some random 18th century trivia

A few things we learned in Williamsburg:

Thomas Chippendale of furniture fame once said, "Green, purple, and cream will rule this age."

Josiah Wedgewood is credited with the industrialization of pottery. He was an abolitionist and his pottery produced commemorative pieces for William Wilberforce. He was also a member of The Lunar Society which was a philosophical society who met secretly because at the time their ideas about the divine right of individuals (as opposed to the divine right of kings) was considered treasonous.

The first play ever staged on American soil was The Merchant of Venice.

Scarlet was the most expensive color of dye in the 18th century.

Queen Catherine of Portugal introduced the drinking of tea to the English.

King George the III was 21 at his coronation and his wife, Queen Charlotte who was from Germany, was 17. My city, Charlotte, the Queen City, is named after her and our county, Mecklenburg, after the part of Germany she came from. (I knew that last bit before I went to Williamsburg.)