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I’m endlessly fascinated by what people cooked, baked and ate in the 18th and 19th centuries. Must be a combination of my deep-seated history nerdiness and great love of baking, but the moment I started seeing references to Queen Cakes, I went down that rabbit hole. Preheat the oven, my pretties. We’re going in!
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I love history humor, and my algorithm knows it. Instagram keeps offering up a Pompeii Fun Run T-shirt, complete with mosaic depiction of panicky people fleeing the erupting volcano. So dark! It might be an effective history teaching tool, though. You’ll never forget the year Vesuvius erupted after seeing 79 A.D. spelled out in mosaic…
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Back when opium was considered a treatment for fussy babies, there was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup.
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Research trumps all. Who knew bison have blue tongues? Or that they’re named thrice? Or that “the great American buffalo” is branding?
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Who knew vanilla was the new rosewater? OK, maybe back in 1847, they knew. But these historic Jumble cookies are a revelation. I’m not procrastinating. I’m analyzing historical research — and it’s delicious.
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If there’s ever an “1849 slang of the American West” Jeopardy category, I’ll go see that elephant. I’ll wake snakes! It’ll be some pumpkins!
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Chemistry on the Oregon Trail? Those flaky biscuits were made possible by … saleratus. They still are. We just don’t call it that anymore.
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I suspect other people don’t take trip pics like I do. Oh sure, I’ve got grand vistas and gorgeous landmarks in my photo library. But anyone browsing images from my recent Oregon Trail research trip to Nebraska may wonder if I understand anything about how to frame a photograph. Yes, I’ve got some people pictures…
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Here on the West Coast, the word “shipwreck” conjures visions of the square-riggers, schooners and clippers that foundered on the Pacific coast in the pre-lighthouse days. And the Titanic, of course. Can’t forget that one. But back in 1856, the Missouri River was a treacherous place for steamboats. Snags — downed trees and tangled branches…
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It’s heartening in these disheartening times to find there are book lovers everywhere. It may not alter the whole world/hell/handbasket dynamic of 2026, but there’s delight in discovering bookish nooks in unexpected places. A cozy reading spot 👆hides amid the over-the-top hallucinogenic spectacle of Denver’s Meow Wolf, for example. Despite its appearance, it’s strictly BYOBook.…
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