July 31: Charm School for Women (Vol. 27, pp. 148-150)

That 18th century English troublemaker, Daniel Defoe, landed in the stocks on this day in 1703 for "defiance of public opinion." One of his opinions that got him into was the idea that women should have an education equal to that of men.

His essay, "The Education of Women," seems self-evident today, but it was just one of the writings that got him in deep trouble with the powers of the time.

July 30: The First English Colony in North America (Vol. 33, pp. 263-273)

On this day in 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert landed on Newfoundland, near what is today the city of St. John's. Even in July, Newfoundland is not exactly the most hospitable of spots, as he tells the story in "Voyage to Newfoundland."

July 29: Stonehenge: England's Unsolved Mystery (Vol. 5, pp. 453-462)

During a visit to England, Ralph Waldo Emerson went to see Stonehenge and expressed amazement at what he called the "uncanny stones." Even one of America's greatest thinkers couldn't quite wrap his brain around this monument.

July 28: An Idyl of Agriculture (Vol. 27, pp. 61-69)

English poet Abraham Cowley died this day in 1667, but instead of his poetry, we get prose today. His essay, "On Agriculture," reads much easier than his poems as he gets gushy about the joys of farming.

“We may talk what we please,” he writes “of lilies, and lions rampant, and spread eagles, in fields d’or or d’argent; but, if heraldry were guided by reason, a plough in a field arable would be the most noble and ancient arms.”

July 27: Once Surgeons Operated in Frock Coats (Vol. 38, pp. 257-267)

On this day in 1867, Lord Joseph Lister published a paper on antiseptic treatment, which is today's selection.

Lister, the surgeon to Queen Victoria, built on the work of Pasteur when he realized that the formation of pus was due to bacteria, and proceeded to develop his antiseptic surgical methods.

The immediate success of the new treatment regime led to its general adoption, and infections are a lot less deadly now than they were in the 19th century.

July 26: Peace Amid Strife (Vol. 7, pp. 205-211)

The German monk Thomas à Kempis died this day in 1471. The author of "The Imitation of Christ" led a cloistered life apart from the upheavals of 15th century Europe. Deep religious piety, for those who may like it.

July 25: A Goddess and Her Mortal Love (Vol. 49, pp. 391-395)

More Norse nonsense, this time the "Lay of Brynhild" -- the story of the daughter of Woden who carried dead heroes to Valhalla, until she fell from grace and fell for Sigurd, a hot mortal dude.