1. Queen Victoria’s Boer War chocolate found in attic
A 121-year-old chocolate bar that was given to British troops to boost morale during the Boer Wars in South Africa has been discovered in the attic of a National Trust property.
The chocolate, still in its original wrapper and tin, was part of a batch commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1900. It was found in a Boer War helmet case at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk.
Found on BBC News.
2. The Edwardian “S” corset
Found on the Gilded Age Society.
3. This Hotel decorated by de Gournay
The Colony Hotel at Palm Beach. More design by de Gournay found here.
4. Tuvalu, the least visited country in the world
A small country in the Pacific, is the least visited country in the world with only 2000 tourists in 2016. Scientists believe this Polynesian island group will be under water within a century.
Found here.
5. A house on the world’s steepest street when adjusted for angle
In Dunedin, New Zealand, found on Reddit.
6. How to Make Cloud Eggs
7. Meanwhile in Poland on Easter Monday
Today is Śmigus-dyngus, meaning “Wet Monday”, a holiday celebrated mostly in Poland. Traditionally boys would pour water on girl they fancy and and spank them with pussy willow branches on Easter Monday, and girls give them an egg, money, brandy or gifts in return! Folks nowadays can still get carried away with all-day water battles, but most just sprinkle family members with water and exchange gifts. The origins of the celebration are uncertain, but it may date to pagan times before 1000 AD; it is described in writing as early as the 15th century.
After all the water had been thrown, the screaming girls would often be dragged to a nearby river or pond for another drenching. Sometimes a girl would be carried out, still in her bed, before both bed and girl were thrown into the water together. Particularly attractive girls could expect to be soaked repeatedly during the day… Girls could save themselves from a soaking by giving boys “ransoms” of painted eggs (pisanki), regarded as magical charms that would bring good harvests, successful relationships and healthy childbirths. Although in theory the girls are supposed to wait until the following day to get their revenge by soaking the boys, in practice both sexes throw water over each other on the same day.
It continues to be observed throughout Central Europe, and also in the United States, where certain patriotic American elements have been added to the traditional Polish ones. It’s mostly a case of light sprinkling of water
Found on Wikipedia.
8. A Fabergé Easter egg
Each Easter, Czar Nicholas II presented a captivating example, often containing unexpected treasures, to his wife Alexandra and his mother, the dowager empress Maria Feodorovna. In 1912, this Napoleonic egg was the Czar’s Easter gift to the dowager empress. Its design commemorates the centenary of the Battle of Borodino during Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia. Inside it was a six-panel miniature screen depicting in watercolor six regiments, of which Maria Feodorovna was an honorary colonel. The screen itself is made from translucent green emeralds, rose-cut diamonds, and white enamel. This exquisite egg is part of an extraordinary loan from the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation to The Met.
Found on The Met.
9. Easter Bonnets
Apparently they were a thing. More here.
10. Storyboards Martin Scorsese drew when he was 11-yrs old for a Roman epic: “The Eternal City”
11. American GIs talk with a Swiss Guard at the Vatican, 1944
Found on Twitter.
12. This Castle for Sale in Yonkers, NY
Found here.