The Devil's Dictionary

In my never-ending search of the Internet for historical curiosities, I came across this one a short while ago.  I made a note of it, thinking it might come in handy – so here it is: The Devil’s Dictionary.  It is best accessed through a neat little intro on the BBC’s HistoryExtra site, here.  The book’s author, Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce, was a great one for quotes, with examples of his wit and what we now call ‘observational humour’ scattered across the Internet.  The Devil’s Dictionary is a bit ‘heavy’ in places, but it’s worth the occasional ‘dip’.

If you’re getting desperate for family history news, well, at the risk of referring you elsewhere and losing you for good (“NEVER!”, I hear you say), these guys are the best ones to keep tabs on:

• Chris Paton’s Scottish GENES blog;
• John Reid’s Anglo-Celtic Connections blog;
• Claire Santry’s Irish Genealogy News blog.

All the above guys are independent of the genealogical big boys, and, although specialising in certain geographical areas, always keep an eye on the major stories in England & Wales, too.  Indeed, I’ve a lot to thank them for over the first few months of BI-Gen’s existence … so ‘Thank You!’ to Chris, John and Claire.  There are others too, but these three are the ‘stand-outs’.

ON THIS DAY

1842:  The Mines Act becomes law, preventing the employment of women and small children underground;

2003:  Highest temperature ever recorded in the UK: 38.5°C (101.3°F), at Faversham, Kent.