The Hidden History Club

17/01/2024

While I have stopped producing the HHC magazine I have just finished an historical novel. The Crown Post. If you like history then this could be a book for you. Available on my website www.paulhrowney.com

29/12/2022

The HIDDEN HISTORY CLUB IS NOW CLOSED-we'll not be taking any more subs. Thanks for all your support and encouragement. I am now devoting my time to book writing. My first book French Creek has it's own FB page:
Or go to:

French Creek: The story of one community’s survival following the collapse of east America

02/09/2021

THANKS FOR THE GREAT REVIEW!
Thank you so much to Jessie Miller at Unboxings and More for reviewing one of our Subscription Boxes-lots of kind comments in her very thorough and comprehensive review. See the full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQDQsrvOrOw

Hidden History Club is a monthly subscription box that is filled with a variety of types of publications that tell...

26/08/2021

THIS LADY WAS THE ORIGINAL 'DUMB BLONDE'

There is actually a woman credited as the first person to be called a "dumb blonde." Her name was Rosalie Duthé, and she was born in 18th-century France. Because of her beauty, her parents sent her to a convent as a young girl to keep her away from leering men, but she ended up leaving to be with a rich British financier. After spending all his money, Duthé became a dancer, courtesan, n**e model, and general woman of interest — In Parisian society, Duthé developed a certain "reputation by adopting the habit of pausing for extended periods of time before speaking." She appeared not only stupid, but dumb in the literal sense.
For more great forgotten stories from History: www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

20/07/2021

The Most Honest Realtor-EVER!
Back in London in the 1960s a Realtor (or Estate Agent as they are known in the UK) called Roy Brooks decided to tell the unvarnished truth about the houses he was selling (and the people selling them, too). The advertisement shown here is typical of his caustic, witty style. It was an approach that made him a millionaire (despite the fact he had strong Socialist leanings). Indeed his advertisements became so popular that newspapers ran them for free. There are two books available with numerous examples of his advertisements-or you can read more about him in the August issue of the Hidden History Club Magazine:
www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

02/07/2021

WHY THE CROISSANT IS A CRESCENT SHAPE
To start with the croissant is not French, it was first baked in Austria and its shape is anything but an accident. The pastry dates back to 1683 when an army of more than 100,000 Ottoman Turks was besieging the city of Vienna in Austria. When the Turks try tunneling under the walls the Viennese baker's working through the night in the city heard the digging sounds and raised the alarm. This allowed the defenders to prepare themselves and help save the city from invasion. Eventually rescue came in the form of Poland's King John III. To celebrate the bakers copied the crescent moon from the enemy’s flag and turned it into a commemorative pastry. It was originally called a kipfel (which is German for crescent) and honors a victory that would never have happened but for the bakers of Vienna.
Join the Hidden History Club: www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

09/06/2021

Thank you My Subscription Addiction for including the Hidden History club in its '20 Unique Subscription Boxes and Gifts For History Lovers'

https://www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com/gifts-history-lovers

Ah, the history lover. They're certainly not one-size-fits-all. Some love diving into the enigmatic past of the ancient Egyptians. Others are all about military history. Many find themselves captivated by great philosophers of the past, while a good number of us prefer to connect the past with our p...

04/06/2021

IS CALIFORNIA STILL OWNED BY THE BRITS?
Strange as this may seem, some believe it could be a possibility based on a five century year old engraving discovered on a metal plate near the Golden Gate Bridge in 1936. On it are the words in 16th century English announcing the claim by Sir Francis Drake (pictured) that in June 1579 he landed in what is now known as California and staked a claim saying: "I take possession of this kingdom whose king and people freely resign their right and title in the whole into her majesty's keeping". (it goes on a bit more, but you get the idea).
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Gift membership to the Hidden History Club is a GREAT Father's Day present. www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com
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The plate on which these words are inscribed has been verified by the California Historical Society as authentic and the timeline does fit in with the well documented travels of Sir Francis. And it appears neither the United States, Britain or California have ever legally challenged this claim, or done anything to revoke it. So you Californians, be on notice. 5.00pm is now an official break for Tea. The Brits will be sending someone over to teach you how to cook Fish & Chips, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Spotted Dick. And start learning the words to God Save the Queen!

26/05/2021

Thank you Splash Magazines for including the Hidden History Club in its Father's Day Gift Guide 2021!

"Looking for a Father’s Day gift that’s different, unusual...unique? Then give your ‘history-loving Dad’ membership to the Hidden History Club, he’ll be delighted at such an original gift. Each time they receive an issue of the Hidden History Club in the mail, they’ll be reminded of you! It’s a really personal and thoughtful gift any history lover will be thrilled to receive."

Splash Magazines - adding style to your life TM

https://splashmags.com/index.php/2021/05/19/fathers-day-gift-guide-2021-find-something-unique-for-the-special-one-in-your-life/ .tab=0

Molekule’s Air Mini After more than a year of being stuck at home 24/7, homeschooling kids and dealing with the stress of a pandemic, we can all agree that dads deserve something extra special this…

23/05/2021

Eccentric No: 7: She hated s*x and boozing and did her best to stop both.
Carrie Nation who became a fierce campaigner against alcohol, to***co, and Freemasonry, was born in 1846 in Kentucky. Nation’s mother thought she was Queen Victoria and would wave to slaves on their plantation from a gilded carriage.
Nation’s first husband was a drunk, chain-smoking Freemason, and she hated him so much that when he died, she tried to stamp out everything he loved. This included s*x: whatever they’d done in the bedroom, it made Nation so angry she started stalking young couples and attacking them with her umbrella, seemingly to scare the libido out of them.
She firmly believed in ghosts and her powers as a clairvoyant, claiming she had her first vision at age 8. Nation tried to heal sickness using hocus pocus, used charms to protect buildings from fire, and claimed she used her powers to end droughts. When she was 53, she ‘heard voices from Jesus’ telling her to do something about all the drinking in America. The 6-foot-tall teetotaler grabbed a sledgehammer, went into a drugstore, and smashed its whiskey barrels to bits. More destruction would follow, with Nation moving from town to town, smashing up saloons with bricks, hammers, rocks, billiard balls, and her cane, which was specially designed for easy destruction.
But when Nation started destroying bars with a hatchet, she became famous. She even had her own catchphrase, “Smash! Smash! For Jesus’ sake, smash!” She sold mini-hatchets as souvenirs, and the proceeds helped pay the legal bills from more than 30 arrests.
She published The Smasher's Mail, a biweekly newsletter, and The Hatchet, a newspaper. In October 1909, various press outlets reported that Nation claimed to have invented an aero plane.
Suspicious that President William McKinley was a secret drinker, Nation applauded his 1901 assassination because drinkers "got what they deserved. She died in 1911.
www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com
Sources for these posts: The Emperor of the United States of America and other magnificent British Eccentrics by Catherine Caufield/Wikipedia/Great American Eccentrics by Carl Sifakis.

22/05/2021

SEVEN ECCENTRICS IN 7 DAYS
Eccentric No: 6: The self appointed Emperor of the United States who 'ruled' for 20 years.

Joshua Norton was born in London in 1819 but ended up in America around 1853, where he made and lost a fortune trying to corner the rice market. In 1859 having convinced himself he was, firstly, Norton 1 Emperor of California, then more ambitiously, Emperor of the United States, he demanded a proclamation to this effect be published in the San Francisco Bulletin (which it was). In it he demanded representatives from all the States assemble “to alter the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which this country is laboring….” (What’s new?). Later Joshua decided he only could do the job and dissolved the Republic so he could rule personally. (In 1863 he also took the secondary title of "Protector of Mexico" after Napoleon III invaded Mexico).Being Emperor did not bring him wealth and he lived in a 50 cent a night room paid for by the people of San Francisco who saw his antics as both harmless and entertaining. When he issued another decree complaining his shabby wardrobe was a “national disgrace” the city council paid for his new uniform. Norton’s own currency of homemade 25 & 50 cent notes was accepted freely at all restaurants and theatres. Once when an over keen policeman arrested him for ‘lunacy’, the presiding judge made the profound comment: “he has shed no blood, robbed no one and despoiled no country which is more that can be said for most fellows in the king’s line”. He died in 1880.
Tomorrow: The hatchet wielding, anti s*x, teetotaler.
www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

21/05/2021

SEVEN ECCENTRICS IN 7 DAYS
Eccentric No: 5. The germaphobic Comtesse who found health benefits from the methane emissions from cows.

The Helena Comtesse de Noailles (‘Madame’) was the daughter of a wealthy English family and among her many strange habits was the obsession of staving off infection from any source. So having purchased a daughter from a friend in Paris she sent her to an English convent in Suss*x for her schooling. Immediately she demanded the school pond be drained as it could contain insects, in addition the ordinary school uniform was deemed ‘too restrictive’, so her daughter Maria was allowed to wear a loose tunic and open sandals. Plus, Maria was only to be taught grammar and arithmetic according to a system that Madame herself had devised.
Madame had her own weird health regimen: she went to bed every night with stockings filled with gray squirrel fur wraps around her forehead and under her chin. She believed the cure for bronchitis was a diet of soft herring roe. Blue silk covers were made to cover all the brass door handles in the house in order to cut down on glare. She was also keen on the benefits of fresh air and methane gas and was careful to keep a number of cows near her windows so she could enjoy the healthy effects of their ‘emissions’. When Maria married and Madame decided to visit them she asked that they prepare for her arrival by cutting down all the trees in the vicinity of the house and bring cows into the garden to improve the atmosphere. Finally, she made her inheritance to Maria conditional that she wear white in summer and never use laced up shoes. She died in 1908 having lived to the age of 84 on a diet of champagne and milk and left 100,000 pounds and 11 different wills for her heirs to sort out.
Tomorrow: The man who proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States.
www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

20/05/2021

SEVEN ECCENTRICS IN 7 DAYS
Eccentric No:4. The founder of Vanity Fair magazine who took baths in his dog’s kennels.

Before we get to his strange bathing regime, today’s eccentric Thomas Gibson Bowles (1841-1922) had some other...peculiarities. On being left widowed with four children under the age of 10, he decided to keep things simple by dressing all his children as boys (except two were girls). He was also an MP for the English town of King’s Lynn and founder of two successful magazines: The Lady (still published in the UK) and Vanity Fair. But one day he told his daughter he was “fed up with politics and intended to move to China”, when asked when he wanted to make this trip he replied “Thursday”. Leaving his daughter (who was also his housekeeper) to get rid of the guests, pack up the house, find a caretaker and cover all the furniture. She managed to achieve this formidable task in just a few days. Then on Thursday morning she sat in the carriage, piled high with luggage, waiting for her Father to arrive and start their momentous journey to the Far East. As he reached the carriage a few raindrops began to fall, he opened the window of the cab and said to his distraught daughter, “my dear child it’s raining, we won’t go”.
As for his bathing habits...Thomas disliked sitting in ‘dirty water’ so always had steam baths when in London. But while on holiday in Scotland he improvised his own Turkish bath by using dog kennels. The first he had lined with bricks where he would sit and have his butler build a fire to produce the correct amount of heat and steam. He then emerged into the dog run where the butler stood on a second kennel and poured cold water over him….
Tomorrow: The germaphobic Comtesse who found health benefits from the methane emissions from cows
www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

19/05/2021

SEVEN ECCENTRICS IN 7 DAYS
Eccentric No: 3 The man who didn’t bow to the King and wanted 12 virgins to carry his coffin.
Jemmy Hirst loved animals, but found some strange uses for them. He went hunting on a bull named Jupiter, (see picture) and his carriage was pulled by four mules. (His carriage was made of wicker and contained a wine cellar and double bed). His dress sense was…odd: he wore a lambskin hat 9 feet in diameter, an otter skin coat and a waist coat of drake’s feathers. King George III heard of Jemmy’s eccentricities and asked to meet him (he refused the first invitation telling the King he was “too busy training an otter to fish”). On meeting the King he declined to bow, as was obligatory at the time-but the King was not offended and sent him home with a carriage full of with wine.
When entertaining at home he showed off his collection of coffins, one which served as a liquor cabinet, and the other guests were invited “to try for size”. This coffin had folding doors, windows and a bell to summon servants. Once inside the doors locked automatically and only on payment of a penny were the ‘live corpses’ released. He asked when he died (in the late 1700’s) for his coffin to be carried by ’12 ladies of virtue’, but they were in short supply at the time, so local widows were press-ganged into doing pall bearing duties instead.
Tomorrow: The famous publisher who took baths in his dog’s kennels.
www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

18/05/2021

SEVEN ECCENTRICS IN 7 Days....
Eccentric No:2. William Buckland getting to the heart of the matter…
On the face of it William Buckland was pretty sane for an eccentric Victorian. Born in 1784 in England he became a respected geologist and even wrote the first full account of a fossil dinosaur, which he named Megalosaurus. He stopped at so many quarries to search for geological specimens his horse eventually stopped automatically beside any large hole in the ground. He was an extremely generous benefactor paying for the installation of the first gas lights in Oxford. But his most unusual claim to fame as our 2nd eccentric was when visiting the Archbishop of York, who had been in Paris at the time of the French Revolution. There he had somehow procured the heart of the dead King Louis X1V, which he kept in a s***f box (as you do). The Archbishop proudly showed his unusual keepsake to Buckland who said “ I’ve eaten many things in my life, but never the heart of a King”, upon which he plucked it out of the box and swallowed it whole!
Tomorrow: The man who refused to bow before a King.
www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com

17/05/2021

SEVEN ECCENTRICS IN 7 DAYS- EACH DAY THIS WEEK THE HIDDEN HISTORY CLUB TELLS THE STORY OF PEOPLE WHO DID SOME WEIRD AND STRANGE THINGS..
ECCENTRIC No:1 The Tunneling Duke who gave each of his workers a donkey and an umbrella (and built them an ice skating rink as well)....

The 5th Duke of Portland (1800-1879) became a recluse around 1850 following a spurned matrimonial proposal to a leading opera singer. Despondent and hurt, he scurried back to his 15,000 acre estate, Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, England- and threw himself into a four decade frenzy of construction activity that mainly consisted of building a network of tunnels under the grounds of his estate to connect a series of huge rooms. He created an enormous underground ballroom capable of holding 2000 people (but not one single ball was ever held there), plus an underground library, a glass roofed conservatory (underground), a subterranean railway and miles of ancillary passages that allowed him to move about unseen by anyone. When he did go out (only at night) he was preceded by an elderly woman carrying a lamp, forty yards in front of him. He had two letterboxes, through which he received and sent all his communications by letter. Oh, and he also built Europe’s largest riding school lit by 4000 gas lights. At times he had 15,000 men working on his never ending list of projects-(did I mention the 22 acre walled kitchen garden?).
He ended up living in just four rooms of his huge stately home which he painted pink. He died in 1879. For his full story see the June issue of the Hidden History Club Magazine. www.thehiddenhistoryclub.com
Tomorrow, the Geology professor who ate a king's heart..

10/05/2021

Spot the first man EVER to be photographed.
There you are just having your shoes shined one day in 1838 on a boulevard in Paris and snap! some guy called Louis Daguerre takes a photo of you on his new daguerreotype camera. In fact there were 100's of people probably strolling down that street at the time, but because the exposure of the camera was a lengthy 15 minutes their movements were too fast to be caught on film. But the customer of the shoe shiner had to stand still while having his shoes buffed-and hence was the only person to appear in the final photograph. He can be seen at the bottom left hand corner of the image. Unfortunately no one knows who the person was, so no 15 minutes of fame for him!

06/05/2021

Gift certificates available now!