On a recent sojourn to one of my favorite places,
Barnes and Noble, I found the most unusual book. While searching for anything I
could find on Joan of Arc, the history of France and the Hundred Years War, I
stumbled upon Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim
Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year by
Michael Farquhar. The cover depicted a cartoon drawing of a wooden Trojan Horse
and an ancient Greek soldier tentatively holding an apple up to its mouth. It
made me smile, so I added it to my other finds and headed to the on-site
Starbucks. With a cappuccino in one hand and a stack of paperbacks and
hardcovers cradled in my other arm, I commandeered a table to peruse my
treasures.
In the Bad Days in History, the author chronicles
the epic misfortunes and terrible bad luck of some of the most absurd and often
little-known occurrences of our time with a touch of light-hearted humor. Plucked
from the ancient days of yore to the 2000s, this tome consists of 365
uproarious blunders and catastrophes from around the world.
With short accounts spanning anywhere from a few sentences to three pages, you can read several stories in just a few minutes. Clever titles adorn each one. Some of my favorites are “The Spy Who Mugged Me” and “Double-Lacrossed” and “Oh, Now You Tell Her . . .” Others reveal more of its subject matter, like “RFK to LBJ: You’re no JFK” or “Burning Up Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson’s Dixie Nemesis.” To tell the truth, I had fun just reading the titles but had to visit the index to find something on Joan of Arc. It was just two sentences and, unfortunately, nothing I didn’t already know.
I was just about to drop this selection onto my “No
Purchase” pile when it hit me. This could be an awesome resource for historical
writers like me. Before I chose the time-period for my first fictional piece, I
spent hours over many days scouring tons of sources for lesser-known events in the
past in which to set my novel. Now, I have 365 of them at my fingertips! And
after reading a few dozen or so, I believe any writer could use these bizarre yet
true occurrences as a basis for starting or perking up a story in any genre.
Here are just a few examples I found particularly fun or
amusing.
On January 28, 1393, the “Costume Drama: The Worst
Burning Man Festival Ever” tells of a masquerade ball, attended by King Charles
VI of France along with five of his knights. They were all dressed as shaggy,
hairy creatures in costumes made of linen soaked with resin and covered in flax,
including the King. Then, his younger brother, Louis, Duke of Orleans, arrived
late, drunk and with a torch. Oh yes, you’ve probably guessed it already. Four
of the knights burned to death. One survived by throwing himself into a vat of
wine. And the King? He lived. Saved from the flames by the voluminous skirts of
his aunt. They say, “the French sovereign was never the same again.” Overcome
by madness, he was later rendered unfit to rule.
Here's another gem. On August 4, 1983 a Yankee’s ball
player was arrested for killing a seagull with a baseball in “Murder Mysteries? The A-Girl and
the Seagull.” He claimed it was an unfortunate accident while playing catch
with the left fielder during warmups, but several eyewitness accounts swore it
was deliberate. He was released on bail the same day.
Wouldn’t a masked ball or party with an epic failure
of some kind or an absurd action that gets your character arrested spice up your
plot? Maybe you pick the fourteenth century royal court of King Charles to set
your next story. There are so many ways to use Farguhar’s unique collection.
So, is truth really stranger than fiction? I believe
this work supports that maxim.
And, if you liked Michael Farquhar’s Bad Days in
History, try his latest release, More Bad Days in History: The
Delightfully Dismal, Day-by-Day Saga of Ignominy, Idiocy, and Incompetence
Continues.
2 comments:
This sounds like a book I’d really enjoy!
Great post!!
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