Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 154 i All About History

Towards the end of the 19th century, New York City had a problem. Concerns had slowly grown about the safety of steam trains and in particular the pollution they caused. Laws dictated that trains could travel no further than 42nd street, and in 1871 the first Grand Central depot opened in this location. But problems quickly became apparent. Soot and smoke flooded the tunnels and overcrowding was also a regular occurrence. In 1882 and 1891 there were also a number of rail crashes, topped in 1902 by the worst crash in New York’s history, with 15 people being killed and many injured. Enough was enough. Wholly electric trains were now possible and the decision was taken to convert to a fully electric service. To serve this, a new and modern…

What was the landscape of Manhattan Island before the arrival of the Dutch? Physically, it was very varied. There were thick forests, swamps and marsh land, and the island is famous for its schist (bedrock) which made Manhattan stable for building skyscrapers much later. The area had bears, deer, otters, whales and porpoises and a very reedy shoreline which was famous for its oysters. In terms of Native Americans, the wider region of New York City was the homeland of the people variously known as Lenape, Delaware or Munsee, so that would presumably have been who the Dutch signed the infamous purchase of Manhattan Island with in 1626. Manhattan before the Dutch was mostly used seasonally for hunting, and they say that because archeological evidence shows there weren’t any permanent…

In the mid-11th century, the parsimonious Earl of Mercia ruled over Coventry and nearby towns and villages in the west Midlands of Anglo-Saxon England. He’d imposed a heavy tax on the people of Coventry, one that his wife, Lady Godiva, found to be greatly unjust. She begged and pleaded with him to repeal the tax, but to no avail. Godiva continued to petition the earl day after day, week after week, until finally he answered her demands with a proposition. He suggested that if Godiva was willing to undress, mount her horse and ride naked through the streets of Coventry, from one end of the town’s market to the other, he would acquiesce to her wishes. Godiva, determined to do whatever was necessary to help her people, agreed to her…

Archaeology is such an old discipline that archaeologists have begun to study themselves! The first ‘archaeologist’ that we know about is Nabonidus, a 6th century BCE king of Babylon. While observing the Mesopotamian idea that to properly rebuild a temple it needed to be excavated and rebuilt according to the original plans, he uncovered artefacts belonging to his predecessor, Naram-Sin, who ruled 3,200 years earlier. Nabonidus’ efforts to date the objects (which were commendable but off by about 1,000 years) are the first known attempts to date archaeological remains. The Roman historian Suetonius, who was writing in the 1st century CE, recorded that Emperor Augustus (r.27 BCE – 14 CE) was a collector of the weapons of ancient heroes, like those recorded by Homer almost 1,000 years earlier. Around 250…

Between the end of the First World War and the late 1930s, Europe became a very different place. The communist regime in Russia brought with it images of Stalin as an evil boogeyman, preying on democracy and civil liberties. Fascism had found a small foothold in Britain itself, with its leader Oswald Mosley advocating peace with Nazi Germany rather than war. And Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was following a policy of appeasement towards Hitler, desperate to avoid a repeat of 1914-18. But there were voices with an opposing view that said Hitler was not to be trusted and action needed to be taken to curb his ambitions. What if those voices had managed to win the day? To stand up to Hitler, what different approach would the Allies have needed?…

5 April 2002 THE QUEEN MOTHER LIES IN STATE On 30 March 2002 the wife of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth – who was known as the Queen Mother after the death of her husband in 1952 – died at Windsor aged 101. Her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, was at her side. A few days later, the Queen Mother’s body was taken through London, accompanied by 1,600 troops, to Westminster Hall to lie in state until her funeral on 9 April. At Westminster Hall, an estimated 200,000 people filed past the coffin to pay their respects. 15 April 1989 HILLSBOROUGH DISASTER During an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, a crush in the stands resulted in the tragic deaths of 94 Liverpool supporters. The game, which was being…

New York City, 1969 On 28 June 1969, the queer people of New York City fought back. When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar, in the early hours of the morning they hauled patrons and staff out into the street and began to arrest them. Police harassment of LGBTQ+ people was a frequent occurrence, as same-sex relationships were still illegal in the city. Additionally, many gay venues were operated by the mafia and were often run without a liquor licence. As onlookers and patrons witnessed the police harassment, they decided to take action, refusing to disperse when ordered and hurling objects at the officers. As the situation worsened the police were forced to barricade themselves within the bar. For the next five days protests continued but the…

1 BROOKLYN BRIDGE NY 10038 The Brooklyn Bridge dominates the East River. The work of German-American engineer and architect John A Roebling, it connects the Brooklyn area of New York to Manhattan. Work began in 1869 and the bridge was finally completed in 1883. During the work John Roebling’s son and chief engineer Washington Roebling became bed ridden. He had undertaken multiple dives into the East River while exploring options for the Bridge’s foundations, but had failed to rise slowly and safely, contracting the bends. During his illness, his wife Emily Warren Roebling relayed his instructions and handled the day-to-day management of the site and the various political and bureaucratic matters involved in construction. Many of the workers were immigrants, particularly German, Italian and Irish, among others. The work was…

Considered today to be one of the cornerstones of Japanese entertainment history, kabuki was born out of a long tradition of folk dance and performance in towns and villages. Japan experienced a cultural uplift in the late 16th century as the Sengoku (warring states) period came to an end, and as the age of the shogunate dawned at the turn of the 17th century the merchant classes flourished, bringing greater prosperity to many who’d been struggling. As a result, traditional theatrical forms such as noh (dance drama), kyogen (comic theatre) and bunraku (puppet theatre) all saw greater patronage. As Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power in 1603 (beginning the Edo period) we also have our first recorded kabuki performance from the woman who is believed to have originated the style. Izumo…

LEE Director: Ellen Kuras Starring: Kate Winslet, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård Country: UK Year: 2023 Does this biopic of the legendary WWII photographer focus on the truth? VERDICT: It trims some edges, but the core facts are all here…

1614 DUTCH SETTLEMENTS Land around the New York Bay area is claimed by the Dutch in 1609, and Dutch settlements begin to be founded. A lucrative trading post is established on Manhattan Island and Fort Nassau is set up in the nearby Port of Albany. 1853 FIRST AMERICAN WORLD’S FAIR The Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations is held in Bryant Park. It takes place inside a Crystal Palace, similar to the one built in London for the 1851 Great Exhibition. The fair suffers from financial troubles and a lack of exhibits. 1892 ELLIS ISLAND OPENS The first federal immigrant processing station in America is established on Ellis Island. At the centre, immigrants are inspected for disease and vetted before being allowed into New York. Ellis Island processes over…

When we picture ancient Egypt we tend to summon up images of towering pyramids, opulent tombs and colossal statues. Each of these owes their existence to the will of the pharaohs of Egypt and the vast resources they had at their command. These rulers were more than merely powerful kings – to their subjects they were imbued with divine authority and for thousands of years the pharaohs were the focus of Egyptian society. Where did this institution come from and who was the first person to claim the throne? For answers we must sift evidence that takes us back to the very beginnings of history in Egypt, and the life of Pharaoh Narmer. UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT The origins of the ancient Egyptian state can be dated back to around…

For three long years, Austria’s best field commander, Archduke Charles, sat on the sidelines, humiliated by his defeat at the Battle of Caldiero (30 October 1805) and furious that he had been overlooked to lead his nation’s army. Hundreds of miles away in northern Italy, he was powerless to stop the disaster at Austerlitz and could only watch as lands in Italy and Bavaria, alongside reparations payments of 40 million francs, were handed to the French in the Peace of Pressburg. The chance for revenge finally came during the Peninsula War in 1808. France’s invasion of Iberia failed to secure a quick victory and after his defeat at the Battle of Bailén (19 July 1808), Napoleon decided to deploy his Grande Armée. In a drawn-out attritional war against Spanish guerrillas,…

Book Film TV Podcast Games Other A THOUSAND BLOWS Steven Knight’s show depicts Victorian London with the gloves off. Certificate: 12A Available on: Disney+ Cast: Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, Malachi Kirby Released: Out now As its title suggests, A Thousand Blows is a story about people who’ve been knocked about by life from the day they were born. Steven Knight, of Peaky Blinders fame, has set his sights on a Victorian female gang in London, the Forty Elephants, led by hustler Mary Carr (Erin Doherty). She’s a young lass who declares her ambition is to “steal from the top” (meaning the top of society). There are high hopes that this will be British television’s next hit series. Will lightning strike twice for Knight? The origins of A Thousand Blows do…

This style of cheesecake is believed to have been created by Arnold Reuben, a chef and restaurateur who ran Reuben’s Restaurant and Delicatessen in Manhattan. In 1928, after being served a cheese pie that he didn’t like at a party, he began to experiment with a recipe of his own, hitting upon the idea of replacing cottage cheese with cream cheese. His creation was added to the menu of his restaurant and it quickly became a favourite with the customers. In the following decades, Reuben’s New York-style cheesecake spread beyond the Big Apple and became a quintessential American desert, served in restaurants across the country. Ingredients • 5 large eggs• 240g sour cream• 900g cream cheese• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour• 240g sugar• 1 tbsp vanilla extract• Zest of 1 lemon•…