February 2012
51 posts
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ecrid asked: Just saw your blog. SO AMAZING.
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Dr Joseph Bell was a professor at the University of Edinburgh, Queen Victoria’s physician on her visits to Scotland, a mentor to Arthur Conan Doyle and was the main inspiration for Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Bell was one of the first exponents of forensic science and was renowned for his ability to deduce facts about an individual merely by studying their appearance. He...
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little-lady-quinn asked: Do you know anything about university studies in years 1870-1880 in England? I'm mostly interested in the medical studies, how long it takes to complete them and other small tips. Also, thank you for your blog, I absolutely adore it.
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
In 1838 the SS Sirius became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It undertook the voyage to try to beat Brunel’s ship The Great Western. Unfortunately halfway through the trip the Sirius ran out of coal and the crew were forced to burn every piece of furniture, every wooden door and even one of the masts in order to reach New York first.
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This blog now has 300 followers!!
Thank you all so much!! Do feel free to send in your comments, questions, suggestions etc :) Thanks again!!
victorianoir asked: I love finding other Victorian-obsessors like myself. It validates my life choices. In other words, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS BLOG! It's absolutely fantastic and I can't stop going into your archives! You're fantastic. :)
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Queen Victoria had a voracious sexual appetite and wrote extensively on the subject in her private diaries. On one visit she and Prince Albert made to Burghley House in Lincolnshire to attend the christening of one of Albert’s godchildren the royal couple remained in their bedroom for a conspicuously long amount of time and did not join their hosts for breakfast.
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I'm back :)
My internet is restored and I’m once again able to bring you a daily dose of Victorian eccentricity. Enjoy!
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Notice - This blog shall be taking a short pause.
I’m moving house, won’t have the internet for a while and I’d rather do no posts at all than do rushed, sub-standard posts that would disappoint you.
I’ll be back again in a few days with more eccentricity than ever when I’ve unpacked all my resource books XD
Until then toodle pip to you all lovely followers :)
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
In England in 1849 a coin was issued which was given the nickname the ‘Graceless’ or ‘Godless’ florin. This was because unlike all previous coins it did not carry the traditional inscriptions D.G (Dei Gratia - By God’s Grace) and F.D (Fidei Defensor - Defender of the Faith). A virulent cholera epidemic during that year was blamed on the Godless Florin and as a result...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
At the height of the Industrial Revolution the city of Bradford in Yorkshire contained numerous factories and was one of the most commercially successful cities in England. However the pollution created by the factories led people to label the city as hell on earth and the average life expectancy for factory workers and nearby residents was only 20 years and 3 months.
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hmsvictory asked: this tumblr is a lovely tumblr :3
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
In the mid 19th century crinolines were extremely fashionable but also very dangerous. Breathing the seaside air was believed to have many health benefits but ladies who walked along piers in their crinolines were regularly lifted into the air by sudden gusts of wind and thrown into the sea. Many women each year also burned to death as their crinolines would catch fire as they passed open grates.
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
As well as being a famous author, Arthur Conan Doyle was an extremely keen sportsman. He was a member of the prestigious Middlesex County Cricket Club, a goalkeeper for Portsmouth Football Club and a talented golfer. He also pioneered modern skiing by undertaking dangerous expeditions into the Alps and writing enthusiastic articles in The Strand Magazine, encouraging the English public to adopt...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Before the modern sewage system had been built in London all waste flowed straight into the river Thames. This contributed to a massive increase in the spread of cholera throughout the city. It also caused an event known as ‘The Great Stink’. During the hot summer of 1858 the smell from the polluted Thames became so unbearable that Members of Parliament (situated in the Palace of...
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cockyvonmurderous asked: My Dear Lady! I have only just found you and already you are my favorite :)
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Charles Dickens was well known for taking inspiration for his characters from gravestones he saw on his travels. While in Edinburgh he came across the grave of one Ebenezer Scroogie a meal man (a corn merchant). Dickens was mildly dyslexic, misread the occupation as ‘mean man’ and then created his famous miser Ebenezer Scrooge. Researchers have discovered that Mr Scroogie was in fact...
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possibility--girl asked: Your blog is fantastic, I adore it! I was wondering, as you are really informed about this subject, do you by any chance know some good books about Victorian or perhaps Edwardian era? Or even internet sites and other blogs. Any information is welcome! :)
Anonymous asked: will you be posting anything on victorian fashion or sexuality?
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Victorian criminals, known as trassenos, used their own slang to communicate their plans to each other without passers-by being able to understand them. They were particularly keen on using back-slang - pronouncing words backwards. Examples include occabot (tobacco), nam-esclop (police man) and namow (woman). Their back-slang word yob (boy) is still used in modern British slang as an insult for a...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
During the Victorian era it was illegal for stage acts to contain nude or semi-nude performers moving in any way. Music halls overcame this restriction by reviving the fashion for ‘tableaux vivants’ or living pictures. For these acts performers would pose nude in imitation of classical paintings or mythological stories. As the performers did not move these acts were not illegal but...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
When Charles Dickens’ son Henry started his studies at the University of Cambridge in 1868 his father sent him 102 bottles of alcohol consisting of sherry, port, claret and brandy.
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Before modern safety matches were invented match heads were made of a substance called white phosphorus. The manufacturing process caused a disease known as ‘phossy jaw’ in factory workers. Prolonged contact with white phosphorus caused their teeth and jaws to glow in the dark before leading to fatal complications. This was one of the factors which instigated the London...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
In 1897, as part of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, marking the 60th year of her reign, special events took place throughout Britain and the wider Empire. In Calcutta 5000 beggars were given a decent free meal, as were the inmates of workhouses across Sydney and 19,000 Indian convicts received royal pardons.
Today, 6th February 2012, marks the beginning of celebrations for...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Medical treatments known as ‘water cures’ were extremely popular throughout the 19th century as an alternative to the more invasive therapies of the day which included blood-letting with knives or leeches. Establishments were built around natural springs and offered a wide variety of treatments to stimulate the immune system such as being wrapped in cold, wet towels for an hour or...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Before rail travel was invented in the 1830s every town and village in England had its own time established by the clock on the church tower or village hall. As a result people constantly missed their trains because drivers used ‘London time’. To solve this problem all the clocks in England were set to the same time known as ‘Railway Time’ which then became Greenwich Mean...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
In the 19th century the colour green was extremely fashionable. Dyes which produced this colour almost always contained a large amount of arsenic. These dyes were applied to furnishings and clothes, particularly lady’s dresses. As a result many people died by unknowingly inhaling the poison from their home furnishings or absorbing it into their skin from their clothes.
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forestsonriverdaughter asked: Oh my goodness, you have such a wonderful blog! I'm so glad I found it! ^__^
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Chlorodyne was one of the most popular medicines of the 19th century. It was invented by a military doctor named John Collis Browne as a treatment for cholera while he was in India. He marketed it in England as a cough mixture. Its principal ingredients were chloroform, laudanum (derived from opium) and cannabis. It was very effective at relieving pain however its ingredients made it extremely...
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Bizarre Victorian fact of the day...
Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed Bosie, was the lover of the famous 19th century writer Oscar Wilde. Their relationship was one of the key pieces of evidence which lead to Wilde’s conviction for ‘gross indecency’ in 1895. Bosie’s father was the Marquess of Queensbury who helped form the regulations for professional and amateur boxing known as the Queensbury Rules.