Thursday, April 25, 2024

Barbados Signal Stations

The signal stations in Barbados originated during the slave rebellion of 1816. It was the first slave uprising in Barbados history caused by a...

The Culinary History of Ecuador: Traditions of New World Gastronomy

Without the modern convenience of refrigerators and stoves, cooking was a labour intensive and time consuming chore: water and firewood had to be collected,...

Cigars and Cigarettes: An Agricultural History of Tobacco

By the time European explorers arrived in the New World, the tobacco plant was already employed in various ritual, social and medical customs. Of the...

Blackbeard: The Man, the Myth, the Beard

As one of the most notorious and well-remembered Caribbean pirates, Blackbeard succeeded in capturing over 40 ships in his relatively brief career. Blackbeard the pirate...

Captain Henry Morgan, Part 2 – Morgan Plunders the Spanish Main

Morgan made his name plundering the Spanish Caribbean colonies on behalf of the English crown, while pocketing more than one or two pieces of...

Devil’s Island: Devourer of Souls, Extinguisher of the Human Spirit

Thousands of prisoners served time on Devil's Island and thousands died there, whether by starvation, overwork, execution or disease. This most notorious and infamous of...

Tango History: Buenos Aires, Paris and the Class Divide

The tango of the early 20th century was far more than just a dance; it was a philosophy and a way of life. It...

Was Guevara a Failed Revolutionary?

Che Guevara was an Argentinian-born, Cuban revolutionary who made a name for himself as a high priest of guerrilla warfare. He is sometimes bracketed...

Sir Francis Drake: The Privateering Pirate

Drake was all things to all people: a colorful, adventuring, pioneering, slave-trading cutthroat who left his mark on the Spanish sphere of influence in...