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  • Index Biography 40: Prize a book March 31, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Contemporary
    Index Biography 40: Prize a book

    ***Solved after quite a wait by Peter G: scroll down for the answer*** The Index Biography is a quiz pioneered by this blog and introduced in a previous post. The creator must find a biography of a famous individual from history, they must turn to the index and write down eight peripheral facts about the individual’s […]

    Daily History Picture: Young Stalin March 29, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Historical Pictures
    Daily History Picture: Young Stalin

    Such a nice young fellow.

    In Search of the Anomaly Gap, 1700-1800 March 29, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern
    In Search of the Anomaly Gap, 1700-1800

    Beach has noted before on this site the way that in the enlightenment there is an ‘anomaly gap’. It becomes, from about 1700 to 1800, unfashionable to speak about the paranormal, even in jesting terms. Actually this is a very approximate rule. In Beach’s experience some forms of the supernatural are acceptable. For instance, ghosts […]

    Daily History Picture: Snogging Death March 28, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Historical Pictures
    Daily History Picture: Snogging Death

    The horror…

    Nude Ghosts March 28, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern
    Nude Ghosts

    We looked recently at the phenomenon of ghost larks, young men and women, pretending to be ghosts for various motives. On that occasion the sub category of nude ghosts were missed out entirely, but as bizarre history is an exercise in completion here goes. An interesting number of ‘ghosts’ turned out to be local streakers. […]

    Daily History Picture: End of the World March 27, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Historical Pictures
    Daily History Picture: End of the World

    St John (right) peers into the future…

    A Green Stranger or Angel or Fairy? March 27, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern
    A Green Stranger or Angel or Fairy?

    Lots of supernatural creatures from the Green Knight to aliens are green: and the general, though by no means universal opinion of folklorists has been that green is for vegetation. Here is one reference from the late 17C* that has  confused Beach. We are in Westmorland in north-west England and this is from a one […]

    New History Books: Milton, Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare March 26, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : New History Books
    New History Books: Milton, Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

    Giles Milton, Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Another British brains vs Nazi brawn?

    Review: The Lost Story of the William & Mary March 26, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern
    Review: The Lost Story of the William & Mary

    There is a new series of history books, products of the internet age, that have amateur historians putting together works that are, often, better than those by professional historians. The reason for the success of these amateurs is simple. They concentrate on contemporary sources, sources that are now increasingly available online for those ready to […]

    New History Books: Bosworth, Claretta: Mussolini’s Last Lover March 25, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : New History Books
    New History Books: Bosworth, Claretta: Mussolini's Last Lover

    R. J. B. Bosworth, Claretta Mussolini’s Last Lover Really the woman of Mussolini’s life. This is the book that Beach most wants to read this month…

    Victorian Urban Legends: Wellington’s Breeches March 25, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern
    Victorian Urban Legends: Wellington's Breeches

    Nice 19C story. Mrs. Loudon was lately in the neighbourhood of Strathsfieldsaye, and being always anxious to visit spots remarkable for fine specimens of the vegetable world, and hearing that she was likely to gratify her taste at the gardens of the Duke of Wellington, she wrote to His Grace, conveying her special desire to […]

    Daily History Picture: George Tames the Dragon March 24, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Historical Pictures
    Daily History Picture: George Tames the Dragon

    Kill a dragon, yes; tell stories about him; but please don’t ever turn him into a dog…

    The Copper Piece Spell March 24, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern
    The Copper Piece Spell

    Location: this spell is attested in a court case from 1856 (Anon 1856) from the West Riding of Yorkshire. The spell had been carried out by a famous Leeds cunning man, Harrison, and his client, William Dove, had unfortunately graduated onto murder on the advice of his master, a crime for which he would later […]

    When God Spoke in a Wind: the Battle of the Frigidus March 23, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Ancient
    When God Spoke in a Wind: the Battle of the Frigidus

    The Battle of the Frigidus 394 was one of the most important clashes as the Western Roman Empire was winding down: Honorius, the loss of Britain, Gerontius in Spain all just above the horizon… 5 and 6 September of that year, two enormous armies, perhaps as many as 150,000 men, took to the field under, […]

    Daily History Picture: St Christopher as Dog Head March 23, 2017

    Author: Beach Combing | in : Historical Pictures
    Daily History Picture: St Christopher as Dog Head

    One of Christianity’s strangest icons…