I’m back with my highlight posts of 2020! Although 2020 was a bizarre and oftentimes difficult year, it has by far been the best year for my blog. My traffic and readership has doubled since January, and I’m loving “meeting” more of you lovely readers. Being an historian, I wanted to start by higlighting my most popular history posts of 2020 for you! I’ve decided to look at posts from November and December of 2019 also, as later posts in the year tend to get ignored in round-ups. Without further adieu, onto the goods!
Is Six the Musical Accurate?
I am in no way shocked that my Six posts are still very popular. Six literally closed the day before it’s official Broadway debut, after a month of rave previews, and the Australian cast had also slayed down under. Even though live theatre is still some months off again, people are still fascinated by Six and the queens behind it. Like any form of media, Six does take liberties with the historical queens’ stories, but there is still much of it woven into the musical. I look at the queens and how their musical counterparts differ!
Note: No, I don’t discuss Anna of Cleves, because they mostly got her spot on- she had palaces, money to gamble, and could do whatever she wanted. (That was on purpose- no corrections needed, ha!)
In Defense of Inaccurate Period Dramas
This post was ridiculously popular for me, and with Bridgerton recently releasing, it is still timely! (I mean, realistically, it will always be timely.) No, period dramas aren’t typically very accurate. However, they aren’t meant to be a documentary or a visual textbook. They are meant to be entertainment, plain and simple. No need to overthink it, and if you are really feeling over the top ragey, perhaps just don’t watch them. Bridgerton, The Spanish Princess, Belgravia– all meant to keep you occupied and entertained! If you want to learn about the history behind them, let me know and I will send you some book lists…
Monarch of the Month: Queen Mary I
My first Monarch of the Month post was a definitely a favourite for readers! Two of my best friends got me a very cool set of English monarch flashcards from the National Portrait Gallery, and I decided to do a monthly feature on different monarchs. Given that Mary I is a fairly contentious ruler in English history, I’m not surprised to see this post in my list. (I’m on #TeamMary, if you are curious.) I will be focusing on the Tudors through the Windsors from here on out, as the previous houses don’t seem to be as popular with readers. I’ve got to say, these flashcards are my favourite museum souvenir, and I hope that they do the Scottish monarchs, as well.
5 Tips for Doing Your Own Historical Research
I was a little bit surprised by the popularity of this post, but I’m also thrilled to know that people are interested in doing their own research. Doing your own historical research can feel a little overwhelming. Figuring out what you are actually researching is a skill unto itself that we all struggle with at some point, and then organising your research can feel monumental. If you are looking at delving into your own research and want to get started, I’ve broken it down into some basic steps to get you on your way! (And no, you don’t need any particular software/ programs/ devices to do any of it.) Please let me know how your own research project(s) is/are going!
The History of Hallmark Christmas Movies
This was one of the most light-hearted history posts that I’ve researched or written, and it was a lot of fun. Not an academic piece by any means, Hallmark Christmas movies have become a holiday staple from October to the end of the year. I wanted to look at how and when they became so popular, and how they have changed over the years. (I do believe that future historians will be studying them in a few decades…) If you love hot chocolate, cookie decorating, tree lighting ceremonies, and festive mix-ups, you need to read this post!
What are your favourite history posts of 2020?
Cheers,
The Historian
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