The Hazardous History of Holiday Lights

Before electric lights, the holiday season was a hot waxy mess.

Dec 2 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

2

2

1

November 2025

The Grim Truth About the “Good Old Days”

Preindustrial life wasn’t simple or serene — it was filthy, violent, and short. The Industrial Revolution was imperfect, but it was progress.

Nov 20 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

6

2

1

From Poverty to Progress

How division will stifle US prosperity.

Nov 12 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

5

How Economic Prosperity Spared Witches

While there are still places where "witch" is a deadly accusation, falling global poverty is taking witch hunts with it.

Nov 5 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

8

2

October 2025

Halloween: More Walking Dead, Fewer Dead Walkers

Today’s trick-or-treaters have far less to fear than past generations.

Oct 30 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

2

More Reasons to Distrust Contemporary Feudal Fantasies

Romantic visions of feudal life bear little resemblance to the historical reality.

Oct 23 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

30

3

1

Some Historical Perspective for Anxious Parents

Victorians regularly prescribed opium to treat infant teething, with deadly results.

Oct 17 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

5

2

Our Ancestors Thought Domestic Violence Was Hilarious… and Necessary

An old folk song provides a window into how attitudes on wife beating have evolved.

Oct 6 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

3

1

September 2025

Some “Festive” Reflections on Fox Tossing

History’s strange pastimes are hard to parody.

Sep 19 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

4

2

Fox Tossing: When Animal Cruelty Was High Society Fun

Humans aren't the only beneficiaries of moral progress.

Sep 12 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

23

5

1

Why Did Architectural Ornament Decline?

More thoughts on ornate architecture.

Sep 4 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

4

1

August 2025

Do We Live in an Architectural Golden Age or Soul-Crushing Dystopia?

There has never been a better time to indulge personal aesthetic tastes.

Aug 29 • 

Chelsea Olivia Follett

21

1

1