Tag: history
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Ancient Wonders: The Gavrinis Passage Tomb
For the latest in our Ancient Wonders series, we look to France over 5,000 years ago. On a small island in the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany lies the Gavrinis Passage Tomb. The uninhabited island is formed from granite rock but is a tourist attraction for it holds the region’s most impressive Neolithic site. The…
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Historical Figures: Wilson Bentley, The Man Who Photographed Snowflakes
With winter well and truly settled in, many places have been experiencing snowfall. Some places in the UK narrowly missed out on having snow on Christmas Day, bringing a much-desired White Christmas. Snowflakes bring many people joy for their crisp, clean coating of the land. School children learn how to cut out snowflake shapes from…
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Empress Hermine: A Quotation Mark Empress
Today we are excited to be hosting Moniek Bloks as part of her book tour for her latest book, Hermine: An Empress in Exile, which is out today in the UK and 1 January 2021 in the US! Moniek Bloks is the editor of the successful blog History of Royal Women. She lives in the…
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Mythical Creatures: A History of European Werewolves
Werewolves are perhaps one of the most popular modern-day mythical creatures, alongside vampires, and many teen films and television shows now feature both creatures. I have already written a post about the historical origins of vampires, and what medieval people believed to be true about these monsters, so I thought it was time to look…
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A Brief Moment of History: The Teleported Soldier?
Some tales from history are intriguing to say the least, and though many are sceptical of stories of ghosts and aliens, a certain Mexican folk legend certainly raises questions. Today, we explore the story of a sixteenth-century soldier who supposedly teleported over 8,000 miles… According to legend, in late October 1593 a soldier (named in…
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An Interview With: Sylvia Barbara Soberton, Historical Author
We are excited to return to our interview series today as we speak to Sylvia Barbara Soberton. Sylvia is a writer and researcher specialising in the history of the Tudors. She debuted in 2015 with her bestselling book “The Forgotten Tudor Women: Mary Howard, Mary Shelton & Margaret Douglas”. Sylvia’s other best-sellers include “Golden Age…
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A Brief History of Oktoberfest
210 years ago on the 12th October 1810 the very first Oktoberfest was held. Known across the world today as a German beer-drinking holiday, many do not know how old the festival is. So where did it originate from? In 1810, Bavaria, within modern-day Germany, was ruled by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Maximilian had…
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Monthly Round-Up: History in the News, August 2020
August has been another exciting month of archaeological and historical discoveries. From ancient stone age artwork, to historic graffiti, to a hoard of gold, and the impact of coronavirus, there has been plenty to talk about. Here is a pick of just eight pieces of news to have been announced last month. The grave of…
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Historical Figures: Alice Chaucer, Lady of the Garter
One of the most famous writers from the medieval period is Geoffrey Chaucer. He lived between the 1340s and 1400 and most famously wrote The Canterbury Tales. He was also the first writer to be buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. However, he had a granddaughter named Alice who was born a few years…
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Ancient Wonders: The Colossus of Rhodes
So far in the Ancient Wonders series we have looked at The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Colosseum, Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China. We now return to the original list of the Seven Wonders of the World, compiled in the 2nd century BC, by investigating the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus has captured…
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