Around the 16th Century, the salutation “god be with ye” was shortened to “godbwye” which became goodbye.
Middle Ages
Nostradamus Prophecies: Death of Henry II of France and the Election of Donald Trump
Michel de Nostradame, usually anglicised to Nostradamus, wrote Les Propheties in 1555, which is a collection of over a thousand quatrains (four line poems) that have often been interpreted as prophecies of future events. Nostradamus rejected the label of “prophet” and disliked astrologers. However, that hasn’t stopped many commentators interpreting the Continue Reading
OMG, unfriended. WTF?
Although millennials seem to think they invented text-speak, having no concept of communication such as telegram or morse code, you might be surprised to learn that some of the words associated with social media were in use much earlier than you might expect. OMG In a letter from Admiral John Continue Reading
Why are months so weird?
Calendars throughout history have struggled to be logical and maintain synchronism between the lunar cycle (about 29.5 days) and the solar year (about 365.25 days). Most systems include a bodge factor or intercalary months or days to bring things back into line, with varying degrees of accuracy. Sumerian The ancient Continue Reading
Richard II’s Sausage and Meatball Pie
The Forme of Cury is a cookbook of about 200 recipes written in the 14th Century by “the Chief Master Cooks of Richard II”. Richard II was an unpopular King but he did like a luxurious lifestyle and taxed the peasants to fund it. He was eventually deposed and died in Continue Reading
Epitaph: Sir Isaac Newton
Mathematician, astronomer and physicist, Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 to 20 March 1726/7), is buried in Westminster Abbey, London. The Latin inscription on the base of his monument is translated as: Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical principles peculiarly his Continue Reading
Medieval Piggy Bank
Peasants in the Middle Ages stored any money they wished to save in pots or jars made of an organ clay called pygg. This is probably where the term “Piggy Bank” originates.
Earliest map of America
The Waldseemüller map, Universalis Cosmographia, first published in 1507, was the first map to use the word “America”. It is generally considered that America is named after Amerigo Vespucci. However, this would be inconsistent with the general practice of using surnames (other than Royal names) for the naming of discovered Continue Reading