Most of us think of using a tourniquet to stop bleeding in emergency situations. The device is often used in life saving measures but like many medical items it has an interesting history. The development of the tourniquet would not have been ...

As the European continent fell under the influence of various political/cultural influences during the middle ages, costume would be manipulated to reflect a person’s cultural associations.  In the history of costume and culture this is not unusual, as distinctions of status have ...

With the recent historical presidential race, the country finds its focus once more on Illinois, the land of Lincoln. “…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”-Abraham Lincoln This focus is apt given ...

Changes in clothing styles in the middle ages were not very dramatic until the mid-13th century when the tunic styles that had dominated both men’s and women’s wardrobes began to diversify and manifest unique ...

The Ancient Egyptians developed their civilization sometime between 4000 and 1800 B.C. along the fertile Nile River. The annual floods of the Nile deposited rich soil along its banks and helped establish Egypt as a green oasis in an ...

During the middle ages the fabrics used most for clothing were wool and linen.  The tradition of spinning wool for fiber had existed for more than 5000 years and by the medieval period in ...

Sometime between 4500 and 1200 B.C. an ancient civilization created large megalithic monuments in the regions that today form the countries of Spain, France, Ireland, Britain and Sweden. Archaeologists believe the civilizations that built these megalithic structures throughout Western Europe may have developed ...

Every year we cook the turkey, gather friends and family and share stories. But where does the tradition of Thanksgiving come from? How does the feast of today figure into American history and how distorted have the stories of pilgrims, corn and ...

The history of costume in religious ceremonies and as worn by religious figures, such as priests or shamans or other spiritual leaders, has shown interest in, if not relevance of, distinguishing religious leaders from the greater population and endowing him/her with a certain authority. ...

Most people are familiar with the image of a knight in full plated armor whether seen in movies or as the display of suits of armor in castles or mansions. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the development of ...