"Did You Know?" Blurbs

[Ellory Pendergast]

Yay authors version!

Author Oscar Wilde was born on October 16th, 1854.

Author Charles Dickens died on June 9th, 1870 - about 15 years ago IC!

Author Emily Bronte was born on July 30th, 1818.

Oooor if you want to be morbid xD died on December 19th, 1848, aged 30.

Author Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29th, 1832.

Louisa May Alcott's book Little Women was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869.

Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina was published in 1878 - about 7 years ago IC!

Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland was published in 1865 - about 20 years ago IC!

Poet Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19th, 1809.

Ooooor died on October 7th, 1849, aged 40.

  

[Cassius Lestrange]

I uh. May have hit 1870s-80s Britain in my Euro textbook.

Did you know? In 1884, many (but not all) muggle farmworkers gained the vote through the Third Reform Bill.

Did you know? The current muggle Prime Minister is Gladstone, a member of the liberal party.

Did you know? In 1885, the "Irish question" was an incredibly divisive issue in Parliament, which caused the split of the Liberal party in 1886. Used 05/04

  

[Cassius Lestrange]

MOAR:

Did you know? The Fabian Society, founded in 1884, would become Britain's most influential socialist group.

Did you know? Britain's socialist Fabian Society had a gradual approach to social reform.

Did you know? H.G. Wells, author of the War of the Worlds and one of the fathers of science fiction, was born in 1866.

Did you know? Tolstoy's War and Peace was first translated into English in 1885.

  

[Gertrude Baker]

Whee more. Today's Google Doodle inspired me. I've also put my side notes in italics so not to confuse things. And blockquoting. I added too many to not blockquote.

Did you know? Hogwarts' current first years are roughly the same age as Ford Madox Ford, author of The English Review and Parade's End.

Did you know? Hogwarts' current second years are roughly the same age as Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States.

Did you know? Hogwarts' current third years are roughly the same age as Friedrich Ebert, the 1st President of Weimar Germany.

(Also Rosa Luxemburg who I was named after and is therefore fucking awesome. I was tempted to do her instead, but Ebert is probably better.)

Did you know? Hogwarts' current fourth years are roughly the same age as Vladimir Lenin and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Did you know? Hogwarts' current fifth years are roughly the same age as Neville Chamberlain, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 until 1940 and preceded Winston Churchill.

I added dates because Churchill wasn't PM until OCTOBER 1940! OCTOBER! NINETEEN FORTY. That's a did you know in itself, but not related to the VE. Like, I knew he wasn't prime minister at the start, but fucking hell that's thirteen months in!

Did you know? Hogwarts' current sixth years are roughly the same age as Nicholas II of Russia and Marie Curie. Hopefully they'll have less horrible deaths.

Did you know? Hogwarts' current seventh years are roughly the same age as Laura Elizabeth Wilder, author of the Little House novels; Nina Boucicault, the first actress ever to play Peter Pan; Wilbur Wright of the Wright Brothers; and Mary of Teck, wife of George V, mother of Edward VIII and George VIII, and grandmother to Elizabeth II.

Basically, everyone was born in 1867 - Also:

Did you know? 1885 was Queen Victoria's forty ninth year on the throne. Used 05/04

  

[Annette Fontaine]

Jenny likes researching animals throughout history XD

Did you know? Exotic animals, such as guinea pigs, were seen as great status symbols in the Victorian Era? Only the wealthiest could afford to buy and keep them.

Did you know? Many of today's miniature 'handbag' dog breeds were first bred in the Victorian Era for wealthy ladies, who treated lapdogs like fashion accessories.

Did you know? There are records of poodles having their own servant to keep their coat in order and to stop them shedding on expensive furniture and clothes.

Did you know? Trends for lap dog breeds and colours amongst the wealthy would change every few months, so many 'last season' dogs got given to servants, children or rat-catchers.

  

[Katherine Midford]

"Did you know? Princess Victoria had to sleep in the same room as her mother until she became Queen”

“Did you know? Tuberculosis, also called “consumption”, was the main killer for the Victorians”

“Did you know? Girls at the age of 12 wore skirts to their knees . When they turn 14 their skirts would reach their calves, at their late teens they would have worn their skirts to their ankles.”

“Did you know? That Queen Victoria was the one that proposed to Prince Albert and not the other way around!"

“Did you know? Until she was Queen, Victoria was forbidden from going up or down stairs without holding someone’s hand – in case she hurt herself. “ 03/01/16

  

[Annette Fontaine]

Jenny loves fashion history.

Did you know? In 1873 the future Tsarina Marie Feodorovna’s visit to her sister, the future Queen Alexandra, led to the fashion of dressing sisters, cousins or even close friends in identical clothes after they wore identical gowns together no fewer than thirteen times. Originally to show the close relationship of Russia and Britain, the fashion persisted for over twenty years!

  

[Annette Fontaine]

/watching a documentary

Did you know? The main cause of Victorian women fainting were the gas lights which were a must for any reasonably wealthy home. The lights led to dangerously low levels of oxygen in many rooms, and higher levels of poisonous gasses.

Did you know? With artificial lighting and increased mechanisation, the upper classes invented several new hobbies to keep themselves entertained in their increased leisure time, such as indoor, roller-blading croquet and dog shows.

Did you know? To correct and prevent bad posture, girls would be strapped to a backboard for an hour or so each day from a young age till their teens.

  

[Gertrude Baker]

Because far too many characters on Charming have middle names. And yes, I know 1885 and 1911 are twenty six years apart and yes, I am a hypocrite slightly (even though I have several characters with no middle names), but yeah, this annoys me.

Did you know? Only 37% of people born in 1911 had middle names.

Also because I've seen people think otherwise:

"Did you know? In 1885 the pound was not yet decimalised. Much like wizarding money, it consisted of several 'layers' of money. There were twelve pennies to the shilling (hence why British children learn their twelve times table) and twenty shillings to the pound. This meant that there were 240 pennies to the pound!

There were eight coins for the pound in the Victorian Era. From largest to smallest, they went: farthing (¼d), halfpenny (½d), penny (1d), threepence (3d), sixpence (6d), shilling (1/-), florin (2/-), and half-crown (2/6).

Added shit about the coins because whee fun, only the top section is really meant though.

  

[Tristan Michaud]

Did you know? The first homosexual rights group in England will not be founded until 1897? It was a secret society called the Order of Chaeronea and was founded by George Cecil Ives.

  

[Rasmus Mohr]

Did you know? In the 1880s, homosexuality is legal in the several nations, including the Ottoman Empire, San Marino, France, Andorra, Japan, Guatemala, and Mexico; however, it is illegal in the United Kingdom, with the law against male homosexuality reaffirmed in 1885.

Did you know? Female homosexuality is legal, because the law does not recognize it as existing.

  

[Rasmus Mohr]

Did you know? The last execution for homosexuality was in 1835.

Did you know? In 1861, the Offenses against the Person Act removed execution as a possible punishment for homosexuality.

Did you know? In 1895 Oscar Wilde was convicted of indecency under anti-homosexual laws and convicted to two years penal labor.

Did you know? Legal ramifications for homosexuality could be as severe as a prison term of ten years to life!

  

[Albert Humphrey-Mavis]

So. There was this totally factually inaccurate (or at least misleading) tumblr post about inventions on my dashboard today. So I started googling things.

Did you know? The sport of basketball won't be invented until 1891.

Did you know? The telephone was invented in 1876.

Did you know? Cotton candy won't be invented until 1897. no one knows what they're missing

Did you know? The dishwasher was invented in 1850.

Did you know? The fountain pen was invented in 1884. Used 05/04

Did you know? The electric iron was invented in 1882.

Did you know? The zipper won't be invented until 1890.

Did you know? The first electric light was made in 1800.

Did you know? The gas-powered motorcycle was invented in 1885. Steam powered motorcycles have existed since 1867.

Did you know? The record was invented in 1877.

Did you know? X-rays won't be discovered until 1895.

Did you know? Toilet paper was invented in 1857.

I'm not saying that someone should own a motorcycle, but that's totally what I'm saying.

  

[Esther Twilfit]

Did you know? Ready-made clothing wasn't available commercially till the 1920s. In the Victorian Era, everyone who could afford it would get tailor-made clothing, whilst poor people would buy fabric and patterns and make their own.

  

[Annette Fontaine]

I really ought to stop watching documentaries

Did you know? The upper class husband and wife would have had separate rooms. This was copied by people in the middle and lower classes by having separate twin beds in the same room!

  

[Rosaline Bennett]

Did you know? Anna Karenina was not translated into English until 1886.

using this as a source

optional edition: "There's a 99% chance it was translated into French earlier, but apparently google won't tell me that, SO."