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Edwardian Promenade

London’s Ladies’ Clubs - Wed, 10 Mar 2010
Ladies began to carve out a separate, independent life of their own by the late 1890s, and there came to London a proliferation of clubs catering specifically to gentlewomen of rank and means. Inside, the clubs mirrored that of their more famous counterparts like White’s or the Marlborough Club, as centers of leisure and relaxation, [...]

200,000th Visit Contest - Tue, 09 Mar 2010
In celebration of receiving over 200,000 visitors (thank you all!) I am running a special contest for my readers. The prize? A copy of Anita Leslie’s The Marlborough House Set. The rules of the game? Find the answer to the following twenty questions, many of which may be found on this website (the names Bertie, [...]

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The Early Modern Intelligencer

A Declaration of Indulgence: Assessing the Stuart Restoration and its Legacy - Tue, 09 Mar 2010
A Declaration of Indulgence: Assessing the Stuart Restoration and its Legacy A Lecture Series at the National Maritime Museum Dates: 25 March-29 April, Thursdays Times: 11.00-13.00 Fee: £48/£36 or £8/£6 per lecture Event type: Lectures & talks Booking: Booking required This year marks the 350th anniversary of the restoration of the Stuart monarchy. To mark this occasion the National [...]

Volunteers required for ‘British Printed Images to 1700′ website appraisal - Fri, 05 Mar 2010
Many of you will be aware of the British Printed Images to 1700 website (www.bpi1700.org.uk), an online library of printed images from early modern Britain that has been built under the directorship of Professor Michael Hunter of the History department at Birkbeck with funding from the AHRC. There are now plans to carry out [...]

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Cardinal Wolsey’s Today in History

History of the world in 100 objects - early modern bits - Fri, 26 Feb 2010
A History of the World in 100 objects is a joint venture between BBC Radio and the British Museum. It is written and presented by Neil Macgregor, Director of the BM and cleverly focusses on a single object from the Museum's collection for each 15 minute radio program. The programs are aired 3 times a day (ze nation vill be educated!), Monday to Friday, and if you miss all of these are also on the BBC iPlayer....

The official website is a confusion of whirling graphics and whoever designed it should have their head chopped off, or at the very least put in the stocks for a day. Objects submitted by the general public (this is a participative exercise) mingle with the "official" objects, and I got lost in the navigation. One minute you are looking at a Chinese bronze bell from 500BC, the next at a Sutton's Seeds catalogue (albeit an old one). It's all rather confusing. At least the radio shows are available on the website permanently.

Hurray for the Radio Times, which has published a nice simple list of the 100 objects, or rather 99. The last one has yet to be revealed. According to the RT, there are 4 European objects from the 1500-1800 period in the list:

75 Dürer's Rhinoceros - 1515 (pictured above)
"A woodcut made by the German painter, said to be based on a sketch of an Indian rhino that had arrived in Lisbon that year. Described by the British Museum as one of the great images of European art."

76 The mechanical galleon - 1585 AD
"The Nef Galleon, an intricate mechanical "toy" that demonstrates the importance that ships had for Europeans."

80 Pieces of eight - 1589–1598
"Made for the Spanish empire from silver mined in the Peruvian Andes, these coins became the world's first global currency."

85 Reformation centenary broadsheet - 1617
"Produced in Leipzig to mark the centenary of the start of the Reformation. The woodblock print of Protestant propaganda is seen as a forerunner of the print media."

An interesting selection...

Trees Lounge: The Great Oak at the Gates of the Dead - Wed, 10 Feb 2010

The Great Oak at the Gates of the Dead is a 1,200-year old oak near Wrexham on the English/Welsh border. It marks the site of the battle of Crogen, 1165, when Owain Gwynedd defeated Henry II's force.

The BBC site has news that ice has caused the great oak to split down the middle, with more background and links .

More ancient trees in this previous post.

photo credit: thetreehunter via flickr.

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History News Network

Google, Italian government reach agreement to digitize collections - Wed, 10 Mar 2010

Source: AP (3-10-10)

Google said Wednesday it will scan up to 1 million old books in national libraries in Rome and Florence, including works by astronomer Galileo Galilei, in what's being described as the first deal of its kind.

Officials from Google and the Italian culture ministry said it was the first time Google Books and a culture ministry have had such a partnership....

The remarkable stories of Britain's Heroes of the Holocaust - Wed, 10 Mar 2010

Source: Telegraph (UK) (3-10-10)

The Prime Minister has recognised 27 British men and women as "Heroes of the Holocaust". Here are their stories of extraordinary bravery in the face of Nazi persecution.

Denis Avey

Imprisoned in the Auschwitz prisoner of war camp during the Second World War, Denis Avey arranged to swap one night at a time with Jewish inmates from the nearby concentration camp.

Youngest casualty of WW2

Unsung British heroes of the Holocaust awarded medals
Exchanging his uniform for the filthy, striped garments of the Jewish prisoners, he took the opportunity to gather facts about the horrific conditions inside the camp while the other man had a chance to eat and rest well in the relative comfort of the military prison.
The 91-year-old is currently under consideration for recognition by Yad Varshem – the Israeli Holocaust remembrance authority – as a Righteous Among the Nations.

Sir Nicholas Winton

Sir Nicholas Winton organised the rescue of 669 mostly Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War in an operation that later became known as the Czech Kindertransport.
He arranged their safe passage to Britain and found homes for them when they arrived. Sir Nicholas served in the Royal Air Force during the war and was knighted in the 2002 New Year Honours list in recognition of his work with Jewish refugees.

He accepted his recognition as a "Hero of the Holocaust" at the age of 100 yesterday.

Read More...

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