The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong Paper Blankets
Nov 18, 2025
Dive into the fascinating world of ephemeral history! Discover the intriguing story of 19th-century paper blankets and their cultural significance. Explore the lost art of Ice Age wood carvings and ponder Oxford's puzzling oath against Henry Simeonis. Learn about the mysteries of Byzantine Greek fire, the fragile legacy of ancient foods like garum, and the extinct herb silphium, which holds secrets of economic importance. Could silphium seeds be the inspiration behind the iconic heart symbol? Tune in for a whirlwind of historical curiosity!
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The Disposable Paper Blanket
- Mark Chrysler recounts the 19th-century chartoline (paper) blanket: cheap, disposable bedding made of paper and cotton wool.
- He emphasizes its ephemeral nature and how most evidence vanished because paper blankets were meant to be burned or thrown away.
Perishable Things Skew History
- Chrysler uses the paper blanket metaphor to show how many historical artifacts vanish because they were made of perishable materials.
- He argues that absence of evidence often reflects material fragility, not lack of cultural activity.
Oxford's 500-Year Grudge
- Chrysler tells the long-running Oxford oath story about swearing never to reconcile with Henry Simeonis, a 13th-century local accused of murder.
- The vow persisted for centuries despite administrators forgetting who Simeonis was or why the oath existed.
