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From King Charles II to the Glorious Revolution 1688
King Charles II was crowned at Westminster Abbey, 1661.WikiThere was a widely-held belief that British Catholics were actively plotting the overthrow of church and state, to establish Britain as a...
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Severiano Ballesteros: mega-talented golfer but too wounded.....guest post.
First European to win the Masters in 1980 and the youngest player (23) to claim a Green Jacket thenSeveriano Ballesteros (1957-2011) was born in the small...
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Helen Duncan, found guilty of witchcraft in 1944 !! and not yet pardoned in UK.
Helen DuncanBirminghamLiveThe last English execution for witchcraft was 1684. James I's statute was repealed in 1736 by George II. The Scottish church outlawed witchcraft in 1563; by the time of the...
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16 reference books that shaped art history.. and shaped my career
Svetlana AlpersArt of Describing, 1984In this account of the history of art as it was written in the C20th, 16 essays were written by leading art critics and curators, looking at the impact of each...
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History of surf life saving in Australia
Australia’s first surf life saving clubs arose on Sydney’s ocean beaches in response to a shift in beach culture in the early 1900s. Surfing had been prohibited in daylight hours in Sydney until...
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Novels by Joyce Carol Oates, documentary by Stig Björkman
Joyce Carol Oates (b1938) was born in N.Y state, daughter of a tool designer. She studied English at Universities of Syracuse & Wisconsin, then taught English at Uni of Detroit (1961-7) and...
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Greatest influences on Karl Marx – father? religion? education? colleagues?
Trier had originally been annexed by revolutionary France which lifted all the restrictions on Jews and gave them full and equal citizenship. With Napoleon’s fall in 1815, Prussia expanded to absorb...
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Hitler Youth - racially conscious and physically fit
As in Britain, where Col Baden Powell started the Boy Scouts in 1907, scouting and youth movements became popular in Germany. Most adults understood; camping was great fun! Hitler Youth encouraged...
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Marcel Marceau in film
Marcel Marceau, 2002The Times of IsraelMarcel Mangel (1923–2007) was born in Strasbourg, son of kosher butcher Charles Mangel (Karl Markovics). Marcel already dreamed of being a serious comic actor...
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"Oranges and Lemons" - famous medieval churches in London
St Clement DanesOranges and lemons,Say the bells of St Clement's.You owe me five farthings,Say the bells of St Martin's.When will you pay me?Say the bells of Old Bailey.When I grow rich,Say the bells...
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Ada Lovelace wrote the first ever computer programme!
Annabella Milbanke (1792-1860) was the only child of wealthy parents in high society. Her education was first rate, especially mathematics and during her courtship with poet Lord Byron, they had a...
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Servas, world travel, world peace..guest post
Map of Daniel and Sylvia's 2017 tripThe idea of Servas grew from a group of people calling themselves Peacebuilders in 1949 in Denmark. After the...
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Middleham Jewel, protection against death in medieval royal childbirth?
The Middleham Jewel was found in 1985 near Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire by metal-detector Ted Seaton. How did a C15th amulet found at the castle promote discussion about the complex...
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First woman to bicycle around the world? Annie Kopchovsky Londonderry
Annie Kopchovsky, 1894Her bloomers were soon adopted by most female cyclistsCredit: We Love CyclingAnnie Cohen (1870-1947) was born in Riga Latvia to Leib and Basha Cohen. Her entire family moved to...
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Australia's deadly floods, October 2022
Australia is a continent that is arid over 70% of the land. Even in the 30% with rivers and trees, it is mostly known for its constant, very dangerous bush fires. But now we have to examine the three...
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Richard Wagner, Ravello Music Festival Italy and Parsifal
I wanted to investigate the Ravello Music Festival, for when Covid ended and travel became a serious possibility. One of the most renowned music festivals in Italy, this event takes place from...
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wonderful Austrian-French-Orientalist artist: Rudolf Ernst
Vienna was in turmoil in the mid C19th, starting with the October Revolution in 1848 when Austrian Empire troops battled in the street with workers fighting for democracy. By late Oct, the imperial...
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Cruise from Avignon, Lyon, Strasbourg, the Rhineland to Amsterdam.
Due to my heart surgery, Covid lockdowns and retirement, I haven't travelled for 4 years. So here is my dream cruise, thanks to Viking. I know some of these cities very well, but the trip reveals a...
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British workhouses - charity or prison?
After the Dissolution (1536-41), several laws were passed in order to alleviate poverty. Basically they were designed to provide work for the poor, shelter for the old and sick, and punishment for...
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Cheapside Hoard - London's stunning jewels and gold
Large Colombian emerald pocket watch, c1600. Museum of London.For 300 years a buried treasure lay below a busy London street. No-one knew the hoard was there till workmen were demolishing a...
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