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!