In the news1874
Universal Military Service Law
The 1874 Universal Military Service law reduced mandatory military service from twenty-five years to six years for all social classes.
Saint Petersburg, 9 Sep 1878 – Hayling Island, 22 Dec 1959
9 facts2 sources
9 Sep 1878
Born in Saint Petersburg
22 Dec 1959
Dies in Hayling Island, aged 81
She lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Saint Petersburg.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1874
The 1874 Universal Military Service law reduced mandatory military service from twenty-five years to six years for all social classes.
What people wore
Rubber overshoes as rural status symbols
Rubber overshoes became a huge fashion trend in villages; people would wear them even in 30-degree summer heat just to show them off while attending church.
Getting around
Peasant Travel by Foot and Cart
For ordinary people like peasants, traveling to the nearest town was rare, often done on foot or by horse pulling a cart in summer or a sleigh in winter. Travelers carried simple food like bread, dried crusts, and vegetables, sometimes sleeping under their cart during the journey.
In Europe · 1870–1871The Franco-Prussian War and a united Germany. Prussia defeated France, and the German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
In the news1879
In 1879, the two-mile Tay Bridge collapsed during a storm, killing 75 passengers in Britain's largest engineering disaster.
Music
The origins of the Russian garmon
In 1839, a Tula gunsmith purchased an imported harmonica for 40 roubles and used it to create the garmon, an instrument that became central to Russian village celebrations.
Daily life
Weekly Steam Baths and Water Access
The home had no plumbing or running water; families relied on pails of water and prioritized a weekly steam bath, often held in the stove itself or a dedicated bath-house. If a steam bath was unavailable, peasants would crawl into the heated oven to bathe.