Tag Archives: History

Previews: History Today Magazine – January 2023

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History Today Magazine – January 2023 issue:

The Cold, Cold War

Throughout the 19th century, rival nations battled to conquer the poles. One explorer set out to establish an Arctic colony – or to get rich trying.

Roses are Red?

The Wars of the Roses saw some of the bloodiest months in English history, but winning on the battlefield did not necessarily mean winning the war.

French Views: The History Of The Ladurée Macaron

Insider Food (December 17, 2022) – From the big screen to fashion catwalks, the French macaron has become a pop culture icon. And it’s thanks to Ladurée, the French company credited with inventing the colorful cookie over 130 years ago. Today, Laudrée has turned its colorful macarons into a cookie empire.

Tours: Plas Newydd House Snowdonia, North Wales

National Trust – Set on the shores of the Menai Strait, visitors to the gardens at Plas Newydd in Wales can take in the sea air and enjoy views of Snowdonia.

The gardens, dating back to the 16th century, owe much of their dramatic beauty to landscape designer Humphry Repton who in 1798, who planted trees to make the most of the views. Repton’s legacy influences the way the National Trust cares for the gardens today.

Discover ornate courtyards, a vibrant rhododendron garden and a tree house – features when the 6th Marquess of Anglesey lived at Plas Newydd with his family. You’ll also pick up a gardening tip to help you keep your flower beds happy and healthy over winter. The gardens at Plas Newydd are only open at weekends during the winter.

Culture: The American Scholar – Winter 2023

Winter 2023

@TheAmScho Winter 2023 issue:

The Road to Paradise and Back

Fires in the West, hurricanes in the East—what it’s like on the ground as we confront our rapidly changing world

The Corals and the Capitalist

The key to avoiding an ecological catastrophe might be found in the wealth of nations and the spirit of innovation

Our Founding Contradiction

The entrenched dichotomy at the center of the national story

Moon Exploration: 50th Anniversary Of Apollo 17

NASA Goddard – This video celebrates the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17 by talking with Lunar Module Pilot Jack Schmitt about the significance of that mission and how it laid the groundwork for future human exploration of the Moon.

Jack also discusses how the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched in 2009, has helped reinterpret Apollo-era data and given us new information about the lunar terrain that will help pave the way for the upcoming Artemis missions.

Apollo 17 was the sixth and final Apollo mission to land on the Moon. Following a 2-hour 40-minute delay, it launched at 11:33 p.m. CST on December 6, 1972, the only night launch of the Apollo program. Prior missions had explored the Moon’s early volcanic history and the role of large impact basins such as Imbrium. Accordingly, Apollo 17 was planned to collect ancient highlands crustal material far from the Imbrium basin and to search for possible young lunar volcanic activity, which would help to constrain our knowledge of the Moon’s thermal evolution.

  • Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Produced and Edited by: David Ladd (AIMM)
  • Data Visualizations by: Ernie Wright (USRA)

Scotland Films: ‘The Spirit Of 1926’ – Macallan (2022)

The Macallan – Celebrating the extraordinary woman behind the most valuable bottle of spirit ever sold at auction, The Macallan has released a film biopic of former managing director, Janet Harbinson.

Paying homage to her quiet heroism, the film centres on the real-life story of Janet Harbinson, known as Nettie. Following her husband’s sudden death in 1918, Nettie assumed control of his whisky distillery and, through her sheer passion, unwavering commitment, and dedication to craftsmanship, she kept the business afloat and helped to rebuild the local area.

Without setting out to do so, she also crafted The Macallan Fine & Rare 1926, which achieved legendary status after it fetched £1.5m at Sotheby’s 2019. Several years on, it continues to be the world’s most valuable bottle of spirit ever sold at auction. Its very existence is a direct legacy of Janet Harbinson’s commitment to doing the right thing for her family, her community and The Macallan.

The beautiful wardrobe worn by the characters in the film is the work of Scottish fashion designer Christopher Kane, who created a series of 1920s outfits using historic, luxury fabrics from artisan suppliers, including hand-crafted lace and bespoke The Macallan tweed.

Mexico Archaeology: Lost Sak Tz’i’ Dynasty Unveiled

National Geographic UK – Modern technology has enabled archaeologists to virtually peel back a forest to discover the lost Maya city, an ancient civilisation that existed for up to 3,000 years and stretched from the pacific coast to the gulf coast of Mexico.

The technology, known as LIDAR, shot lasers from a plane through the tree canopy which bounced off of the ground to create an image of the earth below. The images were then used to map and uncover the hidden historical structures that make up the ancient Maya city.

According to a report in The New York Times, a fortified Maya settlement thought to be the capital of the Sak Tz’i’ dynasty is being investigated on private land in southern Mexico by a team of researchers including Charles Golden of Brandeis University. The site is thought to have been occupied as early as 750 B.C. until the end of the Classic period, around A.D. 900.

Golden said that the ruins cover about 100 acres and include an acropolis dominated by a 45-foot-tall pyramid, temples, plazas, reception halls, a palace, ceremonial centers, and a ball court measuring about 350 feet long by 16 feet wide. Inscriptions from other sites had linked the kingdom of Sak Tz’i’ to the Maya cities of Piedras Negras, Bonampak, Palenque, Tonina, and Yaxchilan.

Preview: History Today Magazine – December 2022

December issue

Inside December 2022 issue:

Age of Doubt: Saints and Sceptics

The medieval period was a golden age of saints and miracles, but they were met with a healthy dose of scepticism.

‘A Baptism of Blood’

Fighting for the Union in the US Civil War, Welsh soldiers discovered that the cost of assimilation was the loss of their native language.

Renaissance Wonder Women

To Renaissance audiences, the mythical Amazons were exotic, mysterious and revealed hidden truths about their own society.

London History: Elizabeth Tower – Big Ben’s 5 Secrets

DW Euromaxx – After years of renovation work, London’s famous landmark finally sounds again: Big Ben! We take you on a tour of the inside of the tower and reveal five secrets about it. This much in advance: The tower is not called Big Ben…

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the northeast end of the Palace of Westminster. The nickname is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and to the entire clock tower.

In 2012, the official name of the tower was changed to “Elizabeth Tower” to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond (60th year as queen) Jubilee.

Previews: Smithsonian Magazine – December 2022

Smithsonian Magazine – December 2022

Smithsonian Magazine – December 2022:

The Sweet and Sticky History of the Date

Throughout the Middle East, the versatile fruit has been revered since antiquity. How will it fare in a changing world?

This Guatemalan Village Is Becoming a Work of Art

To help boost its appeal to tourists, local residents are transforming their lakeside town into a living art installation