And the heartbreaking funeral that sparked change.
In 1935 a 13-year-old girl took her own life because she thought she had contracted a deadly STD. In actual fact, the young girl had gotten her period for the first time. With no one to talk to and a severe lack of sexual education, she killed herself rather than live with the shame of dying from a venereal disease.
Hers was the first funeral Chad Varah conducted in his career.
The early years
Born in a vicarage in Humber, England, Edward Chad Varah was the eldest of nine children. His father, the local vicar, named his son after St Chad, the parish…
Modern solutions for outdated advice
Being a woman is exhausting! We are told from conception what to wear, how to act, who to date. And even when we follow the rules, we’re still doing it wrong!
During the last two centuries, many individuals took it upon themselves to draw up handy instruction manuals for those with vaginas. Unfortunately, very few of those instructions were for the benefit of women.
Let’s jump right in and explore the abhorrent and condescending advice our sisters of yesteryear were given and unearth their modern solutions.
Cancel your open-mic set
Our journey starts in the year 1850. American clergyman and writer Harvey Newcomb penned…
Melissa was out. Daniel was in.
His adorably crooked smile was the first thing I noticed. Second only to his short brown hair.
“My name is Daniel,” he said when I told him I had an appointment with my personal trainer.
“Unfortunately, Melissa is out sick, so I will be filling in for her,” he explained. “If that is ok with you?”
“Fine with me,” I replied as he headed out from behind the Reception desk.
The gym was reasonably quiet. The lunchtime crowd had long gone, and there was still a couple of hours to go before people knock off at 5:00 pm. …
The marketing campaign that broke the rules.
Just like serial killers ruined hitch-hiking, Nike ruined Olympic marketing with their 1996 ambush.
Our story takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-90s. The Macarena is the latest dance craze. Braveheart proved you didn’t need historical accuracy to win an Oscar, parents went animalistic over Tickle Me Elmo, and a little competition called the Olympics was taking place.
July 19 to August 4, 1996, marked the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games. 10,318 athletes from 197 nations competed in 26 different sports, including the first appearance of women’s football, rhythmic gymnastics, beach volleyball, lightweight rowing, and mountain biking.
The cost of the Games
…
INNOVATION
How Almon Brown Strowger destroyed an industry
It’s the 1880s, and you are the only undertaker in your quaint little town. Unlike your customers, business is booming! Pneumonia, Typhoid fever, and measles have the townsfolks dropping like flies and flooding your funeral home.
Well, at least they were.
Lately, work has been dying off, and you soon discover there is a new undertaker in town. A little competition never hurt anyone, right? Unless, of course, the competitor’s wife works as a telephone operator and route calls away from your funeral home business.
So, what do you do?
A. Cry
B. Sue the competition for tens of dollars
…
She’s in for a big surprise!
It had just turned 1:00 am when we left the first nightclub. Brian and I had met a new couple two weeks ago and decided to hit up the cheesy 90s-night dance party extravaganza. It was a blast, and my boyfriend had worked up an appetite flailing about to Blur and 2 Unlimited.
“You two head on to the next club,” Brian instructed the couple. “We’re going to grab a quick bite to eat and meet you there in 15.”
With that, they waved goodbye and headed on without us.
I was actually a bit peckish too. “So, where do…
Professional advice, techniques, and what to avoid when writing nonfiction
Nonfiction vs. fiction. They are the Superman vs. Batman of literary genres. Just like their superhero counterparts, both genres have their literary groupies.
Nonfiction can admittedly seem quite daunting when faced with mountains of research, technical jargon, interview notes, and your grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. Nevertheless, being a nonfiction author can be rewarding. Your words bring light to a forgotten historical event, share the story of an inspirational figure, or show the world where to find the best bakery when visiting your country.
However, before you start your literary journey, take heed of the following rookie mistakes you will…
A brief history of the controversial phrase
Ever wondered where the term “on the rag” came from?
A controversial term for menstruation, the phrase is thought to have originated in the late 19th century.
Before the invention of modern pads and tampons, there were various techniques women used to manage menstruation. Pretty much anything that did the job was fair game. For instance, ancient Greek and Roman women wrapped lint around a piece of wood to create DIY tampons. Some women free flowed, while others used natural products such as moss, grass, fur, and sheep’s wool to absorb the blood.
Towards the end of the 19th century…
Chelsea Rose
My interests in writing are as varied as my Bipolar mood swings.
