18th century women

 In the 1700s girls from well-off families went to boarding schools. Poor girls sometimes went to dame schools where they were taught to read and write. Also, in some towns, there were charity schools called blue coat schools because of the color of uniforms. In Britain, women were not allowed to attend university and the professions were closed to them. localhistories.org/women-in-the-18th-century

New Amsterdam

 The Dutch built a little town on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. It was called New Amsterdam and it flourished by selling skins. The settlers sold otter, beaver, mink, and seal skins. However, New Amsterdam was a tiny town with only about 1,500 inhabitants in the mid-17th century. localhistories.org/17th-century-new-york

Bathing

It's a silly myth that during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries people thought bathing was bad for you. It is complete twaddle. In reality, doctors emphasised that keeping clean was necessary for health. Being clean was also seen as good or virtuous. In the 18th century, John Wesley said ‘cleanliness is next to godliness. Being dirty was a sign of a bad soul. Wearing dirty clothes was also frowned upon. localhistories.org/a-history-of-baths-and-showers

Anne Askew

 On 16 July 1546, a Protestant woman named Anne Askew was burned to death for heresy. She was the only woman ever to be tortured in the Tower of London. She was tortured on the rack but she refused to change her beliefs. https://localhistories.org/a-brief-biography-of-anne-askew/

Seat belt

 On 10 July 1962 a Swedish man, Bils Bohlin patented a 3 point seatbelt. Well done Bils. https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-transport/

Ruth Ellis

 Ruth Ellis was hanged on 13 July 1955. She was the last woman to be hanged in Britain. https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-capital-punishment/

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.