Football

 Hands up who likes football? Hands up who doesn’t? I’m talking about soccer, football as we know it here in the UK. It is a game played across the globe as proved by David Beckham when he played a game on every continent back in 2015, making history! In Europe football fans have been cheering their national teams in the Euro2020’s, taking place in 2021 (for the obvious reason and something that will matter in pub quizzes and history in years to come no doubt). Why has such a game endured for so long in so many places? I can’t resist a bit of research and it’s fascinating, the full article is here https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-sport/. Enjoy the football, or enjoy whatever you do to avoid it, it’s history in the making whatever happens.

Historical Myths

 There are loads of myths about history. Most of us have grown up with them. Here are some of them: https://localhistories.org/myths-about-history/

World Chocolate Day

 7 July is World Chocolate Day Hooray! https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-chocolate/

Thomas More

 Thomas More was executed for treason on 6 July 1535. https://localhistories.org/a-brief-biography-of-thomas-more/

Colonial New England

 The first houses in New England were simple wooden huts. They had timber frames covered in clapboard with thatched roofs. Rather than glass windows had sheets of paper soaked in oil. The first chimneys were of logs covered in plaster – an obvious fire hazard! The earliest houses were crowded, dark, and drafty. localhistories.org/daily-life-in-colonial-new-england

Declaration of Independence

 On 7 June 1776 Richard Henry Lee of the Virginia Assembly presented Congress with resolutions declaring the independence of the colonies, calling for a confederation, and expressed the need to find foreign allies for a war against Britain. On 11 June Congress appointed a committee to write a declaration of independence. It was signed on 4 July 1776. https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-colonial-america/

Singapore

 According to legend, Singapore was founded centuries ago when a prince from Sumatra landed on the island and saw a lion. He took it as a good omen and founded a city called Singapura, which means lion city. The legend may or may not be true. In fact, the name Singapura was not recorded until the 16th century and Singapore was really only a trading post with a small population, not a city.