Charlotte
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James Dean’s Little Bastard: Curse or Conspiracy?
There are opposing views on the Porsche 550 Spyder that James Dean was driving, and ultimately crashed, on September 30, 1955. His death was nearly instant but the rumors and conspiracies involving his cursed car have lasted for 56 years. We may never know what really happened but we can look at all the stories surrounding the Porsche dubbed “Little Bastard”. On a beautiful day in Cholame, California, Donald Turnupseed was driving a Ford coupe on U.S. Route 466. As Donald turned at an intersection, Dean’s car smashed almost in a head-on collision with the Ford at 5:45 PM. Donald walked away with only minor injuries, as did Dean’s passenger,…
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Peter the Great: Reforms of a Future Empire
Peter Romanov was not born Great but earned the moniker by setting precedents previously unheard of for the kingdom of Russia. Born royal in 1672 to Tsar (or Czar) Alexis I and his second wife, Natalya, as he was the youngest son, no one gave much thought to him ever reigning the kingdom. When Peter was only 3 years old, his father passed away leaving his eldest son as the King Of Russia. Feodor III or more aptly named, Feodor the Most Quiet, had suffered from health issues as a result of falling off his horse when he was 12 years old. The injuries left him nearly an invalid as…
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Madame Du Barry
A lover, a prostitute, a royal mistress, a wife, a disgrace, and a traitor. All of these are words often used to describe Madame Du Barry in a time of terrible unrest in France. Born as the illegitimate child of a seamstress and a friar, little Jeanne Becu was brought into the world with little prospects on August 19, 1743. Her father was not a part of her upbringing leaving Jeanne’s mother sole custody of her until it became too difficult as a single parent. Fortunately for Jeanne, a wealthy benefactor offered his financial support to have her educated at a convent school as a child. Once school at the…
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How to Bathe like a Champ in Tudor England
Living in Tudor England and bathing did not go hand in hand. While bathing was still seen as a social status, as the wealthier you were the cleaner you were, it would still make you nauseous to think about the methods that were employed.It is of no wonder that the people who lived in Elizabethan England were afraid of water. Looking back it is easy to see that dumping your waste into the Thames and then bathing in it is not safe. People became sick and diseased from bathing this way and the onl [...]
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The Winter Queen: Elizabeth Stuart
Born into the royal Stuart family of Scotland, Elizabeth was brought up as a princess and taught to be a future queen. It was on August 19 of 1596 that Elizabeth was brought into this world by her father, King James IV of Scotland (not yet the king of England or Ireland) and mother, Anne of Denmark. She was the second eldest child of 7, only preceded by her elder brother, Henry, Prince of Wales. If only she knew that life would not always be about pampering and extravagance, life as it were for Elizabeth was a struggle. Up until the age of 7 Elizabeth had been placed in the…
