Category Archives: Newspapers

The Danger of a Frost Fair Thaw

Posted on December 17, 2018 by

Christmas History 37.  In the last Christmas History article we looked at the final ever frost fair on the River Thames, in February 1814.  But what happened when a frost fair came to an end because the river was starting … Continue reading →

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The Last Frost Fair

Posted on December 13, 2018 by

Christmas History 36.  Between the 15th and 19th Centuries the River Thames in London froze over more than 20 times, often leading to celebrations on the ice known as “frost fairs”.  The last time this ever happened was the year … Continue reading →

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How to Celebrate Christmas, 1818

Posted on December 10, 2018 by

Christmas History 35. How was Christmas celebrated, 200 years ago?  1818 was a simpler time, but in many ways the spirit of Christmas was much the same: the importance of good company, good cheer, and thinking of others.  The following … Continue reading →

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Christmas in the Workhouse

Posted on December 6, 2018 by

Christmas History 34.  The plan for this year’s Christmas History series of articles was to look exclusively at the Christmas of 150 years ago, the year 1868.  Unfortunately it turns out that 1868 was a year for unseasonable weather, so … Continue reading →

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I’m Dreaming of a Muddy Christmas

Posted on December 3, 2018 by

Christmas History 33.  This year I thought it might be interesting to find articles about Christmas from newspapers 150 years ago.  That takes us back to the year 1868.  Victoria was on the throne and, as of 3rd December William … Continue reading →

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Acid Drops, Lemon Drops, Don’t Drops

Posted on November 29, 2018 by

Snippets 175.  In a previous snippet we looked at a quote from the November 1903 issue of The Talking Machine News, a monthly magazine for “users and makers of talking machines”; in other words, phonographs, or what we would now … Continue reading →

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The Magic Record

Posted on November 15, 2018 by

Snippets 173.  In 1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph.  By 1903, use of phonographs to play music had become so popular that it became viable to publish a monthly title “for users and makers of talking machines”, The Talking Machine … Continue reading →

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