When I’m writing fiction with a historical bent, sometimes a word strikes me as “modern,” and I wonder if a character from a certain time period would know it. I find the Online Etymology Dictionary to be absolutely invaluable! Did you know that the verb “buzz” dates to the late 15th century? Yet the word …
Category: Research
Sailing from New York to Ireland in 1912
Anyone who knows much about the Titanic (or who ever saw a cinematic or television portrayal) probably knows there were quite a few Irish immigrants. The ship’s last port of call before heading to New York was Queenstown, Ireland (now Cobh). Titanicstories on YouTube has a nice (though sad) video showing some of the sights …
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News stories from around the time of Titanic’s Voyage – April 10, 1912
April 15 will mark the 109th anniversary of the Titanic‘s sinking, though she sailed from Southampton on April 10. What was going on in America during her voyage? Maybe New York newspaper The Sun can help us. Ah, today’s newspapers use formatting to better tell the reader which stories are important! I’ll just assume the …
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Finding Historical Weather
Have you ever wondered what the weather was on a certain day in a certain place? I’m working on a time-travel novel where certain events happen on certain dates in the past. And given how easy it is to find information online, it seems reasonable to at least make sure that a day that was …