#nyx bluestone

[wizardhistory]

Muggle legends have told of dragons on Pilatus Mountain in Switzerland for hundreds of years. While there are no dragons there now, a cave in the mountain was home to a family of dragons for generations.

Some legends cite the healing power of dragon's blood, others the destructive power. Both are equally true. When in certain potions, dragon's blood can heal like no other substance, save Phoenix tears, while in it's undiluted state, it can be highly destructive to humans.

The family of dragons was removed to the Swiss Dragon Reserve in the early 1900s.

Ms. Nyx Bluestone, September 8th, 2015

[wizardhistory]

Fashions in the wizarding world have changed throughout the ages.  Varying widely by culture, wizarding fashions have only changed subtly since the International Statute of Secrecy.  While before the 17th century wizarding fashions borrowed freely from Muggle fashion, what is borrowed from Muggle culture now is mainly only what Muggleborns and half-bloods bring.  Taking inspiration from Muggles has been made even easier in the 21st century due to the rising numbers of Muggleborns and half-bloods on the internet.

Robes are often used for uniforms and formal occasions, though in jobs where high mobility is necessary, witches and wizards may wear trousers and a shirt, similar to a Muggle suit, with robes over them.  Individual style varies most noticeably among the younger generation (those born in the 1990s and onward).  Upbringing matters, too:  While most wizard-raised children are accepting of wearing robes and cloaks daily, Muggleborns and half-bloods will find the fabric hampering their movement, and are much more likely to combine Muggle fashions with wizard robes.

It is a fairly recent development for wizards to wear trousers under their robes, but it has caught on in all cultures surprisingly quickly, though wizards and witches in certain occupations have been wearing trousers for hundreds of years (e.g. Dragon trainers).

Ms. Nyx Bluestone, August 23rd, 2015

[wizardhistory]

Wizarding wireless is a close imitation of the Muggle wireless, and a wizarding wireless will even receive the same audio waves a Muggle wireless does. While the mechanisms for sending and receiving those waves are different, the radio waves themselves are the same, as evidenced by Muggle wireless listeners picking up the occasional wizarding program.

Muggle radio stations in the UK operate 100 megahertz apart. The magical stations in these areas operate 50 megahertz above and below each Muggle station. However, the close proximity of the stations increases the likelihood that a station may be overheard by Muggles. While Muggle radio stations in the United States all operate on the odd decimal frequencies, wizarding stations will operated on the even ones.

Muggles know the decision by the FCC to space all stations in the United States 200 megahertz apart as simply an arbitrary decision, but in truth, the original decision would have placed radio stations 100 megahertz apart, as in the UK. The MACUSA, noting the difficulties of keeping stations that were only 50 megahertz apart from being overheard by Muggles, planned accordingly, changing the FCC's regulations to require that all Muggle stations be kept 200 megahertz apart.

Ms. Nyx Bluestone, August 19th, 2015

[wizardhistory]

The connections between the Global Wizarding War and the Muggle World War II are complicated, too complicated to ever fully understand or comprehend, but wizarding historians have tried to the best of their abilities. Both wars came at a time when purity was used as something to raise some and oppress others, both by the magical and Muggle world.  While no one is quite sure of the ties between Adolf Hitler and Gellert Grindelwald, the two wars mirrored each other quite closely, with some major battles occurring at the same time.

It is known that there were wizards on both sides of World War II, though no one is sure who or when, or where they were.

The ties between the Global Wizarding War and Muggle World War II are murky, shrouded in the mists of time, and buried in secrets.  There may be records yet to be found, but so far, wizards, and Grindelwald in particular, have covered their tracks much more effectively than Muggles ever could.

Ms. Nyx Bluestone, 10th of August, 2015.

[wizardhistory]

While musical instruments can be charmed to play on their own - or even created to play alone - in most of the magical world it is considered a mark of status for a Pureblood to play a traditional instrument.  The piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, and harp are looked upon most favorably in wizarding Europe.  Most pureblood children in this area learn to play one of these very well, and perhaps another moderately well.

While some purebloods learn to play the guitar or brass instruments, these are considered by tradition less prestigious instruments, and so are often learned as a secondary instrument, if learned at all.

Recently, more witches and wizards in general have been playing these less traditional instruments, mainly due to Muggleborn and half-blood children already having learned to play by the time they leave for Hogwarts.

Ms. Nyx Bluestone, 9th of August, 2015

[wizardhistory]

It is well known in the wizarding world that goblins are the most skilled metal workers. This is why they create currency and the finest treasures known. No other creature can replicate the precision and mastery of the goblins. In Muggle tales, dwarves are shown as the skilled metal workers. However, this is untrue. Dwarves are skilled miners, able to extract even the smallest amounts precious metals and jewels from the surrounding earth. This has led to a centuries long arrangement between the dwarves and the goblins. The goblins will buy only the best from the dwarves, and the dwarves may sell the rest to certain races of centaur or merpeople or to wizard metalsmiths.

Ms. Nyx Bluestone, July 30th, 2015

[wizardhistory]

Weather altering charms have been outlawed by the International Confederation of Wizards since the early 1940s.  The practice was fairly common before being banned, the usual purpose being to ensure crops had enough rain or didn’t flood or freeze.  However, while effective in the short term, long term weather became increasingly unpredictable.  For example, while stopping or slowing the rain in the winter may seem like a good idea during a particularly rainy season, it may cause flooding later in the year or several years later, depending on the frequency and intensity of the spells.  Causing rain in the summer may induce a drought.  While it is possible that the effects may be mild, the resulting backlash will certainly be greater than what it originally would have been.  Ensuring sunny skies for an afternoon may only cause rainy skies for a week, but inducing rain weekly for years on end will have a much greater backlash.

The case that finally ended weather spells for good was the American Dust Bowl.  While it was true that Muggle farmers used incorrect farming methods to prevent wind erosion, it was wizards who caused the droughts in the first place.  Wizarding farmers in the area magically induced rains, sometimes up to weekly, to grow crops that would not generally grow on the American Prairie.  The combined effect of the spells gradually built up to the first drought in 1934.  Unfortunately, instead of letting the backlash run its course, wizards fought back with more weather charms, and were temporarily successful for the duration of 1935.  The same thing happened in 1936, and again in 1939.  Finally, in 1940, the Magical Congress of the United States of America (M.A.C.U.S.A) outlawed weather charms, and the droughts and dust storms finally died down.  Shortly after, the International Confederation of Wizards outlawed weather charms in all wizarding nations.

Ms. Nyx Bluestone, July 22nd, 2015