Category Archives: commerce

Georgian Era Commerce – Part II: The West India Docks and the London Docks

This is the second part of a look at the commercial trades during the Georgian Era. If you missed part one, you will find it HERE.  The cargo-handling docks of the early 1800s included the West India Dock, the London … Continue reading

Posted in British history, commerce, Georgian England, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Truth Stranger Than Fiction, a Guest Post from Jennifer Petkus

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors, but I thought it worthy and wanted to share it with others. If you do not know Jennifer Petkus’s works, check them out.  Truth is stranger than fiction, they say, which I’ve never … Continue reading

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The Beginnings of the Greyhound Bus Company

In 1914, a young Swedish minor named Car Eric Wickman left his job as a diamond drill operator in the rugged Mesabi Iron Ore Range in Hibbing, Minnesota, to open a Hupmobile (Goodyear Tire) franchise. The venture cost him $3000. … Continue reading

Posted in American History, buildings and structures, business, commerce, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Ever Been on a “Cook’s Tour”?

Most of you are likely to think a “cook’s tour” has something to do with a chef’s culinary excellence, but the phrase actually has its roots in the world’s oldest and largest travel organization.   Thomas Cook was a 32-year old … Continue reading

Posted in British history, commerce, Great Britain, Industrial Revolution, Living in the UK, real life tales, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

William “520 Percent” Miller, Inspiration for “Mr. Darcy’s Bargain”

In my latest release, Mr. Darcy’s Bargain, Elizabeth pleads with Darcy to save the citizens of Meryton from a scam being perpetrated upon them by Mr. Wickham. But how did I come up with the idea of this scam as … Continue reading

Posted in American History, Anglo-Normans, Austen Authors, Barbara Kyle, book excerpts, book release, books, British currency, British history, British Navy, business, Chaucer, commerce, contemporary romance, eBooks, George Wickham, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency romance, romance, Vagary | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Drambuie: Scotland’s First Commercially Produced Liqueur

To fully appreciate how Scotland claimed drambuie as its own, one must possess a general knowledge of what is known in Scottish/English history as the Rebellion of ’45. James II of England and Ireland (James VII of Scotland) converted to … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, commerce, Georgian Era, kings and queens, legends and myths, real life tales, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Call for Philip Morris!!!

Recently, I did a post on the R. J. Reynolds tobacco company and Camel® cigarettes. One of my friends, who smoked Philip Morris for years, asked what I knew of the Philip Morris company beyond the advertising of “Call for … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, business, commerce, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

R. J. Reynolds’s Tobacco Connection to King Edward VII

I live in North Carolina where for many years tobacco was “King.” Tobacco Road was an historic tobacco-producing area of central North Carolina. Among the many who rode the “tobacco wagon” to riches (until the 1980s when the U. S. enacted anti-smoking … Continue reading

Posted in America, American History, buildings and structures, business, commerce | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Beginnings of Betty Crocker, America’s First Lady of Food

The Washburn Crosby Company (later renamed General Mills) entered their finest flours into the 1880’s First Millers International Exhibition in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fortunately, their flours took the gold, silver and bronze medals. Soon after, Washburn Crosby Company changed its name to Gold Medal … Continue reading

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

Guano, “Fertile Fortune” of the 19th Century

Living in one of the Southern states in the U.S., the season when I do not “fight” the battle of bird droppings on my Buick Lacrosse does not exist. It is a fact of life that I pay for the … Continue reading

Posted in British history, commerce, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, Vagary, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Guano, “Fertile Fortune” of the 19th Century