The coronation of a new queen always unleashes a tidal wave of commemorative memorabilia, and Queen Victoria’s crowning in 1837 was no exception. But amid all of the cheap mementos and tacky tchotchkes was a true standout—a startling new variety of rhubarb that was like nothing ...read more

The British ritual of afternoon tea originated when the Duchess of Bedford decided, sometime in the early 1840s, that she was tired of feeling peckish in the middle of the afternoon. A little snack would be just the thing, she thought. Within a generation, the practice of taking ...read more

When 19th-century British explorers first discovered the tombs of the ancient Egyptians, the folks back home in England were captivated. Stories abounded in the popular press about cursed mummies, haunted crypts and ancient gods whose wrath followed the despoilers home and ...read more

Percy Bysshe Shelley was a young, idealistic poet whose beliefs often set him at odds with the rest of British society in the early 19th century. He was an atheist who got kicked out of university for being a bit too vocal about his atheism. He was a strict vegetarian in an era ...read more