I am fascinated by early electronic communication--telegraph, radio, the transition to telephone and television. How did people figure that out? I live in a world where I'm writing on a computer the size of a spiral notebook with internet that can send my words instantly around the world, and I'm still fascinated. How did we… Continue reading A Short History of Radio
Category: history
Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Club Foot
Club foot is a relatively common birth defect, impacting up to 4 births in 1,000. It's a type of joint contracture that causes one or both feet to turn in and down, leading to difficulty walking if untreated. This isn't actually a lethal disease on it's own; it typically doesn't have any comorbidities, and isn't… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Club Foot
History Profile: Victoria Woodhull
The following is the text from episode 20 of the Spooky Stitches podcast, where we discuss the life and times of Victoria Woodhull. To listen to the full podcast, please visit my youtube page. Last episode we talked about Kate and Maggie Fox, who accidentally started the Spiritualist movement back in the 1840s, and despite… Continue reading History Profile: Victoria Woodhull
A Short History of Nail Polish
Fun fact: I have not one, but two defunct nail art blogs (Don't look for them. Really. I'm not good at it). So it's not surprising that I, a history buff and general nerd, found myself wondering where nail polish originated. Apparently it all started back around 3200 BCE, when Babylonian warriors would go get… Continue reading A Short History of Nail Polish
Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Cleft Palate
It's been a while since we had a good old fashioned WTKM. This time, we're exploring cleft palate. Cleft palate/lip occures when the tissue on the roof of the mouth doesn't fully form/develop, leaving a gap. We don't know why this happens, whether it's genetics, some kind of mutation, or if it's caused by environmental… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Cleft Palate
The New England Vampire Panic
This essay is taken in part from Episode 14 of the Spooky Stitches podcast, where we talk knitting and ghost stories. If you want to see more content like this, please check out the podcast, or the Patreon, where stories like this are posted regularly, often before they show up here on the blog. Today,… Continue reading The New England Vampire Panic
WWI Sleeveless Sweater for Soldiers
It doesn't look like much, does it? Let me just say, this sweater is more than the sum of its parts. I made this sweater for a friend and fellow history buff, someone who is very interested in military history. He requested it, and as soon as I saw the picture I knew exactly what… Continue reading WWI Sleeveless Sweater for Soldiers
Historical Profile: Ching Shih
From Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End If you ask most westerners about female pirates, they'll either give you a blank look or pipe up with a fact about Anne Bonny, and maybe Mary Read. But there's one woman who could take on both of them--who had a fleet of ships and commanded the… Continue reading Historical Profile: Ching Shih
Historical Profile: Mary Mahoney
Born to freed slaves in 1845, Mary Mahoney knew from a young age she wanted to be a nurse. She saw first hand how badly they were needed in the community prior to the Civil War, but when war broke out black women were barred from volunteering and training in the medical field. Still, she… Continue reading Historical Profile: Mary Mahoney
Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Nystagmus
We're doing something a little different this time around on WTKM. I'd be willing to bet that most of you have never heard the word nystagmus before, so let me break things down a little. Nystagmus is an involuntary, rapid eye movement. It can be caused by several things, including drug overdoses and head injuries,… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Nystagmus