Category Archives: American History

A Labor Day Break from Blogging…

LABOR DAY: WHAT IT MEANS According the U.S., Department of Labor, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a … Continue reading

Posted in American History, Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do You Remember the First Time You Read a Charles Schultz Cartoon?

For nearly 50 years, Americans opened their daily newspaper to read the latest adventure of Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, etc., in the “Peanuts” cartoon. On February 13, 2000, Charles Schultz, the series creator passed away peacefully during his sleep … Continue reading

Posted in American History, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome: A Plot Point

My upcoming release, The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery, uses Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as part of the plot line, but as my book is set in the Regency period (1811-1820) in England, when no such … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Mention of “PTSD” in Early Literature

I have a new release coming soon from Pegasus Books in which the illness we now call PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) plays a major role. The main character is accused of a series of violent crimes. Although he holds … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do You Know These Words and Phrases?

I have some words/phrases that are familiar and others perhaps not so. Enjoy the origins of these choice tidbits.  Butterfingers: (Phrases.org) A name playfully applied to someone who fails to catch a ball or lets something slip from their fingers. Several authorities Charles Dickens invented … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, Great Britain, Uncategorized, word play | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Calomel: A Poison Once the Standard for Medical Treatment

Many of you who follow this blog are parents and grandparents. Are we not glad that this medicine is no longer a part of our children’s teething issues? Read on… From Evidence Based Science we learn that Calomel was once considered standard medicine. It … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, Great Britain, medicine, Regency era, Uncategorized, Victorian era | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Granville County, NC ~ Roots in England and the War for Independence

Granville County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,916. Its county seat is Oxford. Granville County comprises the Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included … Continue reading

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Do You Remember The “Washington Marathon” to Forestall Desegregation and Voting Rights?

I live close to Rock Hill, South Carolina (Rock Hill is across the state border with Charlotte, NC), which recently commemorated the Friendship 9. The Friendship Nine was a group of African American men who went to jail after staging … Continue reading

Posted in American History | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Are You Familiar with “Franklin Bells”?

Franklin bells (also known as Gordon’s Bells or Lightning bells) are an early demonstration of electric charge designed to work with a Leyden jar. Franklin bells are only a qualitative indicator of electric charge and were used for simple demonstrations … Continue reading

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Have You Heard of “Forlorn Hope”?

From 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, we find “forlorn hope” as defined as, “FORLORN HOPE (through Dutch verloren hoop, from Ger. verlorene Haufe=”lost troop”; Haufe, “heap,” being equivalent in the 17th century to “body of troops”; the French equivalent is enfants perdu), … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments