I remember the first time I read about the Tide Letter. Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I) was told that her sister, Queen Mary, was sending her to the Tower. Elizabeth was terrified - her mother had been killed there. She tried protesting, crying, flying into a temper - nothing worked. The men sent to escort her to prison would not be moved. 
So she asked to write a letter. That seemed innocent enough, so they agreed. Elizabeth sat down and started to write - slowly, carefully. By the time she finished, the tide had turned and they couldn't go to the Tower that day.
When I first heard that story, I was delighted and fascinated. It was so clever of Elizabeth to find a way to save herself - even if it was only for a day. A day made a world of difference in Tudor England.
Now, this is kind of old news. I still love the story, but I've lost the thrill of it - that shiver of discovery. That has happened to me for many such stories, after more than thirty years studying Tudor England.
Fortunately, everything changed a few weeks ago. I had the privilege of witnessing the moment that a young history enthusiast heard about the princes in the Tower for the very first time. I saw the connection between imagination and information, where a true historian finds significance in tiny details and creates a tale that brings the long dead back to life.
And so, the thrill of history continues.
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