Head-Tilting History
In popular culture, many gentlemen of the 18th century are shown wearing curly white wigs as a part of their everyday look. Gilbert Stuart, the famous portraitist who painted the Founding Fathers, depicted five of the first six Presidents with pure white hair. Modern viewers often assume that these are wigs, mostly due to the proliferation of wig-wearing in movies and television. However, by the time of the American Revolution, wigs were out, replaced by a trend for powdering one’s natural hair. While it’s true that wigs were a major status symbol early in the second half of the 18th century, by 1800 short, natural hair was all the rage. Politics, cleanliness, ailments, and cost were all factors in the rise and fall of wigs.
Witness trees are those flora of historic landscapes that remain in place decades or even centuries after noteworthy events unfolded there. Often the trees were young when the event took place, and have now grown to be massive, silent sentinels of history. These trees often evoke strong emotions when we see them, knowing they were present during some of our nation's most harrowing times.
Today the nursing profession is predominantly associated with women. During the first 150 years of the United States, this was not the case. Not only did these women help advance the medical field, they contributed to the U.S. military and showed that non-combatants play a vital role in the war effort.
In the early days of 1865, French shipbuilder Lucien Arman sold the Confederate Navy one of the deadliest vessels ever built up to that point in history. The Confederates named the ship the CSS Stonewall, and their brief time at its helm marked the start of 23 years of service on the shores of three continents.
Did you know that the first mention of coffee in America was by Jamestown's most famous settler? Captain John Smith knew about coffee from his travels in Turkey and told his fellow colonists about the bean, although it would not arrive in the US until the 1640s. Here are 5 more facts to pique your curiosity about how this perky beverage played a role in the Revolution.
Some things have changed a lot since the time of the American Civil War – and some haven’t changed at all. Take the art of the clapback, for instance. Merriam-Webster defines a “clapback” as “...responding to a criticism with a withering comeback.” While the term is in its infancy by historical standards, originating in early-‘90s rap music, the practice of answering insult with humor or derision is older than the minie ball. And the practice of throwing shade with a witty one-liner is as old as time itself. But don’t take our word for it. Here are 5 Civil War exchanges that illustrate our nation’s proud history of fearless, searing comebacks and witticisms.
Head-Tilting History sparked from a desire for engaging stories to share with all audiences, to build a new — or grow a long-established — love of history. Please share this exciting content and send feedback to web@battlefields.org.
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