Historical

THE GHERKIN AND THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN ROMAN GIRL
The Gherkin is one of the most iconic structures along London’s skyline. But did you know there is a Teenage Roman girl buried underneath?
By Paul Asling4 years ago in FYI
The Colourful History of Metal Detecting
The wonderful history of metal detecting will of course follow the history of the gadget, metal detectors. Without it, the activity will not have been present. For different nations, all over the world, metal detectors have been great security tools.
By ankit shakya4 years ago in FYI
THE INCREDIBLE CHURCH THAT SURVIVED THE PLAGUE, THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON AND THE BLITZ
The story of St Bride’s Church is interlaced into the fabric of London. Entering its doors is to step into 2,000 years of history, which began with the Romans. A Roman pavement can be seen to this day on display in the much-restored crypts of the church.
By Paul Asling4 years ago in FYI
THE GREAT LONDON KILLER SMOG OF 1952
In December 1952, London was trapped in a deadly cloud of fog and pollution for five days. At the time, the city ran on cheap coal for everything from generating power to heating homes.
By Paul Asling4 years ago in FYI
Curious Banaban Dance: Te Karanga
Firsthand Account of te karanga, spear dance, Ocean Island (Banaba) in 1896 and published 1908 [1] by Arthur Mahaffy, British Colonial Official.
By Stacey King4 years ago in FYI
SECRET 360-YEAR-OLD DOORWAY UNCOVERED IN LONDON
Historians working on the renovation of the House of Commons have found a lost 360-year-old passageway, hidden in a secret chamber. The doorway was created for the coronation of Charles II in 1660. This was to allow guests to access a celebratory banquet in Westminster Hall, the building next to the modern day Commons chamber.
By Paul Asling4 years ago in FYI
The Politics of Thanksgiving
For those of us who take our Day of Thanks as a given, this US national holiday has a political history. Oh, yes...we didn't always agree on everything like we do nowadays.
By Bob Snyder4 years ago in FYI
Let's Talk Turkey About Substance Dependence
In a modern context, this is something you do to cut something out entirely. We say “going cold turkey”, which means we are giving up some drug or otherwise addictive and harmful substance entirely (like Twitter). Not cutting back, not gradually reducing, not replacing with something else (like Facebook), but stopping altogether.
By R P Gibson4 years ago in FYI
Who Are the New Druids ?
King Arthur is on the phone. He’s laughing hard at a story about the real roots of modern druidry. That’s Arthur Uther Pendragon, born John Timothy Rothwell, who sees himself as the reinvention of King Arthur’s spirit in the body of a modern-day warrior, biker, rabble-rouser, road protestor and, as English Heritage probably refer to him, ‘Stonehenge stakeholder’.
By Ian Vince4 years ago in FYI
The Boat Trip that Became a Bestseller
Hidden in the folds of Oxfordshire’s hills, like a jewel secreted into a crumpled handkerchief, the village of Ewelme seems like the perfect rural idyll.
By Ian Vince4 years ago in FYI
The Literary Masterpiece Hidden for 62 Years
The Incredible Story Behind a Novel I had not even heard of Irène Némirovsky until I read her story in Once Again to Zelda by Marlene Wagman-Geller. That book is a collection of fifty short essays giving the background stories on the dedications to fifty novels ranging from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in 1818 to Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union in 2007.
By Marco den Ouden4 years ago in FYI
The Captivating History of Indian Tea
India is among the top tea-consuming countries in the world and is the second-largest producer, after China, of its "offer" including the famous Assam and Darjeeling varieties. About 70% of the tea produced in India is consumed in the country.
By James Heavystorm4 years ago in FYI