History

What type of history would you like to discuss?

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  • Social & Economic

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  • Medical

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  • Stage-coaching

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  • All of the above & maybe more besides.

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Horsa

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On this day in 1871 Ernest Rutherford was born. He discovered the proton & won the Nobel prize for chemistry.
 
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Horsa

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On this day in 1939, Neville Chamberlain declared that Britain was now at war with Germany.
 

Horsa

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I went to a Roman Day on Saturday. Did you know that the only stirrups Romans had were in their ears?
 

Horsa

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What is "Roman Day"?
On Roman Day between the hours of 10 & 4 some people get dressed up as Romans & there is Roman entertainment in town. I watched the Roman cavalry show. People dressed as Romans were on horses telling us about Roman times, what they wore, how the horses were kitted out & how Romans fought. They went steady with the swords so they wouldn't accidentally chop the horses heads off. They also showed horsemanship. I also watched the bird of prey show which I enjoyed too. I didn't watch the circus though.
 

Horsa

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I've been on a downer for quite a while now so decided to talk about something more cheerful. I could have just had a laugh or talked about music, comedy or animals but have decided to talk about chocolate in history. (I guess I could have just had too many glasses of wine but it's national vodka day & after last week I've had enough vodka.)

Did you know the 1st people to eat chocolate were the Olmecs? The Aztecs & Incas ate it later but it wasn't as popular as it is now until the 19th Century when the Cadbury family set up a factory, shop & little town near Birmingham where they lived called Bournville for their worker's. They 1st made drinking chocolate too. Fry later also set up a chocolate company too.

Did you know that Mars bars were given their name after the person who 1st made them, John Mars?

Did you know that eating too much chocolate can cause theobromine poisoning which can kill you?

Did you know that eating dark chocolate is good for you (if you like it)?

Did you know that white chocolate isn't classed as proper chocolate because it only contains cocoa butter & real chocolate has to contain cocoa solids too? (I prefer white chocolate though or caramac chocolate when I see it which I haven't for ages but I love it. The only normal chocolate I like is Belgian, chocolate Brazils, chocolate peanuts, snickers or the nutty or coconut chocolates out of boxes of chocolate.)
 

Horsa

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I've got a couple of questions for which there are no right or wrong answers. It's a matter of opinion. I'm going to answer them myself after as I haven't got time now.
  1. Who do you think is Britain's cruellest monarch of all time & why?
  2. Who do you think is Britain's best monarch of all time & why?
 
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Horsa

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Following on from that I guess I could ask:-
  1. Who do you think is Britain's best politician of all time & why?
  2. Who do you think is Britain's worst politician of all time & why?
 

Horsa

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Answering my 1st lot of questions.

  1. I think Edward I was the cruellest British monarch of all time because of how he treated the Welsh & Scots.
  2. I think that our current Queen is the best British monarch of all time because she did less cruel things than our other British monarchs.
 

Horsa

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Answers to my 2nd lot of questions later.
 

Horsa

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I went to a 1940's weekend on Sunday. I normally enjoy them but I got soaked to the skin & only got involved with some of the singing. Normally when I go I sing my little head off but I was busy trying to dodge the rain. I might share some songs & song-words later so we can have a musical history lesson.

Dad decided to buy part of a costume as we've been to a few so he decided to build a costume up. He's going to be a soldier. I liked the look of Douglas tartan & look like someone from the 40's over the border of the name of Douglas. My great-Grandma was a Douglas from Hamilton just South of Glesga (Glasgow) & I've got her hair & could leave my hair down + I've got a Douglas shawl & some ladies wore shawls instead of jackets. Dad said ladies wear sporrans on their kilts but I've never seen a lady with a sporran on her kilt. I also liked the look of a normal suit 40's style for which I've got a skirt & white blouse so only need a jacket but I'd need my hair up & if I have my hair up too long I get head-aches. Dad wants me to get a W.A.A.F. or Navy uniform but I told him ladies weren't in the Navy in those days. I like the W.A.A.F. costume but I'd need to have my hair up.
 

britbox

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I used to be really interested in the British Civil War of the 17th Century with the battle between Parliament and the Monarchy... Regions divided, towns divided, families divided... of course the regular people will just have followed whoever their landlord was at the time. Bloody war ending with King Charles being beheaded in 1649.

Cromwell wasn't a popular character running the show and the monarchy was restored in 1660.
 

Horsa

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I used to be really interested in the British Civil War of the 17th Century with the battle between Parliament and the Monarchy... Regions divided, towns divided, families divided... of course the regular people will just have followed whoever their landlord was at the time. Bloody war ending with King Charles being beheaded in 1649.

Cromwell wasn't a popular character running the show and the monarchy was restored in 1660.
I was more fascinated by soc., economic & medical history though the Civil War did interest me a bit because it showed that although people are in power if enough people are against what they stand for & take collective action something can sometimes be done about it.
 

Horsa

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Imagine life when the only coach was drawn by horses. Imagine life when there were no clocks & before sun-dials. Imagine life where the only electricity was natural like that from lightning or static electricity you get sometimes when you get an electric shock off your clothes. Imagine life with no T.V., radio or phone. Imagine life without books. Imagine life without money. Imagine life without art. Imagine life before we knew everything we know today. Imagine having an operation before nitrous oxide (N.O.) otherwise known as laughing gas was discovered. Imagine having an operation where the only anaesthetic was laughing gas which wasn't an anaesthetic as such as it didn't send you to sleep but made you laugh that hard you couldn't feel a thing. Imagine life before newspapers. Imagine life without money. Imagine life without baths or central heating. Imagine life before spectacles or even monocles (if you've ever had to or wear spectacles now or even use contact lenses that is).

That's why I find history fascinating. You learn how people coped before all the things we take for granted now & get to imagine all this. I find it fascinating to learn how people lived in the past as well as learning about the roles my favourite animals played in society then.
 
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Horsa

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Did you know that Wakefield was in the Domesday book as Wachefeld or Wachefeld & that the Battle of Wakefield that took place during the Wars of the Roses in 1460 didn't actually take place in Wakefield but a town nearby called Sandal?
 

Chris Koziarz

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Did you know that Wakefield was in the Domesday book as Wachefeld or Wachefeld & that the Battle of Wakefield that took place during the Wars of the Roses in 1460 didn't actually take place in Wakefield but a town nearby called Sandal?
I'm also puzzled by this name which to me appears a misnomer. Maybe, because its changed overtime. Originally, it might mean just observing animal & plant fossils, like historians observe human artefacts/remains. But I have no idea, realy.
 

Horsa

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The Domesday book was started by William the Conqueror. Every household had to state what they owned in order for Royalty to ascertain how much tax each household should pay & in which form.

The Wars of the Roses took place between the Houses of Lancaster & York to determine whether our country should have a Yorkshire or Lancastrian King. The symbols of the places were red & white roses so the white rose county (Yorkshire) fought against the red rose county (Lancaster) which is why they were called the wars of the roses.
I'm also puzzled by this name which to me appears a misnomer. Maybe, because its changed overtime. Originally, it might mean just observing animal & plant fossils, like historians observe human artefacts/remains. But I have no idea, realy.
 

Horsa

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Did you know that although Mrs. Beaton normally gets the credit for writing the 1st cookery book in the 1800s it was actually Elizabeth Moxon who wrote the 1st recipe book in 1741?
 

Horsa

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Did you know the monocle was the 1st visual aid to be invented & it was invented in the 13th century in Italy? Did you also know that in the 1920's spectacles started being developed that were similar to those we wear today starting from round tortoise-shell frames? Did you know that sunglass technology started to be developed during the 1930's to help protect R.A.F. pilots eyes from the sun?
 

Horsa

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When people think of Brunel they often think of the works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel but do you know that his Father Mark was a famous engineer before him?