Table of contents for No. 37 in All About History

Shakespeare’s works are studied by more than half of the world’s school children. I was one of those, thumbing the pages of Hamlet tentatively at first, but soon falling under the bard’s spell like the millions before me. Despite his worldwide fame, little is known about the playwright who has come to define the English language. 400 years since Shakespeare’s death, we delve deeper into the literary files to uncover the man behind the masterpieces. Did he really have an illegitimate child with the wife of an innkeeper? Was the name ‘Shakespeare’ just a front for another writer, unwilling – or unable – to reveal their true identity? Turn to page 30 to uncover the theories and the truths surrounding the Renaissance rebel, and find out if he was as…

Since mastering walking upright, mankind has fought with clubs and sticks. Such combat faded as weaponry advanced, yet in Ireland the practice persisted, in part due to the Penal Laws of the late-17th century that prohibited Catholics from owning weapons. Walking sticks weren’t banned, however, and they could be used in self-defence. It was a short step to hone skills with such sticks, or shillelaghs, into the fighting system known as bataireacht. Taught down the generations by family members, the martial art was closely linked to faction fighting. Repression of those ferocious conflicts brought bataireacht’s decline. WHAT YOU’LL NEED MASTER THE STICK Defence into attack Two hands were used for defence, though quick hand movements to the base of the stick allowed for forceful swing attacks. Added power Sometimes, the…

JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND ENGINEER 1840-1914 The son of a coastguard in the seaside town of Liscannor, it was only natural that John Philip Holland would develop an obsession with sea travel at an early age. When he was just 18, he became convinced that the future of naval warfare was underwater, and drew up his first plans for a submarine. Several redesigns later, Holland’s No.6 craft became the first sub to be used by the US Navy. His pioneering use of electrical battery power, rather than petrol motors, secured his legacy as the ‘father of the modern submarine’. LOUIS BRENNAN ENGINEER 1852-1932 The humble cotton reel was the inspiration for Brennan’s most famous invention: the world’s first practical guided missile. After pulling the thread he realised how to propel the…

Left starving and weak by the potato famine that devastated their country in the mid-1840s, many Irish people dreamed of a better life in America. Encouraged by letters describing a land of abundance from those that had left before them, they were keen to flee their desolated country and left in their droves. Many didn’t survive the three month journey, crammed onto so called ‘coffin ships’ where disease was rife and food was scarce. However, the more than one million Irish immigrants that did make it to American shores between 1846 and 1851 found the conditions were not much better when they arrived. WAKE UP AT HOME With only just enough money to afford passage to America, most Irish immigrants had to set up home close to the ports at…

Shakespeare’s rival Ben Jonson is reported to have said that the upcoming poet and playwright “wanted art”, ie lacked skill By the time of Shakespeare’s first recorded performance at the Rose Theatre in London, the young bard was well established enough to have evoked criticism from other playwrights. One, Robert Greene, described him as an “upstart crow”, accusing Shakespeare of reaching above his rank in trying to match university-educated writers like Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Philip Henslowe, the owner of the Rose, noted that Lord Strange’s Men gave 15 performances of Henry VI and earned £3.16s.8d, making it extremely successful for its time. So we know in the years leading up to this, Shakespeare must been busy perfecting his craft and building a reputation for himself. However, in late…

When Henry VIII broke from Rome, practicing Catholicism became a crime punishable by death. This was briefly reversed when Mary I, the Catholic daughter of Catherine of Aragon, came to the throne, but after her death, Elizabeth I reinstated Protestantism as the state religion. Initially Catholics were tolerated, but after a Papal Bull declared her a usurper, Elizabeth came to see the pope’s followers as a major threat to the throne. Catholicism once again became equivalent to treason. Though the direct evidence indicates that Shakespeare was a member of the Anglican Church, some scholars have claimed that Shakespeare’s family had Catholic sympathies and that he himself was a secret Catholic. The strongest piece of evidence is a tract found in the rafters of the Shakespeares’ old house believed to have…

DECEMBER 1983 The fourth unit at Chernobyl is completed and the plant begins operation on 20 December. The news is met with celebration. 27 MARCH 1986 An article by Lyubov Kovalevska (thought to be a manager at Chernobyl) is published identifying shortcomings of Soviet nuclear construction. 25 APRIL 1986 On the evening of the disaster, the test of the power reduction begins at about 11pm, and explosions occur some two and a half hours later. 26 APRIL 1986 In the early hours of the morning, as the full effect of the disaster starts to become clear, a crisis meeting takes place in the Ministry of Home Affairs. 27 APRIL 1986 At about 10am, helicopters are sent to begin dropping lead, sand and boron on to the reactor in an attempt…

Grace’s veil was made up of 80 metres of lace, taffeta and tulle. Grace’s wedding dress was designed by MGM’s costumier, Helen Rose, and created by the studio’s wardrobe department. Grace’s bouquet was made from Lily of the Valley and at the end of the ceremony, she left it on the altar. More than 135 metres of silk went into the dress, not counting three elaborate petticoats underneath. The dress and train consisted of 290 metres of 125-year-old Brussels lace at a cost of more than $2,000. The bible Grace carried was decorated by MGM’s wardrobe staff to match the wedding gown. A lucky copper penny was stitched into Grace’s right wedding shoe, at her request. 1 POODLE Grace arrived in Monaco with Cary Grant’s wedding gift: one poodle! 6…

Tend the land. Farming is, while not as important as military success, a necessary part of Spartan life. If you aren’t in the barracks, agriculture may be your area. Athletics in the nude. As it is a wholesome activity to promote physical health, both men and women are free to partake in athletics, most often without wearing clothes. Collect some straw. The humble nature of Spartan life also extends into homes, which are always sparsely furnished with only the essentials, and have straw for beds rather than mattresses. Get used to bland food. Luxury is frowned upon, including at meal times. You can expect barley meal, figs and cheese, or Spartan broth, a grey-brown mix containing oatmeal. Get involved in trade. Spartans are not allowed to trade goods, so this…

As early as 17,000 BCE, carvings of wild cattle alongside strange hybrid creatures at the site of Qurta in southern Egypt suggest an early belief in the hidden forces of nature. With Egypt’s earliest stone sculpture at about 7,000 years old believed to represent a cow, it is clear this was an animal that played an important role in the lives of the early Egyptians. So too did their desert environment, in which the dominant Sun was worshipped as a variety of gods, much like the River Nile, whose annual life-bringing floodwaters were likewise venerated as divine. As these aspects of the natural world gradually developed into individual gods, each region of Egypt also had their own local deities whose characters evolved through stories and myths. One of the key…

Each successive pharaoh was regarded as a child of the gods, and as the gods’ representative on Earth, was also the supreme high priest of every temple. However, with so many different temples throughout Egypt, the pharaoh’s duties had to be delegated to each temple’s high priest, who was often a royal relative selected by the king to guarantee their loyalty. Within large temples like Karnak or Memphis, the power of the priests was considerable, since the temples owned much land and the temple treasuries were very wealthy. The priests also controlled the gods’ cult statues, which functioned as oracles, whose pronouncements were interpreted by the priests, and could pass judgment in legal cases and even influence royal succession. At times when the crown was weak, the high priests’ powers…

TROOPS 4,400 CANNONS 2 MAJOR GENERAL JAMES WOLFE LEADER A gifted tactician, he was the youngest major general in the British army on his first large-scale independent command. Strengths He led from the front and had the respect and admiration of his soldiers. Weakness Poor health and an arrogant demeanour that led to his being unable to get along with his subordinate commanders. GRENADIERS UNIT The grenadiers were the tallest, strongest, and most experienced troops in a battalion of regulars. Strengths They shared an esprit de corps and often were detached for special missions. Weakness Prone to follow their impulses, they occasionally flouted orders. LONG LAND PATTERN MUSKET KEY WEAPON The .75-calibre Brown Bess smoothbore, flintlock introduced in the 1730s was ubiquitous in the British ranks. Strengths Its lead ball…

Keep your head covered If your scalp is left open to the elements, you can lose a massive amount of your body heat. It’s not just your head either – heat can also be lost from unprotected ankles, necks and wrists. Don’t sweat! Perspiration can be your worst enemy. When water evaporates, it takes the hottest molecules away with it, so overheating can be fatal. To stop this, keep calm and keep your clothing dry. Always rest before the physical exertion gets too much. Wear loose clothing Tight clothing will restrict blood circulation, so it is best avoided. The majority of your body heat comes from large muscles, and constricting these will stop the heat travelling to your hands and feet. Trapped air is the key to insulation. Take shelter…

Author Stephanie Barczewski Publisher Yale Price £20 Released Out now From the charge of the Light Brigade to Scott of the Antarctic, the tendency to turn tragedy into triumph has long been a staple British tendency. It’s often said that it’s better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all, and Stephanie Barczewski follows the mantra to its illogical extreme – those instances where it probably would have been better to not have tried at all. Taking in the two aforementioned events as well as the failed expeditions of Sir John Franklin and David Livingstone, the death of General Gordon and the Battle of Isandlwana, the nature of all these occurrences are retold in minute detail, taking in the general public feeling at the time, subsequent…

Certificate 12A Director Sarah Gavron Released Out now Cast Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Anne-Marie Duff More than 100 years have passed since the suffragettes first took to the streets to battle for women’s right to vote, and now they finally have the film recognition they deserve. Featuring an A-list cast, including Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter and a cameo appearance by Meryl Streep, there were high expectations for Suffragette – and, generally, these have been met. Through subtle screenplay, pitch-perfect casting and stirring cinematography, writer Abi Morgan (Shame, The Iron Lady) and director Sarah Gavron ( Brick Lane) have succeeded in creating a female-led period drama that isn’t all about corsets and steamy romps in cowsheds. It follows the story of Maud Watts (Mulligan), a fictional laundry worker from Bethnal Green…

Photos Scans of snaps that offer insight to the past Antiques and objects Show off your family heirlooms, mementos and retro curios Letters from the past Old correspondence can hold a wealth of historical info and fascinating stories News clippings Articles reporting on iconic events Amazing stories Interesting or insightful tales passed down from your ancestors Eyewitness accounts Did you witness a historic event in person? Share it today Family trees A chance to boast about famous or significant ancestors…

GLEN DOYLE 1965-PRESENT, CANADA This martial arts tutor was given permission by his father to teach the clandestine Doyle style of stick fighting to non-family members. CONOR MCGREGOR 1988-PRESENT, IRELAND The current Ultimate Fighting Championship Featherweight title holder is a mixed martial art exponent famed for winning early. ADRIAN KEARNS 1977-PRESENT, IRELAND Limerick-born Kearns claimed four golds and a silver at China’s Wushu Championships – the unofficial Olympics of Kung Fu – in 2014. BARRY MCGUIGAN 1961-PRESENT, IRELAND The Clones Cyclone, former featherweight World Champion later became president of the Professional Boxing Association.…

NORDIC ORIGINS THEIR VIKING HERITAGE MADE FOR FIERCE AND FEARLESS WARRIORS Norsemen who settled in Scotland became known as the ‘Gael-Gall’ – foreigners who speak Gaelic. They were famous for being bloodthirsty warriors, and many hired themselves out to serve as mercenaries. In Ireland they were known as ‘Gallóglaich’, a combination of foreigner, ‘óg’, meaning young, and ‘loaoch’, meaning a warrior or hero. ARMOUR PRIOR TO PLATE ARMOUR, CHAIN MAIL WAS THE ORDER OF THE DAY Each Gallowglass soldier was protected by a thick padded jacket with tough chain mail rings worn over the top. With all this armour on, long marches were difficult, so the soldiers were accompanied by younger members of the troop who acted as squires and carried supplies and back-up weapons. ORGANISATION AND DIET ARE YOU…

The pilgrim A 16th-century guest book signed by pilgrims to Rome reveals three cryptic signatures thought to be Shakespeare’s. This has led some to believe that he spent his lost years in Italy, perhaps to escape the persecution of Catholics. 14 of his plays are set there, so it may not be as outlandish a claim as it sounds. The soldier During Shakespeare’s lost years, England was under constant threat from invasion by the Spanish Armada. A document from 1588 recounts a major recruitment campaign for militiamen in Stratford, leading to suggestions that Shakespeare may have been enticed into signing up. Could this be why he was able to create such vivid scenes of military life? The poacher The earliest and most common tale originated in 1616 from a Gloucestershire…

1610 THE COBBE PORTRAIT Revealed to the public in 2009, the portrait descended into the Cobbe family with a portrait of Shakespeare’s patron Henry Wriothesley – the person most likely to have commissioned a painting of him. 1623 THE DROESHOUT PORTRAIT Martin Droeshout engraved this portrait of Shakespeare for the title page of the First Folio, a collection of the bard’s plays published in 1623. It is the only work of art besides his funerary bust that is definitely identifiable as a depiction of him. 1600-10 THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT This was believed to have been painted from life by John Taylor, Shakespeare’s ‘intimate friend’, and was owned by his godson William Davenant before finding its way into the hands of the Duke of Chandos. 1603 THE SANDERS PORTRAIT This has…

WHO WAS IN THE DRIVING SEAT? The official findings of the investigation into the crash recorded that Grace was driving and Stephanie was her passenger. Stephanie and Grace had a fractious relationship and ever since the accident, Stephanie has been forced to deny allegations that she was the real driver at the time of the crash. Although eyewitnesses all agree that they saw Grace driving in the hours leading up to the fatal accident, the whispers just won’t go away. THE FREEMASONS A fortnight before the crash, the membership of the notorious P2 Masonic Lodge was made public and there, among the most illustrious names in Europe, was Prince Rainier. Some members of the lodge were involved in extortion, fraud and criminal activity at the highest level, though there is…

Endurance Aside from being in general peak physical condition, the ability to withstand huge amounts of pain and gruelling training is essential. Boys are routinely flogged as a test of their endurance. Obedience As with any military body, the Spartan army requires that you be obedient. In Sparta, disobedience is punished with torture, while anyone showing cowardice is shamed throughout society. Physical fitness This is a necessity in Sparta, and Plutarch’s stories of Sparta even claim that babies are put through physical tests to make sure they are strong enough for Spartan life. It is a main focus for both men and women.…

With access to Egypt’s temples restricted to royalty and clergy, the temples’ outer walls sometimes incorporated shrines featuring images of ‘listening ears’. These allowed the gods to hear prayers from the general population, with the Amun of Karnak praised as a god ‘who comes at the voice of the poor’, while the goddess Hathor ‘listens to the petitions of every young girl who trusts in her’. People also worshipped at home within small domestic shrines, containing small busts of deceased ancestors and statuettes of favourite gods and past monarchs. The deified queen, Ahmose-Nefertari, and her son, Amenhotep I, were more popular than Amun at the workers’ village Deir el-Medina. Families within the home also used magic to keep out hidden forces and evil spirits, particularly during childbirth when the lives…

01 The real Revenant It’s fair to say Hugh Glass was a bit of an enigma. A mountain man and fur trapper, in 1822 he signed up for what was meant to be just another expedition to the Rockies. After leaving St Louis in March 1823, the group were ambushed by Native Americans from the Arikara tribe, but Glass escaped with only slight wounds. Next time he would not be so lucky. While the men were scouting for game in South Dakota, he was attacked by a bear. After an almighty struggle, the mountain man somehow managed to take down the beast but only after seriously injuring himself in the process. Glass had suffered a broken leg, ripped scalp and a punctured throat, and expedition leader Andrew Henry felt the…

Don’t panic! Keep your mind focused on the task in hand. Nerves will break your concentration and tire you out. Take stock of your supplies and surroundings – you don’t want to go in circles in the dense rainforest. Find a water source Don’t drink contaminated water, or you’ll become sick. Use purification tablets if you have them. If not, boiling the water should do the trick. The Amazon River will also give you the best chance of finding civilisation. Find shelter The Amazon is full of predators, so a sturdy shelter is a must. Use whatever materials you can find and a good strategy is to build off the ground, saving you from being bitten by insects through the night. Choose your food wisely Coconuts, cashews and peanuts can…

“The book covers a number of both the most well-known myths and those you may never have heard of before” Author David Stuttard Publisher Thames & Hudson Price £14.95 Released Out now Greek Mythology: A Traveller’s Guide From Mount Olympus To Troy offers a fresh take on the myths and legends of the ancient culture of Greece and Turkey. Covering 22 locations, the book both studies the historical components that make up the rich history of these areas and guides you through the modern world and what can still be seen today. The book presents the myths in chronological order, according to the beliefs of the writers who first imagined them, from the creation of the gods through to Odysseus’s return from Troy. Given that author David Stuttard is currently…

Author: William F Buckingham Price: £20 Publisher: Amberley If you ever visit the site of the Battle of Verdun, scuff the ground with your foot. It’s likely you’ll uncover a piece of debris – a human bone or a shell cartridge – from the terrible slaughter that took place there in 1916. The story of the battle is expertly retold in Buckingham’s book, whose latest offering is a dramatic mix of master narrative and touching personal accounts. Where it excels is its inclusion of German versions of a battle that’s largely been told from an Allied point of view. Important, because despite Falkenhayn’s prediction, as many Germans were lost as Frenchmen.…

Author Paul G Bahn Publisher Oxford University Press Price £30 Released Out now Can you consider the first cave paintings and arrow heads found on archaeological sites to be art? It’s a matter of perspective, but if you were to ask archaeologist Paul G Bahn, the answer would be a resounding “yes”. The writer, translator, lecturer and overall Renaissance man led the team that discovered the first Ice Age cave art in England in 2003, so it’s safe to say he has the credentials to make a judgment on the matter. In this gorgeous hardback edition of Images Of The Ice Age, Bahn explores the lives of our Ice Age ancestors through the artefacts and imagery discovered on famous archaeological sites across the globe. Bahn’s study reads as a crossover…

1492 Spain expels Jews An edict expelling Jews from Spanish soil is issued by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The only exception was for those that were willing to convert to Christianity. 1596 Rene Descartes born Infamous French philosopher Rene Descartes is born in La Haye, France. Considered the farther of modern Western philosophy, Descartes is attributed with being the first to say, “I think, therefore I am.” 1727 Isaac Newton dies The man who discovered gravity, Sir Isaac Newton, dies. After death, one of his hairs was examined and found to contain mercury, which may have explained his eccentricity in later life. 1837 John Constable dies One of Britain’s most celebrated artists, John Constable, dies. Renowned for his exceptionally beautiful landscape paintings, he died of heart failure.…

Padriac Pearse Pearse was a talented writer and one of the founding members of the Irish Volunteers. He wrote the Proclamation of Independence and was Commander-in-Chief of the Irish forces. His younger brother, William, shared his passion for independence. Seán Mac Diarmada Mac Diarmada had an active role, serving in the important General Post Office, the primary building occupied by the Volunteers. A member of the Gaelic League and the Irish Republican Brotherhood, he was determined to achieve independence. James Connolly A former member of the British Army, the Scottish Connolly emigrated to Dublin in 1896. He was Commandant-General of the Dublin forces during the rising and was executed while sitting down; as his wounds were so bad he couldn’t stand. Éamonn Ceannt The co-founder of the Volunteers was already…

Sir Francis Bacon 1561-1626 Lawyer, philosopher, essayist and scientist, parallels between Bacon’s work and Shakespeare’s have led some to argue that he hid messages of support for a republican society in plays co-authored with Shakespeare. Edward de Vere 1550-1604 The 17th Earl of Oxford sponsored several companies of actors and was an important courtier poet. It’s thought only a man with a knowledge of royal courts, Italy and law could have written plays as well-informed as the bard’s – a man just like de Vere. Christopher Marlowe 1564-93 Perhaps the most outlandish theory is that Marlowe’s death was faked to allow him to escape prosecution for atheism. Shakespeare was then chosen as the front behind whom Marlowe would continue writing his plays. William Stanley 1561-1642 With the same initials as…

Philip Henslowe dies Henslowe’s financial diary tells us much of what we know about early modern theatre practice. As a theatre entrepreneur, he built the Rose and Fortune playhouses and commissioned more than 300 plays. His son-in-law, Edward Alleyn, was the founder of Dulwich College. Find out more Talk on Henslowe’s ‘Very Theatrical Death’ by Professor Grace Ioppolo (19 May) Francis Beaumont dies Beaumont’s plays, mostly written in collaboration with John Fletcher, were hugely successful. Their working relationship reportedly extended to living arrangements and beyond, with “one Wench in the house between them [and] the same cloathes and cloak.” Miguel de Cervantes dies Dying the day before Shakespeare, Spanish novelist and playwright Cervantes is best known for his Don Quixote, widely regarded as the world’s first modern novel. His works…

Hollywood has told many fairy tales in its time and the dream factory has no shortage of make-believe happy endings. Yet for Grace Kelly, celebrated beauty and Oscar-winning star, truth proved more than a match for fiction. Grace is among an exclusive pantheon of stars whose name can transport us back to the golden age of cinema. She was, and remains, the embodiment of timeless beauty, elegance and tragedy. Once upon a time, it appeared as though she had finally found her own happily ever after. Grace’s story isn’t one of rags to riches as her beginnings were far from humble. Her father was an Olympic athlete turned politician who numbered the president of the USA among his confidantes, and her mother was an athletics coach who enjoyed a successful…

Sparta is always ready for war. From birth, children born into this Ancient Greek city-state are assessed to determine whether or not they are strong enough to be truly ‘Spartan’. Life in Sparta is a minimal affair, with luxuries and comforts frowned upon, and the main focus placed upon physical strength and military prowess. As Sparta sits in mountainous terrain, some 27 miles from its closest port, the society is built around the need to conquer other lands for access to essential commodities. When young boys reach seven years old, they leave their families to join the military barracks and begin their training (or ‘agoge’). 13 years later, at 20 years old, they are fully fledged soldiers (known as hoplites) who spend their time either in combat or teaching the…

“It was only seven years later that he found the courage, the funds and the opportunity to undertake his own solo voyage” The glorious, golden city of Tenochtitlán lay in ruins, its population starved and its warriors beaten into the dust. The Aztec civilisation was no more. The author of their pain was one Hernán Cortés who had led his conquistadors with a steely and ruthless assurance and was handsomely rewarded with the governorship of New Spain and an embarrassment of riches. But where did it all begin? Once the New World was opened up to explore, everyone in the Old wanted a piece of the action. One of the men seeking fame and fortune was Hernán Cortés. Born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain, he was part of a family…

The Egyptians greatly respected the natural world, particularly animals whose spirits were worshipped as divine. With Egypt’s earliest known art representing animals alongside humans, various creatures were placed in human burials as early as c. 4000 BCE, and the relationship was a fundamental part of Egypt’s evolving religion. Gods could be portrayed entirely as an animal, or in human (anthropomorphic) form with an animal’s head, as imitated by masked priests. Many deities also had a sacred creature, which was worshipped in life then mummified at death. The most important of these was the Apis Bull of Memphis. Believed to house the soul of the creator god Ptah when alive, it was then worshipped as the underworld god Osiris after its death when the next bull was selected to continue the…

The Opening of the Year (New Year’s Day) Month 1, day 1 (19 July) The Egyptian New Year began with the start of the annual Nile flood, which brought water to the desert landscape and allowed crops to grow. With the floodwaters repeating the moment of creation, it was a time of national rejoicing when hymns claimed ‘the whole land leaps for joy’ and people threw flowers, offerings and even themselves into the water. Opet Festival Month 2, days 15-26 (September) The Opet Festival began as an 11-day event when the cult statue of Amun was taken out of Karnak, accompanied by musicians, dancers, soldiers and the public. The procession travelled five kilometres south to the temple of Luxor, where the god’s statue was joined by the pharaoh in secret…

Women were priestesses to both goddesses and gods, undertaking similar roles to their male counterparts and receiving the same pay. The most common priestess title was ‘chantress’, with some women impersonating goddesses in rituals and the wives of high priests holding the title ‘leader of the musical troupe’. Although most high priests were men, as were the lector priests who read out sacred texts, women held both these offices at times. Yet the most important priestess was the ‘God’s Wife’, a title held by a succession of royal women acting as the human consort of the god Amun at Karnak. The God’s Wife led sacred processions with the king or his deputy the high priest, and like them could enter the innermost shrine to make offerings keeping the gods content.…

TROOPS 4,500 CANNONS 4 LIEUTENANT GENERAL LOUIS-JOSEPH MARQUIS DE MONTCALM LEADER As a professional soldier, he achieved considerable military success campaigning in Europe and during his three years in North America during the conflict. Strengths De Montcalm was well trained in the conventional tactics of European warfare. Weakness Impatient and pessimistic, he regularly quarrelled with New France governor Marquis de Vaudreuil. REGULARS UNIT The troupes de terre had high morale and fought well together. Strengths Well drilled and able to stand up in battle to enemy regulars. Weakness Under strength as a result of detaching some of the best men in the regiments for various guard and patrol duties. MODEL 1728 MILITARY MUSKET KEY WEAPON The .69-calibre smoothbore, flintlock musket had a slow rate of fire but was deadly if…

The Revenant The 2015 film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass – naturally his story is embellished slightly. However, the tale itself was always based on legend, so conjecture plays a major part – such as Glass having a Native American wife and John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) being a lot more evil. 127 hours Aron Ralston insisted that the film be as accurate as possible, and it seems as if the makers of 127 Hours took notice. After seeing the film, Ralston remarked that it was “so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama.” Alive Survivor Nando Parrado may have been technical adviser on the film, but it had some problems. The arrival of helicopters was not a complete…

Author Merry E Wiesner-Hanks Publisher Cambridge University Press Price £16.99 Released Out now It’s an ambitious author who believes they can condense tens of thousands of years of human history down into a single book, but that is what Merry E Wiesner-Hanks has attempted. Although possessing a solid historical background, there was some scepticism of what 395 pages could do. What we find is a lively and engaging book that wants to entertain. While other tomes that chart the course of human history usually focus on trade, commerce and politics, Wiesner-Hanks focuses on the social and cultural side of life through the ages. This outlook enables the author to look at issues of gender roles, society, sexuality, family and home life that gives the whole book a more personal and…

Author Stephen Porter Publisher Amberley Price £9.99 Released Out now Modern London is a sprawling, fascinating and culturally diverse global city with a history to match. If you want to discover all the glorious highs and all the shattering lows of England’s capital city, The Story Of London is a perfect start. Author Stephen Porter has set out his stall to provide the reader with a concise account of London’s past and succeeds completely. The text is delivered chronologically and no stone is left unturned as the city’s colourful history is dissected era by era. Starting off in Roman Londinium, the book moves at a lightning pace and within just 25 pages, you will find yourself already in the plague-ridden streets of Tudor London. Then, before you know it, you’re…

On 25 June 1817, a bill to prevent the use of climbing boys in sweeping chimneys was introduced to the British parliament. The law was passed but really failed as children continued to be used until 1875, when the final Chimney Sweeping Act was passed. A year after the bill was discussed, a child was born. His name was Michael Noy and he was my third great-grandfather. The only registered child of John Noy and Hannah Anne Reeve, the earliest surviving record we have of him is his baptism, which is dated 6 May 1818. It is unknown if Michael grew up in a slum, workhouse or orphanage but the family was poor and he soon ended up under the care of a master chimney sweeper called Charles Barker. Years…

CELTS-CULT OF DEATH Inside the barbaric practices of these ancient head hunters 10 CRAZIEST ASSASSINATIONS The harebrained plots that you won’t believe were attempted SECRET HISTORY OF AIRSHIPS From bombers to luxury airliners, uncover their dramatic past PLUS: Hysteria in Victorian Britain, Interview with Dan Snow, Rorke’s Drift, Wild West, Empress Dowager Cixi, The Fuhrerbunker, Fascist blackshirts, Space Race…