Hi, so as the title says, I'm planning out my latest novel. But the plot requires some rather grueling historical work. Not that I'm not up to the challenge of course, but I wanted to ask the historians of Reddit for their insight. It might get me from point A to point B light-years faster.
Okay, so, my book specifically encircles the year 1801 and onward. My question is, who were the great minds present in 1801? Scientists, engineers, leaders, artists, etc. I might be a bit overzealous on this, but I'd like to know who the landmark people of the early 1800s were. World shapers. Society builders. What were the minor events that go unlooked? What were the scientific revelations of 1801 and onward? The tech advancements and the science are most vital to me.
I picked the year 1801 because it's a more or less bland year, but this is intentional and very much necessary. I needed to pick a year on the timeline where there's some technology, but very very little of it.
If anyone could contribute some sources, some insight on something they know specifically, that'd be great. I don't expect anyone to give me an essay on the year 1801 and onward, but any important things and people and advancements to know would be fantastic.
I appreciate anyone who responds with as little or big an answer they have. I was going to do all the research myself but didn't know where to go or where to start. Then I realized that this is exactly what the internet is for!
Anyway, thank you again,
Cheers
Hi there - we're happy to approve your question related to your creative project, and we are happy for people to answer. However, we should warn you that many flairs have become reluctant to answer questions for aspiring novelists and the like, based on past experience: some people working on creative projects have a tendency to try to pump historians for trivia while ignoring the bigger points they were making, while others have a tendency to argue with historians when the historical reality does not line up with what's needed for a particular scene or characterization. Please respect the answers of people who have generously given you their time, even if it's not always what you want to hear.
Additionally, as amazing as our flair panel is, we should also point out that /r/AskHistorians is not a professional historical consultation service. If you're asking a question here because you need vital research for a future commercial product such as a historical novel, you may be better off engaging a historical consultant at a fair hourly rate to answer these questions for you. We don't know what the going rate for consultancy work would be in your locality, but it may be worth looking into that if you have in-depth or highly plot-reliant questions for this project. Some /r/AskHistorians flairs could be receptive to working as a consultant in this way. However, if you wish for a flair here to do this work for you, you will need to organize this with them yourselves.
For more general advice about doing research to inform a creative project, please check out our Monday Methods post on the subject.