During the early to mid-20th century, five million African-Americans made the passage from the former slave-holding south to the industrialised cities of the north and west United States. Cruel Jim Crow laws and tough financial situations forced families to move hundreds of miles to states such as New York, Illinois and Michigan, where demand for […]
On the 10th September 2009, the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, issued an apology to Alan Turing, culminating with the words “we’re sorry, you deserved so much better”. This apology came over 60 years after Turing’s ingenious cracking of the German Enigma code, which explicitly led to many British victories in WW2, such as the […]
“I may be a wage slave on Monday / But I am a free man on Sunday.” The final, defiant lines of Ewan MacColl’s The Manchester Rambler are set to a jovial tune that has become a standard for English folk singers; yet one could be forgiven for not having heard it. The song, and […]
The early years of the USSR were exciting and turbulent. Rapid industrialisation, education, and the rise of gender equality led to a feeling of great hope for the country’s future. Whilst women who lived in rural areas continued to wear traditional hand-sewn Russian dress, women living in urban areas of Russia began to style themselves […]
As you sit at a desk trying to recall a mountain of information learnt in three hours each week for the last few months, it’s tempting to dream about pastures sunny. In this issue, we’ve provided you with the perfect fodder for those forgetful exam moments, though we’d recommend saving it for after you’ve walked […]
In 1990, the inmates of Strangeways prison began the longest riot in British penal history. Once revered as a “last bastion of discipline,” the prison stood as the largest penitentiary in England, holding around 900 men at full capacity. By 1990, a peak of over 1,600 prisoners had been confined within its walls, becoming a […]
After weeks of advertising and holding trials, History FC has now assembled a very strong squad, preparing for the first league fixture on Wednesday 7th October. History FC is one of the University of Manchester’s oldest 11-a-side football teams, having competed in the ISSL campus league for many decades. After suffering two successive relegations, the […]
In 1989 the First Liberian Civil War erupted. In 1980, Samuel Doe headed a coup d’état to overthrow the government. The war began in 1989 because Charles Taylor, a former government minister, moved from a neighbouring country with the intention of starting an uprising meant to topple the government headed by Doe. Those who supported […]
Manchester in the 19th and 20th century was a hub of activism, a city which witnessed the mobilisation of marginalised groups who were striving for better lives. The National Society for Women’s Suffrage (NUWSS) was founded in 1867 by Manchester-born Lydia Becker; as the first national organisation dedicated to women’s suffrage, the society was fundamental […]
Now that Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has announced his impending retirement, there’s been a whole lot of speculation over his successor. But Christians really needn’t worry. Whoever gets the job can’t be nearly as brilliantly bonkers as some of Williams’ predecessors. Take Archbishop George Abbot for example. In 1621 he straight-up killed […]
These were the final words of William of Orange, nicknamed Father of the Fatherland, after being shot in 1584. These words encapsulated the dire circumstances faced by the Dutch at that moment, embroiled in a war of independence after enduring decades of oppression from their Hapsburg overlords. Classically, gin should be served with cubes of […]
It is hard to overstate the significance of the September Campaign, the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland, in catalysing the eruption of global warfare in 1939-45. Within two days of the invasion, Great Britain and France had declared war on Nazi Germany with the Commonwealth of Nations following suit. The invasion was diplomatically catastrophic for Neville […]
In 1990, the inmates of Strangeways prison began the longest riot in British penal history. Once revered as a “last bastion of discipline,” the prison stood as the largest penitentiary in England, holding around 900 men at full capacity. By 1990, a peak of over 1,600 prisoners had been confined within its walls, becoming a […]
Leonardo Da Vinci was, without doubt, one of the greatest minds in human history who is often said to have been, scientifically at least, hundreds of years ahead of his time. However, this seems to be an idea that grates on the modern day scientist who cannot dream of being compared to such a man […]