The sinking of the Titanic

This year is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, one of the greatest peacetime maritime disasters in history. The White Star passenger liner sank after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic, causing the deaths of over 1,500 of the 2,223 people on board. Passengers included some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world as well as more humble emigrants seeking a new life in North America. Many of those on board wrote letters to acquaintances or their loved ones as they left Southampton and posted them when the ship called in at Queenstown.


The BBC has now produced a brilliant series of mini podcasts about the letters; they make for a fascinating and emotive insight into life at the start of the 20th Century. Click on the link to have a listen. It is also worth taking a look at the website of the Titanic exhibition in Belfast.

Historical Podcasts

There are an increasing number of excellent historical podcasts available on the Internet. Here is a selection of some of the ones I listen to most frequently. Try them out when you get a little bit of time:
In Our Time: almost like a mini university lecture with a team of experts being quizzed by Melvyn Bragg on a variety of subjects covering History, Philosophy, Science, Religion and Culture.  
Great Lives: A celebrity chooses a person who they believe lived a "Great Life" and discusses it with Matthew Parris and an expert on the subject. A wide range of figures from all aspects of history.  
A History of the World in 100 Objects: A superb podcast that takes 100 different objects and uses them to analyse particular periods in history. Excellent, atmospheric explanation from Director of the British Museum, Neill MacGregor. Check out the webpage too. 
Witness: History as told by people who were there. Some great eye-witness accounts from the Spanish Civil War to 25 Years of the Simpsons.
History Extra: BBC History magazine's excellent bimonthly podcast on the latest historical research.
The Art of Monarchy: A virtual visit to the Royal Collection to understand some of the objects that have defined the history of the British monarchy.  
Making History: A programme that looks at ordinary people's links with the past. 
The House I grew up in: Influential Britons revisit their childhood homes and neighbourhoods. A good one for some social history.  
Things we forgot to remember: Politician Michael Portillo looks at our collective memories from great events and characters of the past.  
Tracing Your Roots: Family History stories and advice on how to trace your family tree.
More or Less: Statistics sound like a dry subject, but this programme tries to cut through the "spin" and get to the truth of the facts and figures that are bandied around so frequently in the media. Interesting and entertaining. 

The Causes of the Second World War

Following up on the previous post, take a few minutes to add your thoughts to the latest Wallwisher I've put up on the blog. This time add your thoughts as to what were the most important causes of the Second World War. Was it the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles, the failure of the League of Nations, US isolation, the policy of appeasement of Hitler's foreign policy? Outline your arguments below and remember you can add an image or a video to support your case.

The Second World War

There are probably more books written about the Second World War than about any other topic in History, so it is often difficult to find a new angle on this epic conflict. Journalist and military historian Max Hastings has tried to look at some lesser studied aspects of the war in his new book "All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-45". For a taster of the book, listen to the excellent BBC History Extra podcast that can be heard via this link (just look for the podcast dated Oct 21st to listen or download).

1848 and 2011 - Revolutionary parallels

In 1848, a wave of revolutions engulfed the continent of Europe, apparently signalling the death knell of a string of despotic regimes and heralding the arrival of a new dawn of freedom and liberty. Events didn't quite play out that way in the end as the revolutionary movements ran out of steam and the old order made a comeback in many states. Now in 2011 a string of popular uprisings have spread like wild fire across North Africa and the Middle East triggering the collapse of a series of authoritarian regimes.

Will these revolts follow the same course as in 1848? Will they bring about long lasting changes in the area? Or will the revolutions fail to realise their objectives? How far can we draw parallels between these two periods? Here are a series of links to articles comparing 1848 and 2011.

1. Foreign Affairs.com

2. The Breaking Time

3. Mondediplo

4. History for Everyone

5. Common Dreams



Also have a look at the excellent BBC microsite on the Middle East revolts

The League of Nations in 1920

The League of Nations was set up after the First World War in an attempt to avoid future conflcit by encouraging nations to resolved their differences peacefully. But what obstacles did this new organisation face in its first decade of existence. Look at the Wallwisher and the video and add your own ideas based on your knowledge of the period.

9/11 - The 10th Anniversary

It's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 when nearly 3,000 people died after hijacked airliners were crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Although it is still too early to judge the full effects of these horrific events, there is little doubt that they changed the world.

The attacks, for which al-Qaeda claimed responsibility, helped spur the USA and her allies into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, led to increased tension between Muslim and non-Muslim worlds, inspired devastating terror attacks in Bali, Madrid, London and Mumbai, prompted governments to restrict their citizens' freedoms, and provided the backdrop for torture and abuse following the abduction or arrest of suspects.

The attacks remain an emotive and controversial subject and arguments continue to rage about the the explanations for them and the ways in which they have shaped the world in which we live. A good place to start examining the subject is through the BBC's pages on the 10th anniversary, while the special coverage from other news organisations such as Al-Jazeera is also worth investigating. There is also an impressive new educational site on 9/11 which has been set up recently.

Napoleon

Here is an entertaining video on Napoleon that raises some interesting questions about his life and career with a nice dose of humour too!

If you want a bit more information about the French leader then you could check out the BBC website profile or try the website run by the Napoleon Foundation

The English Civil War

The English Civil War between King Charles I and Parliament, which broke out in 1642, played a pivotal role in shaping the subsequent development of the British Isles. For a brief introduction into this complex conflict take a look at this Timelines TV video clip. If you want a look at what happened after Charles' execution and during the Cromwellian era, then the next video in the series will give you a preview.

Last First World War combat veteran dies

Claude Stanley Choules, the last known combat veteran of the First World War, died on Thursday in Perth, Western Australia. He was 110. Choules was born on 3 March, 1901, in Pershore, Worcestershire, one of seven children. In 1917, he joined the battleship HMS Revenge, from which he watched the 1918 surrender of the German high seas fleet, the main battle fleet of the German navy during the war.
You can see a short video of him here.
Take a look at this post on Harry Patch, the last soldier living in Europe to have fought in the trenches of the First World War, who died in July 2009.