There are mountains of free resources available online. These are some of the ones our authors and readers have recommended to us.
Books and PDFs
Historical Aquaculture in Northern Europe
Historical Aquaculture in Northern Europe Edited by Madeleine Bonow, Håkan Olsén, and Ingvar Svanberg (downloadable .pdf) How were fishponds introduced, farmed and spread in Scandinavia and the Baltic Region in early modern times? What was their economic, social and religious importance? Which fish species were significant and why? This book uncovers a long, now broken, tradition that barely left traces in the written record or physical environment. Its broad and multidisciplinary scope highlights the situation from medieval times until the late nineteenth century. Besides Scandinavia and the Baltic States, insights from England are also introduced. Several socio-cultural domains have been identified: late medieval monastic fishponds; late medieval aristocratic fishponds associated with castles and manors; seventeenth and eighteenth century ponds rectory ponds as well as urban ponds from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth century
The Divine Service in Confessional Lutheranism and in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Divine Service in Confessional Lutheranism and in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod David Jay Webber (downloadable .pdf) Helpful for anyone trying to describe an early modern Lutheran church service (with illustrations). Note in the following that men and women are coming to the altar from opposite sides of the church: seating was segregated by gender (when there was seating — in some churches, parishioners had to bring their own camp stools or stand).
Midwifery In the United States
Midwifery in the United States Gwen Welch. In this paper I intend to explore how the profession of midwifery has
transformed and evolved within the United States both in medicinal practice, and social attitude.
From 1750 onward, the traditional beliefs and practices of natural childbirth were lost to a
scientific, and increasingly rationalized perspective on the progression of labor. Men began to
heavily dominate the field of medicine as well as midwifery, which resulted in a number of
drastic changes within the profession. To put it quite simply, the challenges faces by women
midwives were endless and have had severe effects on the way midwifery is both viewed and
practiced today.
Articles
Online Wandering of Geomagnetic Poles
Magnetic poles are commonly understood as positions on Earth’s surface where the geomagnetic field is vertical (i.e., perpendicular) to the ellipsoid. These north and south positions, called dip poles, do not need to be (and are not currently) antipodal. In principle, the dip poles can be found by conducting a magnetic survey to determine where the field is vertical. In practice, the geomagnetic field is vertical on oval-shaped loci traced on a daily basis, with considerable variation from one day to the next. Other definitions of geomagnetic poles depend on the way the poles are computed from a geomagnetic model.
Kakelugn (Thermal Mass Stoves)
These are considered a traditional Swedish stove, but they originated in the 18th century as a result of a shortage of firewood. As such, they aren’t something that exists in-universe but they could inspire a new product. You can find pictues of kakelugn on Pinterest.
There is a Russian variant referred to as a “Russian stove” that was in existence by 1631, so that’s a good option as well.
How a French Midwife Solved a Public Health Crisis
It was the 1700s, and France was facing a public health crisis: too many babies were dying in childbirth, especially in the countryside. A particularly panicky priest reported that he believed nearly 200,000 babies were dying each year. Leaders worried that they were headed toward depopulation. In 1735, the maternity ward of Paris’s oldest hospital, Hôtel Dieu, began providing three-month training workshops for midwives from the provinces. Alas, the program was not a success. Most women didn’t wish to travel that far and spend that much time away from their families. A midwife solved the problem.
Frogs Preserve Russian Milk
Following up on an ancient Russian way of keeping milk from going sour — by putting a frog in the bucket of milk — scientists have identified a wealth of new antibiotic substances in the skin of the Russian Brown frog. The study appears in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research.
Facebook Groups
Ken’s Tavern Tally (Facebook page)
Someone shared a picture of the Tower of London surrounded by a moat circa 1350 from this page. When I clicked to find the original source, it wasn’t immediately apparent, but it did quickly become clear that, for whatever reason, there is a fairly extensive collection of images of castles, keeps, and whatnot from Europe that would have been in existence in 1631. I have no idea why a business that is apparently a strip club has this as their Facebook page, but they do. So, yeah.
16th and 17th century clothing.
The group covers clothing in the period 1500 to 1700. Its intended purpose is for group members ** To display their garments or ensembles, either completed or as work in progress ** To seek assistance or ask advice in constructing their garments, sources for research and suppliers of required materials ** To show their research for review and make enquiries about sources for research Clothing is defined as textile and leather garments from head to toe; hats to footwear.
Podcasts
History of the Germanies
From the Middle Ages to Reunification in 25-35 minute long episodes every Thursday