We envision what it must have been like to illuminate one’s home before electricity. The evening’s gloom thickened and the room’s furnishings cast their long shadows from the dying light seeping in through pane glass windows. Candles were lit and a soft glow continued to play with the shadows, now shimmering in a flickering light. …
Mankind discovered the amazing qualities of flint long before written history. The introduction of steel to what became known as the tinder box brought ready flame for quick use. People became adept at sparking dried tinder to start fires, but ingenuity lead to quicker and more practical means to achieve the same end. In the …
Many early mattresses were not mattresses at all. Straw, often available after cereal crops had been harvested, was piled in either outhouse or residence and made do for sleeping, as it was far better than a hard wooden floor. Sometimes straw was layered into a wooden bed with sides. However, loose straw strewn about living …