Victorian America’s Fried Chicken

Victorian America’s Fried Chicken

July 6th is (United States’) National Fried Chicken Day. A perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate the love of fried chicken throughout the nineteenth century. Not only was this dish well-established in the colonies (17th and 18th centuries), it was a favorite throughout the States as the nation expanded to the California coast. Vintage newspaper clippings detail restaurant menus featuring fried chicken and provide vintage instructions for frying succulent drums, thighs, and breasts. Apparently folks said thank you with a good meal then, the same as they do now.

This Day in History: November 16

This Day in History: November 16

November 16, 1880 (136 years ago today). A look back in time through three newspapers from the Old West: The Daily Commonwealth (Topeka, Kansas), The Independent Record (Helena, Montana), and Lawrence Daily Journal (Lawrence, Kansas). Brief clippings from each paper highlight how much has changed over the years…treatment for sinus congestion, focus of Thanksgiving, and ability to fight wildfires (and prosecute the fire-bug).