History is littered with bad decisions. For example, Louis XVI’s decision to support the revolt of the British Colonies in America. This worked out well for what soon became the United States of America but not so well for him. The ideas fostered in the newly formed United States of America, …
Built in 1931, perhaps one the most famous hotels in London- certainly one of the most expensive. In its early days it hosted Foyles literary luncheons attended by the likes of DH Lawrence, Charlie Chaplin and Haile Selassie. Sir John Gilbey of the gin distillers once spoke for one and …
Capitalism isn’t the road to riches for everyone. Take the examples of the 1990’s dot-com boom and bust, or the 1929 stockmarket crash (as well as a series of disastrous depressions across earlier decades), not to mention the imploding speculative European market disaster known as the South Sea Bubble of …
Now that my latest book A Splendidly Smutty Dictionary of Sex has now hit the bookshops. I am returning to another project – a look at the role of vegetables in history. It may sound dull but it is certainly not. Have a quick look at the humble lettuce…. Samuel …
In Dell Richards excellent Lesbian Lists (1990), he trawled through old medical journals for ways to spot a lesbian. This was the advice given by the doctors of the day. 1800s. In the “Gay 90s”, that is, the 1890s, a sure sign of a lesbian was a woman who smoked …
One of the subjects I looked at in my new book A Splendidly Smutty Dictionary of Sex was something that I was always intrigued about – Falsies These first appeared in 19th century Paris in the form of a device known as the Bust Improver, which consisted of wool pads …
For tens of thousands of years, the only contraceptive method was coitus interruptus, the biblical sin of Onan, in which the man withdraws to ejaculate outside the woman’s body. Every culture sought its own foolproof method to prevent conception. In ancient China, women were advised to swallow quicksilver (mercury) heated …
Whilst researching my new book, I came across some rather odd people: Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943) The inventor and futurist, who designed the first alternating current (AC) electrical supply system, also died a virgin. This extremely eccentric individual would work from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm every day and …
It has been very stormy here for the last day or so, and as a result the pack of cards has come out to while away the evenings. Whilst playing, the thought struck me on the odd words and names describing various cards. devil’s bed-post (c.1835) the four of clubs, …
As England became more prosperous in the 16th century there was a renewed focus on etiquette and manners. As befitting the influence of the renaissance this was also a time which saw a renewed interest in ‘household ordinances and serving manuals’- namely a series of Anglo-Latin courtesy poems which gave …
