October 14, 2021
Antiques in America: An Overview
August 30, 2020
Wars of the Household Pests
As long as Americans have lived in shelters, we've been battling enemies with four, six, or eight legs. And these wars have expanded beyond people versus bugs to include neighbors against neighbors, rich against poor, and the advocates of powerful poisons against those who fear for the health of their loved ones. This fifth installment of A Simple Life's "History of Our Homes" series was another article packed with little-known, yet intriguing, historical information.
Summer 2020
October 1, 2019
A Revolutionary Little Machine
For this fourth installment of A Simple Life's "History of Our Homes" series, I explored how our clothing wove its way from simple garments to today's mass-produced apparel. Along the way, I discovered a treasure trove of information on the impact of the sewing machine, which came on the scene after Americans had been stitching clothing by hand for 200 years. As I state early in this article: "Soon Americans everywhere would come to regard the sewing machine as a thing of technological genius. It changed how clothing was created, helped countless women become entrepreneurs, and even changed how we purchase our home appliances. It could cut the work involved in dressmaking up to 90 percent. On the other hand, the sewing machine helped create the infamous sweatshops."
Fall 2019
August 1, 2019
The Challenge of Running Water
Researching the history of indoor plumbing in the American home was startling because I hadn't realized how relatively recent this convenience is for most homes, plus the surprising number of homes that still don't have running water. As with most of our other modern utilities, the idea of indoor plumbing started small and finally became modern in the early 20th century with the invention of the modern bathroom. This article ran as the third installment of the series I've written for A Simple Life we call the "History of Our Homes."
Summer 2019