After the Mayflower …

Here is a Washington Post article discussing the consequences for one particular Native American tribe of the arrival of the Mayflower in America just over four centuries ago. As you can see, those consequences weren’t very positive but the Pilgrims themselves are rarely mentioned, except at Thanksgiving.

The ancient origins of some Christmas traditions….

  No, don’t crane your necks! It’s supposed to be upside down, as you’ll see at this site, from which the extract below is taken:- “….Every year as December rolls in, some 2 billion people start to feel the Christmas cheer. While the celebration is primarily a Christian one honouring the birth of Jesus, its traditions… Continue reading The ancient origins of some Christmas traditions….

Chief Sitting Bull, Henry V and Richard III….

    This article might seem to be solely about Chief Sitting Bull and his great-grandson, and a new method of proving DNA and so, but here’s the penultimate paragraph: “….Dr. Willerslev said it was possible, for example, that the methodology could help solve one of England’s most confounding cold cases: the fate of the… Continue reading Chief Sitting Bull, Henry V and Richard III….

Henry Tudor Sailed the Oceans Blue?

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Henry Tudor Sailed the Oceans Blue?  No, no, we all know that’s NOT the way the rhyme goes…however, apparently, some publishers do not know the difference between the English king and the explorer Christopher Columbus. A picture of Henry VII, labelled as Columbus, recently appeared in a child’s history textbook… Continue reading Henry Tudor Sailed the Oceans Blue?

Witchcraft (4): Witchcraft American Style

Why do the Salem Witch Trials continue to fascinate after three hundred and twenty five years?  Why do tourists and locals, wiccans, witches, warlocks and wizards continue to walk the crowded streets of this pretty little seaside city in Massachusetts in search of magic and mayhem?  What propels them to stroll the narrow streets, licking… Continue reading Witchcraft (4): Witchcraft American Style