How Jack the Ripper Became a Legend
In 1880s London, an anti-prostitution campaign, anti-immigration feelings, and a deep class divide set the scene for the Jack the Ripper media frenzy.
What Life Was Like During the London Blitz
During WWII, 150,000+ people sought shelter in London's Tube stations each night. Over time, the various stations developed their own mini-governments.
Trial by Combat? Trial by Cake!
The medieval tradition of deciding legal cases by appointing champions to fight to the death endured through 1817, unlike its tastier cousin.
The Toadmen, Masters of Equine Magic
A strange initiation ritual involving a toad was required for members of a secret caste of nineteenth-century horse mystics.
What Exactly Is Jane Austen’s Sanditon?
An unfinished, fragmentary Austen novel is being adapted for television. Can we ever know what Austen meant for this book to eventually become?
The Forgotten Master of the Ghost Story
Vernon Lee was a widely-read writer of 19th-century ghost stories, called the "cleverest woman in Europe." Her life story was pretty fascinating, too.
Baking Vs. Roasting
We cook bread, meat, and vegetables much the same way: in our ovens. So why do we say we "bake" bread, but we "roast" meat and veggies?
How Lizzie Bennet Got Her Books
In Regency England, a novel cost about $100. Subscription-based circulating libraries became a way for women of modest means to gain knowledge.
Why David Hockney Makes Both Paintings and Photographs
In a 1991 interview with singer Graham Nash, David Hockney explained how he applied his drawing skills to photography via the computer.
John Snow and the Birth of Epidemiology
Even though this physician pre-dated germ theory, he was able to track a London outbreak of cholera to one particular water pump.