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Travel today is often portrayed as a healthy activity, good for body, mind…and what’s left of the spirit!  A good holiday is generally viewed as a tonic, and holiday company advertisements extol the virtues of ‘getting away’, encountering new places, people and cultures and (if you want to ‘live life to the full’) experiences. As one travel … Continue reading Should I Stay or Should I go?: Encouraging travel in the early modern period.
a year ago

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More from Dr Alun Withey

To Tip or Not To Tip: A Victorian Traveller’s Perspective

Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how much/whether to tip rumble on, but they are not new. Even in the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers were complaining about the amount of unwanted or unexpected extras they had to pay for.

5 months ago 74 votes
News Just In: Dr W Joins TikTok – @dralun7

Yes, it’s true – I’ve finally joined the 21st century and decided to try something new. I am still only setting things up, so please be patient with the extremely cheesy and clunky vids as I try to work out what I’m doing! I’ve only got a couple of videos up at the moment too, … Continue reading News Just In: Dr W Joins TikTok – @dralun7

6 months ago 78 votes
Victorian Swappers! Adverts for exchange in the 19th century.

Victorians were inveterate 'swappers' (NB: this might not be what you think!). Newspapers and journals were full of ads for objects sought and to be exchanged. These offer a fascinating insight into what was considered desirable, the value of objects, and the processes of exchange.

8 months ago 57 votes
The Troublesome Gibbet of John Haines, the ‘Wounded Highwayman’ of Hounslow.

For this post, I am going to wander into the world of crime in the late eighteenth century, and the grisly fate that befell many who committed the heinous crime of highway robbery. (Full disclosure: I’m not an historian of crime, gibbets or highwaymen…perhaps the case I’m about to discuss is very well known. But he’s … Continue reading The Troublesome Gibbet of John Haines, the ‘Wounded Highwayman’ of Hounslow.

a year ago 88 votes

More in history

Wisconsin Death Trip, 1973 – Small Town America In The Grip of Madness

For more than 60 years, Charles Van Schaick (1852-1946) worked as a photographer in the town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin. Opened in 1879, he took around 8,000 of glass plate negatives, of which approximately 5,700 are studio portraits. The Charles Van Schaick collection, now housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, achieved … Continue reading "Wisconsin Death Trip, 1973 – Small Town America In The Grip of Madness" The post Wisconsin Death Trip, 1973 – Small Town America In The Grip of Madness appeared first on Flashbak.

10 hours ago 1 votes
Swahili on the Road

Swahili on the Road JamesHoare Thu, 07/03/2025 - 08:00

yesterday 2 votes
An Apology And A Few Suggestions.

More next week.

2 days ago 5 votes
On My Stoop In Brooklyn Over Four Decades: Anthony’s Story

We’re hanging out on the stoop of Anthony Catalano’s home in Boro Park, Brooklyn, New York City. These pictures are of the “two main stoops on my block throughout the five decades on my life in Broro Park, Brooklyn NYC,” says Anthony. We’ve featured Anthony’s superb pictures of his native Brooklyn in the 1970s here … Continue reading "On My Stoop In Brooklyn Over Four Decades: Anthony’s Story" The post On My Stoop In Brooklyn Over Four Decades: Anthony’s Story appeared first on Flashbak.

2 days ago 3 votes
The rise of life expectancy

Illustrated and explained

2 days ago 4 votes