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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com. It's July 4, 1862 on the River Thames near Oxford, England.

30-year-old Professor Charles Dodgson pulls on the oars of a small rowboat.

It's a glorious day, and Charles doesn't have any classes to teach,

so he's making the most of a summer afternoon. But he isn't alone. Sat with him in the boat are three

daughters of a university colleague. As Charles guides the rowboat upriver, the girls lounge on the

seats and watch the world go by. But the middle daughter, 10-year-old Alice, is getting restless.

She trails her fingers over the side of the boat before scooping a handful of water and

splashing her older sisters.

As the girls begin squabbling, the rowboat rocks alarmingly.

Charles realizes that he needs to calm the kids, otherwise his leisurely afternoon is going to end in wet disaster.

Suddenly, a blue streak shoots in front of the boat, catching the girl's attention.

It's a bird, a kingfisher, disappearing into its nest near the bank.

And that gives Charles an idea.

With the girl stunned into silence by the blue bird,

Charles resumes rowing, but this time he begins telling a story as he works the oars.

He improvises a tale of a girl, tumbling into a hole,

and Charles smiles at the precocious middle daughter as he reveals the name of the girl

who falls into that fantastical world, Alice.

This spur of the moment's story leaves the three girls enthralled, and when Charles

...