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 History of Desserts
Category: Daily Life in the Past
A History of Dogs
By Tim Lambert Early Dogs Dogs are man’s best friends. Dogs were the first animals to be domesticated, and they have been companions and helpers ever since. About 40,000 years ago, wolves began to live with humans. At that time, people were hunter-gatherers. Some wolves may have gone to their camps looking for scraps. In… Continue reading A History of Dogs
A 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 History of Dolls
A History of Drinks
By Tim Lambert Early Drinks The original drink was, of course, water or Adam’s ale as it is sometimes called. However, when people invented farming they invented other drinks. It is believed that beer was invented before writing. Certainly in Egypt, beer was a common drink. People drank it from large containers through straws (to… Continue reading A History of Drinks
A 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 History of Easter
A History of Education
By Tim Lambert Education in Ancient Egypt Most children in Egypt did not go to school. Instead, boys learned farming or other trades from their fathers. Girls learned sewing, cooking, and other skills from their mothers. Boys from wealthy families sometimes learned to be scribes. They learned by copying and memorizing, and discipline was strict.… Continue reading A History of Education
A 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 History of Electricity
A 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 History of Fabrics
A 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 History of Farming
A History of Firefighting
By Tim Lambert Early Firefighting Fires were a major hazard in the past when towns were crowded and houses were often made of wood. Worse roofs were often thatched. In the Middle Ages, thatched roofs were banned in London because of the risk of fire. In smaller towns, thatched roofs were not banned till much… Continue reading A History of Firefighting