Latin is NOT a dead language!
Latin is a dead language As dead as it can be It killed all the Romans And now it’s killing me All are dead who wrote it All are dead who spoke it All die who learn it Blessed death …
Category: Medieval History
On February 14th we use Chocolates and Flowers to Celebrate the Beheading of St. Valentine… that seems a bit odd…
On February 14th we use chocolates and flowers to celebrate the beheading of St. Valentine… that seems a bit odd… The Catholic church has, over 2000 years, made every day of the year the feast day of one saint or …
For the Love of Dog
I was interested in the idea of “universal values” and began looking at examples around the world that show this special connection. One thing that to me seems fairly universal is the special bond formed between humans and dogs. I …
Fun Fact of the Day: The Neat Story Behind the Word “Sheriff”
As should be pretty clear, I love the history of words and the stories they tell. I think it is amazing that a history can be gleaned from an assortment of letters that created a word. In the Middle Ages, …
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Why is Easter called Easter?
The etymology of Christmas is not that hard to see. It is the Christ-Mass. That works. Easter is etymologically weird. The fact that Easter, ostensibly celebrating the resurrection of the Christ, is associated with bunnies and eggs is weirder. As is …
April Fools’ Day! Why?
Where did April Fools’ Day come from? In a previous post I spoke about how January was added to the calendar because of the Romans, and how the new year moved from March (coinciding with the coming of spring) to …
On this Saint Patrick’s Day, I would like you to think of Saint Aiden.
On this Saint Patrick’s Day, I would like you to think of Saint Aiden. Now before I begin I want to emphasize, Saint Patrick is awesome. His story is truly amazing and the impact he had on Irish history and the …
On this Saint Patrick’s Day, I would like you to think of Saint Aiden. Read more »
January: A time to look both back and forward like a god with two faces… or why January is the first month of the year
I have had this little blog for nearly a year, and while I am not producing as much content as I would like, I am immensely proud of what I have written. January is a time to look back at …
Fun Fact of the Day: Weird Quirk of English Language History: The Animal vs. What we Eat
Why is it that the bird is a “Chicken” but we eat “Poultry?” The animal is a “Cow,” but we eat “Beef?” The animal is a “Pig” but we eat “Pork?” The answer is…the Norman Invasion of 1066! Prior to …
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Fun Fact of the Day: Halloween…why?
Halloween or “All Hallows’ Eve” is the day before All Hallows Day, more commonly known as All Saints Day. Every day of the year is dedicated to a saint. The most common ones we still celebrate are St Patrick’s Day, …