This Week’s Question: The Great Fire of London started on 2 September 1666 and went on to consume much of the city. Where did it begin? Last Week’s Question: Which weapon’s superiority over the crossbow was proven at the Battle of Crecy in 1346? Answer: The English longbow proved its military supremacy at the battle, which was fought as part of the Hundred Years’ War. The … Continue reading Trivia Thursday: Hot Time in the Old Town
On 6 April 1580 the good people of England, Flanders, and Northern France had their dinners interrupted when the largest earthquake in the recorded history of those three nations struck at around 6 o’clock in the evening. This being the era of some of the greatest writers in the history of the English language, the event was pretty well recorded (including at least one parody … Continue reading Shake, Shake, Shake!
There are two sides to every story. In the case of one Frederick Cook, there was the lying, cowardly, stupid douchebag version of the story…and the truth. Cook was a guard on a special train that ran from Wolverhampton to Worcester in the 1850s. The train featured incredibly low fares (the equivalent of £3.70 for an adult ticket and £1.85 for a child’s ticket in … Continue reading Two Stories, One Jerk
Previously on Titanic: We were introduced to a whole slew of paper-thin characters and the ship hit the iceberg. Three times.
We back up yet again so we can visit the Wideners’ dinner party, where Georgiana is having a debate with Harry about how very stupid it is to do things just because that’s the way they’ve always been done. Yeah, she’s that character—rebellious rich girl. Not that we didn’t already know that, making this scene a bit pointless. Still, rules suck! Down with rules! She also mentions that Harry’s mom has invited them up to Newport while they’re in America. She suspects some matchmaking is at work and Harry acknowledges it, because he’s got a crush on Georgiana, for whatever reason. Probably because he likes ‘em feisty.
All it takes is a small spark to start a great conflagration, and on September 2, 1666, a small spark from a bakery engulfed the city of London, nearly destroying it over the course of three chaotic days. London in the 1660s was not exactly up to fire code: it was crowded, most of the buildings were made of wood, and streets were poorly planned … Continue reading We Didn’t Start the Fire
