Apr 1, 2023 | Fun Historical Facts, Quora
April Fools is a custom associated with making jokes (Prima Aprilis) and dates back to Roman times. At that time, or more precisely, on March 25, the Hilaria festival took place, which was celebrated on the occasion of the vernal equinox and the worship of the...
Nov 4, 2022 | Interviews Features and Reviews, Quora
I had been following Nelson McKeeby on Quora for a while before finding out that he’s a fellow author! He has now published On Other Shores, the first book in his Tea Merchants series. You can find him on Prince of Cats. On Other Shores Despite being rogue and a...
Oct 30, 2022 | Quora, Writing
What would happen if you tried to use a cloak to block a sword? Eric Lowe (and here) has two illuminating answers to this question – both opening up many possibilities in fiction writing. It’s not a shield Before going into any details, the first thing to...
Jun 1, 2022 | Fun Historical Facts, Quora
Bradford McCormick, a reader of this blog, mentioned Helen of Troy in a comment and got me thinking. What did happen to that crazy lass after Troy fell? Well, turns out the answer, as told by Steve Theodore on Quora, is both complicated and fascinating. A Happy Ending...
May 30, 2022 | Fun Historical Facts, Quora
Plenty of ancient resources mention medical procedures such as surgery. The early Chinese surgeon Hua Tuo (c. 140-208) is credited with being the first recorded person to use cannabis as an anesthetic. He reduced the plant to powder and mixed it with wine for...
May 16, 2022 | Fun Historical Facts, Quora
One thing I inherited from my late father is a small house in Evia, an island off of Athens. When I first visited the place, it had been closed for a couple of years, with no one visiting. What struck me was how rusted everything was, including even nickel faucets and...
Dec 8, 2021 | Fun Historical Facts, Quora
While browsing Quora, I came across the fascinating tale of a family of executioners in the Late Medieval era. I just know this will inspire your writing, so here it is. Thanks to Jean-Marie Valheur for the great answer. A Reluctant Executioner Imagine you’re a...
Jul 3, 2021 | Fun Historical Facts, Quora
You may have heard stories of how the English won the battle in Agincourt thanks to the English and Welsh archers using the dreaded longbow. The longbow is such a part of English identity that even Shakespeare wrote about it: Fight, gentlemen of England! fight, bold...
Jun 6, 2021 | Fun Historical Facts, Quora
The wee one’s fascination with bodily functions (as witnessed by her poetry) must be rubbing off on me, as I couldn’t stop browsing Quora to learn more about toilet habits, old and new. Sher Afgan and Silvia Serra have shared a brief illustrated history of...
