Crystal Ponti Archives ‑ History.com

All the Ways We’ve Wiped: The History of Toilet Paper and What Came Before

At the onset of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, store shelves were quickly emptied of toilet paper, revealing the commodity’s prominent, yet unspoken role in modern‑day society. Although humans have cleaned their bottoms for as long as they have walked the Earth, “three‑ply” and “extra‑soft” didn’t always describe toilet hygiene. Before the introduction of mass‑produced, commercially […]

Victorian‑Era ‘Vinegar’ Valentines Could Be Mean and Hostile

In the Victorian era, and into the 20th century, lovers exchanged elaborate lace‑trimmed cards on Valentine’s Day, expressing their undying love and devotion with sentiments and poems. For those not on good terms, or who wanted to fend off an enemy or unwanted suitor, “vinegar valentines” offered a stinging alternative. “To My Valentine / ‘Tis […]

Who Were the Six Wives of Henry VIII?

King Henry VIII ruled England for 36 years (1509‑1547), presiding over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. But it’s the monarch’s tumultuous romantic life, rather than his politics, that have kept him in the spotlight. Henry VIII is best known for his six wives, and several mistresses he kept on the side. […]

Some of the Earliest Christmas Cards Were Morbid and Creepy

In the 19th century, before festive Christmas cards became the norm, Victorians put a darkly humorous and twisted spin on their seasonal greetings. Some of the more popular subjects included anthropomorphic frogs, bloodthirsty snowmen and dead birds. “May yours be a joyful Christmas,” reads one card from the late 1800s, along with an illustration of a […]

When New Englanders Blamed Vampires for Tuberculosis Deaths

More than 200 years after the Salem Witch Trials, ripples of another hysteria struck New England: the fear of vampires. During the 19th century, the spread of tuberculosis, or consumption, claimed the lives of entire families in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and other parts of the Northeast. Between 1786—when health officials first began recording mortality rates—and […]

America’s History of Slavery Began Long Before Jamestown

In late August 1619, the White Lion, an English privateer commanded by John Jope, sailed into Point Comfort and dropped anchor in the James River. Virginia colonist John Rolfe documented the arrival of the ship and “20 and odd” Africans on board. His journal entry is immortalized in textbooks, with 1619 often used as a […]

10 Things You May Not Know About the Jamestown Colony

In May of 1607, a hearty group of Englishmen arrived on the muddy shores of modern‑day Virginia under orders from King James I to establish an English colony. But despite their efforts, the Jamestown Colony was immediately plagued by disease, famine, and violent encounters with the native population. “There were never Englishmen left in a foreign country […]

How a Trio of Hellish Earthquakes Prompted America’s First Disaster Relief Act

In the early hours of December 16, 1811, the residents of New Madrid, a Mississippi River town once part of the Louisiana Territory, rushed from their homes as the ground rolled beneath their feet. Trees were uprooted and thrown to the ground. Huge chasms opened in the earth, swallowing whatever had been perched above. The […]