I've always enjoyed history and, while I've certainly focused my attention on several specific places and periods in the world, I have a general fascination for the unusual tidbits, the trivia that typically isn't found in history books or taught in history classes.

So, Tim Wood's What They Don't Teach You About History, which I purchased two or three decades ago, was right up my alley, historically speaking.

The book wanders widely through the dates and places of big global doings. But Wood doesn't focus on the major events that everyone probably already knows; he inserts small, human elements that help bring history to life. For instance:

- The Washing Habit: Among the cleanest people in medieval times were monks and nuns. Most monasteries and nunneries had wash-houses and laundries. Monks were given warm water for bathing about four times a year.
- Fashionable Drink: In the 1840s, it became fashionable for women to look pale and slightly ill. To help them achieve this effect they stopped using rouge to make their cheeks look pink and started drinking vinegar.
- Record Chopping Time: The guillotine was very efficient. In June 1794, 61 victims were executed in 41 minutes. Skilled operators could achieve speeds of more than two EPMs (executions per minute).
- Bound to be Trouble: Small feet used to be thought very fashionable in China. Until fairly recently it was common practice for Chinese baby girls to have their feet bound to keep them small. The crippling bandages forced the soft, growing toes to curve under the soles. By adulthood the feet of the women treated in this way had completely doubled over.
- Ouch!: There are many different fighting sports which are enjoyed all over the world by people who like that kind of thing. One of the simplest was the noble art of shin kicking which was practiced in England until the seventeenth century. Single contestants fought each other, wearing iron-tipped boots. The rules were quite straightforward -- each kicked at the shins of the other until one was unable to stand or else gave up in agony. Even players who were quite expert in this sport limped heavily.

Now, that's history! OK, it's not big on detail and often lacks pertinent context, but it's an entertaining glimpse into past times and ancient customs, and it just might inspire a reader to explore history more thoroughly, by reading more serious, comprehensive sources.

This book includes copious illustrations by Ian Dicks. They are mostly small and cartoony in style, adding colorful (usually) and amusing imagery to Wood's text. They aren't necessary to the book, but they certainly make it more fun. (I'm not sure where I've seen Dicks' work before, but I'm pretty sure I have see Dicks' work before. It certainly seems familiar.)

Anyway, it was fun browsing through this book again, and I think my son will enjoy it. Books like this can really make history interesting ... and fun.