STRANGE TIMES
Strange Times offers a treasure trove of outlandish, funny, sometimes shocking stories from Victorian Era. Explore Victorian ideas, customs, holidays, clothing, architecture, art, women, men, businesses, leisure activities and more.
Annie Londonderry Biked Around The World: 1895
Annie Londonderry Biked Around The World: 1895
Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky was a Jewish mother of three small children. She lived in the Spring Street tenement in Boston’s Read More>...
Hawaiian Royals Bring Surfing to Shocked British Bathers: Victorian Era
Hawaiian Royals Bring Surfing to Shocked British Bathers: Victorian Era
The September day in 1890 was chilly and gray in Bridlington, England. It was nothing like the hot summer day Read More>...
Hawaiian Princes Bring Surfing to Santa Cruz: Victorian Era, 1885
Hawaiian Princes Bring Surfing to Santa Cruz: Victorian Era, 1885
Spoiler Alert! Two Hawaiian Princes Bring Surfing to Santa Cruz: Victorian Era, 1885. You can see two of the long-lost, Read More>...
Wealthiest Woman OF Klondike Gold Rush: Hot Water Bottles To Luxury Hotel
Wealthiest Woman OF Klondike Gold Rush: Hot Water Bottles To Luxury Hotel
Belinda Mulrooney had no husband or brothers to rely on, but she believed she could be a “successful trailblazer” on her Read More>...
The First Labor Day Parade Nearly Fizzled
The First Labor Day Parade Nearly Fizzled
September 5, 1882–The first labor day parade nearly fizzled. The streets of lower Manhattan near City Hall were packed with Read More>...
Donald Trump’s Grandpa Worked Klondike Gold Rushers
Donald Trump’s Grandpa Worked Klondike Gold Rushers
Donald Trump’s Grandpa worked the gold rushers inJuly, 1897. German-born Friedrich Drumpf (later known as Fred Trump) was running a Read More>...
Klondike Gold Rush: Kings, Cons & Stairs To Heaven
Klondike Gold Rush: Kings, Cons & Stairs To Heaven
Gold! Gold! Gold! Scores of people had already struck it rich in American gold rushes since the 1820s. But despite Read More>...
Annie Oakley: Nine Things We Love About Her
Annie Oakley: Nine Things We Love About Her
There is so much to love about Annie Oakley. Here are nine things we love about her. #1 Annie Oakley Triumphed Read More>...
Handcart Pioneers Pulled Belongings 1,300 Miles
Handcart Pioneers Pulled Belongings 1,300 Miles
The next time you catch yourself grumbling over a wobbly wheel on your shopping cart, consider this. From 1856-1860, more Read More>...
Striped Carnations To Frowny Faces: Victorian Language of Flowers
Striped Carnations To Frowny Faces: Victorian Language of Flowers
Long before we could “unfriend” with the click of a mouse, send emojis or file a restraining order with a phone Read More>...
Statue of Liberty a.k.a. The Green Goddess Reveals Her Top Ten Secrets
Statue of Liberty a.k.a. The Green Goddess Reveals Her Top Ten Secrets
In a previous post, we looked at how the Statue of Liberty a.k.a The Green Goddess, was “crowd funded” both in Read More>...
Thoreau: Woods Burner Turned Environmentalist?
Thoreau: Woods Burner Turned Environmentalist?
This July 4th marks the 170th anniversary (1845) of Henry David Thoreau’s move into the “tiny house” he built at Read More>...
The Secret Language of Roses, Victorian Era
The Secret Language of Roses, Victorian Era
The secret language of roses of the Victorian Era was rich, beautiful, emotional– and fraught with peril. “I once had a Read More>...
Martha Matilda Harper Servant Girl To Beauty Entrepreneur
Martha Matilda Harper Servant Girl To Beauty Entrepreneur
Martha Matilda Harper (1857-1950) was bound into servitude at age seven after her father lost his money in a business Read More>...
Try Our Statue of Liberty Quiz Game: “Wing It!”
Try Our Statue of Liberty Quiz Game: “Wing It!”
If you have Shockwave on your system, check out our Statue of Liberty Quiz Game. It’s an animated multiple choice Read More>...
