The Real Johnny Appleseed
By Stephanie Weber It’s September which evokes memories of apple-themed activities like going back-to-school and learning about Johnny Appleseed. While he seemed like a perfect storybook legend, he was actually a real person and his name was John Chapman. The real story of Johnny Appleseed is a little weirder than anything taught in schools. The […]
How Would a Medieval Person React to a Big Mac?
How would people from the Middle-Ages react if they ate a Big Mac? Answer provided by Matt Riggsby, MA Archaeology, Boston University The average peasant would find it a bit odd but probably tasty. The bun would be relatively sweet for him (modern Europeans find American bread quite sweet, and a peasant unused to added […]
This is Why We Think Pirates Talk in a “Pirate Accent”
Answer provided by Oscar Tay: What most people know of as the “pirate accent” is not actually how pirates talked. It’s called West Country English and it’s spoken in Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire, and a lot of southwestern England: At the end of syllables, the R sound is emphasized, and in certain areas, “be” is […]