Crystal Ponti
Crystal Ponti is a freelance journalist and host of the history podcast Historium Unearthia, recognized among the best in public history projects of 2019 by the Backstory Prize. She is a frequent contributor to History.com. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Salon and The Atlantic, among others.
Articles From This Author
All the Ways We’ve Wiped: The History of Toilet Paper and What Came Before
At the onset of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, store shelves were quickly emptied of toilet paper, revealing the commodity’s prominent, yet unspoken role in modern-day society. Although humans have cleaned their bottoms for as long as they have walked the Earth, “three-ply” and ...read more
Victorian-Era 'Vinegar' Valentines Could Be Mean and Hostile
In the Victorian era, and into the 20th century, lovers exchanged elaborate lace-trimmed cards on Valentine’s Day, expressing their undying love and devotion with sentiments and poems. For those not on good terms, or who wanted to fend off an enemy or unwanted suitor, “vinegar ...read more
Who Were the Six Wives of Henry VIII?
King Henry VIII ruled England for 36 years (1509-1547), presiding over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. But it's the monarch's tumultuous romantic life, rather than his politics, that have kept him in the spotlight. Henry VIII is best known ...read more
Some of the Earliest Christmas Cards Were Morbid and Creepy
In the 19th century, before festive Christmas cards became the norm, Victorians put a darkly humorous and twisted spin on their seasonal greetings. Some of the more popular subjects included anthropomorphic frogs, bloodthirsty snowmen and dead birds. “May yours be a joyful ...read more
When New Englanders Blamed Vampires for Tuberculosis Deaths
More than 200 years after the Salem Witch Trials, ripples of another hysteria struck New England: the fear of vampires. During the 19th century, the spread of tuberculosis, or consumption, claimed the lives of entire families in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and other parts ...read more
America's History of Slavery Began Long Before Jamestown
In late August 1619, the White Lion, an English privateer commanded by John Jope, sailed into Point Comfort and dropped anchor in the James River. Virginia colonist John Rolfe documented the arrival of the ship and “20 and odd” Africans on board. His journal entry is immortalized ...read more
10 Things You May Not Know About the Jamestown Colony
In May of 1607, a hearty group of Englishmen arrived on the muddy shores of modern-day Virginia under orders from King James I to establish an English colony. But despite their efforts, the Jamestown Colony was immediately plagued by disease, famine, and violent encounters with ...read more
How a Trio of Hellish Earthquakes Prompted America’s First Disaster Relief Act
In the early hours of December 16, 1811, the residents of New Madrid, a Mississippi River town once part of the Louisiana Territory, rushed from their homes as the ground rolled beneath their feet. Trees were uprooted and thrown to the ground. Huge chasms opened in the earth, ...read more