I always wondered how people lived 100, 1000, and 10,000 years ago. What did they eat? Where did they sleep? What did they think? What made them happy or sad, what made them laugh or cry? Did they love their mates, or were there other emotions involved? How did they discover simple things like using spices and herbs for cooking? Or counting, writing, and painting? How was life without TV, computers, cars, and airplanes? Or without refrigerators and stoves or washers and dryers? How was life before the bulb?

The older generations of our time may remember ancient things like the telegraph or the big bulky radio. Or they may even know how to store food for winter. Some may know how to make their own shoes or sew their own clothes. Others may know plants that soothe wounds or cure a stomach ache. But most of us are totally helpless without the use of modern technology. We are highly addicted to others for everything we own or need, from food and clothing to entertainment and health.  We forgot how to accomplish the basic tasks of survival.

In this blog, I embark on a journey of discovery to answer some of my own questions as well as others. I aim to shed light on the life of ordinary people of the past. Along the way, I may, occasionally, unearth some extraordinary individuals who led seemingly common lives. I may uncover some extraordinary events that have left an indelible mark on the ordinary life.

The historians of L'Ecole Des Annales and their remarkable books have greatly fueled my curiosity about the past. I am deeply grateful for their inspiration.