Tuesday, 24 August 2021

Ukraine

 Ukraine has a tragic history. It became independent of Russia once before, in 1918 but in 1921 the Communist Russians invaded and forced the Ukrainians to become part of the Soviet Union. In the early 1930s there was a terrible famine in Ukraine. It’s not clear if Stalin deliberately caused the famine but he certainly carried on taking grain by force even when it was clear millions of people were starving. This man-made famine is called The Holodomor. https://www.britannica.com/event/Holodomor

Sunday, 22 August 2021

Angels

 22 August is National Be An Angel Day localhistories.org/a-history-of-angels

Monday, 16 August 2021

Cyprus

 Cyprus became independent on 16 August 1960 https://localhistories.org/a-brief-history-of-cyprus/

Sunday, 8 August 2021

Confederate Submarine

 On 8 August 2000, a Confederate submarine called H L Hunley was raised from the seabed after lying there for 136 years. https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-charleston-south-carolina/

Tuesday, 3 August 2021

The Bradford Boar

 According to legend, the boar became Bradford’s emblem because of an incident in the Middle Ages. A boar was at terrorizing a wood near the town. (Wild boars were vicious animals). The Lord of the Manor offered a reward to anyone who could kill it. A hunter named John Northrop saw it drinking at a well. He killed the boar and cut out its tongue to prove it was dead.

However, a little later another hunter saw the boar. He cut off its head and took it to the Lord before Northrop could get there. However, he could not explain why the boar’s tongue was missing. Northrop then turned up with the tongue and he was given land as a reward. https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-bradford/

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Life in Rome

 In Ancient Rome women could not vote or hold public office. However, women were allowed to own and inherit property and some ran businesses. (In the Bible there is a woman named Lydia who sold purple cloth). In certain trades, some women helped their husbands, especially in silver working and perfumery. Furthermore, some women were priestesses or worked as midwives or hairdressers. Some women were gladiators. 

Friday, 23 July 2021

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