A Brief History of Desserts

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Jane Hummerstone Early Desserts In the Middle Ages, rich people ate desserts like preserved fruits, jelly, and wafers made from batter. Furthermore, the Italians have been eating panettone since at least the 15th century but its origins are lost in legend. The Romans knew that eggs could be used for… Continue reading A Brief History of Desserts

A Brief History of Dolls

By Tim Lambert Early Dolls Girls have played with dolls for thousands of years. Pottery dolls have been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. Girls in Ancient Greece played with dolls made of baked clay or wood. Some of them had movable limbs. However, when Greek girls grew up they dedicated their dolls to a goddess.… Continue reading A Brief History of Dolls

A Brief History of Easter

By Tim Lambert Nobody is sure where the name Easter came from. The Anglo-Saxon name for April was Eostermunath. But we don’t know why April was called that. According to a Saxon scholar called Bede the month was named after a goddess called Eostre. But no other writer ever mentioned such a goddess and there… Continue reading A Brief History of Easter

A Brief History of Electricity

By Tim Lambert Who Invented Electricity? No single person invented electricity. Many people made discoveries and inventions. However, in 1819, a Dane, Hans Christian Oersted discovered that an electric current in a wire caused a nearby compass needle to move. The Englishman Michael Faraday (1791-1867) showed that a magnet can produce electricity. In 1831 Faraday… Continue reading A Brief History of Electricity

A Brief History of English Government

By Tim Lambert Saxon Government The Saxons laid The foundations of the English government. They divided England into shires. (The Normans called them counties). Each shire was divided into areas called hundreds. (Originally a hundred was one hundred families or one hundred hides, the amount of land needed to support a family). Hundreds were abolished… Continue reading A Brief History of English Government

A Brief History of Fabrics

By Tim Lambert The first clothing materials were simply animal skins. About 35,000 years ago modern humans entered Europe. (They are sometimes called Cro-Magnons). The Cro-Magnons made warm clothes such as trousers, coats, and boots from animal skins using bone needles. Linen fabric dating to about 8,000 BC has been found in Switzerland. From about… Continue reading A Brief History of Fabrics

A Brief History of Farming

By Tim Lambert The Farming Revolution After 9,000 BC a great change came over the world. Previously humans lived by hunting animals and gathering plants. Then about 8,500 BC people began to grow wheat, barley, peas, and lentils instead of gathering them wild. By 7,000 BC they domesticated sheep, pigs, and goats. By 6,000 BC… Continue reading A Brief History of Farming