early modern history
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16th December 1631: Vesuvius erupts again
by Prof Paul Davies Everyone knows the story of Mount Vesuvius and its destruction of Pompeii (79 CE), which remained hidden from the world until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. Far less familiar is the volcano’s later eruption of… Continue reading
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Amsterdam Conference
by Dr Richard Blakemore At the end of June, I attended a conference in Amsterdam to mark the 350th anniversary of the Dutch navy’s raid on Chatham dockyard in 1667. The raid is most famous for the Dutch capture of… Continue reading
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An Outing with the Historical Association (Reading branch), 17th June
The Reading branch of the Historical Association have asked us to share news of an upcoming outing which might be of interest. “This is a double event that should appeal to anyone fascinated by Britain’s nineteenth, and early twentieth-century industrial… Continue reading
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Christmas 2016: Victorian Plum Pudding
by Prof Kate Williams Christmas Pudding is when the British Christmas dinner becomes theatre – as the pudding is brought in, drenched in brandy and set alight – and the diners dive in to find the silver sixpence… But Christmas… Continue reading
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Christmas 2016: Sugar and Spice and All Things…
by Dr Richard Blakemore [1] Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist of the mid-seventeenth century, enjoyed Christmas (as we learned in the third post of our Christmas 2016 series). In 1661 he recorded spending a merry evening with friends; five years… Continue reading
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