Some social manners and customs expected of high society The Victorian era—the period of time from 1837 to 1901 marked by Queen Victoria’s rule over the British Empire — is often remembered for a strict observance to social rules and customs. Indeed, Victorian societies were divided into strict social classes…

The Canadian government and North American pop culture exploited the “Dionne quints” Since the dawn of mass media, the public has been obsessed with making celebrities out of children. …

How the “Great Stink” of 1858 revealed the injustice of the Victorian class system I n the summer of 1858, the putrid smell of the once-beloved River Thames became too much for members of the British Parliament to bear. The thick summer heat combined with the cesspool known as “Father…

Fiction can mislead teenagers into believing abuse is romantic — When I was in the seventh grade, the hit television series Pretty Little Liars starring Lucy Hale and Shay Mitchell finally made its grand debut on Netflix. …

From the perspective of a Canadian Growing up, I always admired the United States. Almost every movie and television show I watched took place in New York City or Chicago or Los Angeles. …

Unknown Christmas traditions and their fascinating origins Christmas traditions have become beloved hallmarks of the annual holiday. Candy canes, caroling, putting cookies out for Santa Claus and opening bright presents all connote Christmas. Many of these North American traditions are from Victorian England, when Queen Victoria’s beloved husband Prince Albert…

Disagreeing with a woman’s religion does not mean you have the right to be misogynistic I was accused of being brainwashed. I was discussing the existence of God with a male classmate during one of the lulls typical of high school classes at the end of the semester. He knew…

“I never felt wanted unless I was onstage performing” — In almost every photograph and film from her early life, Judy Garland is smiling. From sharing sodas with teenage heartthrob Mickey Rooney to posing for photographs with her elder sisters, young Judy always seemed effervescent and happy. Garland’s character of Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz, the brown-eyed girl…

Modern day lynchings hide behind the mask of capital punishment — In 1893, Henry Smith was brutally murdered. Smith was a Black laborer from Paris, Texas, who was accused of murdering and raping a four-year-old girl. The young white girl, Myrtle Vance, was the daughter of a local policeman who had beaten Smith while he was detained in prison. Tragically, the…