Posts by Geri Walton
Black Hole of Calcutta: A 1756 Tragedy
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small prison in Fort William, India, and became the site of a tragedy where many British prisoners died on the evening of 20 June 1756. The story began when the Bengal Nawab, Siraj ud-Daulah, succeeded his maternal grandfather as Nawab of Bengal in April 1756 at the age…
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George Victor Townley and His Murder of Elizabeth Goodwin
George Victor Townley murdered 22-year-old Elizabeth (Betsy or Bessie) Goodwin on 21 August 1863. It was a passion-filled murder where he stabbed her several times because she broke off their engagement. It was also one more story in a long line of horrid stories and would have been a perfect tableau for Madame Tussaud‘s Chamber…
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Jane Austen and Bath: Her Time There
Jane Austen and Bath have long been associated with one another partly because it was her home from 1801 to 1806. It was also about 116 miles west of London, and unrivalled as the head of English water places. At the time the Austen family moved there it was a thriving and vibrant spa town…
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Biddy Mason: Californian Real Estate Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Biddy Mason was born the same year that Madame Récamier’s friendship with François-René de Chateaubriand became intimate. But unlike Madame Récamier, Bridget, as she was named at birth, was not a French socialite. In fact, she was an African-American born into slavery on 15 August 1818. Exactly where she was born is unknown but various…
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Hair Powder: History of Its Popularity and Unpopularity
Hair powder was at one time used as an ornament for powdering a person’s hair or wig. It was sometimes perfumed and generally made from pulverized starch or Cyprus powder, although the poor classes were known to use flour. In addition, according to Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, the idea for hair powder was initiated in France:
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Jane Leigh-Perrot: The Arrest of Jane Austen’s Aunt
On Wednesday, 7 August 1799 Jane Austen’s maternal Aunt, Jane Leigh-Perrot, described as a pale, thin, fine-featured lady with a melancholy expression, went to a haberdashery and milliner’s shop at Bath and Stall Streets. It was being managed by Elizabeth Gregory, sister-in-law to a man named Smith, who had owned the shop. He had separated…
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Pierre Charles L’Enfant Revolutionary Architect and Washington, D.C. Planner
Pierre Charles L’Enfant was a military engineer born in Paris on 2 August 1754 to Pierre L’Enfant, a painter who served King Louis XV, and Marie L’Enfant, the daughter of a minor court official. After his older brother died at the age of six, L’Enfant was sent to study art at the Royal Academy in…
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Wardian Cases: The First Early Terrariums for Plants
Wardian cases were an early type of terrarium that were sealed protective containers for plants. They were created by Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, an English doctor, after he noticed the effects of hermetically sealed glass containers in 1829. Of his discovery he wrote:
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John Muir America’s Preeminent Naturalist
John Muir, America’s preeminent naturalist, is also known as “John of the Mountains” and “Father of the National Parks.” He was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America. He was born in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland to Daniel Muir and Ann Gilrye on…
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Ladies of Llangollen: Life on Their Terms
Despite living in a time where the fate of women was to find a husband and marry, Eleanor Charlotte Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, known as the “Ladies of Llangollen,” decided to live a life based on their terms. Their story begins with Butler and Ponsonby living about 15 miles from each other and meeting for…
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