In the 19th and parts of the 20th centuries, orphans, abandoned children, runaways and children those whose parents were too poor to take care of them ended up in orphanages. Orphanages were funded by public charities. They provided orphans with a home, education, food and clothing. Many of these institutions, however, were overcrowded and underfunded, […] The post Victorian and Edwardian Orphans: Nothing Like Their Fictional Counterparts appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

Institutions to house the mentally ill began in the Middle Ages. The word “bedlam” is derived from the nearly 800-year-old Bethlem Royal Hospital, which is still in operation. In the 21st century, unfortunately, there is a stigma about mental illness. One hundred years ago, however, being mentally ill meant more than being judged and stereotyped.  […] The post Victorian Insane Asylums: Treating Disease with Torture appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

Today news can be accessed at the touch of a button, and it’s sometimes difficult to imagine an age when the newspaper was king. But that’s exactly how it was in the late 19th century. Several newspaper editions were usually published daily, and most communities of any size had multiple papers competing against each other. […] The post Journalism at the Turn of the 20th Century appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

Typhoid fever is a disease pandemic in areas without a clean water supply. In the Victorian era, before plumbing was common, and in the Edwardian era, in areas that still relyed on outhouses, the disease was a daily threat. Public health campaigns encouraging people to wash their hands helped reduce the number of cases. So […] The post Typhoid Fever: A Consequence of Contaminated Water appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

In real estate, bathrooms and kitchens often make or break a sale. In the late 19th century, indoor plumbing was becoming commonplace, and homes were increasingly becoming electrified.  This meant that kitchens and bathrooms were, perhaps for the first time, an important consideration when buying or renting a home. Bathroom Tech When bathing and toilet […] The post Bathroom and Kitchen Tech at the Turn of the 20th Century appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

Many of the soldiers who fought for the British Empire in World War One, including those in Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry, were veterans of the Boer War, also known as the South African War or the Anglo-Boer War. What is the Boer War? It was two wars that occurred in South Africa involving the Boers, […] The post Boer War Veterans Fought in World War One appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

In the early 20th century, diphtheria was among the top 10 causes of death. Death rates, however, were dropping. An antitoxin was developed in 1890 and began being used on patients the following year. It worked by neutralizing the toxins produced by the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacterium. Sometimes the antitoxin, which was taken from horses, was […] The post Diphtheria: Inspiration for a Race Held Annually Since 1925 appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

The architecture that is most commonly associated with the Victorian age, especially the Victorian mansion, is Gothic Revival. Italianate also was common at the time. Both styles are very distinctive, making it easy to tell the age of a building. Let’s take a look at each: Gothic Revival Gothic Revival get its name from Gothic architecture […] The post Victorian Architecture: Gothic Revival and Italianate appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

In the days before antibiotics many people died from communicable diseases. One of these diseases was pneumonia. At the turn-of-the-20th-century it was the leading cause of death, and 40 percent of those who died were under the age of five. Adults, of course, were not immune. Women were susceptible to pneumonia because their tight corsets […] The post Pneumonia: Leading Cause of Death in the Early 20th Century appeared first on Melina Druga, Author ..read more

There are contradicting reports out of the Spanish newspaper, the Imparcial, the Montreal Gazette reported July 21, 1898, on the progress of the Spanish-American War. One version of events said Spain should ask for peace because no other course of action was possible.  The other version was that the Americans have treated Spanish prisoners better […] The post Spanish-American War Progresses: This Week in History appeared first on Melina Druga ..read more