A Brief History On June 20, 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray, a philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde, was first published complete in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine.  This article provides a list of cultural references in Wilde’s novel. Digging Deeper Individual persons referred in the novel The number of each chapter of The Picture of Dorian Gray in which an individual person is referred is in parentheses alongside his or her name. The chapter numbers are specific to the revised edition of the novel, first published in April 1891. Fictitious (created by Oscar Wilde) Seventy-one fictional characters, named in the novel, are Oscar Wilde’s creations, and…

A Brief History This article presents a calendar of historical paranormal events that allegedly occurred in March!  Please click on the dates below to learn more information about that date’s paranormal history. Digging Deeper: The Month of March in Paranormal History On March 2, 1933, the classic monster movie, King Kong, opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. On March 4, 1918, the USS Cyclops kept a date with destiny! On March 7, 321, Roman Emperor Constantine I decreed that dies Solis Invicti (‘sun-day,’ or Day of Sol Invictus, Roman God of the Sun) would be the Roman day of rest throughout…

A Brief History This article presents a calendar of historical paranormal events that allegedly occurred in March!  Please click on the dates below to learn more information about that date’s paranormal history. Digging Deeper: The Month of February in Paranormal History On February 2, 1887 (or 1886), the first Groundhog Day celebration took place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and such celebrations have been taking place over and over again ever since (on each February 2nd)! On February 2, 1959, 9 Russian university students hiking and skiing in the wilderness of the Ural mountains died mysteriously. On February 2, 2014, New York City Mayor…

A Brief History On January 13, 1953, an article appeared in the Soviet newspaper, Pravda (which means “truth” in Russian, obviously some kind of joke…) that accused a large number of Jewish doctors in the USSR of plotting to poison top Soviet communist officials.  The government immediately cracked down on these alleged conspirators, with hundreds of doctors losing their jobs, many being arrested and jailed.  Other people of Jewish origin or bearing a Jewish sounding name were also ostracized.  This travesty of justice was known as “The Doctors’ Plot.” Digging Deeper The anti-Semitic nature of the Soviet Union is puzzling,…

A Brief History The concept of lingerie as a visually appealing undergarment was developed during the late nineteenth century.  Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff-Gordon (1863 – 1935), who worked under the professional name of “Lucile”, was a pioneer in developing lingerie that freed women from more restrictive corsets. During the late 19th century, corsets became smaller, less bulky and more constricting and were gradually supplanted by the brassiere, first patented in the 20th century by Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob; 1891 – 1970) . Today, nearly a century after these pioneering efforts, bottom wear can help you get all the attention…