Jo Perdicchia’s next offering: a review of the book, World War Z by Max Brooks, urging you, as an history student, to read it! Following the discovery that the Justinian Plague was potentially the same stream as the Bubonic Plague, Jo Perdicchia explores epidemics through history, and society’s, sometimes irrational, reaction to infectious disease.

The BLM movement illuminated the symbolic and emotional power attached to who and what councils and communities choose to exalt in civic space. In March 2021, Manchester Council conducted public consultations to ‘ensure’ the public realm was ‘holistic’ and ‘meaningfully reflected the city’s communities past and modern-day identity’. Yet questions regarding the history of revered […]

Stephen Joseph is a name ingrained in the minds of Manchester’s drama students. The Stephen Joseph studio, named in his honour, is one of the Drama departments most frequented rehearsal spots. The studio itself was originally built as a German Protestant church, before being occupied by the university in 1949 and eventually taken over by […]

One of the packages includes a bar crawl through Krakow, a visit to a lap dancing club, followed by a tour of the former concentration camps sites the next day. I was astonished at how disrespectful this would appear to be to the victims of the atrocity. One states “If you want to tick the […]

St. George is revered in England, but who was he and why was he cannonised? Emperor Nero is as infamous for his brutal measures and unstable mental health as his politics. But what about the man himself? The Manchester Historian sets out to uncover the man behind the madness.

Hatshepsut was an ancient Egyptian female pharaoh who reigned from 1473 to 1458 BCE. Her reign was successful and prosperous, as it was one that saw increased trade, military victories, and a flourishing in architecture. Her time as pharaoh has led to her being referred to as the “first great woman in history”. Hatshepsut is […]

In 500 BC, in a relatively obscure kingdom in Italy, a noblewoman was raped by the son of the king. 2,200 years later, the American Constitution was enshrined into law after the success of the American Revolution. If you believe in the butterfly effect, you may think that the latter might have never happened without […]

Wikimedia Commons After a long, cold winter the weather the Spring of 1915 was unusually warm.  Among the trampled soil and burnt out carcasses of trees, the poppies grew.  Of all the symbols which stand as testimony to the First World War, the red poppy is at the forefront.  In May 1915 Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, […]

As yet another state breaks international law, chemical weapons are again at the forefront of the debate about human rights. Tom Oliver looks at how has the rhetoric of human rights developed since its inception.

Tito’s wife, Jovanka Broz, recently died in her home state of Serbia after a relatively reclusive final few decades due to an initial period of home imprisonment. Ben Beach explores the role of wives of notorious dictators, and questions whether they are innocent bystanders or conspirators. An overview of the history of gay rights in […]

Syrian peace talks have finally begun in Geneva, Switzerland. Gina Castellheim explores why Switzerland became the go-to destination for peaceful resolution. Tito’s wife, Jovanka Broz, recently died in her home state of Serbia after a relatively reclusive final few decades due to an initial period of home imprisonment. Ben Beach explores the role of wives […]

The history of European integration can be traced back to 1306, and the idea proposed by Pierre Dubois that European princes should form an assembly in order to attempt to secure a lasting European peace. 706 years later, much of the continent is tied, to some degree, to the European Union evidenced by Greece’s recent […]

The Cornerhouse and MGM have ushered in the autumn with Film Noir. Alex Hulmes explores this dark genre, past and present. J Edgar Hoover was the Bureau of Investigation from 1924 until his death in 1972, a period in which he played the key role in shaping an institution that came to be known as […]

As yet another state breaks international law, chemical weapons are again at the forefront of the debate about human rights. Tom Oliver looks at how has the rhetoric of human rights developed since its inception. Historically the participation of women in warfare as direct combatants has been very rare. Until recently, women have been prohibited […]