History of corsets. The corset has been an important article of clothing for several centuries, evolving as fashion trends have changed.
Women, as well as some men, have used it to change the appearance of their bodies. The corset first became popular in sixteenth-century Europe, reaching the zenith of its popularity in the Victorian era. The earliest image of a possible corset was made ca. 2000 BC. The image is of a Cretan woman, and the article of clothing depicted might be perceived as a corset; however, it is worn as an outer-garment.[2] While the corset has typically been worn as an undergarment, it has occasionally been used as an outer-garment; corsets as outer-garments can be seen in the national dress of many European countries.[3] The term "corset" is attested from 1300, coming from the French "corset" which meant "a kind of laced bodice.
" 16th and 17th centuries[edit] By the middle of the sixteenth century, corsets were a commonly worn garment among European and British women. Manners for the Victorian Gentleman. "The old saying that it takes two generations to make a gentleman is being refuted every day, for Americans are remarked not only for their facility in amassing fortunes but in furnishing themselves with presentable manners on short notice"Correct Social Usage, 1903 "It is the duty of a gentleman to know how to ride, to shoot, to fence, to box, to swim, to row and to dance.
He should be graceful. If attacked by ruffians, a man should be able to defend himself, and also to defend women from their insults"Rules of Etiquette and Home Culture. 1886 "Keep up appearances whatever you do"Charles Dickens in Martin Chuzzlewit, 1843 The following web pages will endeavor to give a rough notion of what was expected of 19th Century American Gentlemen, as presented in etiquette books, with a leavening of how they really behaved, as presented in the works of foreign observers and social commentators.
The 19th Century was a time of tremendous social and economic flux. A few related links. European History Interactive Map. 6 Ancient Sports Too Awesome For the Modern World. The 5 Most Terrifying Civilizations In The History of the World. They say that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, so pay attention for Christ's sake.
It turns out that many of our ancestors achieved levels of violence that take them right out of the realm of "badass" and into the less cool area of ball-shriveling atrocity. These are the civilizations you don't want to face during, say, your next time travel adventure. And yes, the Spartans are down there. History is kind of spotty on the Celts (they never wrote anything down, and many of the witnesses died brutally) but what facts survived confirm one thing: They had gigantic Celtic balls. If World War I Was a Bar Fight. Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of a pub when Serbia bumps into Austria and spills Austria’s pint.
Austria demands Serbia buy it a whole new suit because of the new beer stains on its trouser leg. Germany expresses its support for Austria’s point of view. Britain recommends that everyone calm down a bit. Serbia points out that it can’t afford a whole suit, but offers to pay for the cleaning of Austria’s trousers. Russia and Serbia look at Austria. Austria asks Serbia who it’s looking at. Russia suggests that Austria should leave its little brother alone. Austria inquires as to whose army will assist Russia in doing so. Germany appeals to Britain that France has been looking at it, and that its sufficiently out of order that Britain not intervene.
Britain replies that France can look at who it wants to, that Britain is looking at Germany too, and what is Germany going to do about it? Britain and France ask Germany whether it’s looking at Belgium. 6 Historical Villains Who Were Actually OK Guys. Hitler.
Stalin. Ivan the Terrible. We all love these guys. Which is to say, we hate them and everything they stand for, but we're secretly glad they existed. Otherwise we'd have to learn about the cultural and political tensions behind world history, as opposed to boiling it down to "there was a bad guy who made crap happen because he was evil. " But sometimes in our haste to find a villain in every situation, we wind up painting some people as cackling cartoon villains when they were really just random guys, or even pretty awesome.
7 Insanely Advanced Weapons History Somehow Forgot About. As we have mentioned before, technological breakthroughs aren't always built upon or improved -- oftentimes they're just outright forgotten, destroyed or lost to some ridiculous accident.
The same goes with military technology. Some ancient weapons were literally centuries ahead of their time yet wound up in the trash when society decided they were simply too awesome for their time. Like ... 14th-Century Cruise Missiles As you're about to find out, the Chinese have a knack for inventing truly awesome things and then forgetting all about them. The Chinese also invented tofu, but that's barely interesting enough to deserve a caption. These 14th-century weapons took inspiration from another weapon, fire-birds, which were actual birds that were outfitted with small pouches of smoldering embers around their necks and released into enemy cities. 5 Ancient Acts of War That Changed the Face of the Earth. Nothing motivates people like war.
That's how the Great Wall of China got built--they were protecting themselves against enemies who lived to the north. But that wall is hardly the only time we've changed the face of the planet in the name of winning a war. Some of the ass kickings unleashed with ancient empires on the line were so mind-boggling, the Earth still hasn't recovered. #5.