Many people know Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618) as the courtly gentleman who spread his cloak over a puddle so Queen Elizabeth would not dirty her shoes. It’s uncertain whether or not this actually happened, but even if the… Read More
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, fashionable women wouldn’t consider travelling without a black velvet mask, called a vizard, to protect their complexion from the sun, from the dust kicked up by horses, and from gritty, polluted city air. Such… Read More
For centuries, dyers created blue hues from woad. The fermenting process created such a disgusting stench that Queen Elizabeth banned woad production within five miles of any royal residence.… Read More
A godson of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir John Harington, designed a flush toilet in 1596. He actually built one for his godmother, but he was laughed out of court.… Read More