http://www.thehistorybluff.com Making a Mess of History Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:33:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This particular beach at Felixstowe, Suffolk, UK was condemned by local priests during the 1890's as an "abomination" and "host to a superfluity of naughtiness." The priests claimed that female beachgoers left little to the imagination. http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2009/01/snapshot-of-history-european-beaches-of-the-1890s/ The 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, and the 2nd Count of Hoagie, George Ramler, are credited with inventing the modern sandwich and hoagie. The History Bluff has found that Montagu's first sandwich was made of rye, ham, and cheese while Ramler made his first hoagie of French bread, ham, ... http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2009/01/the-invention-of-the-hoagie/ Today we announce the first The History Bluff caption contest winner of 2009! And it is...[drumroll]...Mark H with the following caption: A typical New York evening during the latest public transit strike. Mark H, if you'd like a The History Bluff bookmark free of charge, send an email to Promotions@TheHistoryBluff.com with a ... http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2009/01/caption-contest-winner-announced-7/ Photojournalists, especially those in war zones, are unsung heroes who regularly put their lives on the line for the sake of documenting world events. The History Bluff honors one of them: Oscar Runtfeld, the man brave enough to photograph the unpredictable and fearsome Geronimo. This photo of Geronimo is the last ... http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2009/01/oscar-runtfeld-native-american-photographer/ It's a brand new year and many have resolved to start their lives anew, whether it be shedding a few pounds or cleaning out the garage. While cleaning out our archives at The History Bluff, we discovered a collection of New Year's Resolutions written by former US Presidents. Here is ... http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2008/12/top-10-new-years-resolutions-by-former-us-presidents/ Tales of Count Vlad III the Impaler are many and intensely terrible. He was exceedingly cruel to men and women who crossed his path, but he was also a generous and skilled candymaker during the mid-15th century. Historians at The History Bluff have discovered the true tale behind this innovative ... http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2008/12/count-vlad-the-candyman/ In 1920 Francisco was forced to allow his women to ride on his car's running boards instead of having them push the car in order to save on gas. http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2008/12/snapshot-of-history-womens-rights-in-spain/ The portrayal of the Trapp family in the Broadway musical and film The Sound of Music is a favorable image, created by those closest to the family. Film critics at The History Bluff who teamed up with our archivists found out that most people during the 1930's-1950's considered the Trapp ... http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2008/12/the-annoying-von-trapp-family/ We trust you had a very merry Christmas! This holiday week got even better for Bryant who won the caption contest with this caption he emailed to us: Sally received what she wanted for Christmas: An Einstein Barbie. http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2008/12/caption-contest-winner-announced-6/ The title of the popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is not in celebration of the days following the evening of December 25 as most believe. The song was written by Leo V the Armenian, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, in celebration of the gifts he was given during ... http://www.thehistorybluff.com/2008/12/the-thirteenth-day-of-christmas/