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History

A collection of 249 issues

The Tree

> The decorated Christmas tree was in use among the Romans and was introduced to Britain from Germany soon after Queen Victoria's marriage with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1840. Santa Claus and his reindeer came to Britain at the same time. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase

Brews You Can Use III

Modern Drunkard Magazine says its roots stretch back 100 years to a publication in Boston known as Genteel Drunkards Drink at Hiram Rich's Real Irish Saloon, which started as a response to a Boston Globe writer's (Mr. Hollis') printed criticism of Hiram Flannery Rich'

Maonster

WaPo runs a review of MAO: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/08/AR2005120801641.html] . According to the review (and others I've seen), the book details Mao's atrocities and shows that he was quite

King David or Chief David?

Interesting piece at WaPo about current archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/01/AR2005120101944.html] . Excerpt: > Some archaeologists believe Jerusalem was no more than a tiny hilltop village when it served as David's capital. The discovery of a palace or

Brews You Can Use II

> A culture of 24-hour drinking and bingeing on alcohol may not be unique to modern society, say historians. > Experts have uncovered evidence that 12th century Londoners drank ale by the gallon, starting at breakfast time, due to poor quality drinking water. Link [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/

Middle Ages Criticism Going Down

More and more people are beginning to realize that the Middle Ages weren't dark at all. It's comforting, and the evidence will keep accumulating (because it's a fact) and get published. Yet in ten years, yahoos everywhere will continue to refer to the "

What Will Southern Universities Do?

The New York Times has a good piece this morning about Southern universities' dilemma [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/30/education/30sewanee.html?hp&ex=1133413200&en=8c37104c5690ad60&ei=5094&partner=homepage] : Do they ditch Confederate imagery in an attempt to attract a broader

No Protection for Kooks

> British historian David Irving, known for his controversial views on World War Two, must stay in custody in Vienna while he is charged with denying the Holocaust, a court ruled on Friday [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051125/wl_canada_nm/canada_irving_austria_col_1].

Hot Time on the Town

This is nuthin'. Wait till the Muslims take over Europe: > Drunks may cause a ruckus, but they do not burn down the breweries that feed their thirst. But archaeologists have found that things were different 1000 years ago in Peru. After tossing down hearty drinks of pepper-spiced corn

Historical Miniature: Johnson's Dictionary

It's not often you get Samuel Johnson in the MSM. This was great to see [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/10/AR2005111001663.html] : > Except on those rare occasions when new editions of existing dictionaries are issued -- the Oxford English Dictionary , Webster'