NB! · Faith · Mores · Society
Section
· 1348 stories
Mores
Monarchies · Mores · People
A million roubles in the time of Catherine II equals roughly a billion modern roubles
Some Interesting Calculations Showing That in 34 Years Catherine II Spent More Than 88 Million Roubles on Her Favourites. Of course, it is impossible to say exactly how much this would be in present-day roubles, but judging by purchasing power, the cost of a basket of provisions and, say,
Archive · Monarchies · Mores · People
Catherine's letter to Poniatowski on the request of captive Peter a week before his killing
The arrested Peter III asked Catherine for the Negro who used to amuse him, his favourite dog, a violin, a Bible and a few novels. True, Catherine herself tells Poniatowski in a letter that Peter also asked for his mistress, Elizaveta Vorontsova, but she refused to send her, though she
London · Mores · People · Humour
The legend of Thomas Hardy's heart eaten by a cat and its rejection by biographers
The Cat That Won the Poet's Heart. One of the strangest burial stories is attributed to the funeral of the English poet Thomas Hardy in 1928. Hardy lived to the age of 87. His body was cremated, and his ashes were interred in Poets' Corner in Westminster
Art · Monarchies · Observations · Mores · Humour
It is often said what a filthy palace Versailles was in its day
It is often said what a filthy palace Versailles was in its day. There is talk of women merely hitching up their skirts to relieve themselves on the very spot where nature overtook them, and of men easing themselves straight from the balustrade in the middle of the royal chapel,
Faith · Mores · Society
Henry Ford Dismissed 800 Workers for Missing Work on Orthodox Christmas in 1914
In 1914 Henry Ford dismissed some 800 workers who failed to report for work on 7 January, when the Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of Christ. At that time this amounted to roughly 8% of all his workforce. Ford issued an order stating that if these men had chosen America
Art · Mores
The Conjuror, Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1515/20
The game of thimbles has been known since the most ancient times and over the millennia has scarcely changed, gathering around it even today people who seem positively glad to be deceived and parted from their money. Only the thimbles themselves change: in ancient India cups were used, in ancient
Art · Books · Mores · Ethnography
A father chooses a bride for his son in Melnikov-Pechersky’s “In the Forests”
When his son came of age to marry, he said to him: "Antipushka, it is time you fulfilled the law, and I have found you a bride. Matvey Petrovich Solodov's daughter Annushka, have you seen her?.. She will make you a proper housewife: meek, hard-working, fair
NB! · Books · Mores · People
Albert Camus and His Cat, Cigarette
Archive · Monarchies · Mores · People
Peter III did not believe Paul was his son but did not show it in public
The Russians are unanimous that Peter III was a good parent, a good friend, a good husband; he would certainly have been a good father, had he not been convinced that "Prince Paul" was an exotic plant transplanted into a hothouse to which he had no key. In
Monarchies · Observations · Mores
The abdication of Queen Margrethe II, the first such case in 500 years of Danish monarchy
The abdication of Queen Margrethe II is the first such case in 500 years of Danish monarchy. What, then, has made Margrethe go now? Health problems? She recently underwent an operation on her back, but is feeling better. A reluctance to keep her son waiting in the position of heir
NB! · Books · Observations · Mores