Hi and welcome to ‘a handful of history’, my fortnightly sharing of real-life stories from around the world. All the narratives I pick are rooted in history one way or another, yet I feel that most of them carry themes and happenings that seem very present day-like. I create this blog out of love and curiosity for the field of human history and culture, and I’m happy that you find it interesting too. My blog and newsletters are free; if you want to help me keep it going, please join my newsletter. THANK YOU. Thanks for being here - let's dive in. Enjoy! Majken xx
41 Don’ts for Women on Bicycles
I stumbled on this list of “Don’ts for Women on Bicycles” which was brought in the New York paper ‘The World’ in 1895. Looking at it from a modern p.o.v. you are quite amused. However, if they really were dead serious all the way through it is, of course, tragic reading. After searching through (other) N.Y. papers from around the same time I managed to find articles telling about bicycle races held for women. It wasn't that uncommon to see female cyclists at the time, it seems. Still there were strong opinions for and against, like this open letter I found tells us, written by a male/female? reader who obviously was 'pro-female riders'. “Show me a woman who is up to date, and I’ll show a woman with a wheel”. Yeah, that’s more like it.
1. Don’t be a fright.
2. Don’t faint on the road.
3. Don’t wear a man’s cap.
4. Don’t wear tight garters.
5. Don’t forget your toolbag.
6. Don’t attempt a “century.”
7. Don’t coast. It is dangerous. [To ‘coast’ is to take one's feet off the pedals when riding downhill (at high speed).]
8. Don’t boast of your long rides.
9. Don’t criticize people’s “legs.”
10. Don’t wear loud hued leggings.
11. Don’t cultivate a “bicycle face.”
12. Don’t refuse assistance up a hill.
13. Don’t wear clothes that don’t fit.
14. Don’t neglect a “light’s out” cry.
15. Don’t wear jewelry while on a tour.
16. Don’t race. Leave that to the scorchers.
17. Don’t wear laced boots. They are tiresome.
18. Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you.
19. Don’t go to church in your bicycle costume.
20. Don’t wear a garden party hat with bloomers.
21. Don’t contest the right of way with cable cars.
22. Don’t chew gum. Exercise your jaws in private.
23. Don’t wear white kid gloves. Silk is the thing.
24. Don’t ask, “What do you think of my bloomers?”
25. Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys.
26. Don’t go out after dark without a male escort.
27. Don’t go without a needle, thread and thimble.
28. Don’t try to have every article of your attire “match.”
29. Don’t let your golden hair be hanging down your back.
30. Don’t allow dear little Fido to accompany you.
31. Don’t scratch a match on the seat of your bloomers.
32. Don’t discuss bloomers with every man you know.
33. Don’t appear in public until you have learned to ride well.
34. Don’t overdo things. Let cycling be a recreation, not a labor.
35. Don’t ignore the laws of the road because you are a woman.
36. Don’t try to ride in your brother’s clothes “to see how it feels.”
37. Don’t scream if you meet a cow. If she sees you first, she will run.
38. Don’t cultivate everything that is up to date because yon ride a wheel.
39. Don’t emulate your brother’s attitude if he rides parallel with the ground.
40. Don’t undertake a long ride if you are not confident of performing it easily.
41. Don’t appear to be up on “records” and “record smashing.” That is sporty.
Woman on bicycle, c. 1890s + List + 'The Evening World', Sept 13 1895.
Family History - Switched at Birth
After being recommended the podcast series “This American Life”, I ended up listening in on this one: "Switched at Birth". It is told in two acts, each c. 26 minutes long. The story is about two girls that got switched at birth, but it is also about how we humans are not always capable of doing the right thing at the right moment - and what consequences can come from this. It’s a fine little story and quite moving too.
"On a summer day in 1951, two baby girls were born in a hospital in small-town Wisconsin. The infants were accidentally switched, and went home with the wrong families. One of the mothers realized the mistake but chose to keep quiet. Until the day, more than 40 years later, when she decided to tell both daughters what happened. How the truth changed two families' lives—and how it didn't."
Illustration Owen Freeman.
Long Life in Japan
As you may have noticed, I’m quite fascinated by Japan (although I still haven’t visited the country - yet!). When I read this article about how the people of the Japanese island Okinawa live much longer than anywhere else in the world, I was intrigued. It is well written, and at the end, there’s even a list of “What to eat to live (almost) forever and stay healthy”.
“On the Japanese island Okinawa, which is hot like lava and full of ghosts, soldiers and blissful views, people live much longer than in other parts of the world. What is the secret behind their longevity?”
Triboulet, the Jester of Louis XII
Triboulet was a jester for Louis XII (King of France from 1498 to 1515) who is perhaps most famous for slapping the king on the butt.
This act greatly angered the king and he threatened to have Triboulet executed. After taking a moment to calm down, the king decided to spare Triboulet's life if he could think of an apology that was more offensive than what he just did to the king.
Triboulet went on to say: "I'm so sorry, your majesty, that I didn't recognize you! I mistook you for the Queen!"
Triboulet's response while clever and indeed more offensive, broke an order put in place that prohibited anyone from making fun of the queen. The king decided to proceed with the execution, but allowed Triboulet to choose how he would die. With his life on the line, Triboulet replied, "Good sire, for Saint Nitouche's and Saint Pansard's sake, patrons of insanity, I choose to die from old age."
The speechless king could do nothing but just laugh. He cancelled the execution and decided to just banish Triboulet.
"Keying Up" – ‘The Court Jester’ by William Merritt Chase, 1875. The image of a court jester dressed in red is thought to be based on Triboulet.
The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Alice Guy-Blaché was a French pioneer filmmaker and quite remarkable. She was one of the first to make a narrative fiction film and the first woman to direct a movie. Perhaps the first director all in all. From 1896 to 1906, she was most likely the only female filmmaker in the world. Together with her husband and an investor, she founded a motion-picture studio - the Solax Studios - and here she made the film “A Fool and His Money”, possibly the first film to have an all-African-American cast. However, despite all of her achievements, she was forgotten by the film-making industry and by most others. A few years ago the filmmaker Pamela B. Green decided to do something about it, and she therefore created the documentary “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché”. And what an extraordinary story that is!
“Pamela B. Green's energetic film about pioneer filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché is both a tribute and a detective story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary artist faded from memory and the path toward her reclamation.”
Trailer: "Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché".
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