I went to a digital history seminar last week at the Institute of Historical Research entitled ‘The Challenge of Digital Sources in the Web Age: Common Tensions Across Three Web Histories, 1994-2015′. The speaker was Ian Milligan who is Assistant…
Author: Katherine
Dover’s chalky terrain has not only given the town it’s unmistakeable landscape, but has also added extra layers of historical depth to its most famous monument. A visit to Dover Castle is certainly a full day out as it is…
This month we have seen the anniversary of the devastating Great Chicago Fire, which took place between 8th and 10th October in 1871, and as it is also fire prevention month I thought I’d devote some time to it. The fire…
Since leaving university I’ve been missing the organised educational experience in getting my history fix. While reading and documentary watching are great, I’ve been becoming increasingly addicted to MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and particularly those offered by FutureLearn. FutureLearn…
And now to turn to something I love and explore the wonderful history of pickling. Pickled onions, pickled cucumbers, pickled eggs – you name it, I love it. And like many British favourites, it derives from the need to preserve…
Henry Fox Talbot occupies a fascinating place in the history of photography. He also occupied an amazing house: Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, which has its own rich history. Henry Fox Talbot was born in 1800 in Dorset and followed a…
The reason I love the Tower of London so much is that there’s always something new to see and learn. Last time I went I made the most of the free audio guide, but this time I opted to just…
It’s become ubiquitous to propose a toast during meals, at big events or at any time when there’s a drink in your hand. It’s considered an almost entirely international cultural act that feels so automatic that you don’t really think…
The complex of buildings found at Westminster is a little architecturally confusing. We have Westminster Abbey, clearly old from what you see inside it, Westminster Hall and the Palace of Westminster, which look similar, and Big Ben, which screams Victoriana. These buildings can easily blend together if you don’t look carefully and that blending was indeed the intention of the designers.
I noticed a picture of a baby cage made it into the Metro the other day. It seems that this historical oddity is one that constantly comes in and out of the media and causes incredible public shock and outrage every time. It is amazing how attitudes change, so that something invented in the 1920s to do nothing but good now leaves us struggling to believe it ever happened.