An interesting historical story.
The delusion that personal gain is made by crushing others. The tendency to worry about things that can’t be changed or corrected. Insisting that a thing is impossible because we can’t accomplish it. Refusing to set aside trivial preferences. Neglecting development and refinement of the mind, and not acquiring the Read more…
It was named the Spanish Flu because Spain was neutral in WWI and thus did not have press censorship. Their newspapers reported freely on it, especially after King Alfonso XIII got ill. We still don’t know where it originated. Possibilities are Kansas, the Western Front, or China. China seems most Read more…
The bride was dressed in her home by relatives. She wore a fire-colored veil and simple white smock. Her hair was separated into six tufts and arranged with a spearhead and held by ribbons. A sacrifice of an animal was made. The couple would sign the marriage contract and dowry Read more…
After spending four decades collecting stories to tell in class and the last year researching new stories for this site, it is amazing that there are still more out there. History is so entertaining! This story is one I learned of just today. It’s about an incident that occurred on Read more…
Here are a few examples of how insane Nero was. He fought in the arena as a gladiator against wild animals, but they were all drugged, so he was not in any danger and could not lose. He hired a group of youths to follow him around and applaud. The Read more…
One of the worst jobs for Roman slaves was working in a laundromat (fullonica). Human urine was used in the cleaning process. The shops had big pots outside for people to contribute their urine. In other words, men (and women?) would pee in them. Urine has ammonia in it. Clothes Read more…
Cato the Elder was a famous Senator in Rome. His famous demand that “Carthage must be destroyed” led to the Third Punic War and the fulfillment of his dream. One day a friend remarked to him: “It’s a scandal that no statue has been erected to you in Rome! I Read more…
Let’s start our drinking now – no timed To wait while they light the lamps. There’s a finger of daylight left, So lift down the goblets, slave! Lord Dionysus gave us wine To ease our cares away Read more…
The Spartans were not exactly romantic. When a Spartan male decided it was time to get married and start a family, he would abduct his intended bride from her home. The girl would be turned over to an older woman called a nymphentria who would prepare her for the wedding Read more…
During the Middle Ages, in some areas of Europe, it was considered bad luck to meet a priest first thing in the morning. A popular joke had a woman making the sign of the cross when she encountered a priest on a country lane early one morning. The priest asked Read more…