Only a historical novelist would think about these things on a day-to-day basis:

• My character wants to hug another character. Was “hug” part of the vernacular in 1750? Should I say “embrace” instead?
• How hard is it to tie a stay or a corset in the back by yourself? How would a poor widow with no female companions or maids do it?
• Will readers doubt me when my poor characters eat oysters? They were for the poor back then.
• On second thought, maybe that hug shouldn’t be there at all. What were the social mores regarding physical contact?
• How many research books can an NYC apartment hold?