Vaccines have long been important in our current medical care. As children, we are protected from harmful diseases due to the development of these vaccines like measles, tuberculosis, meningitis, etc. The list goes on and on. Most recently, the development of the COVID-19 vaccine has allowed many of us to take steps in ending the pandemic that has changed the face of our world this past year. Many deadly diseases have been eradicated due to the development of vaccines which allows for better living conditions and longer lifespans. As of 1980, smallpox was declared to be eradicated. That would not have been possible without some of the work that Lady Mary Wortley Montagu did in order to fight for inoculation. As an upper class English woman of the 18th century, most of the public sphere was off limits. This included the medical field where women were not given the education or taken seriously. They would have to trust in men knowing what was right for their bodies. Yet, Montagu was different. As an early feminist, she was extremely bold. She did what she felt she needed to do and fought for the causes that she thought were important. This included the early smallpox vaccination.
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The Declaration of Independence and its Legacy
This week celebrated one of the most important events in American history. Wednesday, July 4, was the anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence and, after spending some of the week in Boston, I find myself full of the Revolutionary spirit! I wanted to create some blog posts this month that highlight some of the key events leading to the break of the American colonies from England.
I came to a realization while traveling in Boston that in current time we don’t truly realize how radical the events of the Revolution were. The rights to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” and having a government that is run by the consent of the people are just what is expected. That did no exist in the world that the Declaration of Independence was born into. The American colonies were there for the benefit of the parent country first and their own needs were secondary. These figures in our history were truly risking their lives for something they did not know would work at all and I admire that. At the time, Britain, and even the world, believed these “upstart colonists” were doomed to fail. Britain was the greatest power in existence and they had the advantage. When the British looked at the colonist they saw untrained and undisciplined farmers while they had a professional army. Some in Parliament even viewed the future Americans as “lazy”. The British also knew that the colonists could not finance a war as they had no navy and no way to manufacture supplies in large quantities.
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Ever Wonder what was on a Pirates Reading List? The Story of Blackbeard, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and new Archaeological Evidence
I always like to keep up on new archaeological information because amazing stories from history are found almost every day. Recently, preserved scraps of paper (about the size of a quarter) were found in the excavation of the shipwreck of Queen Anne’s Revenge. This is a very famous ship as it was the flagship of Blackbeard’s feared pirate fleet. But what is so important about these little pieces of paper?
Amazingly, the type is still legible though these scraps have been sitting in a shipwreck for 300 years. I would love to know more about how these items were preserved so well because paper and books are often the first to go after being submerged in water. From these small scraps of paper historians were able to match them to exactly what book they belonged to. This provides more insight on what pirates were reading (who knew they had their own personal reading lists!) and that, in fact, more seaman were literate than previously believed. Continue reading “Ever Wonder what was on a Pirates Reading List? The Story of Blackbeard, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and new Archaeological Evidence”
Inspired by Outlander: Culloden and its Aftermath
It probably would not surprise anyone to know that I am a huge Outlander fan. The premiere of season three featured heartbreaking scenes from the battle of Culloden and its aftermath. Apparently, it took nine days of filming and over 1,000 extras to create those intense battle scenes, though they were only in the episode for the first few minutes. I am not Scottish myself, but part of Outlander the show and the book’s influence has peaked my interest in Scottish history. I would be very interested to visit the country and the site of Culloden myself one day.
But my question today is, how did Culloden happen and how did Scottish culture change in its aftermath?
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Travel Through Time 