Sass and Sippy Cups

Since March is National Women’s History Month, I’ve decided to create a series of posts dedicated to women in history whose power and influence rivaled any man at the time. Therefore, until further notice, FFF isn’t going to stand for Fun Fact Friday. For the foreseeable future, you’ll see posts featuring FREAKING FEARLESS FEMALES The first two FFF post go way back to Ancient Egypt.   Did you know that in Egyptian society, women had the same legal rights as men?   They could own land and property, enter into contracts on their own, and even divorce their husbands without needing a reason. For the next two posts, we’re going to learn about two women who seized control and became two of Egypt’s most powerful HBICs (head bitches in charge, for those of you not up to speed on today’s lingo). Part One Hatshepsut: The Queen Who Became King Born around 1507 B.C.E., Hatshepsut was the daughter of King Thutmose I.   At 12 years old, she married her half-br...

Fun Fact Friday Irish Legends Since Saint Patrick’s Day is almost upon us, I thought I’d dedicate this Fun Fact Friday to some legends from the Emerald Isle.   No, I’m not talking leprechauns or The Blarney Stone. I’m talking something a little on the darker side: Faeries. When I say “faeries, I don’t mean the adorable little winged things your kid wants to be for Halloween every year that they’re not a princess. I mean the mischievous creatures from Celtic mythology that were definitely not as nice as their Disney-created counterparts. More specifically, I want to talk about two of the most dreaded types of “fae folk:” banshees and changelings. The Banshee The term “banshee” comes from the Gaelic for “woman of the faery mound” or simply “faery woman,” so while some legends describe her as a spirit, others put her in the category of “faeries.”   The “faery mound” refers to what are thought to be burial mounds found dotted all over the Irish countryside. ...

The Secret Are you like me and love a good treasure/scavenger hunt?   Just to give you an idea, Indiana Jones has always been one of my favorite characters. I’m a history nerd, so anything that involves traveling and uncovering a mystery is absolutely my cup of tea. I was watching the Travel Channel the other day, which is where I get most of the inspiration for these Fun Fact Friday posts.   I was watching Expedition Unknown and living vicariously through my hero, Josh Gates (Go set your DVR to Travel Channel on Wednesday night at 9. I’m not kidding. Do it now. If you are interested in this kind of thing, you won’t regret it) and was intrigued by the topic of the episode. How would you feel if I told you there is a real-life treasure hunt you’ve never heard of, and it’s been around since 1982?   One where you could claim a small treasure as your own?   Enter Byron Preiss and his book The Secret (no, not self-help book).   The Man Byro...

The Winchester Mystery House I f you’ve been watching TV lately, you’ve no doubt seen the trailer for the recently released film Winchester: The House that Ghosts Built.   If you’re an avid fan of horror or the paranormal, you’re familiar with the legend.   Here’s the gist: rich widow builds a crazy mansion to appease the spirits that haunt her.   Building this mansion is a continuous project that lasts 38 years.   In honor of the movie’s release last week, we’re going to delve a little deeper into the fascinating story of a bizarre home and the woman responsible for its design. Sarah Pardee Winchester S arah Pardee was born and raised in Connecticut.   In her twenties she married William Wirt Winchester, the only son of firearms magnate Oliver Winchester.   They had one child- a daughter- who tragically died at 40 days old due to severe malnutrition because of an inability to process protein. They had no other children. Ol...

Cultured Crooks: A True Mystery at the Museum Short on cash? Looking to make a quick buck? How does 10 million of them sound? Yep, you read that right: $10 MILLION   Probably sounds like some gimmicky sweepstakes, right? Actually, it's a legitimate offer, provided you have some valuable information to share. In the wee hours in the morning of March 18, 1990, guards at the Isabel Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston opened the doors for two men dressed as police officers. Once inside, the imposters tied up the guards and set to work, cutting eleven paintings from their frames and grabbing two sculptures before making their escape.  The entire job took a little over an hour. These men took off with $500 million worth of artwork.  The craziest part?  THEY GOT AWAY WITH IT.. . Neither they nor the valuable pieces of art they stole (pictured below) have been seen since.  To this day, empty frames hang on the walls of the Ga...