Fantastic facts about the past as it is described in written documents, and the study thereof.
Who was Lord Byron? Described as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know,’ Byron was born in London in 1788, son of Captain John (“Mad Jack”) Byron. Lord Byron was a scoundrel, revolutionary and groundbreaking poet, considered one of the leaders of the romantic movement. He is also known for his many love affairs with both …
Lord Byron had a pet bear, three pet monkeys and a pet crocodile in his house Read More »
The Alexandra Limp In 1863 Alexandra of Denmark married the Princess of Wales. She was very popular and particularly admired for her style among fashion-conscious women of society. Everything the Princess did, the fashionable young women would copy. So when she wore a choker to hide a scar on her neck, all well-to-do women wore …
Discover the Alexandra Limp and other bizarre Victorian fashions Read More »
Icon of the Jazz Age Burlesque dancer, French Resistance agent, human-rights activist and iconic symbol of the Jazz age, Josephine Baker was often called ‘the Black Venus,’ but was much more than just a burlesque dancer. Street urchin Josephine was born into a poor family in St Louis Missouri. Aged 13 she was living on …
Meet the Burlesque dancer who unleashed her pet cheetah on an orchestra Read More »
In 1951 the people in the town of Pont Saint Espirit in Southern France went collectively insane. A mysterious delirious affliction affected hundreds of people and their pets. Twenty percent of the victims had to be incarcerated in mental asylums, and seven people died. On the night of the 24th August people were heard crying …
The mysterious collective madness of an entire French town in 1951, by the CIA? Read More »
Not a fun fact but perhaps surprising. In 1918 an epidemic called ‘Spanish Flu’ killed about 50 million people or 3% of the global population. It claimed more lives than the First World War (8.5 million) or the Black Plague (20 million). Bonus fact: Why was it called Spanish flu? The global pandemic became known …
Spanish flu killed 5 times more than WWI and the Black Plague put together Read More »
The word vaccine comes from “Variolae vaccinae ” which is Latin for ‘smallpox of the cow’. This is because the first vaccine was made with cowpox.
