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Lucien Fewell shot James Clark after he apparently ran off with Lucien's 16-year-old sister. The murder trial that followed featured two Confederate generals and a former Virginia governor. What was the verdict? (also on Amazon.com)
Author Archives: arwenbicknell
No Man Is an Island…
Big news out of Britain today. But as I think you all know by now, I am generally misanthropic about current events. So in today’s post, I will tell you that big news came out of Britain (well, Geneva, really) … Continue reading
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Horace Greeley and His Weird Ways
You guys! Over the weekend, Roll Call ran my article about Horace Greeley and how Donald Trump might not be the weirdest and worst candidate ever. You can read it here. I think that counts as this week’s blog post, no? … Continue reading
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Something a Little Different
While I’ve been blogging the bejeebers out of history over here, I’ve also had a lot of fun spreading my Twitter wings, especially with the #TCMParty crew when Turner was running Roger Corman Thursdays. That appears to have run its course; channel programming seems … Continue reading
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Congress, The Klan, and Confederate Amnesty
In May of 1872, Congress and the federal government were already well along in their pursuit of knocking down the Ku Klux Klan, but work was still ongoing. They were also in the (perhaps counterproductive, yet necessary) process of granting … Continue reading
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Bread and Circuses
Well, actually just the latter. In early May of 1872, the circus came to Washington, D.C.—and not just the usual political circus. This one was P.T. Barnum’s, and it featured the “famous horse-riding goat ‘Alexis,’ the wonderful snake-charmer,” and “four wild … Continue reading
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Hot Lava
Everyone has heard of Pompeii, I think. (At least, you should have.) Wiped out by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, it’s one of the more famous natural-disaster tourist attractions. But did you know that Mount Vesuvius wasn’t content with that … Continue reading
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It’s Official!
It only took a year or so, but I can officially say that my book will see the light of day! I am now the proud signer of a contract with Open Books, which produces a whole swath of interesting material. … Continue reading
Posted in Nonfiction, Perseverance, Publishing
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Today in 1872: Dry Milk Day
If you love Doritos, Kraft Mac and Cheese, or powdered cheese popcorn, you can thank Samuel Percy. On this date in 1872, Dr. Percy patented the process to create dried (or powdered) milk, which eventually gave rise to all that … Continue reading
A Murder of Crows, a Desire of Suitors…
What do you call a gathering of writers? A neurosis? A penury? An ego? This weekend, for me, it was called the Virginia Festival of the Book. We went last year when my husband talked about his book, and we … Continue reading
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New Ideas
It is funny how things fall into my path and I think they’d be great ideas for books. (After so many completed projects turning out to be apparent nonstarters, I’m starting to question my judgment, but we’ll set that aside.) … Continue reading
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Arwen Adams Bicknell 