I had plans to ride my bike from Chicago to Milwaukee tomorrow with my husband and two friends (about 100 miles). Now I've come down with a pretty bad cold. Should I cancel or try to power through? Have you ever done a lot of physical activity while recovering from a cold, and how did you fare? [more inside]
posted by misskaz on Oct 23, 2009 - 20 answers

Looking for good books/resources about the 17th century Anglo-Dutch maritime wars. For a project I'm doing, I'd like to get more historical detail about what the Dutch call the English Wars and what the English call the Dutch wars. While I am interested in the specific facts, I'm more interested in getting a sense of time and place, both for those who were at sea and for those at home in the two countries. Do you know any fascinating books (non-fiction or historical fiction) that reference these events?
posted by judith on Oct 18, 2009 - 10 answers

I am working on republishing a 19th century memoir but I have come across a few terms I don't understand. Please help me figure out if they are typos in the original manuscript or real terms. [more inside]
posted by clockworkjoe on Sep 2, 2009 - 22 answers

I want to buy a copy of the image from the cover of Paris in the Twentieth Century as a poster. Where can I get one?
posted by GuyZero on Mar 19, 2009 - 9 answers

I need to find a scene in an old film (preferably really old, like pre-1923) that shows a bunch of stuffy men sitting in an audience, listening intently, as if to a lecture. The only catch -- it has to be set in the late 19th century. Anything pop to mind, oh great collective brain? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by rough on Mar 5, 2009 - 12 answers

I'm looking for information about early twentieth century tennis player Edward Fischer, who suffered a mental breakdown and ended up in Bellevue Hospital. [more inside]
posted by Flying Saucer on Jan 3, 2009 - 7 answers

At the risk of sounding daft, please explain this old 16th Century English Proverb for me. [more inside]
posted by CoinOp on Aug 24, 2008 - 8 answers

I am trying to get a better understanding of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" **Spoiler Alert** [more inside]
posted by madmamasmith on Jul 28, 2008 - 13 answers

Help me evaluate cooling system problems with my '86 Buick Century 2.5L 4. [more inside]
posted by Mister_A on Aug 29, 2007 - 5 answers

Who is this woman? A while ago, I saw this image on Shorpy and the woman on the right shaking hands looks very very familiar to me. Please help me track down where I've seen her image before... [more inside]
posted by Chrischris on Jun 25, 2007 - 22 answers

Seventeenth-century history-Filter: where can I find a copy of the first and second volumes of S.R. Gardiner's History of the Commonwealth and Protectorate online? [more inside]
posted by greycap on Dec 9, 2006 - 4 answers

I'm working on a research paper on 19th century American Art, more specifically Gilbert Stuart's portrait "George Washington on Dorchester Heights' done in 1806....and I've hit a wall. I'm trying to find any information on Stuart's motivation behind depicting George Washington next to a giant horse's rump and I can't seem to locate any official (or unofficial) sources that address that. [more inside]
posted by eatcake on Dec 4, 2006 - 8 answers

What's the story behind this accessory tied to young Rimbaud's arm?
posted by Aghast. on Sep 5, 2006 - 8 answers

I'm compiling a collection of songs that I'm calling "The History of the 20th Century". What songs have a year in their title? [more inside]
posted by meech on Jun 21, 2006 - 46 answers

Is there a good, easy, or already available way to make an altitude profile from a route in Google Earth? Alternatively, is there another easy (and preferably free) way to do it? [more inside]
posted by JMOZ on Jun 3, 2006 - 9 answers

I'd like to do a century (bicycle) ride (not race) in late July. What have you done? What did you think? I live in Pittsburgh, PA and would be willing to travel 250-300 miles. I'd be willing to consider later in the summer into early fall too.
posted by nnk on Mar 9, 2006 - 15 answers

My old car didn't start up this morning - but is it likely to refuse to again? [more inside]
posted by ruddhist on Oct 24, 2005 - 15 answers

Where can I get a sack suit (in the style that was fashionable around 1860) for fairly cheap? [more inside]
posted by cmonkey on Mar 18, 2005 - 14 answers