1800's

After doing research for my book, I thought to share some interesting facts about life in the 1800's:

Were you aware the first dime novel published in 1860, Malaeska; the Indian Wife of the White Hunter, by Mrs. Anna Sophia Stephens, sold 300,000 copies in just the first year?

With cockfighting, although it was illegal, law enforcers looked the other way to the point that the matches were publicized in newspapers.

The hot dog was introduced in the latter part of the century in St. Louis.

Lizzie Bordon was charged with murder.

Gold fever struck California.

Contraceptives were illegal.

Noah Webster publishes his Compendious Dictionary of the English Language in 1806.

Swear words were abundant.  The list of words provided in my resource seem to be pretty much the same as what we have today however in fear of offended those with delicate ears I will not provide them. However,

 if you would like a private email with a list please let me know.

Tomatoes were thought to be poisonous.  Consumption began in the late 1800's.

Trains traveled at the speed of 20-30 mph, the fastest at 40mph.

Here is an interesting site you might want to check out. It's Dr. Swift's cure for Hysteria,  http://www.explorehistoricalif.com/hysteria.html

Popular books?

Frankenstein, Mary Shelly 1818

The Spy, James Fenimore Cooper 1821

The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper 1826

Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson 1836

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte 1847

Moby Dick, Herman Melville 1851

Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens 1859

Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne 1865

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain 1884

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle 1892

Dracula, Bram Stoker 1897

War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells 1898

(Bram  Stoker's handwritten original writings for Dracula thanks to wikipedia)

If you would like to add one of your favorites please feel free to do so in the comments section.

It's truly amazing to think how some of the most thought-provoking literature was birthed during this era-most of which is still popular in today's culture!