Peter I of Russia shortcutted his infamous beard tax when he personally shaved his horrified courtiers. At a court reception not long after his European tour, he unexpectedly pulled out …
Medieval toilets, just as today, had more “polite” names, the most common being ‘privy chamber’, just ‘privy’ or ‘garderobe’. More evocative names included the ‘draught’, ‘gong’, ‘siege-house’, ‘neccessarium’, and …
If medieval executioner is too good a job for you, try Rackare. The job description for a Rackare is: deputy executioner, flayer, dog and cat killer. In Medieval Sweden, …
During “Secessions of the Plebians” the common people rebelled by simply abandoning the city and leave the aristocrats to themselves. The upper classes were left servantless; shops and workshops shut down; commercial …
Sealand was founded as a sovereign Principality in 1967, seven miles off the eastern shores of Britain. A former army fort, It’s just two concrete pillars holding up an iron …
In 1994, 35,000 Americans insured themselves against being kidnapped and eaten by aliens. The very first company to offer Alien Abduction insurance was the St. Lawrence Agency in Altamonte …
In the Medieval period, monkeys were a stand in for depraved humanity, often appearing in the margins of illuminated manuscripts. The prayer book written for Charles V. of Austria …
Where did the bizarre tradition of drinking from women’s shoes come from? The most popular origin story has all the elements we adore: debauchery, sexuality, and royalty. An infamous …
To medieval Europeans, elephants were equally ‘real’ as unicorns, as both existed in texts but were never seen. Vikings sold unicorn “horns” for centuries. The dominant story about unicorns …
How do you like them pineapples? Probably not enough to risk seven years of hard labor for the crime of pineapple theft. People in 17th and 18th century Europe …
In Georgian and Victorian times, armies of bathing machines protected a woman’s modesty before she slipped into the waves. (Image credit: Messy Nessy Chic) People entered the changing room on …
Queen Marie Antoinette’s birthed a brief craze for Caca Dauphin, a shade of brown that resembled the contents of the new prince’s diapers. Carolyn Purnell in The Sensational Past describes …
