Category Archives: History

It wasn’t all glamour being a Roman Emperor

Posted on January 23, 2020 by

Of the 69 rulers of the unified Roman Empire, from Augustus (d. 14 CE) to Theodosius (d. 395 CE), 62% suffered violent death. https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/01/facts-about-deaths-of-roman-emperors.html#comments

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Is war just sexier than peace?

Posted on January 13, 2020 by

Del

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Workhouses and the Poor from 1834

Posted on January 2, 2020 by

…..the able-bodied recipient of poor relief “on the whole shall not be made really or apparently as eligible as the independent labourer of the lowest class.”1 Introduction There’s nothing worse than paying tax and being taken for a ride. The … Continue reading →

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Elizabethan Poor Law 1601: the First National Welfare System

Posted on December 12, 2019 by

Background English society was shattered by the Reformation in the 1530s, which destroyed centuries of provision for the poor by the Roman Catholic church. What had once been a religious duty1 now was a choice. Sixty years of undirected assistance … Continue reading →

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An Unforeseen Consequence of the Dissolution of the Monasteries

Posted on November 28, 2019 by

England was shattered by the dissolution of the Roman Catholic church in the 1530s. One unforeseen consequence was the destruction of provision for the poor. The monasteries had a religious duty towards them. Those who were entirely incapable of surviving … Continue reading →

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Ancestry

Posted on November 20, 2019 by

Last month both Jan and I were invited to my cousin’s and his wife’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. It wasn’t until near the date of the celebration we learned that four of our children(?), their partners and grandchildren were also invited. … Continue reading →

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John Muir’s religious environmentalism and the Yosemite National Park

Posted on November 16, 2019 by

John Muir is a towering figure in American environmental history. He was a geologist, botanist, mountaineer, journalist, author, confidant of Presidents and industrial leaders, co-founder of the Sierra Club and much more. His opinions were eagerly sought and often acted … Continue reading →

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