Click Here! A Little History Edition

Kathleen goes to the beach, Therese goes to a soggy Washington, D.C. Where's the justice? I guess I'm in the wrong city for that...sorry, couldn't resist! (Our hotel is very cool though, with the glass-backed framed pics of Barbie and Ken on the wall, the plasma TV, the funky green mosquito netting around the bed, the huge red lamp and pillowed coffee table...)

Because I'm currently surrounded by historical magnificience, I thought it'd be fitting to post some cool history links this week. Enjoy!

Need some authentic folk medicine for your historical novel? Check out UCLA Folk Medicine where you’ll find much more than your basic cranberry-juice-for-urinary-infections advice. (Did you know that salting your head was sometimes prescribed for headaches in 1607?) Established by one of UCLA’s top professors in folklore and history, this site’s information comes from published scientific works as well as popular sources and even unpublished interviews.

Wish you could refer to an old website that has long since been updated to exclude the info you most desire? Journey back through history with the Wayback Machine, a virtual website time machine that has archived sites back through 1996.

Speaking of history, Time Magazine, with its wealth of articles and fabulous photography, recently opened its 83-year archive up to the public. Use the engine to search for articles or cover stories, and beef up your manuscript with historical facts. Even if you never use the site for your work, it’s a great resource to save in your Favorite Places.

Ever wonder what a gallnipper is? How about an Arkansas toothpick? You’ll find this site is a "huckleberry above a persimmon and some pumpkins" if you’re interested in 19th century slang. Now get going and visit the 19th Century Slang Dictionary. Absquatulate!

Need to know something about historic fashionware for your manuscript? Check out this site at the Kent State University Museum, where you can view gowns that were popular in the 17th through the 20th centuries. The site also provides terrific info on historical menswear, childrenswear, accessories and lingerie (metal corsets? Eek!), and info on popular designers of the time.

Our Timelines is a great site for historical writers who want to pin down some of the key happenings in the era they're writing about. Just enter a lifespan and click away.

Want to learn more about period musical instruments? Learn all about them—from hurdy-gurdies to rauschpfeifes—through the fascinating Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Instruments site. It's a cool place to visit, even if you aren't writing a historical novel.

Time to get primed for some 4th of July FIREWORKS. Happy Holiday, everyone!