Military Balloon Joy (and H&H News)
So I found this article a while ago about the first woman pilot balloonist, Sophie Blanchard of the late 18th century. And while it was interesting learning about such a unique woman (even though things didn’t go well for her), honestly the part that stood out to me the most was the part about Napolean. Partly because Napolean had made her his Chief Air Minister of Ballooning (I’m sorry but that’s just epic), but also because apparently Napolean had wanted to invade Great Britain with balloons.
That’s right: a balloon invasion. Continue reading
White Witches, or, the Cunning Folk
Halloween always makes me think of witches. And my search for something witchy to write about led me to white witches.
White witches were, historically speaking, folk healers—people that lived primarily out in the countryside and provided healing and midwifery services to their community, which was very much needed as doctors were difficult to find outside of cities. This practice lasted well into the nineteenth century. Continue reading
Victorian Beauty Tips
I never would have thought it, but Twitter has turned out to be my favorite social media outlet. It turns out that if you follow interesting people on there, then it’s really quite easy to find interesting material. I’ve come across fascinating articles and beautiful artwork I probably otherwise would never have found. Like this Memoir of a Stomach.
The downside is I sometimes fall into rabbit holes as a result, like when I came across an article called “Ten Dangerous Beauty Trends from the Victorian Era”. The article, though interesting, isn’t what consumed my time. It was a book that the article referenced, written by an American woman in 1874 called, “The Ugly Girl Papers, Or, Hints for the Toilet” Continue reading
Fat Tuesday Swedish Style
Despite Sweden being considered one of the most secular countries in the world, religion still plays a big part in many of the holidays. Honestly, I think Swedes will embrace just about any reason to take a day off work or, in the case of today, eat pastries.
Swedes love pastries.
Like, a lot. Continue reading
Thresholds of a New Year
I like it when the new year rolls around. There’s a sense of optimism that knocks about the pessimism that sometimes follows me around. It’s like crossing a threshold, and that’s exciting. Who knows what’s on the other side? It makes sense that January is named after Janus, the god of gateways and beginnings, which sounds like an excellent time to start a new year, don’t you think? Continue reading