When the Romans invaded Britain, they brought with them four legions, of which three remained as a permanent garrison. As a result, three legionary fortresses were established, far larger than regular forts and built to hold an entire legion. These were constructed at Caerleon, Chester and York, and naturally these became strategically important locations. In […]
Today, Southall is emblematic of the virtues of multicultural Britain, with its lively intermingling of different cultures and traditions which help to promote intercultural and interfaith harmony. With its predominant South Asian community, it has often been dubbed the ‘mini-Punjab,’ in addition to the local train station displaying key information in Punjabi. However, this was […]
In the First World War poisonous gas was used frequently in an attempt to destroy the enemy. The gas used ranged from the barely noticeable to the extremely toxic; the latter used more towards the end of the War to defeat stalemate which had been difficult to overcome. It was used by both sides, both […]
The British Museum’s Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition opened to considerable fanfare at the end of March. A number of prime-time TV documentaries heralded its coming and the Mayor of London, no doubt enchanted with the subject he studied at university, waxed lyrical at the press opening. Neil MacGregor, Pontifex Maximus of the cultural establishment, had […]
“Sex is the driving force on the planet. We should embrace it, not see it as the enemy.” – Hugh Hefner. The man who men wanted to be, and who women wanted to be with. Throughout his college days, Hefner admired the likes of Esquire magazine and felt inspired. Seeking more than a suburban […]
If you were to ever ask any political or social commentator in India about the possibility of the whole country being ruled by a single despotic ruler, the chances are that you would get a resounding ‘NO’ as the answer. We are too diverse for any single ideology to convince each and every part of […]
Jo Perdicchia’s next offering: a review of the book, World War Z by Max Brooks, urging you, as an history student, to read it! Following the discovery that the Justinian Plague was potentially the same stream as the Bubonic Plague, Jo Perdicchia explores epidemics through history, and society’s, sometimes irrational, reaction to infectious disease.
The BLM movement illuminated the symbolic and emotional power attached to who and what councils and communities choose to exalt in civic space. In March 2021, Manchester Council conducted public consultations to ‘ensure’ the public realm was ‘holistic’ and ‘meaningfully reflected the city’s communities past and modern-day identity’. Yet questions regarding the history of revered […]
Stephen Joseph is a name ingrained in the minds of Manchester’s drama students. The Stephen Joseph studio, named in his honour, is one of the Drama departments most frequented rehearsal spots. The studio itself was originally built as a German Protestant church, before being occupied by the university in 1949 and eventually taken over by […]
One of the packages includes a bar crawl through Krakow, a visit to a lap dancing club, followed by a tour of the former concentration camps sites the next day. I was astonished at how disrespectful this would appear to be to the victims of the atrocity. One states “If you want to tick the […]
St. George is revered in England, but who was he and why was he cannonised? Emperor Nero is as infamous for his brutal measures and unstable mental health as his politics. But what about the man himself? The Manchester Historian sets out to uncover the man behind the madness.
Hatshepsut was an ancient Egyptian female pharaoh who reigned from 1473 to 1458 BCE. Her reign was successful and prosperous, as it was one that saw increased trade, military victories, and a flourishing in architecture. Her time as pharaoh has led to her being referred to as the “first great woman in history”. Hatshepsut is […]
In 500 BC, in a relatively obscure kingdom in Italy, a noblewoman was raped by the son of the king. 2,200 years later, the American Constitution was enshrined into law after the success of the American Revolution. If you believe in the butterfly effect, you may think that the latter might have never happened without […]
Wikimedia Commons After a long, cold winter the weather the Spring of 1915 was unusually warm. Among the trampled soil and burnt out carcasses of trees, the poppies grew. Of all the symbols which stand as testimony to the First World War, the red poppy is at the forefront. In May 1915 Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, […]