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HISTORICAL BRIEFS - Archives Candice often comes across interesting historical tidbits during her research that never make it into a book but are still fun little facts that she hopes you'll find interesting.
» White's and other exclusive gentlemen's clubs in London used a method of voting for proposed new members whereby a system of black and white balls were deposited, in secret by each election committee member, into a special box. A single black ball was sufficient to deny membership. Hence the term "blackballed."
» In the Middle Ages, Books of Hours included a calendar in the front that cited feast days. The majority of feast days commemorated the days on which particular saints were martyred. Most feast days were written in black. However, the more important ones were written in red. That's how the term "red-letter day" came to mean a major event.
» When the Royal Academy was founded in London in 1768, two women artists were among the founders: Angelica Kauffmann and Mary Moser. However, the other 38 founders and their successors did not like the idea of women academicians. It was not until 168 years later that another woman was admitted as a full member.
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