Jane Alexander

Joined: Apr 26, 2021

Jane Alexander is a freelance writer based in the UK. She focuses on literature, history, and the visual arts, and has previously written for Londonist, among other publications.

Confederate and Union soldiers fighting during the Battle of Allatoona Pass: the high-stakes battle that popularized "hold the fort."

Two Suffragettes Celebrating Their Release From Holloway Prison London On 22 August 1908

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire - Asch Building

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 resulted in 146 deaths, and led to the creation of dozens of new workplace health and safety laws.

Ancient Greek king Alexander III of Macedon is best known as the moniker “the Great.”

The timing of the holiday provides the perfect excuse to go shopping. Here’s why Labor Day sales have become so popular.

Is lychee pronounced "lie-chee" or "lee-chee"? Learn why both pronunciations are correct and how the fruit’s Chinese origins shaped the word in English.

A medieval stone gargoyle on the exterior of Germany's Gothic Freiburg Minster.

Long before it described cathedral arches, spooky novels, or head-to-toe black clothing, calling something "Gothic" was a major insult. Here is how Renaissance art critics turned a Germanic tribe’s name into a centuries-long slur.

Fortune cookies as we know them today may actually been created by Japanese Americans.

Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, and Corey Feldman in ‘Stand by Me’

We’re looking back at the beloved Rob Reiner film Stand by Me for its 40th anniversary. Did you know its iconic railroad was used throughout cinematic history?

Some Old English words haven't changed much over the centuries. From "cat" to "friend," here are seven modern words that are quite similar to their Old English counterparts.