“The green fairy” first twinkled into existence in 1792 in the hands of a French doctor named Pierre Ordinaire. (Yep, his name was basically “Pete Normalguy” but with a better accent). He was looking for a delivery method for wormwood. At the time, people … Continue reading The Origins of Absinthe
The name “pork pie hat” can refer to a number of different hats that were popular starting in the 1830s and continued to be worn all the way into the middle of the 20th century. As you probably guessed, it … Continue reading A Tip of the Hat to the Pork Pie Hat
Perseverance Triumphant! CHAPTER ONE The Great Experiment New York, December 14, 1942, Dusk A night, a moment, when world events and one man’s remarkable history interacted with the forces of nature to change the very fabric of time, reinventing the … Continue reading Here’s your Sneak Peek at Perseverance Triumphant! by Gary Ruse
So far in the Tip of the Hat series I have only talked about men’s hats. This is probably because I personally prefer to wear the styles that are meant for gents, but the ladies of the steam era were all be-hatted as well. For much of the 19th century, if a lady only owned one type of hat, it was going to be a bonnet. The Beginning of The Bonnet Starting in the late 1700s, “house bonnets” made of a soft material, such as cotton, were always worn by women in their homes. They sometimes has decorative ribbon, but … Continue reading A Tip of the Hat to the Bonnet
So here we are again, back for Part 2 of our Sherlock Holmes Sourcebook more story synopses. My challenge was to summarize all 56 stories in two sentences max, so here are the three remaining volumes. (Please note that these … Continue reading Sherlock Holmes Sourcebook Part 2 – Short Story Synopses
I don’t have any kids yet, but I already have plans to dress my future children in a variety of silly outfits. And no, I don’t just mean Halloween, I mean as long as possible before they catch on. Because … Continue reading A Tip of the Hat to the Flight Cap
If you haven’t seen me around the Journal much over the past few weeks, it’s because I’ve been hard at work doing guest posts all over the aetherweb to get the word out about Army of Brass. Here’s a little … Continue reading Phoebe’s Been Writing a Ton of Guest Posts for the Army of Brass Blog Tour. Check em Out!
What’s in a Name? Steampunk Before “Steam-punks” You may recall that last year here on the Journal we had ourselves a “30th birthday party” all of April in honor of the term “Steampunk.” I also had the great pleasure and … Continue reading What’s in a Name? Steampunk Before “Steampunk”
A Brief History of The Martini While I was doing my research on the origin of the gin and tonic, I also found out a great little tidbit about James Bond’s drink of choice. I am a big fan of … Continue reading A Brief History of The Martini
The red conical hat with a black tassel is very familiar sight for many movie and television fans. Characters and extras in movies set in Egypt like The Mummy and Raiders of the Lost Ark are often seen wearing them. … Continue reading A Tip of the Hat to the Fez
