Holly Tucker's Blog, page 97
June 6, 2011
Colonial Midwifery
by Heather Whaley Colonial Midwifery began with the Mayflower's journey in 1620. Bridget Lee Fuller delivered three babies during the two months long voyage and continued practice as a midwife in Plymouth for 44 years until her death in 1664. In addition, it is documented that one birth took place aboard the Arabella by a [...]
June 5, 2011
Diving In…Again
What a great ride the book tour for Blood Work was…nearly 3 months on the road. Lots of adventures, lots of stories to tell, and I met so many great new friends along the way. I'm returning with great memories of book store signings, NPR interviews, CSPAN Book TV, and lots of great print reviews [...]
May 19, 2011
The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football
By John J. Miller In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt saved football from possible extinction, fighting against a prohibition movement that wanted to ban the sport. The ringleader of the anti-football crusade was Charles Eliot, the longtime president of Harvard, Roosevelt's alma mater. Eliot worried that certain pastimes were unworthy of gentlemen. If football and baseball [...]
May 14, 2011
The First Vampire
By Maria Dahvana Headley While researching QUEEN OF KINGS, a novel which braids the historic events surrounding the death of Cleopatra with magic, gods, monsters, witches and warfare, I found myself stuck in a research vortex. Cleopatra offers her soul to an immortal in an attempt to save her beloved Mark Antony, and her country, [...]
May 9, 2011
Becoming Americans in Paris
By Brooke L. Blower Paris certainly was a destination for American lovers in the 1920s – not least for those who wanted to break up. Each year hundreds of "wedlock-worn folks" with the money and inclination set sail for the capital to end their marriages, where divorce laws were more liberal than those of most [...]
May 4, 2011
Fanny Kemble, 19th Century Celebrity
By Kelly O'Connor McNees My historical novel, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, imagines a summer in Louisa's life when she was just 22 and on the precipice of a remarkable life. In trying to understand Louisa, I investigated the books she loved and the people she admired. That's how I learned about Fanny [...]
April 28, 2011
Exciting News
By Holly Tucker Exciting news! I'll be in studio with Science Friday's Ira Flatow tomorrow! That is, barring any major news event that would get things bumped. The interview will run in the second hour of the live show – 3:00pm EST, 2:00pm CST. They even have a page ready for the archive link, so [...]
April 25, 2011
Lincoln's Letter of Condolence
By Louis P. Masur Newspapers recently rang the alarm that the date on a pardon issued by Lincoln was altered in the archives to the date of his assassination in order to make it seem as if one of the President's final decisions was an act of mercy. This has triggered renewed interest in the [...]
April 24, 2011
History Websites
Hi everyone. I just stumbled on a newish history website, coming out of University of Texas-Austin's history department. http://www.notevenpast.org/ It made me wonder: what are some of your favorite history websites? Let's see how long of a list we can make here!
April 21, 2011
How Did Women Wear Hoop Skirts?
By Ellen Horan My novel, 31 Bond Street, explores the fate of a well-do widow with two teenage daughters, Emma Cunningham (still considered youthful and attractive in her 30′s), during a sensational trial for murder. By reading the newspapers of 1857 to research the actual case that it is based upon, I was thrust back [...]
