Monday 28 February 2022

Holodomor

I thought people might be interested to read this article about the Holodomor, the terrible famine in Ukraine in the 1930s.  https://www.euronews.com/2019/11/23/holodomor-ukrainians-remember-the-famine-that-killed-millions-in-soviet-ukraine?fbclid=IwAR34JCwH72vZIS1yKVw0QlyjOg8DgDjpAlaX7NjOeVv5sC7S2PmiMOS_HC8 

Tightrope walking

 28 February is the birthday of Charles Blondin the first man to walk a tightrope across Niagra Falls. Tightrope walking has a long history going back to Ancient Greece. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/an-abridged-history-of-funambulists

Friday 18 February 2022

Queen Mary

 Mary Tudor became queen of England on 18 February 1553. She was the first woman to rule all of England. https://localhistories.org/a-brief-biography-of-queen-mary-i

Walter Bolton

 On 18 February 1957, Walter Bolton became the last person to be hanged in New Zealand https://nzhistory.govt.nz/walter-bolton-becomes-the-last-person-to-be-hanged-in-new-zealand

Wednesday 16 February 2022

Nylon

 On 16 February 1937 Wallace Carothers patented nylon. On 16 February nylon stockings went on sale in the USA. (They were a huge hit). But in 1940 women only wore stockings. A man named Allen Gant introduced pantyhose (tights) in 1959. localhistories.org/a-history-of-clothes

Tuesday 15 February 2022

Rosie the Riveter Misconceptions

 The famous poster of a woman with the words 'We Can Do it! was first posted on 15 February 1943. But there are many myths about the poster. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/02/much-ado-poster-real-truth-behind-iconic-can-poster-2/?chrome=1

Wednesday 9 February 2022

Corporal punishment in Scotland

 A very interesting video about the end of corporal punishment in Scottish schools. The Scottish Parliament made it illegal for parents to hit children in 2019 shortly after this video was made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26yHR5hKn8g

The World is Getting Better

 Today the world is a much better place than when I was a boy in the 1970s. In the west, society has become more humane, kinder, and much more tolerant. In most of the world, there is far less extreme poverty and life expectancy has increased. The world has greatly improved in my lifetime and I am sure it will continue to get better. This article explains further.

Monday 7 February 2022

Saturday 5 February 2022

Wednesday 2 February 2022