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Madeline Martin

Madeline Martin

Heating Up History

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A Reflection in Time

We’ve all heard of the term “smoke and mirrors” to describe incredible feats. Well, not so many centuries ago, a mirror was its own incredible feat.

I know what you’re thinking. “A couple weeks ago we got a piece on penis enlargement and now you’re doing mirrors?!” Well, yes – yes, I am. Because 1. It’s interesting and 2. My oldest minion who has a penchant for staring at herself would avidly tout the importance of one’s reflection. Oh, and 3. It’s always something good to know when writing historicals.  J

So, how old are mirrors anyway?

Would you believe that the oldest mirrors date back to 6000 BC? I mean, they weren’t the kind you see today. They were primitive shards of carved and polished volcanic glass. As time went on, processes got a little more refined…and a little more costly.

Later times saw metals like copper and bronze flattened and polished into reflective surfaces. I imagine these would look kind of like those warped no-break metal mirrors in all the high schools now, less the filmy cleaning solution streaks.

As people became more advanced, so too did their methods. Glass was finally used along with all sorts of wonderful, healthy-for-us metals. There was hand blown glass dipped in lead, there was glass tinted or lined with mercury. Fine for the users, but I’m sure the manufacturers suffered for their labor.

Around the 1600’s Venice got in on the mirror industry and dominated it. No surprise there, right? Their mirrors were made with mercury and tin amalgams and were crazy expensive. So if you use a mirror in your book, make sure you have that person be very well off or you need to get a little more creative with your description. 😉

The modern day mirror we are all accustomed to didn’t come around until 1835 when some German guy made a sheet of glass with a metal coating the back for the reflective quality. That same concept is still used today with molten aluminum or silver sprayed onto the back of a sheet of glass.

What’s with mirrors and superstition anyway?

Like the native Americans who felt someone taking a picture of them would capture their soul, people in ancient times felt like seeing their reflection had an impact on their soul. Breaking a mirror was like the breaking of one’s soul. Fortunately, a shattered mirror in those times was like a damaged credit report today – you could recover if you waited long enough. In this case, the time happened to be seven years.

There is also a tradition in some countries (more prevalent in history than today) to cover mirrors when someone died. There are two popular beliefs for this act. The first is that if someone died  unexpectedly, especially through something violent like car accident or murder, their soul will use the mirror to look for a body to inhabit to finalize uncompleted tasks. Creepy, right? Kinda gave me chills when I read that. The second belief is that a fleeing soul will get distracted by the shiny reflection, fly to it and get trapped. I guess even souls have ADD.

So, there you have it folks, the truth behind mirrors. On a side note, when I die, will someone please cover a mirror? I’ve got a thing for shiny stuff….

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Filed Under: Inventions in History Tagged With: history of mirrors, invention of the mirror

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madelinemmartin

👩🏻‍💻USA Today Bestselling author of #historicalromance, mother of minions, watcher of cat videos, drinker of wine, poster of pics

Today we're chatting about the incredible heroines Today we're chatting about the incredible heroines of WWII in honor of International Women's Day! 

Join us, along with special guest, Eliza Knight, at Step into the Story for our monthly lunch chat at 1 PM EST. 

See you there! 📚

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The crack of the anti-aircraft guns rang out overh The crack of the anti-aircraft guns rang out overhead as a plane swooped low enough for the hum of its engine to echo through the cavernous tube station.
“I don’t know.” Grace glanced at the book, still pinched at her location. “I haven’t read that far yet.”
“Well,” the housewife said. “Go on.”
Grace hesitated. “You want me…to read it?” Everyone on the platform of Farringdon Station watched her expectantly. “Out loud?”
The lot of them all nodded, and quite a few smiled.
Suddenly, she was the painfully shy girl of her youth again in scuffed shoes that pinched at her toes, standing before the class with a bit of chalk in her hand and every set of eyes on her. Her stomach coiled itself into a knot.
“Please,” the young mother said. Another barrage of gunfire came, and she cowered down into herself.
Mr. Evans’s expressive brows crept upward in silent question.
Despite every brutally shy bit of Grace’s makeup screaming at her to refuse, she opened the book, licked her suddenly dry lips and began to read.

The Last Bookshop in London releases on April 6, 2021 - link in bio
Just Because flowers are the best 💐❤️ Just Because flowers are the best 💐❤️
Thank you to @saraackermanbooks and @harpercollins Thank you to @saraackermanbooks and @harpercollins for this advance copy of Radar Girls! I was so excited to get it in the mail today 😆📚 

Ink photobombed my bookstagram setup, but clearly approves of this WWII historical fiction set in Hawaii where the gutsy heroine signs up for the first Women’s Air Raid Defense after Pearl Harbor. 

This book sounds incredible and I can’t wait to start it!! 

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