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1911 in Southern Argentina, and, also at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Passionist nun Gemma Galgani. The Christian saints, priests, and nuns generally attributed their levitation to states of rapture or ecstasy that were beyond their control, while in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern traditions, levitation was presented as a skill that could be accomplished through spiritual and physical training. Levitation, like all things otherworldly, turned demonic in the Middle Ages, where rather than being a signal of a person’s divinity and proximity to God, it was seen as a manifestation of evil generated by demons, ghosts, or witchcraft. The nineteenthcentury Spiritualism movement in America, with its interest in séances, ghosts, poltergeists, and other spooky things, helped give levitation a boost once again. But in modern times it’s mostly understood to be a magic trick, a phenomenon based in real-world explanations and techniques. Still, as anyone who has seen David Blaine—or played “light as a feather, stiff as a board” at slumber parties—can attest, it’s entertaining, even when you’re pretty sure it’s not real.

Making a Cloth-Covered Book

YOU WILL NEED

Two pieces of 6½″ × 9¼″ cardboard

A needle or embroidery needle and thread

Fabric (about 16″ × 12″)—an old dress, T-shirt, or pillowcase works well

Eight pieces of 8½″ × 11″ plain white paper (for a longer book, you can use more paper)

1 piece of fancy or colored 8½″ × 11″ paper

Wide packing tape and regular tape

A ruler

Fabric glue

12″ ribbon

Scissors

Fold the plain paper and the fancy paper in half. If the fancy paper looks different on the front than it does on the back, fold it so that the “front” side is on the inside. Put the folded plain paper inside the folded fancy paper, like a book. Then use your needle and thread to sew the papers together in two places, about an inch and a half from the top and an inch and a half from the bottom.

Cut your fabric to about 16 inches by 12 inches and lay it out, wrong-side facing up. Place the two pieces of cardboard in the middle of the fabric, leaving about a quarter of an inch between each piece. Tape the cardboard pieces together and maintain the quarter-inch separation. Coat the back of the cardboard lightly with fabric glue and then glue the cardboard to the cloth. Fold and glue each of the corners first and then fold and glue the fabric on each side. You can use tape to secure the fabric if necessary; just make sure the tape doesn’t stick up close to the outer edge. Now you’ve made the fabric book cover.

Cut your 12-inch ribbon in half. Use your ruler to find the center of the left side of your fabric cover and glue the end of one ribbon there (starting about two inches from the end of the ribbon). Try not to overglue, but also try to make sure you glue right to the very edge so that the ribbon is firmly attached. Secure with tape. Do the same thing on the right side of the cover with the other ribbon.

Open your papers and place them in the middle of the cardboard and fabric so that the fold of the paper is right in the center of the tape between the cardboard pieces. Using the fabric glue, glue the outer paper (the fancy paper) to the inside of the cover and let it dry. Once dry, tie the ribbon to close your book. It’s not as secure as a lock and key, but it’s a pretty way to keep safe your handmade journal, should you choose to use it as a secret diary.

Pirates

THERE HAVE BEEN women pirates throughout the ages, from Queen Artemisia to female Vikings to modern-day women pirates in the Philippines. Many of the stories about female pirates are just that: stories made up showcasing women pirates who are merely fictional. But there are several women pirates whose stories are verifiable, and who really did live and (in some cases) die a pirate’s life on the high seas.

CHARLOTTE BADGER

Charlotte Badger was a convicted felon when she was sent to Australia from England. She was found guilty of the crime of breaking and entering when she was eighteen years old and sentenced