America/United States
The History of Goody Two-Shoes
The History of Goody Two-Shoes (with or without a hyphen) was a children’s story written anonymously in 1765, published by John Newbery, and a variation of the story of Cinderella. Goody Two-Shoes was the nickname of a poor orphan named Margery Meanwell who goes through life with one shoe until a rich gentleman gives her…
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The Cold or Catarrh in the Late 1800s
Many doctors of the late 1800s wrote about and investigated the cold, or at it was often called, catarrh. Nineteenth-century doctors also had advice about the best ways to avoid or prevent a cold. Of course, that was not always possible and so when a cold happened, doctors and even quacks wanted to cure it…
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Nice’s Promenade des Anglais or the Avenue of the English in the 1800s
First called the Camin deis Anglés (the English Way) by the Niçois, it was rechristened Promenade des Anglais or the Avenue of the English in 1860. Its origins began in the eighteenth century when rich English aristocrats began to winter in Nice for their health. Water cures were popular at the time and people thought…
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Napoleon Bonaparte’s Youngest Brother Jerome Bonaparte
Jerome Bonaparte was Napoleon’s youngest sibling. He was born on the island of Corsica on 15 November 1784 and was barely three months old when his father died. Napoleon soon became responsible for his education, something that Jerome was unwilling to apply himself to as everything other than his studies was of more interest to…
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Benjamin Franklin’s Popularity with French Women
Benjamin Franklin’s popularity with French women happened long before he was appointed Ambassador of France. When he landed on French soil in December of 1776, having set sail on 26 October as agent of a diplomatic commission, women (and probably men too) wanted to catch a glimpse of the experimenter with lightning and the defender…
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An American Plot to Save Marie Antoinette From the Guillotine
On a slightly misty day on 16 October 1793 the Queen Marie Antoinette was guillotined. However, before it reached that point, there were a variety of plots to save her. One plot to save Marie Antoinette is legendary and may or may not be true. It involves a home erected in Maine in 1774 located…
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Benjamin Franklin in Passy, France
Benjamin Franklin served as an American Ambassador to France from 1776 to 1785. For much of the time he was there — from March of 1777 to July of 1785 — Franklin lived in a rural area known as Passy. Today, Passy is included within the realms of Paris, but at the time, Passy was…
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The American Traveler in Victorian Europe
Travel was popular in the Victorian Era and among some of the most prominent travelers to Europe were Americans, nicknamed Yankees. They crossed the seas by steamers and traveled throughout Europe primarily by rail. The most desirable season for Americans to travel varied on the destination with winter travelers heading to Spain, Italy, or Egypt.…
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