Jul 1, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
Photo: Leiden, Bibliotheca Thysiana, Inv. nr. 2200 H. Photography Giulio Menna (@sexycodicology), courtesy of Erik Kwakkel May 31st, 1486 turned out to be an unseasonably hot day on the Rhine. Count Philip was holding court. A duke was droning on and on, and the Count...
Jun 29, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
On January 8, 57 AD, Tibullus, a freed slave in London, promised to repay 105 denarii, a hefty sum, to another freed slave named Gratus. Meanwhile, one friend admonished another that he’s lent too much money and is being gossiped about. And a merchant was making a...
Jun 27, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
Under the ancient oak, home to mighty Zeus, a priest holding a thin sheet of lead is waiting patiently for the widow before him to ask her question. She hesitates for a moment, listening to the rustling leaves over them. “It’s my job to interpret...
Jun 25, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, My Publications, Random Musings
A few years ago, a forest fire ravaged the area where we live. A friend of mine was helping the firefighters when the ground gave way and his leg fell into a hole in the ground. A hole that turned out to be an ancient tomb, complete with offerings and bones. As this...
Jun 21, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
Urvija Banerji of Atlas Obscura shared recently the unusual story of how a man’s desire to flaunt his wealth became a book of Psalms. Many people in the Middle Ages learned to read and worship by studying their psalters, or personal copies of the Book of Psalms,...
Jun 13, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
A couple of days ago, I mentioned one of the greatest fences of all times, Marl Madelbaum. Today I’ll introduce you to a counterpart of hers, “Deadshot” Mary Shanley, an early 20th century undercover supercop. Hadley Meares of Atlas Obscura...
Jun 11, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
Organized crime in New York is often portrayed as a boy’s game, but one of the first and most influential crime bosses in the history of the city was a Prussian immigrant known as “Mother” or “Marm” Mandelbaum. Eric Grundhauser recently shared her fascinating story on...
Jun 5, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Maps and Infographics
Continuing my infatuation with maps, I came across this fine 16th-century example of a cartographer’s imagination running wild in an excellent post by Urvija Banerji of Atlas Obscura. The creatures depicted on land in the 16th-century Carta Marina are not...
May 27, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Maps and Infographics, My Publications
A New Pearseus Map Prompted by my recent post on maps in fantasy, I edited the Pearseus map I’d drawn for the Robinson Companion. The new map, seen below, is in high resolution (2700×2200) and includes Caria, a location first mentioned in Endgame, the...
May 19, 2016 | Entertainment, Fun Historical Facts
In 1801, Britain’s first census was begun. A subsequent survey, conducted in 1881, asked residents to declare their “rank, profession or occupation.” Here are some of the more puzzling responses, as preserved by the London Genealogical Society and...
